Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-05-06
A GORGEOUS SIGHT.
HOW THE MYSTIC CURRENT
CREATES A FAIRY-lAND.

HOW THE MYSTIC CURRENT
CREATES A FAlRY-LAND.
The Lighting of the Great St. Loui, Fair-It
Is Scene That Will Pay Crossing the Con-
tinent to See. Aside From the Other Won
dsrs Again the Heart of the Observer
Echoes the Exclamation, What Hath God
Wrought "A Touch Of AIaddns Lamp
Reveals a Panorama Of Beautiful Effects
That Will Cling to the Memory for life.
Those who cannot visit the St. Louis
Fair may revel in Imagination from
the word pictures given from time to
time in the public prints. Here is
one:
1t was rare occasion when first the
bud of electric illumination at the
Worlds Fair burst into blossom and
since that first night OF informal re-
hearsal every time that the lights have
been turned on has been a rare occa-
sion to those privileged to be present.
Now that the public may enjoy this
illumination each evening the long
anticipated delight of the spectacle is
being realized.
1t is best to see the illumination
at first from a considerable distance.
One should get his first glimpse of
this magnified fairyland from the out
side Of the grounds, or at any rate
from point mile or so away from
the "main picture" which is the CEN
ter of illuminative features. The
night should be dark, with neither
moon nor stars visible, but free from
clouds, so that the lights be not
dimmed by the misty haze.
Riding around curve on trolley
car, or topping the brow OF hill, one
suddenly becomes aware OF something
wonderful in the distance, mighty
bouquet Of light blossoming out of the
darkness. For half mile the flowers
of light sparkle in the murk-clear,
clean-cut, golden. The distance not
only lends enchsntment to the view,
but mellows the lights to soft glow
soothing to the eyes. One beholds
glowing through the darkness long
lines OF little lights, broken here and
there into fantastic designs. Now a
huge star breaks out, made Of many
lights. Yonder is circle after circle OF
cleaning brilliancies, far up in the
sky. Still higher up is outlined a
skeleton framework of lights, and you
know that it is the illumination OF a
tower, though you zee nothing what
ever of the tower itself.
Lower down are parallel rows OF
lamps, in parallalogram form, leading
hundreds of yards horizontally and
sixty or seventy feet perpendicularly,
crossing the other lines at frequent
intervals and ending in circles and
diam onds and squares and crosses.
You know that this is the outline Of
one Of the mighty exhibit palaces, but
you see nothing Of the building itself.
A glorious archway in electric lights
marks q main entrance. and overhead
curious arrangement of lamps sug-
gests a gigantic statue or mighty ped.
iment of reclining figures. though there
is nothing visible OF the statuary staff.
If you are familiar with the shapes
OF the buildings you can distinguish
one from another by these lights. The
classic pillars OH the colonnades of the
Palace of Varied Industries flash them
selves into fiery outline. The massive
pylons at each end of the Palace Of
transportation are told forth in the
living language of the lamps. The
Palace OF Electricity is cleaning
telltale ghost OF its own glories OF
architecture.
Yonder, high up on Art Hill, rises
in lines OF lights converging TO a COM
mon center, the i!luminations that
marks Festival Hall and its wonderful
dome, and just below are the great
fountains and the Cascades, leading
down to the Grand Basin and the Ia
goons, which are spanned by bridges
outlined in electric glow. At each
side on the hilltop lights lead the Wis.
ion along the Colonnade of States to
the towering twin pavilion, with their
lesser domes hanking Festival Hall.
Away down in the center of the
bouquet OF brilliance you behold a sim
gle flower rising from the rest, and
YOU know that the name OF this slender
stalk is the Louisiana Purchase Mon
umsnt. 1t is time now that you come
nearer to the picture. AS you ap-
proach, the darkness gradually melts
from the vicinity of the little lamps,
and you perceive the ivory-tinted ex-
teriors of the huge buildings, glowing
in the light OF thousands of lamps.
Stepping into the edges of the main
picture, you are entranced by the
scene. Lagoons and plazas and broad
thoroughfares for promenade are made
as bright as day. Thousands OF people
pass along the promenades, stand
upon the bridges or float in the many
gondolas.
Suddenly the scene changes. Sound
lends its magic to the aid OF light.
From the Festival Hall pour forth the
harmonies OF the mighty pipe organ.
Orchestras here and there in pictur'
esque pavilions make tender melodies.
| Al ,bap the golden glow of the