The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-04-30

anxious to begin the inspection of the
great exposition, and the crowds that
ebbed and flowed through the great
white palaces and along the broad
tudes yet to come when the Pilgrim
age to the Mecca of civilization
should have been fairly begun. OF
course. everyone who could obtain en-
trance to the big auditorium listened
with attention and respect to the ora
tors of the day, but there was an evil
dent disposition to begin sightseeing
as soon as possible.
1t is true that the exhibits are not
vet complete in all their details. They
have not arrived so rapidly as was eX-
pected, and the work of classification
has been somewhat delayed. Still.
with these drawbacks, the attractions
may be said to surpass those OF any
previous exhibition in its completed
state. Satisfactory as this condition
Of affairs is, yet contrasted with the
display which viii greet the visitor a
week or two hence, that of today Will
be remembered only as a prologue to
one of the most instructive and be
NiIdering spectacles in the history of
The world. 1t Is safe to say. however,
that none of the visitors today was
dissatisfied with what he saw. From
end to end, throughout every part of
the great tract of 1910 acres. there
was a succession of strange and novel
sights, moving mulutudes and q dis
play Of the resources and products Of
civilization such as has never before
been collected in one place.
All the arrangements for handling
the crowd We're excellent. The gates
We're at no time choled and the throng
passed into the grounds with less .
trouble than is often experienced at a |
theatre or other place of amusement. /
The crowd itself was a good-natured
one. Aside from the foreigners, who
after all formed but a small fraction
Of the great throng the bulk of the !
multitude was made up of st. Louis
people. This was to be expected, con- /
sidering the fact that most of the (
prospective visitors from other states +.
ments to reach St. Louis after the ex-
position shall be fully under way. St /
Louis, however, had evidently resolved
TO take a day off in honor of the event +
and the attendance was highly graft |
flying. Neighboring cities and states .
We're not by any means unrepresented /
however. Special trains brought into .
The city thousands of sightseers from
Iowa, Illinois, Kansas. Indiana Ken
lucky, Arkansas and states even more
distant. and these visitors helped to
$" II the throug that had gathered
from ali parts of the Mound city and
its Suburbs to join in the opening Of
the big show.
Throughout the grounds We're dis
trioHted the worlds fair police, Jeffer-
son guards, as they are called. They
We're Of value in directing the move
ments of the crowd when a blockade
was threatened, and their services
We're occasionally called into requfsi-
ton to clear the way for passing We
hcle connected with the hospital SER
vice, the police department or the
department of the EXPOSE
tIoh, Accidents of a serious charac-
Ter were surprisingly few consider
h5 the magnitude of the crowd. The
transportation facilities, while not yet
completed to their highest capacity.
were fairly adequate. The people. too,
made the task of the transportation
companies easy by starting early
Though the hour for the official open
hS was set for early afternoon. or
o'clock in the morning saw the down
own streets filed with people headed
-or Forest park. The crowds did not
7apen7 upon the stea~~ >0f7~oads and
he trolley lines. howeva~ ~Aav came
= every conceivable ~rton-on foot.
n ricvcles and in car~5o rae and carts.
i day long the c~o---7- ehrad and
7~~-e6 i and about - r~aat white