The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-02-07

I preasions: .as =, to tho rationale 81
building. The frameworks arc Of Eount<
less timbers, 'interlacing in . seemingly.
unmeanins tangle. It IL easier to shap4
boards into a. box than to oaxpsntR an
imitation Of an Uneven stone. In the one
case the distribution Of weights 10 sim-
ple.. but in the other the problem becomes
infinitely complicated,. in he one case
the angles are natural, but In tho other
they are unnatural. The difficulties Of the
task may be Imagined when b object to
be initiated Is masniled from . bowidec
into a sood-sized cliff.
II preparations for NE larger ethnio
feature attractions involve astonishing
ingenuity. the installation Of the devices
with which the monster illusions are to be
effected Is even more a matter for wonder.
The man that has stood behind the
scenes of q theater during the productions
Of a spectacular performance has some
idea Of tho intricate mechanism with
which the s~cene-picturss are produced.I
Any one Of the illusions now in course OF
erection on the Pike necessitates the use
OF innumerable clever Inventions; and alt
Of them combined means al interlacing OF
movable canvases. invisible travellers.
noiseless rollers. electric lights and wires,
the like of which cannot be approached
or afforded In any theater.
The principal displays illusional In char.
acter are Tho Creation" "Trip to the,
North Pole" "Over and Under the Sea-
1.-THE Galveston Flood and THE Siberian
Railway
Entering the great dome Of the first
named, the spectator will find himseif
canopied by an overarching. cobalt-blue
expanse. 1t Is the inner dome, painted
sky color.
Concealed far up In the wall arc large
steam boilers. the function of which is
the manufacture of clouds. Poor from
the cloud machine and a snow-white finn
crawis upward as IL .wind-propelled. h
artificial clouds slowly obscure the deep
background of the unspotted heavens.
Then. gradually taking shape in tho
misty void, appear the figures OF movin1
angels. These are projected from the very
top Of the dome. from behind the cloud
veil; and. their source being hidden from
the spectators below. 1t is expected that
the illusion will be perfect.
By the shifting Of the projected pictures,
by unrolling Of other painted cauvases
and by means of electrical effects the
whole pictorial story unfolds. The gen.
eral theme involves the naturalization OF
the world out Of empty space. the book
of Genesis being followed as nearly as
possible.
SUBMARINE AND
AERIAL NAVIGATION.
For another Of the Illusions. the Fair
visitor enters through IN archway from
the Pike. He finds a craft resting In
water, submerged save for a manhole.
Through this he descends. Tho opening
Is closed and down goes the vessel, S C
rapidly that the descent seems far great
er than 1t is.
Invisible from above. a larger rubber
passageway IS connected with the Boat.
Through this the spectator walks. look
Ing the while through round portfolios.
Outside, representing the submarine
ocean, are stretched several strips Of
gauze. all blue and Of varying thicknesses.
These move rapidly. creating an effect Of
water. By moving pictures. 1t appears
through the aperturss that all the
fishes, monsters of the deep n peculiar
submarine growths and coral formations
are rapidly fleeting by. These are moving
pictures, secured in aquariums. and their
literal exactness, together with the shim-
mering effect of the shifting gauzes. will
compel the spectator to think HI indeed
Is far beneath the surface of the sea.
The boat is supposed to rise to the sur