Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-03
ILLUMINATION OF WORLDS FAIR.
Night Scene In Masnified FairyIand
When All the Electric Lights Glow
Through the Envelopins Darkness.
Correspondence Of the Yorkville Enquirer.

Correspondence OF the Yorkvile Enquirer.
ST. LOUIS, April 30.-It was rare
occasion when first the bud of elec-
trio illumination at the Worlds Fair
burst into blossom; and since that first
night of informal rehearsal every time
that the lights have been turned on
has been a rare occasion to those priv
ileged 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 considerable distance.
One should get his first glimpse Of this
magnified fairyland from the outside
Of the grounds, or at any rate from a
point a mile or so away from the
main picture" which is the center of
lilluminative 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 a curve on a trolley
car, or topping the brow of hill, one
suddenly becomes aware Of something
wonderful in the distance, a mighty
bouquet Of light blossoming out of the
darkness. For half a mile the flowers
Of light sparkle Il the murk clear,
clean-cut, golden. The distance not
only lends enchantment to the view,
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 see nothing what
ever Of the tower itself.
Lower down are parallel rows of
lamps. in parallelogram form, leading
hundreds Of yards horizontally and
sixty or seventy feet perpendicularly.
the perpendiculars crossing the other
lines at frequent intervals and ending
in circles and diamonds and squares
and crosses. You know that this Is
the outline Of one Of the mighty exhib-
1t palaces, but you see nothing OF
the building itself. A glorious archway
in electric lights marks a main en-
trance, and overhead a curious ar
rangement of. lamps suggests a gigan-
tic statue or mighty pediment Of re-
clining 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 on the colonnades of the
Palace of Varied Industries flash them
selves into fiery outline. The massive
pylons at each end of the Palace Of
living language Of the lamps. The
Palace Of Electricity is cleaning
telltale ghost Of it's own glories Of
architecture.
Yonder, high up on Art Hill, rises in
lines Of lights converging to common
center the illumination that marks
Festival Hall and its wonderful dome,
and just below are the great foun-
| tains and the Cascades, leading down
to the Grand Basin and the lagoons,
which are spanned by bridges outlined
hilltop lights lead the vision along the
Colonnade of States to the towering
twin pavilion: with their lesser domes
| fianking Festival Hall.
Away down in the center Of the bou-
quet of brilliance you behold a single
| flower rising above the rest. and you
know that the name of this slender
stalk is the Louisiana Purchase Monu-
ment. 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
thorouEhfares for promenades are made
as bright as day. Thousands of people
pass along the promenades. stand upon
the bridges or float in the many gon-
dolas.
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
And then the golden glow Of the
lights on Festival Hall and the foun-
tains and Cascades is changed to 9TH
er hues, now red, now blue. now violet,
now a variegated brilliance including
all the colors of the prism. and the
waters of the leaping fountains and
plunging cascades blossom like flowers,
and the greensward on the slopes Of
Art Hill becomes a plain Of fire, and
the flower beds take on fantastic hues.
The lights change and change in be-
wildering variety.
Then. from the great German castle
on the hill. peal forth the chimes Of
deep-toned bells. resonant and clear,
and the susceptible young damsel in
the Venetian gondola under the bridge
goes into exclamations Of ecstacy; but
the soberer- minded folk merely remove
their hats and stand silent. awed by
the magnificent expression of the gen.
ius of man working with the wonders
that God has wrought.
RoBERTUs LOVE.