The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-04-30

J..
skies and in the presence OF an ina
mense audience, containing repraseH-
tatives from every corner OF the eartn,
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
was opened formally at noon to-day.
To be exact, at 8 minutes past II,
there was a sharp click OF a little in
strument in the electricity and manu-
facturers' building. and the flash OF
spark as the electric current set IN
motion by the fingers of President
Roosevelt in Washing gtOn, shot over
the thousand miles of copper wire and
galvanized into life the gigantic mass
of machinery that forms such Spleh-
did part of the great fair.
It was an impressive sight. An I'M
mense 1hrong-estimate at over 15O,-
900 people-had passed the turnstlles,
early in the-dav. They gathered in the
plaza Of Saint Louis, the plaza OF St
Anthony, and spread out over the spa
cious avenues from the palace or LIB
eral Arts even to the Grand Cascades-
Many We're out of sight OF the stately
Louisiana monument towering llV
feet above the ground, and more We're
out of hearing of the speakers who
stood at its base. But all We're patient
There was a band concert and then
three solid hours of speech making.
But the eyentful moment came at last
the fruition of six years OF tlreless'
patient, indomitable work on the part
of officials and people. President Fran
els, re-headed, watch in hand, STOOD
between Secretaries Taft and Moody.
His eyes were fixed upon the distant
Hall Of Festivals. The seconds ticked
away slowly
Was there a hitch some place? Had
something gone wrong at the other
end of the line? President Francis
frowned, then his face lighted. A
flag was slowly rising on the stan o.
the Hall of Festivals. Little flags
were breaking out on a thousand little
flag staffs on a thousand caves anu
cornices and the big palaces all set III
motion from Washington Slmultane-
ously there came the whir, roar anu
creak of pulleys and wheels and lying
belts as the huge pieces OF machinery
started, found themselves and sprans
Cascades, there was rush OF water
and a flash Of flame. The Colonade
of States became a mass OF llShts.
Water rushed out of myriad OF orl'
fees in the terrace. A thousand to'ln-
tains began to play
The Immediate thronS stood silent,
a moment impressed by the beauty OF
the scene. then cheer arose and
spread out over the grounds. The
Louisiana. Purchase Exposition was ac
complished-it was fact.
True there remains much to be done
before the big show is complete III
every detail. All the main palaces
are finished, but workers are busy on
the Pike and will be for two weeks.
Many Of the State buildinSs are IN
the hands of the carpenters yet. IN
Machinery Hall and in the varied IN
dustries and fine arts buildings every
thing is complete. In the other pal
aces, many exhibits have yet to be IN
stalled. But what is in, is we'll worth
the admission and before one can see
it all the remainder will be complei'
ed.
The exercises which preceded the
actual setting in motion of the machln
cry, We're impressive. The officers
and directors of the exposition, the
board Of lady managers, representa-
tives of foreign governments, officials
of States and Territories and represen
tatives of the Army and Navy assem-
bled at the Administration Building
and marched to the plaza OF SAINT
Louis The lady managers marched
too They wanted carriages, but the
hard-hearted exposition officials, who
were forced by Congress to give III
100000 to the lady managers to be
used by them to entertain the1l
friends, compelled the lady managers
to walk or hire their own carriages. n
In the shadow of the monum I'M ent fa1'1t5 @ p