The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-13
FRENCHMAN HAD
CORRECT IDEA
How Staff Came to Be Used as
Construction Material for
Exposition Building.
B0NET'N0 AT JAMESTOWN
NEW DEPARTURE FOR NEXT
YEARS CELEBRATION.
B0NET NOW AT JAMESTOWN

Norfolk, Va, Aug. 12.-Leo Bonet OF
a construction material for exposition
buildings and statuary in the United
States, has arrived in Norfolk on bust
ness connected with the jamestown ex-
position of 1907. Mr.. Bonet, through
his suggestion that staff be used in the
construction of the Columbian exposi-
tion at Chicago, may be credited with
having saved about $20000,000 to the
builders of the several eXpositions that
have been held in this country since
1898. The late Colonel Sellers of Mis-
souri, was d suggester of schemes with
millions i'm them" This mans sug
gestion really panned out the millions.
Solved the Problem.
Born in France. Mr.. Bonet came 10
the United States twenty years ago and
became an American citizen. In 1891,
when the first great American exposi-
ton since the Philadelphia Centennial
was in embryo, Mr.. Bonet went to Chi
cago. The problem of creating an arch
itectural display with the maximum of
magnificence at the minimum of ex-
pense was under discussion. Wood,
glass and tin were chiefly employed at
Philadelphia, resulting in structures
more useful than beautiful Mr.. Bonet
proposed TO the Chicago exposition
builders that staff be employed as the
principal constructive material for out
side finish and ornamentation. At first
his suggestion was not very seriously
considered. The Frenchman was told
that staff was not sufficiently durable;
that, like the tabled wings of Icarus, it
In ste
hacks" and other wear and tear of
weather. To disprove this notion, Mr.
Bonet made some staff figures and set
them on top of the Rookery building in
Chicago, exposed to a winter of rough
weather. The next spring ii was dis
covered that the staff had stood the
storm. After due consideration, staff
vas adopted, and the Columbian expo
sition thereby saved 1850, 900 in addi-
ton 10 the achievement of the most
beautiful exposition ever held up to
that year. Since then every exposition
has been built chiefly of wood and staff
saving in each instance millions of dol
lars. Had these worlds fairs been built
of steel and stone the cost would have
been enormously greater and the time
required in construction would have
been doubled. For temporary buildings
staff is now universally used.
The First Staff Building.
The first staff building in America
was the woman's building at the Chi
cago fair, which was the work of Mr.
Bonet. The fine arts building of that
fair, which was the work of Mr. Bonet,
still stands as a monument TO the en-
durance of STAFF, or rather the endur-
ance Of paint, which protects the staff
from tho Of ~
Paint sticks to staff tenaciously, and
the material is capable of treatment to
any color scheme desired. The bewil-
dering beauty of eXpositions in tint and
hue, is due to a combination of plaster
of paris. hemp and dextrine-com-
ponent elements of staff-and the pig
ments which protect and beautiful it's
surface. Not only in the buildings
themselves, but in their artistic orna-
mentatiOn of frieZe and cornice and in
the statuary that embellishes the
grounds is staff now employed.
Permanent Buildings.
At the approaching jamestown expo
sition. which will open April 20, 1907,
on Sewell's Point. six miles from Nor
folk, another radical departure i'm the
construction OF exposition buildings is
70 be taken. Heretofore every great ex-
position in this country has been built
only for temporary use. Most of the
buildings at SewelPs Point are to be
permanent. Accordingly, the quantity
of staff used will be comparatively
small. The exposition site is on the
shore of Hampton Roads, that famous
seaway and summer resort region. 1t
is believed that after the exposition
there VIII be a demand for the various
buildings, to be used as hotels, club
houses and summer residences. With
this idea III view. there is extra induce
ment for the participation of the vari-
Gus states. The site of each state
building is decided TO the state occupy
ing it. The state is erecting a substan-