The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-08-28

Chicago, Aug. o. Light from
a star 24O trillion miles away will
throw a switch for the official op-
ening of the science exhibits of ga
Century of Progress, Chicago's
1888 worlds fair, exposition off
Gals announced today.
Moving at the rate of 10000
miles a second this light has tray
eled from the giant start, Arctur-
US, since 1898, the year of the
worlds Columbian Exposition =
Chicago's first worlds fair
At 9 p. m. of June 1, 1888 this
light will fall through the power
full lenses of the forty-inch tele-
scope of the Yerkes observatory
at Williams Bay, Wis, and be TO-
cused on a tiny pboto-electric cell.
The lights impact will cause an
electric effect on the photo-electric
cell. This amplified, will send an
impulse over wires TO the exposi-
ton grounds, which will throw the
necessary switches to open the sci
ence exhibits, turn on brilliant IL
Elimination and start ponderous
machinery whirling.
The plan to use light energy
from Arcturus rather than the
kpush of some dignitary's hand has
been developed by exposition scien-
lists in cooperation with Prof.
Edwin B. Frost, the blind director
of the Yerkes observatory.
1t will be the first time that
man has reached into the void be-
yond our solar system to harness
the energy of a heavenly body to
so mundane a task.
The Harvesting of Arcturus will
Symbolic the victory of mankind
oyer nature through the applica-
ton of science-a victory which
forms the general theme of the ex-
position itself.
Selection of Arcturus for the
role of throwing the switch is par
ticularly appropriate. The forty
years since the light which will act
on the photo-electric cell left Arc
turus marks Chicago's spectacu-
lar rise 10 rank among the world
cities.
In the forty years since this
light started earthward, Chicago
has increased in population three
fold, it has developed its great
park and boulevard system, it's
schools and universities, its CEN
tiers of art and music
In those forty years mankind has
made most of the scientific ad-
vance recorded in an amazing
century Of progress.
Fort Dearborn, first exhibit
building of Chicago's 1888 worlds
fair and an exact replica of the
log stronghold in which the first
Chicagoans deried the savage Red
skins from 1904 until 1912, was
the scene Of the colorful ceremDn-
les during the week.
The occasion was the 10th an
niversary of the destruction of
Fort Dearborn by Indians, follow
ing the massacre of the evacuat-
ing garrison. Presiding at the
fort replica was Miss Maria Mid
dleton, of Wayne, Illinois, who had
been selected for the distinction of
being Miss Fort Dearborn in a
series of contests in which hun
dreds of young women participant
ed.
AS part of the ceremony, Red
Sun, descendant of Pottawattomies
who took part in the massacre,
and John Manson, descendant of
Capt. John Whistler, who built the
original Fort Dearborn, smoked a
pipe of peace and buried a toma-
hawk. Present also were Richard
Grant and Ernest Lassey, who had
just completed a canoe journey
around the eastern half of the I'm
tied States-the longest canoe voy-
age ever made. They had started
from the Michigan Ave. link
bridge, site of the original Fort
Dearborn, last September 22.