The Book of the Fair - Chapter 27



Page 956

Chapter the Twenty-Seventh:
Results, Awards, and Incidents 

Of all the pleasant features connected with the Fair, one of the most 
pleasant was the appreciation, we might almost say the affection with 
which it was regarded. Of all the lessons taught, perhaps the most 
valuable was that nations, like individuals, should not dwell apart, 
without interchange of commodities, thoughts, and ideals; nor is there 
anything that tends more surely to a universal brotherhood of nations than 
to become aquainted with the best that each has produced. While the 
greatest international exposition that the world ever witnessed has passed 
into history, it has bequeathed a heritage for good which cannot readily 
be estimated, shedding a flood of light on millions of lives and filling 
the land with the sunshine of beauty and truth. The barriers of isolation, 
with the ignorance and egotism which it begets, were broken asunder; new 
thoughts and aspirations stirred unnumbered souls, and men and women were 
awakened to broader views, to nobler aims than ever before they had known. 
All too soon the great object lesson was ended, teaching to many 
nationalities, and especially teaching to Americans, what a people may 
hope to do and to become; but of such lessons the results are far-
reaching, pointing the way to further progress and showing to man, as 
nothing else could show, what "in part he is and wholly hopes to be." 

As the 30th of October drew near, the question was discussed of 
protracting the season of the Fair beyond the appointed time; for during 
that month the attendance was by far the largest recorded, amounting to 
nearly one-half of the total admissions for the previous term. It was at 
first proposed to preserve intact the buildings, and as far as possible 
the exhibits, for a second fair to be held in 1894; but to this the park 
commissioners objected, insisting that the grounds be placed at their 
disposal on the 1st of January, as in the original agreement. It was 
finally determined to close on the date selected, but that the Exposition 
should remain open informally so long as the admission fees continued to 
swell the revenue. Thus its lustre would be preserved undimmed and its 
promises fulfilled, with all obligations met. 

For Columbus or closing day an elaborate programme had been prepared; but 
this was the saddest day of all, a day of jubilee turned into mourning; 
for the mayor of Chicago, Carter H. Harrison, who was held in high esteem 
and respect by his fellow men, lay stricken dead by the hand of an 
assassin. The ceremonies were therefore of the simplest, all joyous 
features being omitted, as the jubilee march, the firing of salutes, and 
the national melodies of all the nations represented. In Festival hall 
were gathered some 2,000 persons, among them many of the national 
commissioners, the directors and officials, and the members of the Board 
of Lady Managers. First were heard the strains of the funeral march, and 
after a brief address from Thomas W. Palmer came prayer by John H. 
Barrows, followed by resolutions of respect. Then the Exposition was 
declared to be at an end, and after a farewell speech from H. N. 
Higinbotham the benediction was pronounced, and without demonstrations of 
any kind the assemblage dispersed, slowly and with the silence of respect. 

In considering the material results of the Fair may first be mentioned its 
attendance, in which, as in other respects, there were many exceptional 
features. In an early 

Page 957

number of this work it was stated that an average attendance of 150,000 a 
day, as anticipated by the managers, was by no means an extravagant 
estimate. The actual returns show a daily average of nearly 154,000. 
During the 179 days that the gates were open, 27,529,400 persons were 
admitted, 21,477,212 being paid admissions and 6,052,188 from passes. Thus 
the total was nearly thrice as large as at the Centennial Exposition, and 
came singularly close to that at the Paris Exposition of 1889, which 
remaining open four days longer had somewhat over 28,000,000 visitors. But 
at first there seemed little prospect that the hopes of the directors 
would be realized. On opening day, the 1st of May, the admissions were 137,
557, but on the following day fell to less than 20,000, and for the first 
half of the month, with a single exception, never rose to 40,000. The Fair 
had a deserted appearance; no one was there, or at least enough to give to 
it a cheerful and life-like aspect. In the Fisheries building, and one or 
two others where all the exhibits were in place, there was at times a 
moderate gathering; but in the great hall of Manufactures, with its 40 
acres of floor space, were barely sufficient people to furnish a 
congregation for a village church. The Fair was not ready, and especially 
the Manufactures building was not ready; on its ground floor were many 
vacant sections, and in the galleries there was little to be seen, except 
bare floors and shelving. Moreover the weather was chill and damp; for 
winter lingers long on the shores of Michigan, and no vernal airs are 
those which blow from bleak Canadian plains. 

During the first month and a portion of the second the admissions were 
almost restricted to the people of Chicago and its neighborhood; but 
slowly at first, and then more rapidly, the attendance began to increase; 
for those who came from a distance returned with most favorable reports, 
and the journals of the civilized world were filled with glowing accounts 
of the wondrous spectacle. Thus the daily admissions, which up to the 
first few days of June only thrice exceeded 100,000, never afterward, 
except on Sundays, fell below that figure, the total for June being 
considerable more than double the number for the previous month, while 
July showed a further improvement, August and September a large additional 
gain, and October an aggregate of nearly 8,000,000. That the attendance 
was not larger for the earlier part of the term was due not only to the 
unfinished condition of the Fair, but to the policy of the railroads, 
which made but a nominal reduction in fares, while during the later 
portion, financial panic and commercial prostration were strongly 
antagonistic factors. The summer and autumn of 1893 will long be 
remembered as a season of straitness and distress such as never before had 
overtaken the business community of the United States. Banks were 
suspending by the dozen; capitalists were trembling for their investments; 
factories were closing, and everywhere employment was scarce and ill 
requited. From such a condition of affairs the Exposition could not fail 
to suffer in common with all other enterprises. 

While against the railroads there were many complaints, as to local 
facilities for transportation to the grounds, and within the grounds, 
there was nothing left to be desired; nor was there more of difficulty in 
handling the daily gathering of 200,000 or 300,000, late in the term, than 
in disposing of the 20,000 or 30,000 who formed the daily attendance 
during the opening week. Worthy of note was the decorous conduct of the 
sightseers, largely composed of the citizens of Chicago and its suburbs, 
with farmers, business men, and mechanics from within a radius of 200 or 
300 miles. Said Chauncey M. Depew in describing the attractions of the 
Fair: 

Page 959

"After all the most pleasing thing about it is the crowd. It is a 
typically American, orderly, good-natured, intelligent crowd, anxious to 
see everything that is to be seen, asking questions in a way that makes 
you glad to answer them, and answering questions in a way that makes you 
glad to ask them. There is no crowding, no elbowing people out of the way 
to get a better place where temporarily there is a great number of people 
wanting to see the same sight. I have yet to observe on the grounds, by 
day or night, a single drunken or disorderly person, or any emergency at 
any time when a guard or policeman was required." 

As with the attendance at the Exposition, so with its finances, the 
opening weeks were full of disappointment. For May the total receipts from 
all sources were only $616,140, or but a trifle above operating expenses. 
At this time the outlook was of the gloomiest, and it was even whispered 
abroad that the Fair would go into the hands of a receiver. Matters began 
to improve, however, and in June the income was $1,647,644, against an 
outlay of $630,505, leaving a balance of more than $1,000,000. In July 
there was a further improvement, the figures being respectively $1,907,194 
and $598,319, with a surplus of $1,368,874. Yet now that half the term was 
completed, there seemed little prospect that all obligations could be met; 
for apart from the $5,000,000 in bonds loaned by the city of Chicago, 
there were many outstanding liabilities. But still the prospect was 
brightened, August showing a surplus of $1,768,058; September, $2,632,372, 
and October, $3,792,467; the total income from admissions and concessions 
amounting to $14,141,242, the working expenses to $3,540,037, and the 
balance to $10,601,205, with average daily receipts, excluding Sundays, of 
$89,501, and an average outlay of $22,405. 

In his final balance sheet William K. Ackerman, auditor of the Exposition, 
presented a condensed report of its finances, showing receipts from all 
sources of $28,151,169, against a total expenditure of $25,540,538, thus 
leaving the Fair on its closing day with assets amounting to $2,610,631. 
From this, however, a large sum must be deducted for outlay yet to be 
incurred, while additional amounts would accrue from gate receipts, 
concessions, and other sources. For admission fees there had been received 
up to the 31st of October, $10,626,331; from concessionaires, $3,699,581; 
from the sale of souvenir coins with premiums thereon, $2,448,032; from 
subscriptions to capital stock, $5,604,172; from city of Chicago bonds, $5,
000,000, and from miscellaneous items, $686,070. The expenditure was, for 
construction, $18,322,623; for general and operating expenses, $7,127,240, 
and for preliminary organization, $90,675. After all the obligations had 
been paid, sufficient remained for a dividend of ten percent on the 
ordinary stock, this being subscribed with little expectation of any 
return in cash. While the cost of construction and operation exceeded the 
original estimate by some $4,000,000, the estimated receipts - $10,000,000 
for admissions and $3,500,000 for the sale of privileges and concessions - 
were more than $700,000 below the actual results. 

As compared with the Centennial Fair the returns show more than a 
threefold gain, and were nearly twice as large as for the Paris Fair of 
1889, the receipts of which far exceeded those of any former display. At 
Paris, however, the admission fee was but 20 cents against 50 cents at 
Jackson Park, while the cost of construction and operation, with all other 
expenses, was less than one third of that which was incurred at Chicago. 
Including the $10,000,000 or $11,000,000 contributed by states and foreign 
nations, increasing the total to more than $36,000,000 in all, the 
Columbian Exposition was at least thrice as expensive as the most costly 
of its predecessors; needlessly expensive as some have thought, though 
considering the results achieved, there are few who will take exception to 
the investment of a few millions more or less. The preliminary work, 
before the foundations of the first building were laid, the drainage of 
marsh lands, the grading and filling, the viaducts, bridges, and piers, 
the construction of artificial waterways, these and other items entailed 
charges more than twice as heavy as the entire cost of the first great 
international exhibition, held in London in 1851. But the citizens of 
Chicago are accustomed to great undertakings, and they were not the men to 
hesitate at this the greatest of all. 

Page 960

While in other respects the financial estimates of the management were 
more than realized, they were entirely at fault as to the matter of 
salvage, for which only a nominal sum was received. After the close of the 
Fair the white city became a white elephant on the hands of the directors. 
Few wanted the buildings at any price, either for removal or for their 
materials; for Chicago was largely overbuilt, especially in the 
neighborhood of the Exposition, and seldom had so many dwellings and 
stores been vacant. Then came trouble with the park commissioners, whose 
valuation of the improvements made on the grounds differed widely from 
those of the managers. By the latter were scheduled under the heading of 
salvage some 20,000 tons of iron and steel, 30,000,000 or 40,000,000 feet 
of lumber, 22,000,000 bricks, and 1,400,000 square feet of glass. Then, as 
permanent improvements, there were dredging, filling, and grading; piers, 
bridges, walks, and roadways, with the piping which drained the marsh 
lands of the park, these and other items being valued at more than $2,000,
000. The board of commissioners, on the other hand, estimated all 
permanent improvements at less than $100,000, claiming that Jackson Park 
had been damaged, especially through the destruction of timber, to the 
extent of $540,000. The difference of $440,000 they demanded as the basis 
for a final settlement and for a release from all further obligations. At 
length the matter was settled by the payment of $200,000 and the transfer 
of the buildings and all other property to the board. 

Still the question remained as to what should be done with the buildings, 
for which the highest bid from responsible parties was $80,000, or less 
than one percent of their cost. But the problem was solved in a manner 
that few had anticipated, and for which the contracting parties were 
entirely unprepared. About dusk on the night of January 8th a fire broke 
out in the casino and thence swept across the peristyle to the music hall, 
all of which, together with the quadriga were consumed. Then the 
Agricultural Building was threatened, and for a time it appeared that no 
human power could save from destruction the palaces clustered around the 
court of honor. But by a sudden shifting of the wind the flames were 
carried toward the Manufactures Building, and through its glass roof and 
the clear-story beneath, a shower of firebrands fell among cases packed 
with exhibits, of which about $50,000 worth were destroyed, most of them 
by water and in the French section, where the remaining goods had not been 
packed, as elsewhere, in water-proof cases. 

But that which was threatened on this winter night occurred a few months 
later. On the evening of 

Page 961

the 5th of July some lads at play near the terminal station observed the 
gleam of fire within, and entering the depot tried for several minutes to 
stamp it out; but these few minutes were fatal to the existence of several 
among the most sightly temples of the Fair. It was a hot summer day; the 
buildings were dry as tinder; water was scarce; the fire engines far away, 
and a fierce gale was blowing from the southwest, fanning into a 
conflagration that which when first discovered was but an insignificant 
blaze. By the time the engines were fairly at work the terminal station 
was one flaming mass, and leaping across the plaza the fire ahd seized on 
the Administration Buildings, the dome of which fell with an appalling 
crash, covering with burning cinders and brands the Mining, and 
Electricity buildings, both of which were quickly ablaze. To these were 
added, a few minutes later, the halls of Manufactures and Transportation, 
though through the efforts of the firemen a portion of the latter was 
saved. Meanwhile from the railroad terminus the conflagration had spread 
to the Machinery and Agricultural buildings, the one being utterly 
destroyed and the other damaged almost beyond recognition. 

The burning of the Manufactures building was a sight that will never be 
forgotten by those who witnessed this tragic climax in the destruction of 
the white city. Almost as soon as the fire laid hold of it the vast semi-
circular roof fell in, with its 11 acres of skylights and its 65 carloads 
of glass. Then it was seen that the whole interior was aflame, while from 
hundreds of windows tongues and jets of fire cast far on the dun waters of 
lake and lagoon their red and fearsome glare. Presently the frame began to 
totter; one after another the huge facades fell inward with a deafening 
roar, and of this mammoth temple of the Exposition there was nothing left, 
save for the lurid skeleton of a wall. It was not the time of the railroad 
strike, and as the conflagration reflected in the sky was seen by 
neighboring cities inland and on the shores of Michigan, messages of 
inquiry came pouring in by hundreds. Fresh in the minds of many was the 
great fire of 1871, and with anarchy and lawlessness still unchained, it 
was feared that the rabble was inflicting on Chicago a repetition of that 
dread disaster. As to the origin of either conflagration nothing definite 
was ascertained, though both were believed to be the work of incendiaries, 
probably of the vagrant horde which infested the streets by day and slept 
at night wherever darkness overtook them. 

As to the influence of the Fair on the business interests of Chicago, 
while the immediate effect was to place a large volume of currency in 
circulation, and the future effect would be to open still further to her 
merchants the markets of the world, there were those who declared that in 
other respects it must for a time be a positive detriment. It is probably 
that the average amount expended by visitors was not far short of $2,500,
000 a week, or about $65,000,000 for the six months' term. On the other 
hand there was overbuilding, with inflation of real estate values, so that 
several years must elapse before the normal growth of the city would 
warrant the prices demanded. For more than a year after Chicago was 
selected for the site of the Exposition, property continued to advance; 
but there it remained, awaiting the opening of the Fair, and there it 
still remains, awaiting purchasers who cannot readily be found. Long after 
closing day, many hundreds of costly tenements stood vacant, and as to 
furniture it could not be given away, serviceable mattresses, for 
instance, selling at one cent apiece, and those of superior quality for 
two cents. But with the means of speedy, cheap, and frequent communication 
extended in all directions, and especially toward Jackson Park, this can 
be but a temporary 

Page 964

condition of affairs; for there is no more steadily prosperous city than 
the midcontinent metropolis, and none with stronger recuperative powers. 

A feature in the Columbian Exposition as compared with others of its class 
was the enormous sale of exhibits, and especially of foreign exhibits, 
eight of the nations best represented selling in all more than $10,000,000 
worth of goods. Of some of the articles displayed many duplicates were 
ordered, more than 200 being required, as is said, for one of the Italian 
wood carvings. During the six months' term at least $2,500,000 was 
expended in the various Italian sections, most of the purchases being of 
marbles, porcelains, bronzes, and wood carvings. Of the marbles, some of 
them very costly , few were returned to Italy, and in the Art galleries 
many of the Italian paintings were sold. To Germans about $1,500,000 was 
paid, mainly for carved ivory, meerschaums, and cutlery. Of Japanese 
porcelains, panels, and lacquer work almost the entire stock was 
exhausted, the sales in the Japanese sections, with those of England, 
France, and Austria each exceeding $1,000,000, while to Spain was 
accredited $750,000, largely for works of art, and to Russia and equal 
amount for bronzes, furs, and gold ware. 

As stated by the committee of awards, the number of exhibits exceeded 250,
000, and of individual exhibitors was 65,422, to whom must be added those 
from France and Norway, whose groups were withdrawn from examination, 
increasing the total to nearly 70,000 participants, against 61,722 at the 
Paris Exposition of 1889, and 31,000 at the Centennial Exposition. At all 
the great world's fairs a large percentage of medals was awarded, so large 
it would seem, as somewhat to detract from their value. At Vienna, for 
instance, in 1873, about 26,000 medals were distributed among 42,000, or 
62 percent of the exhibitors, with 42 percent at Philadelphia in 1876 and 
55 at Paris in 1889. At Chicago the percentage was 36, or the lowest yet 
recorded, 21,000 exhibitors receiving 23,757 awards, for many were 
represented in more than a single group. Thus it will be seen that the 
proportion of awards to exhibitors was about as one to three, and to 
exhibits one to eleven, a liberal but not an excessive distribution. 

In the regulations governing awards it was provided first of all that 
"they should be granted upon specific points of excellence or advancement 
formulated in words by a board of judges or examiners who should be 
competent experts." In engaging the services of competent examiners the 
utmost care was exercised, correspondence being opened with many hundreds 
of societies and technical organizations, while at the request of the 
committee lists were submitted by foreign nations, including men of repute 
as scholars and scientists. There were in all 852 judges, divided into 
committees of which one was assigned to each of the main departments, one 
or more women to be appointed to each committee authorized to pass on 
exhibits consisting entirely or in part of woman's work. By the executive 
committee individual judges were appointed to examine certain groups and 
to report thereon, selecting those deemed worthy of awards and stating, as 
mentioned above, the grounds on which the selection was made, the report 
to be submitted to the department committee of which he was a member, and 
transmitted for final approval to the executive committee. 

In bestowing its awards the Columbian Exposition differed in some respects 
from most of its predecessors. First of all they were non-competitive; for 
as the executive committee remarked, in an exposition designed to 
illustrate the development of the resources of the United States and the 
progress of civilization in the New World, as compared with all 
participating nations, the results should be placed on a higher plane than 
merely to indicate the relative merits of competing exhibits. Rather 
should be indicated some independent and essential excellence in the 
article displayed, denoting improvement in the condition of the art which 
it represents. Thus the awards would constitute an enduring record of 
progress as represented by the exhibits in questions, the certificate 
serving for identification and the medal as a memento of success. Of the 
latter there would be but a single class; nor would there be granted 
either money or graded awards of any description. All the medals were to 
be made of bronze and all must be alike, except that on each would 
inscribed the name of the exhibitor. Under such a system there was, as 
might be expected, less friction than at former expositions, only 259 
complaints being entered among more than 65,000 exhibitors, while of these 
but 43 were carried to appeal. 

To the various committees with their individual members, and especially to 
the executive committee, of which John B. Thacher is chairman, credit is 
due for their faithful performance of a thankless and arduous 

Page 965

task. First there was the want of funds for clerical and other expenses, 
including the compensation of judges, for which no appropriation was made 
by congress until March of 1893. Then came the appointment of judges, who 
were selected with such discretion that not one in a hundred proved 
incompetent, and there was but a single case of doubtful integrity. The 
examinations made by these judges were conducted with the utmost care and 
precision; so that few deserving exhibits failed to receive an award, 
while the total number was kept within reasonable limits. Especially is to 
be commended the non-competitive system, avoiding the obnoxious and almost 
impossible task of a relative discrimination between more than three-score 
thousand participants, with all the jealousy and dissatisfaction which 
such an adjudication could not have failed to arouse. Nevertheless 
objection was taken by many, on the ground that it bestowed no definite 
and distinctive badge of merit on any single exhibit. 

The architects of the principal buildings, of many of the state and 
foreign buildings, and even of the Midway and other structures received 
awards from the judges in the Liberal Arts department, in which are 
included public works and constructive architecture. Suitable honors were 
also bestowed on all nations, states, municipalities, public institutions, 
and other organizations which contributed substantially to the success of 
the Fair, together with such individuals and societies as by their 
achievements or inventions, or by the development of arts and industries, 
have aided the cause of civilization. For these, in addition to the 
Exposition medal, a diploma of honor was prepared. Both medals and 
diplomas were prepared under the direction of the secretary of the 
treasury, and with these the executive committee had nothing to do, except 
for the correction of clerical errors. For the diplomas the design was 
intrusted to William Low, by whom was executed much of the fresco work of 
the Fair, and for the medal to Augustus St. Gaudens, of whom mention is 
made in connection with its decorative statuary. Both are of excellent 
workmanship and have been pronounced by competent critics superior to any 
before provided for similar purposes. 

Early in the term of the Fair large numbers of exhibits were donated to 
the management, for among the groups were not a few which, though valuable 
as exhibits, had not enough intrinsic value to pay for the cost of 
homeward transportation. In the department of Mines and Mining, for 
instance, there were bulky collections from countries as far distant as 
New South Wales, the return of which was practically impossible, and if 
returned they would no longer be kept together as collections. From state 
and foreign commissioners came liberal offers of contributions, while in 
each division of the Fair many of the articles displayed were donated by 
exhibitors, and others could be had almost for the asking. Then there were 
the collections in the Anthropological division, with their rare and 
curious relics, most of them the property of the Exposition. What 
disposition should be made of all this property was a question that 
confronted the directors long before closing day drew nigh. Something 
should be done, and that at once; for the time was short, and many 
universities and scientific associations were anxious to secure the 
treasures which belonged of a right to Chicago, there to be preserved 
intact in a memorial museum, which with further accretions would form such 
a storehouse as does not exist elsewhere in the United States. 

During the first week of August the question was considered by the 
directory, three members of which - George R. Davis, Harlow N. 
Higinbotham, and James W. Scott - were appointed a committee to canvass 
the 

Page 966

situation and formulate a plan. But whatever was done should be done, as 
the directors considered, by the citizens themselves, as an enterprise 
belonging distinctly to Chicago, and not merely as an offshoot of its 
fair. Hence, a few days later, a meeting was held of men prominent in 
business, scientific, and educational circles, and after a brief 
discussion, two committees were appointed; one on organization, the other, 
including all the chiefs of departments with the director-general as 
chairman, to secure and take charge of exhibits. Within less than a month 
a large number of additional collections, such as would complete the 
scientific and historical chain of exhibits, had been obtained by purchase 
or contribution, mainly from the Anthropological, Transportation, and 
Mining divisions. 

But in this the Columbian museum, as in the Exposition itself, was to be 
covered the entire field of science, giving perpetuity to much that was 
best worth preserving in the ephemeral city of the Fair. First, there 
should be secured a building of sufficient size, arranged with a view to 
permit additions in future years, and under control of an administrative 
board so organized as to be worthy of implicit confidence. These matters 
once assured, thousands of articles which else would have been scattered 
broadcast over the world were presented to the museum. In the first days 
of November was transferred, either as gifts or loans, the entire 
collection of Columbian relics in the convent of La Rabida, except for 
articles owned by the Vatican and by the duke of Veragua. Then came a 
number of curios, documents, and other contributions from the United 
States government, including the weapons and garments of the ancient races 
of America. Denmark contributed a portion of the Thorwaldsen exhibit in 
the Manufactures building, including models of the house in which he was 
born and of the museum that bears his name, with photographs of his 
statues. Japan gave many artistic curiosities, with statistical tables and 
diagrams illustrating the resources of the country. So with other nations 
and with many of the states, while corporations and individuals were 
equally liberal, the total value of exhibits donated exceeding $1,000,000. 
Meanwhile agents were at work, selecting from each department of the Fair 
the choices and most appropriate exhibits that could be secured at 
moderate cost. 

But more generous still were the donations in money from the citizens and 
corporations of Chicago, fully in keeping with their proverbial 
liberality, and stimulated doubtless by a worthy pride that would not 
permit the Fair to vanish without a monument commensurate with its 
greatness. First of all came a gift of $1,000,000 from Marshall Field, on 
condition that an additional $5000,000 be raised and that $2,000,000 of 
Exposition stock be assigned to the trustees of the museum. Both 
conditions were readily fulfilled; Harlow N. Higinbotham, George M. 
Pullman, and L. Z. Leiter each subscribing $100,000, and Mrs. Sturges and 
the City Railway company each $50,000, this total of $1,400,000 being 
increased by further benefactions. Thus freely did the city which 
collected more than $10,000,000 for the Fair contribute toward its 
perpetuation. 

To erect a special building for the accommodation of the museum 
collections was not possible within the limit of time; nor was such a 
building required; for among the temples of the Fair, soon to be 
demolished and their contents removed, there was one at least that would 
answer the purpose for many a year to come. This was the palace of Fine 
Arts, the architectural gem of the Exposition and also one of its most 
substantial edifices, with spacious transept, nave, and galleries, 
affording with its annexes sufficient space for a museum almost as large 
as the one at the national capital. Here were arranged the various groups, 
including contributions from nearly all the main departments, from state 
and foreign exhibits, and from the Midway plaisance. 

Another outcome of the Exposition, and a no less important one, though as 
yet on a smaller scale, was a permanent museum of woman's work, for which 
at the closing session of the Lady Managers, Potter Palmer, through his 
wife as president of the board, announced a subscription of $200,000, on 
condition that a proper site be secured. 

Music was a strong feature of the Exposition, and like the Exposition 
itself of an educational and artistic character, though in a measure 
adapted to popular taste. The appropriations for this purpose were on a 
liberal scale, two special buildings being erected - Festival hall, facing 
an arm of the lagoon near the wooded island, and the music hall proper, 
forming a part of the architectural composition whose leading feature was 
the peristyle. Of these the cost was $222,000; for a permanent orchestra 
$175,000 was voted; outdoor music costing almost as much, while running 
expenses and miscellaneous items swelled the total to $551,800, to which 
must be added the receipts from 137 concerts at which an admission fee was 
demanded, 60 being given free of charge. 

In order to carry out the objects of the bureau of music the cooperation 
was invited of all the more prominent choral 

Page 967

societies throughout the United States. Invitations were forwarded to the 
New York Philharmonic society, the Boston and New York Symphony 
orchestras, and the principal male voice societies were requested to join 
in a three days' festival and to study the parts assigned to them. The 
most prominent of European composers, such men as Verdi, Gounod, Saint-
Saens, Mascagni, Rubinstein, Dvorak, and Arthur S. Sullivan were asked to 
visit the Fair as guests, there to conduct renditions of their several 
works. To performers and musical organizations, including Joachim's string 
quartette and the choir of the Sistine chapel in Rome, a similar call was 
extended, and to all a liberal honorarium was tendered, not as a matter of 
business but for the expenses of travel. 

Thus it will be seen that the musical programme of the Fair, as with its 
Congress Auxiliary, was in keeping with the grandeur of the material 
display; but though well worthy of the occasion, its success was less 
complete than had been anticipated, for against it several causes 
militated. First, the high railroad fares, in which concession was made, 
forbade the cooperation of many of the best trained choral societies. 
Then, of the more prominent European musicians few were able to attend, 
and even from these the invitation was withdrawn; for over the Fair in its 
earlier term a financial crisis impended. As late as August, so 
discouraging was the business prospect that the management unwillingly 
accepted the resignation of Theodore Thomas as musical director, and made 
arrangements to disband its orchestra. Later, when prospects brightened, 
nothing could be done; for Thomas, who had been grossly maligned by a 
portion of the press, refused to return, and his orchestra had ceased to 
exist, though high-class music was still rendered under the direction of 
Max Bendix. 

Of the concerts given by the Exposition orchestra 53 were free and there 
were 32 at which an admission fee was charged. The latter were intended to 
place before men and women of cultured musical taste, a complete 
illustration of the highest forms of music as it exists among the foremost 
nations of the world. But, while these concerts were in progress, the 
attendance at the Fair was most discouraging, and before the project could 
be fairly tested, the bureau of music was compelled to abandon many of its 
most cherished schemes. At the free concerts the average attendance was 
not short of 3,500 persons, all listening in wrapt attention, though most 
of them had never before heard a concert orchestra. It was among this 
class of people, among whose knowledge of instrumentation was limited to 
the brass band and to such as the theatre affords, that Thomas sought to 
create a taste for music of the better class, giving them not the highest 
but the best of the high-class popular music. Of organ concerts there were 
62; of choral concerts 36, in most of which the Exposition orchestra 
participated; two concerts each were given by the Boston and New York 
Symphony orchestras, and there were a few chamber concerts and pianoforte 
recitals. 

While none of the high-class concerts were continued throughout the term, 
there were many performances of special merit, among them the Wagner 
festivals and the orchestral symphony concerts. In the choral concerts, 
under the joint control of William L. Tomlins and Theodore Thomas, many 
prominent societies participated, including the famous Apollo club of 
Chicago. There were also concerts at which were heard the fresh, young 
voices of 1,000 children, and others were given by German and Scandinavian 
singers, and by the Lineff Russian choir. Organ recitals were frequent, 
among the performers being Alexandre Guilmant, whose appearance was one of 
the events of the season, as also was that of Paderewski, Lillian Nordica, 
and Antonin Dvorak. 

A feature in the musical department of the Fair was the afternoon concerts 
given in the Woman's building, the success of which was largely due to 
Mrs. Clarke, as chairman of committee on music, and to Mrs. Barbour, 
chairman of the Illinois advisory committee. They were intended mainly to 
introduce to the public amateurs whose talents and training entitled them 
to recognition, and the conditions, as prescribed by Mrs. Clarke and 
endorsed by Theodore Thomas, were strictly enforced, only female amateurs 
of special ability being allowed to participate. No diploma form college 
or conservatory was either necessary or sufficient; nor was preference 
given to musical prodigies merely as such, all candidates being rated on 
merit and not alone for technical proficiency. Professional concerts were 
also given and of these there were 31, with 14 amateur concerts, all of 
which were the better enjoyed that they lasted little more than an hour 
and with a limited number of performers. 

At the band-stands and elsewhere outdoor concerts were given daily or 
rather several times a day. Sousa's band was here with more than 50 pieces 
and with some of the best instrumentalists from the famous marine band of 
Washington, of which he was for many years the conductor. The Iowa state 
band was also a favorite, and among other home organizations were 
Liesegang's Chicago and Brand's Cincinnati bands, both of national repute. 
During the visit of the infanta Eulalia the Saragossa band gave several 
concerts in the Manufactures building; there was a Mexican orchestra, 
composed of some of the leading musicians and composers in the city of 
Mexico; in the German village was a choice infantry band from Berlin, 
under the leadership of E. Ruscheweyh, royal musical director, with the 
cavalry band of the Garde du Corps, of which G. Herold was conductor. In 
the Austrian 

Page 968

village the Imperial band of Vienna, with C. M. Ziehrer at its head, gave 
daily concerts, and in the Midway plaisance there were acceptable 
performances, in addition to the discordant music rendered by Bedouin 
pipeplayers, Dahomean gongs, Chinese fiddles, and other ear-piercing 
instrumentation. 

The drama was also represented at the Fair in open air performances, the 
first one being on the 30th of August, the site selected "the sylvan
dell," near the German castle, and the play - As You Like It. The stage 
was erected around the trees, their foliage serving as canopy, with masses 
of shrubbery for background. Rose Coghlan assumed the part of Rosalind, 
Otis Skinner of Orlando, and E. J. Henley impersonated the melancholy 
Jacques. The leading parts were presentably acted, though Miss Coghlan, 
while full of sprightliness and verve, was altogether too rotund of form 
and lacking in the delicacy inseparable from this the most delicate of 
Shakespeare's creations. Especially was this noticed when she appeared in 
the garb of a boy, with painfully abbreviated tunic and lavish display of 
plump and tightly hosiered limb. The subordinate characters were feebly 
interpreted and the supernumeraries awkward and deficient in drill. Nor 
was the effect improved by the environment of this extemporized theatre; 
for the voices of the players must compete with the roar of the passing 
trains, the whistle of steamboats, the chime of bells in the German 
castle, and the tune of "Dixie" vigorously rendered by a Missouri band. 

An interesting feature during the last month of the Fair was children's 
week, when, the price of their admission being reduced to 10 cents, they 
came to the grounds by hundreds of thousands. For the poor free entrance 
was provided, many firms and individuals subscribing for from 1,000 to 5,
000 tickets, while there were none who wanted for lunch or car fare. The 
Midway plaisance was the centre of attraction, especially as free rides 
were given on the Ferris wheel, though the donkey boys did a thriving 
business and Hagenbeck's menagerie was liberally patronized. The 
Fisheries, Transportation, and Children's buildings were well attended, as 
also was the Agricultural building, where the little ones were not slow to 
learn that biscuits could be had for the asking. It was a merry and 
somewhat boisterous crowd that filled the grounds of Jackson park, coming 
early, stopping late, and for the time being taking complete possession of 
the Fair. 

Of the celebrations held by state and foreign participants brief 
descriptions have been given in connection with their special exhibits; 
but there were other celebrations of which some mention is here in place, 
and first among them the 4th of July, when 330,000 visitors passed within 
the gates, the largest number admitted until, near the close of the Fair, 
Chicago day exceeded all previous records. It was in truth a cosmopolitan 
gathering that was then assembled, and never before had the national 
birthday been honored by so many nations and in so many tongues. Dahomeans 
were here, their dusky forms attired in red, white, and blue; here were 
swart visaged Arabs, Soudanese, Egyptians, Algerians, Samoans, Chinamen, 
Javanese, with men from every state and from all European countries. The 
buildings and grounds were handsomely decorated, the multicolored blending 
of myriads of flags, the roar of acclaim and salute, the bands and 
orchestral symphonies, the grewsome melodies of oriental musicians 
struggling with popular airs, all forming a pageant such as never before 
had been witnessed on the natal day of the republic. 

Toward noon Vice-President Stevenson and his party arrived on the grounds, 
among those who came with him being the mayor of Chicago and Mrs. Perry 
Stafford, the latter carrying the flag that Paul Jones bore into action, 
which later she hoisted to the top of the flag-staff nearest Machinery 
Hall. At the stroke of twelve two large standards were unfolded east of 
the Administration building; on the right of the platform was unfurled the 
banner of peace, and then was raided an old and well-worn flag with only 
twelve stars on its field - the original stars and stripes. With the 
opening strains of "The Star Spangled Banner" thousands of voices joined 
in chorus, and far across the still lagoons was heard this paean anthem, 
even to the triumphal arch where Columbus sat enthroned, as though at an 
ovation of the people for whom he opened the path to greatness. In the 
midst of the excitement Mrs. Madge M. Wagner touched an electric button 
which set ringing in the city of Troy the Columbian liberty bell, 
fashioned in part out of the 250,000 pennies contributed by as many 
children. The addresses by the vice-president, the mayor, Hampton L. 
Carson, and J. S. Norton were in the usual vein of fourth of July 
orations, and long after the close of the ceremonies the audience held 
informal demonstrations. 

Saturday, the 2nd of September, was observed by the Catholics as 
educational day, though few children were seen among the vast audience 
which gathered in Festival hall, the galleries and ground floor being 
occupied by the clergy, the sisters, and those who had come to hear the 
speeches and participate in the ceremonies. Archbishop Feehan presided, 
and on his right was Bishop Spalding, director of ceremonies, in whose 
charge were the exhibits described in connection with the department of 
Liberal Arts. The speakers, in addition to the president, were archbishops 
Hennessy of Dubuque and Ryan of Philadelphia, Judge Morgan J. O'Brien, who 
told what Catholics have done for education in the United States, and 
Thomas J. Gargan, who spoke of "the patriotism and sequence of catholic 
education." 

On Grand Army day, the 9th of September, about 8,000 veterans took part in 
the exercises appointed 

Page 969

for the occasion. The parade was marshalled by E. A. Blodgett, commander 
of the Illinois department, assisted by an efficient staff. Forming 
outside the Illinois pavilion, the divisions marched through the avenue of 
state buildings, the First regiment, headed by the Elgin band, acting as 
escort, followed by the Denver Zouave drum corps, the George H. Thomas 
post of Chicago, and other detachments from every section of the republic. 
Proceeding to the Administration building, the men were greeted by the 
notes of the new liberty bell rung by Alice Scott, daughter of Irving M. 
Scott of the California commission. Passing thence northward, ranks were 
broken in front of Festival hall, where a camp-fire meeting was held and 
brief addresses were delivered, letters of excuse and regret being read 
from ex-President Harrison, W. Q. Gresham, general Schofield, Howard, 
Slocum, Miles, and others whose absence was regretted by their former 
comrades in arms. 

During the last week of October it was estimated that 75,000 odd-fellows 
took part in the World's Fair celebration of their order, a parade held in 
Chicago on the 25th including delegations from every state in the union 
and from every province in Canada. On the following day the military and 
civic divisions assembled in Jackson park, and with them came members of 
the sister order, the daughters of Rebekah. The exercises were held in 
Festival hall, where shields were placed around the balcony, one over the 
principal entrance bearing the symbol of the linked chain and the initial 
letters of the watchwords, "Friendship, Love, and Truth." E. S. Conway, 
grand master of the jurisdiction of Illinois, was introduced as chairman 
by W. S. Frost, marshal of the grand lodge of that state. After an 
overture by the Iowa band, prayer was offered by H. W. Bolton, chaplain-
general of the patriarchs militant, and John C. Underwood delivered the 
opening address, Charles S. Thornton tendering fraternal greeting on 
behalf of Chicago members, Grand Sire C. T. Campbell of London, Ontario, 
responding for the sovereign lodge to the chairman's proffer of 
hospitality, and Past Grand Sire C. P. Sander of New York thanking the 
jurisdiction of Illinois in the name of the society at large. On this and 
the following day were held competitive drills and sword exercises in the 
Live-stock pavilion, concluding with a dress parade in front of the 
Government building. 

On the 25th of October, or marine day as it was termed, a parade of boats 
was formed in four divisions, their course being around the wooded island, 
through the north canal and grand basin, and thence returning to their 
starting point. They were of many types and represented many nations, 
forming a novel and interesting spectacle as they glided through the 
waterways. First came the naval squadron of gigs, dingies, cutters, 

Page 970

launches, and whaleboats, from men of war, from the Viking ship, the 
caravels, and the New Bedford whaler moored off the grounds. The fisheries 
division followed, with dories, striker and folding boats, dug-outs, 
Lofoden island and other fishing boats, Eskimo kiaks, and Dahomean canoes. 
Next was the transportation squadron, in which were row-boats, canvas and 
other canoes, gondolas, coast-guard, motor, and life-boats, electric, 
steam, gas, and naphtha launches, a Norwegian pleasure boat, a Turkish 
caique, a bicycle boat, and a Ceylonese catamaran. In the last or 
miscellaneous division were boats of ancient pattern and Indian craft of 
strange device. In the afternoon there was hornpipe dancing by young girls 
in sailor garb, and at night a mimic battle in which fireworks took the 
place of weapons. 

Two days later was held a reunion of city officials and prominent citizens 
gathered by thousands from every state to do honor to the Exposition and 
themselves to be honored. The exercises were held in the Music hall and 
were followed by a concert at which were rendered the works of Chicago 
composers. Among other celebrations which cannot here be described in 
detail was that of the knights of Pythias, who on the 9th of August 
assembled in full uniform, led by Grand Chancellor Barnes of Illinois. The 
20th of the month, the birthday of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of 
those who signed the declaration of independence, was selected by the 
Patriotic order of the sons and daughters of America. A day or two later 
the Foresters held festivity, and on the 25th, the colored races, with 
Frederick Douglass as president, met in Festival hall, other days being 
selected by the Turners' union, the butchers and grocers, and the United 
Typothetae of America. 

In the Massachusetts building, a few days before the close of the Fair, 
the chiefs of departments gave a reception to foreign and national 
commissioners, the Board of Lady Managers, the directors, and other 
officials. The floral decorations were a feature of the entertainment, the 
tables and mantels being crowded with roses, the brackets draped with 
smilax, and every niche and corner filled with palms and ferns. In the 
upper hall was stationed the Mexican band, and later appeared the Lineff 
Russian choir, followed by a vocal concert. Supper was served in the Dutch 
kitchen, and in the centre of the refreshment table, well stocked for the 
needs of a thousand guests, was a handsome pyramid of roses. 

On the 11th of October the Fair officials invited the foreign 
commissioners to a banquet held in the music hall, for now the last 
installment of debt had been paid, and fitting it was that men should give 
themselves over to feasting. The entertainment was of a cosmopolitan 
character and without undue formality, the guests passing between courses 
from table to table, renewing old friendships and forming new ones. The 
walls were decorated with the flags of all nations; the music of all 
nations was rendered by their several bands, while costumes were no less 
varied, the sombre evening dress of the Anglo-Saxon contrasting strangely 
with the gorgeous uniform of the oriental and the fantastic headgear of 
the Korean. The tables were arranged in artistic groupings, curved, 
crescent, and cruciform, and with a view to avoid all suggestions of 
favoritism. The sixteen great columns which encircle the hall were 
entwined with wreaths of oak leaves; the arch at the further end was 
festooned and garlanded in green, interspersed with roses of every hue, 
and overhead were electric lights in special designs. In the gallery the 
fashionable women of Chicago mingled with the wives of foreign 
commissioners, listening to speeches, which were many; for it was not 
until an early morning hour that the last toasts were honored. 

To Thomas W. Palmer, as president of the World's Columbian Commission, a 
farewell banquet was given by his associates, among the guests being the 
representatives of many states and nations, those who had 

Page 971

helped to make the Fair a success paying tribute to one whose name will 
ever be associated with what has been not inappropriately termed "the 
eighth wonder of the world." Introduced by George V. Massey as chairman, 
the president spoke, as is ever his custom, briefly and to the point. 
"Without some national body," he said, "the Chicago Fair would have 
remained a Chicago Fair. I accepted the presidency with considerable 
trepidation, and had I known what was involved, would probably not have 
done so; but once in office I felt like a man who had hold of a live wire, 
and am glad that I did not let go." 

M. H. DeYoung was the guest of honor at a banquet given to him as director-
general of the Midwinter Exposition to be held in San Francisco, and also 
as second vice-president of the national commission. On the 11th of 
November a parting feast of which George R. Davis was the chosen 
recipient, closed a long series of World's Fair entertainments. 

Many were the distinguished men and women who visited the Fair, some of 
royal, some of noble lineage, and others who owed nothing to the accident 
of birth. First of all was the infanta Maria Eulalia, who came here at the 
invitation of congress as the guest of the nation and the representative 
of Spanish royalty, accompanied by her husband the prince Antonio. Several 
of her visits to the Fair were made incognito; for when known, they never 
failed to attract a crowd, the 8th of June, a day set apart to do her 
honor, bringing to the gates 169,000 visitors, by far the largest 
attendance so far recorded. Escorted to the grounds by a troop of the 
Chicago hussars, she was received by officials with the utmost deference 
and met with every possible attention. But the infanta preferred rather to 
go her own way and see the White City for herself, as inclination 
prompted. After making a tour of the grounds, breakfasting at the 
Administration building, sipping tea in the Cingalese pavilion, and 
holding a reception in the assembly room, she dismissed her carriage and 
escort, and passing forth unnoticed from the Woman's building, joined in 
the throng of sightseers, remaining for the illuminations and the 
fireworks, of which there was a brilliant display. On another occasion she 
inspected the ruins of the cliff-dwellings and the Columbian relics in the 
convent of La Rabida; witnessed an Indian war dance, and enjoyed a trip on 
the intramural railroad; but her favorite resort was the Horticultural 
building, in which her country appears to excellent advantage. At her last 
visit she took luncheon at the Pickwick club-room of the White Horse inn, 
where the attendance of a pompous English butler, his massive calves 
encased in black silk stockings, did not enhance the enjoyment of the 
feast. Returning to New York by way of Niagra, a few days later she set 
sail homeward, bearing with her the good wishes of a people of whom, as 
she said, she would ever cherish the most pleasant remembrances. 

Archduke Ferdinand, heir apparent to the throne of Austria was among the 
pilgrims of the Fair, though few at the time were aware of it; for he came 
merely as a visitor and avoided all publicity. So with Duke Alexander, 
cousin to the tzar, whose name appeared on the hotel register as 
Lieutenant Romanoff. Among other royal visitors was the sultan of Johore, 
the exhibits from which country, especially in the Agricultural building, 
were somewhat of a surprise. From India came several of her native rulers, 
of whom of whom Jajat Jit Singh, maharajah of Kapurthala, aroused the most 
interest. He was a man of imposing presence, nearly six feet in height, 
and except for his turban, dressed in faultless modern costume, speaking 
several European languages, and well informed on the questions of the day. 
His main object, he said, was to study the latest inventions, especially 
in electrical appliances, and these he inspected thoroughly, spending most 
of his time at the Fair. Another Indian potentate was the rawab of Rampur 
with his suite, the party visiting the Exposition while making a tour of 
the world by way of China, Japan, and San Francisco. 

Of the visits of the lord-mayor of Dublin, the earl of Aberdeen, and other 
eminent personages, mention has been made elsewhere in this work. To the 
mayor a public reception was given by the city council of Chicago, and the 
earl was received by the director-general, in whose parlors assembled a 
number of officials and chiefs of departments, with several of the lady 
managers. Benjamin Harrison with his party, among them was Senator 
Morrill, was the guest of Thomas W. Palmer; but his visits to the Fair 
were of an informal character. To Secretary Carlisle and Governor West of 
Utah was given in the Kentucky building an orthodox Kentuckian feast. 
Cornelius Vanderbilt and his sons arrived in their private car, which 
served them also as a hotel. Among men of science was Thomas A. Edison, 
whose inventions have been displayed at every international and scientific 
exposition held within the last score of years. He came unheralded, 
avoiding all notoriety, and of his coming only a few of his intimate 
friends were informed. From France as guests of the society of American 
engineers, came forty of her most eminent men in that profession, and with 
them the sculptor Bartholdi, other men of science, art, and letters 
arriving by hundreds and thousands; for as Edison observed, "no one who 
made his living by his intellect could afford to stop away from it." 

True there was a reverse side to the glories of the Fair, but on this in 
these closing lines I need not dwell. Among the visitors was a small but 
demonstrative contingent which seemed to have come to Chicago for no other 
purpose than to complain, men and women to whom the colossal grandeur 

Page 972

of a display contributed by all the nations of earth was as nothing 
compared with the imperfect cooking of a meal. But of these narrow souls 
there were not many; for with rare exceptions all minor drawbacks were 
lost in a sense of gratitude and admiration, the young that they had 
witnessed a spectacle the like of which they had never looked upon before, 
and the old they had lived to see it. 

To those who created and conducted the Fair, to its national commission, 
its board of directors, its special boards and committees, its artificers, 
and its chiefs of departments a parting tribute should be given. Though 
men of affairs and accustomed to large undertakings, the managers came to 
their work untried, inexperienced, new to the task, and only was the final 
result achieved by working together in perfect harmony, loyally and for a 
common cause. During the formative period of the Exposition, and even 
after its completion, they confronted and overcame such obstacles as 
seldom before obstructed the path of human enterprise. First there was the 
indifference of foreign nations, of many of the states, and above all the 
indifference of congress, which gave but grudgingly of its ample store and 
encumbered its gifts with many a vexatious restriction. As to the 
financial difficulties they appeared at times insuperable; for, as we have 
seen, the expense of construction far exceeded the original estimate. But 
the directors grappled manfully with the problem, as did others who united 
together for a single purpose, rich and poor alike giving of their 
substance and their time, each sparing what he could from his abundant or 
scanty means. That meanwhile their own business interests were suffering 
was not for a moment thought of; they would stand by the Fair until its 
gates were closed, bringing to bear on their task all the energy and zeal 
of which they were possessed, as though each one were solely responsible 
for its success. 

While many contributed to the cause of the Exposition, their share of 
work, of means, of influence and ability, it must be confessed that its 
president was the one whose hand was most strongly felt at the lever of 
this might enterprise. Throughout the three long years of preparation he 
had been one of the leading members of the directorate, serving on the 
most prominent committees, shaping its monetary affairs, and assisting to 
mature the plans which, in the finished fabric of the Fair, gave to the 
world results that disarmed all criticism. But during the momentous period 
preceding the opening day there was needed as manager-in-chief a man 
specially qualified by experience, training, and natural gifts to grapple 
with the grave financial and other problems connected with the task of 
administration. For such a task Harlow N. Higinbotham had been prepared by 
nearly half a century of earnest toil and endeavor, mainly in the 
commercial emporium of the west. Leaving in early youth, his father's farm 
near Joliet, within forty miles of the scene of his crowning triumph, 
after completing his education at a commercial college in Chicago he was 
employed in many capacities; first as a bank clerk, then as a cashier of a 
bank, and later connecting himself with the principal dry-good house of 
the western metropolis, to which he returned after serving in the civil 
war with ability and zeal so marked as to secure for him speedy promotion. 
Then he began life anew as bookkeeper in a concern which, largely through 
his efforts, has become one of the most prominent business organizations 
in the world, rising step by step until admitted into partnership, and as 
he rose, aiding to build up the fortunes, not only of the firm, but of the 
city and of the region tributary thereto. As president of the home for 
Incurables also, for which he helped to secure and endowment of $500,000, 
as president of the Free Kindergarten association, and in connection with 
other worthy and far-reaching charities, he has made himself felt no less 
by his administrative powers than by his numerous benefactions. Such a man 
was well fitted for the high office to which he was summoned as head of 
the Council of Administration. 

The Columbian Exposition has fulfilled its purpose; its mission is ended; 
its exhibits scattered to the four quarters of the earth, and its 
buildings vanished into air. While foreign nations played well their part, 
the credit belongs above all to the United States and especially to its 
western metropolis. That Chicago, which had ever been considered the 
embodiment of the material, should appear as the highest embodiment of the 
ideal; that a city noted mainly as the incarnation of the eager, restless, 
spirit of a commercial age, a city which, destroyed in a night, sprang 
almost as suddenly into yet more forceful life, surpassing all rivals, 
but, as was thought, molding itself only into forms that tended to the 
growth of riches, to the development of business prosperity; that such a 
community should blossom forth at once into the ripest fruits of culture, 
presenting to the world the priceless heirlooms of the past, the grandest 
results and ideals of the present; this is what made Chicago more of a 
wonder than the fairy-land of her creation, giving to her the crown of 
victory, as to one who has nobly repaid a nation's trust. 

Elsewhere has been described from its inception the project of the Fair, 
the worthy ambition which inspired it, the skill with which it was 
planned, the liberal 

Page 973

spirit in which it was carried to execution; how there were engaged for 
each department the highest available talent, the ablest of architects, 
landscape artists, and engineers, the foremost of sculptors and decorative 
painters. But greater than the spectacle itself were the lessons which it 
taught; for here in these temples of industry, science, and art, in these 
avenues lined with the pavilions of states and nations, one might see more 
of foreign lands, might learn more of other sections of his own land, than 
years of travel could teach him. Never before was gathered together so 
varied and instructive and ethnological collection, not only in the hall 
of Anthropology but in the Midway plaisance, where were presented types 
and illustrations from the farthest ends of the earth, forming of itself a 
world in miniature. Here were the representatives of many nationalities, 
living their natural lives, practicing their domestic arts, indulging in 
their favorite pastimes, and thus affording to the observer an opportunity 
to study these barbarous, civilized, and semi-civilized communities, 
without the necessity for traveling or for sojourning in their midst. 

Nor should we forget the part that woman has played, the countless 
evidences of an enlightened and progressive womanhood, showing that of 
such women there are now a hundred where in former ages there was one. Of 
this none can doubt who examined the collections in the Woman's building, 
in the hall of Manufactures and Liberal Arts, where many of the articles 
were fashioned by female hands, while even in the palace of Fine Arts 
women were largely represented. If here and there were exhibits which 
spoke of "fingers weary and worn," of eyes which saw no sunlight, of 
cheeks pallid with confinement in dreary and crowded workshops, such 
emblems of bondage were rare as compared with numberless products in all 
degrees of beauty and utility, coming from woman as an exponent of the 
freedom and equality of the age. In this, as in other respects, the Fair 
has been to the world a revelation, to Americans an inspiration. It has 
shown, as no written or spoken works could show, the power and progress of 
a nation where all are free to strive for the highest rewards that energy 
and talent can win. In this the heroic age of industrial development, in 
these closing years of the nineteenth century, it has presented to the 
world, as in a mirror, the highest achievements of which mankind is 
capable. Its future influence none can measure or foretell. This only we 
know, that it will live; will live not only as a memory, but as a stepping 
stone to greater and nobler efforts, to be compensated with yet richer and 
more abundant fruits. 

World's Fair Miscellany

Immediately after the close of the Fair there was held in the Art 
Institute, under the auspices of the Chicago Horticultural Society, a 
floral display, especially of chrysanthemums, with a distribution of 
several thousand dollars in cash prizes, in addition to medals, one of the 
features being a competitive exhibition of designs for table and other 
decorations. 

The result of the agitation as to Sunday closing, already mentioned, was 
that with four exceptions the Fair was kept open, though litigation was 
continued throughout the term. Sacred concerts were given, and at times 
there was a divine service in one of the music halls, conducted by Jenkins 
Lloyd Jones and others. July 2nd was observed as "patriotic Sunday," when 
there were special exercises in Festival hall, with a reunion of army and 
navy men. 

At the head of the department of admissions was Horace Tucker, for may 
years freight agent of the Illinois Central railroad, Captain De Remer 
being appointed chief inspector. By the latter a force of 550 ticket 
sellers and takers was organized, drilled, and uniformed by the 1st of 
May, and so perfect was the system that less than 200 errors were found 
among all the millions of tickets issued. As to pilfering $100 would more 
than cover the amount that was detected, 90 percent even of the change 
carelessly left at the ticket booths being returned on application. There 
were in all 182 ticket windows, 97 ticket booths, 326 turnstiles, and 172 
exit gates, thus avoiding the possibility of serious delay, no matter how 
large the crowd. 

Long before the opening of the Fair, its managers were besieged with 
applications for season tickets, less for actual use than as souvenirs. 
There were printed in four different designs by the American Bank Note 
company of New York. On the face was inscribed in scroll work at the top 
"World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago;" beneath this the words "Admit the 
Bearer" and the dates between which the ticket was available. On the left 
was the portrait of Columbus, Washington, Lincoln, or of an Indian chief, 
and at the foot were the signatures of A. F. Seeberger and H. N. 
Higinbotham. About 60,000 passes were issued, most of them to exhibitors, 
concessionaires, and members of the press, the total number of admissions 
by pass, including return checks, exceeding 6,000,000. 

Near the Service building was a police station, with an entrance from 
Stony Island avenue. Several hundred experienced detectives 

Page 974

were stationed on the grounds under the direction of John Bonfield as 
chief; for the White City was a Mecca for thieves as well as honest folk. 
The secret service force was composed of expert thief-takers from all 
parts of the United States and even from the European countries. Those who 
were identified as thieves were shown to the officers and thereafter 
forbidden to enter the gates. They were also brought before the members of 
the city police, and thus a brand was placed on such of the fraternity as 
intended to make Chicago the sphere of their operations. A lost and found 
department was included in the secret service bureau, with an elaborate 
system of records and reports. During the first seven weeks of the Fair 
550 articles were recovered of every conceivable description, from 
umbrellas to diamond rings and purses well stored with greenbacks. 

In connection with the police service was the fire department, with Edward 
Murphy as chief, the efficiency of which I have already had occasion to 
notice. There were six circuits to each system and the two were conducted 
on parallel lines, most of the alarm boxes being placed on one side of the 
principal buildings, and the police boxes on the other. There was also a 
supplementary system which connected the central stations with all the 
police and fire stations on the grounds. There were two telephone systems, 
one a branch of the Chicago City Telephone company, and the other under 
control of the Exposition authorities, its service limited to 
communication within the park. 

Adjoining the service building was the medical bureau and emergency 
hospital, of which John E. Owens was in charge, with resident and 
attending physicians, a staff of trained nurses, and all appliances for 
immediate relief, the hospital not being intended as a place for 
continuous treatment. Patients were of course retained until they were in 
a condition to be removed; but were so effectively treated that most of 
them were taken to their homes before nightfall. During the first weeks of 
the Fair few seats were provided, and on a single day nearly 200 cases 
occurred of prostration from fatigue and other causes. As the crowds 
increased and the hot weather came, the physicians found no lack of 
occupation; but doctors and nurses were always at hand, dividing the 
watches between them, day and night. The following excellent advice to 
visitors from Doctor Hillmantel applies to all gatherings of sight-seers. 
"Come to the Fair early; avoid exposure to the sun; keep quiet during the 
heat of the day, and on hot days explore only a limited area. Don't loiter 
or saunter, but move rapidly from point to point; when examining an 
exhibit stand still and take it in with the eyes and not with the feet; 
for nothing is more fatiguing than the constant shifting of the body's 
weight from one foot to another. Eat when you are hungry, without waiting 
for meal time, and eat all you can. Be cheerful; keep your temper, and 
don't find fault. Don't take children too far around the grounds, and 
place in roller chairs or leave at home the very aged and infirm." 

For catering the largest concession was granted to the Wellington Hotel 
company, by which were opened numerous places of refreshment, supplied 
from a large building in the southwest corner of the grounds. The 
financial success of the Exposition was largely due to the committee of 
ways and means, of which Lyman J. Gage was chairman, the members including 
Harlow N. Higinbotham of the firm of Marshall Field and company, George 
Schneider, president of the National bank of Illinois, Robert A. Waller, 
and others well known and trusted in the business circles of Chicago. 

It was estimated that 18,000,000 passengers were carried on the trains of 
the Illinois Central railroad between May 1st and October 30th, express 
trains, with cars specially constructed for the purpose, starting from the 
lake front in Chicago at intervals of three minutes, and making the trip 
in a quarter of an hour or less. The largest traffic was on Chicago day, 
when 541,312 passengers were carried on 1,095 trains, something 
unprecedented in railroad service. During these six months no casualties 
occurred through the fault of the company's officials and only four or 
five in all. The elevated railway and the lake steamers were also favorite 
modes of travel, and the cable roads carried large numbers. Then there 
were vehicles of all descriptions from tally-hos to tradesmens' wagons. 

No light or pleasant task was that of the committee on awards, and 
especially of John B. Thacher, chairman of the executive branch. Many were 
the protests against what was termed the single judges system, though as a 
fact several judges might be appointed if necessary, and each written 
report recommending that an award be granted must be submitted for 
approval to the proper department committee, with right of appeal to a 
special court. Awards were granted for all classes of exhibits from 
locomotives to traveling trunks, of which latter it may here be remarked 
that those of American manufacture were most in favor and received the 
largest number of medals. 



Page 975

Chapter the Twenty-Eighth:
The California Midwinter International Exposition

To describe in these pages the California Midwinter Exposition was no part 
of my purpose when I took upon myself the task of writing The Book of the 
Fair; nor could it have been so; for at the time no such project was 
undertaken or even entertained. But here is an outcome of the Columbian 
Exposition without which a description of the latter could not be 
considered as complete; for not only were the best exhibits from the 
Pacific coast transferred with many additions to their winter quarters, 
but here also are not a few of the most attractive features in the Midway 
plaisance and in other portions of the great entertainment at Jackson 
park. Two unsuccessful efforts had been made to place California 
prominently before the nations; but here was an opportunity such as never 
before had occurred, and might not occur again for at least a score of 
years. While by no means a mere imitation of its predecessor, and with 
much that is novel and original, it may be said that as a purely original 
enterprise the Midwinter Fair could not have been opened for ten times its 
actual cost and probably could never have been opened at all. 

Early in the season of the Chicago Fair a wish was expressed by many of 
the exhibitors that another international exposition could be held 
somewhere within the limits of the United States, but one on a smaller 
scale and more select in character. To make even a superficial examination 
of the collections housed in Jackson park was the task of several weeks, 
and to examine them critically and in detail the entire six months' term 
would not have sufficed. Under such conditions only the most striking 
exhibits found favor with the majority of sight-seers, while even the best 
appeared at a disadvantage amid all these acres of floor space, and of 
many the effect was marred by juxtaposition with others of inferior 
quality. Here was the main drawback to the Columbian display, its only 
serious drawback; so that men said as Edward Everett Hale remarked of the 
Vienna Exposition: "If this be a specimen of the world, then one wants a 
museum which shall be a specimen of the Exposition." 

Among others to whom the project commended itself was Michael H. de Young, 
vice-president of the 

Page 976

Columbian commission, one of the California commissioners to Paris in 
1889, and thus a man of experience in the affairs of international 
expositions. Why not hold such a fair in San Francisco, one that should 
open in midwinter and be known as the Midwinter Fair? Here would at least 
be a novel display, and one whose attractions would be increased by its 
environment, especially to those who came from afar to see it; for in 
winter the golden state is attired in robes of emerald, a covering of 
verdure taking the place of snow, and at no season of the year does the 
climate appear to such advantage. Another incentive was that although the 
Californian exhibits at Jackson park, in common with those of other 
sections of the coast, were a source of general admiration and surprise, 
to Californians themselves they were a disappointment; for, as was 
thought, they did not adequately represent the resources and achievements 
of the community. As compared with less favored regions California was 
little known; her changed conditions were little understood; and to make 
her known, to place her in the rank to which she was entitled among the 
sisterhood of states, was the main object of the Midwinter Exposition. 

To a few of the more prominent Californians then sojourning in Chicago De 
Young explained his plans, with the benefits that would result therefrom, 
and on the 1st of June the announcement was made that an international 
fair would be opened in San Francisco a few weeks after the close of the 
Columbian Exposition. At first it was received as a joke, or at least as a 
rash and ill-advised project, one for which the time was too short, for 
which no state, municipal, or government aid could be expected, and that 
must be achieved, if achievement were possible, entirely through the 
private subscriptions of a community overtaken by severe and protracted 
business depression. No wonder that with these drawbacks, and coming as it 
did immediately after the most imposing display of industries and arts 
that the world had ever witnessed, moneyed men regarded the scheme with 
disfavor. 

But the projectors were thoroughly in earnest; nor was it from moneyed men 
but from the people that they expected to raise the necessary means; for 
this was to be a people's fair, an enterprise in which all might join, in 
which all might feel a worthy pride, as the first undertaking of its kind 
that had ever been attempted on the Pacific coast. At a second meeting, 
held in Chicago on the 11th of June, $41,500 was subscribed as a nucleus 
for the Exposition fund, and a few days later 4,400 exhibitors at the 
Columbian Fair had promised as 

Page 977

many exhibits, only those of superior quality being accepted. If at first 
the wealthier citizens of San Francisco were somewhat lukewarm in their 
support, this feeling was presently overcome as meetings were held, 
subscriptions came pouring in, and it was seen that the public had taken 
hold of the matter with the enthusiasm characteristic of Californians. 
Before the close of August there was sufficient money on hand to insure 
the success of the project; congress gave to it official sanction, and 
meanwhile a permanent organization had been effected, with De Young as 
president and director-general, Irwin C. Stump as vice-president, P. N. 
Lilienthal as treasurer, and as secretary, Alexander Badlam, other members 
of the executive committee being Colonel A. Andrews and Robert B. 
Mitchell, all citizens of San Francisco. To these were later added Eugene 
J. Gregory of Sacramento, J. E. Slauson of Los Angeles, Felton G. Berry of 
Fresno, and Jacob H. Neff of Colfax. There was also a finance committee, 
of which W. H. L. Barnes was chairman, with Herman Shainwald as manager, 
and by both excellent work was accomplished, no effort being spared to 
secure such a fair as would be a credit to California, to the Pacific 
coast, and especially to the city by the Golden Gate. 

The site selected was in Golden Gate park, which a score of years ago was 
little more than a wilderness of sand-dunes, and is now the pride of the 
home-loving San Franciscan, its spacious avenues lined with trees and its 
gras-planted surface covered in part with shrubbery, with acres of lawn, 
and flower-beds filled with semi-tropical plants. Extending from the shore 
of the ocean to within somewhat less than a league from the business 
quarter of the city, and with a surface of more than 1,000 acres, it is 
reached by several lines of cable cars running at from three to five 
minute intervals. Near the centre is "Concert valley," at the time 
unreclaimed but intended later as a permanent location for the purpose 
which its name implies. This was the chosen spot, its area with additions 
as afterward needed amounting in all to more than 160 acres; for 
applications for space were far in excess of the original estimate. No 
great expense for grading was needed, nor any large outlay for landscape 
decoration, since in the park itself were all the elements of the 
picturesque. At one end of the site is Strawberry hill, forming the 
background of the vista, on its crest an observatory and beneath it an 
artificial lake. Here, under the shadow of the Pacific, the dedication 
ceremonies were held on the 24th of August in the presence of 60,000 
people, by each and all of whom it was hoped that the event would mark a 
new epoch in the history of California. 

Not least among the wonders of the Columbian Exposition was the speed with 
which its structures were erected; but as to those of the Midwinter Fair 
it may be said that, like the city which contains them, they sprang up 
almost in a night. It was not until late in September that the contracts 
for the first buildings were awarded, and yet at the formal opening on the 
27th of January, a space of about four months, all the principal and most 
of the minor pavilions were practically completed. While none of them 
rival the magnificent proportions of the Columbian temples, there are many 
whose skillful composition and beauty of design leave nothing to be 
desired. The larger edifices, five in number, are mainly of oriental type, 
built around the grand court, or court of honor, in Concert valley, and 
approached by a series of stairway and terraces. Giving further emphasis 
to the architectural scheme is the Bonet electric tower in the centre, an 
iron structure, 266 feet high and of symmetric outline. In this group of 
edifices utility has nowhere been sacrificed to mere display, nor is there 
undue striving after effect; but rather a just adaptation of parts, an 
interdependence one another, and of all on the landscape setting. There is 
nothing gaudy about them, and there is nothing of incongruity. The 
coloring is subdued; the facades are substantial, staff-covered, and 
somewhat heavy in outline; the windows arched and deep-set, the roofs low, 
red-tiled, and surmounted with domes of blue or gilded pinnacles and 
kiosks, while shady loggias and arcades recall to mind the mission days of 
Franciscan padres. Whether considered 

Page 978

apart or as a single architectural composition with harmonious blending of 
device, the buildings are a credit to their artificers, and the more so 
that their plan is original, so far at least as originality consists in 
the adaptation of ancient methods to modern conditions. 

In the decoration of the grounds, and especially of the central court, it 
was intended to give to them in part a semi-tropical appearance, and for 
this purpose everything was at command; for the park commissioners placed 
at the disposal of the landscape gardeners thousands of trees and plants, 
while generous contributions were received from every portion of the 
state. Palms are everywhere, rising from terraces and lawns, from towers 
and roof gardens, from the fronts of buildings and the borders of avenues. 
Almost side by side with the floral wealth of California and of eastern 
climes are the flowers and shrubbery of southern Europe, of India, 
Australia, New Zealand, the Sandwich Islands, and Japan, the specimens 
changed with the changing seasons and at all seasons loading the air with 
perfume and presenting a brilliant array of living color. At the head of 
the court is a fountain, with figures symbolic of California, and from an 
electric fountain at the opposite end countless jets of water rise to a 
height of 100 feet in wondrous shapes and in every hue of the rainbow. 
Elsewhere are the colossal statues of Columbus and Isabella, familiar to 
all pilgrims of the Columbian Fair. Surrounding the plaza is a spacious 
roadway, its centre macadamized and its sides forming polished walks of 
bitumen, within which are open spaces where thousands may stroll or linger 
without overcrowding. 

Passing into the court from the principal entrance, the visitor finds 
himself in front of the Manufactures building, and here, if it be his 
first visit, he will tarry for a moment to view in their entirety the 
leading features of the Fair. Through the mist and spray of the fountain 
at the further end is seen the Administration building; on the right are 
the palace of Fine Arts and the hall of Horticulture and Agriculture; on 
the left the temple of Mechanical Arts, these with a few minor structures 
forming the architectural environment. From the roofs of the various 
buildings and from flagstaffs around the court are displayed the banners 
of all nations, while walls of ivory white relieved with more brilliant 
hues, gilded spires, and sombre tinted domes and cupolas, all contrasting 
with the rich green foliage, afford a striking combination of colors. 
Eastward is the harbor of San Francisco, flanked by a range of purple 
hills, with Mount Tamalpais keeping guard over the Golden Gate, beyond 
which are the blue waters of the Pacific. 

Page 979

As in the Columbian Exposition, the largest structure is the hall of 
Manufactures and Liberal Arts, planned by A. Page Brown after the Moorish 
style of architecture, the building with its annex and galleries having a 
floor space of 177,000 square feet. At each of the corners is a pavilion 
surmounted by a cupola 50 feet high, those that front on the central court 
being connected by a deeply recessed arcade, in the centre of which is the 
principal entrance, above it a lofty dome painted in turquoise blue and 
capped with a lantern finished in gold. Here is the point of architectural 
emphasis, the design being further relieved from monotony by figures 
symbolical of the arts and sciences, by gilded minarets, and by the flags 
and coats of arms of all the states and nations represented within, these 
extending the entire length of the cornices. The roof is of glass and dark 
red Spanish tiles, an upper gallery opening into a roof garden planted 
with fuchsias, palms, chrysanthemums, and the outdoor plants which thrive 
in the mild California winter. In the interior, spacious aisles 
intersected by a central nave divide the groups of exhibits, among which 
is much that was best worth preserving in the temples of Jackson park. 

The exhibits, of which Frank McCoppin is in charge, are arranged in three 
divisions - Manufactures, Liberal Arts, and Ethnology and Archaeology, the 
last including such as relate to the progress of labor and invention. In 
the department of Manufactures are nearly all the classes contained at the 
Columbian Exposition, with other which there were displayed in separate 
buildings. Under the heading of Liberal Arts are education, literature, 
engineering, public works, music and the drama, with government and law, 
commerce and banking, social, religious, industrial, and cooperative 
organizations. In the third section are presented models and views of 
ancient monuments, cities, and habitations; the furniture, clothing, 
implements, and weapons of aboriginal races; inventions, and statues and 
portraits of inventors; objects which illustrate progress in the 
conditions of life and labor, with many additional classes and countless 
subdivisions grouped on floor and gallery; for within these walls are 
represented thirty-eight nationalities, including nearly all the great 
nations of Europe, Asia, and America, with many of their dependencies. 

Education is a strong feature in the department of Liberal Arts, the 
exhibits of the University of California occupying the entire northern 
gallery, and including the display of the Lick observatory at Mount 
Hamilton. Colleges and schools both private and denominational are freely 
represented, while from the East, Harvard, Yale, and the Johns Hopkins 
university contribute much that is of interest. Libraries have also their 
place, 

Page 981

and in this connection may be mentioned the one from which were collated 
the materials for my historical and biographical works exhibited at the 
Fair, together with most of the historical matter inserted in the story of 
the Columbian Exposition, so far at least as it relates to the Pacific 
coast. 

The Bancroft library is of its kind probably the most unique collection 
extant. It consists of some 60,000 books, maps, and manuscripts relating 
in whole or in part to the affairs of western North America, social, 
industrial, and political. Among them are found in richest abundance 
details of the discovery of the several parts of this vast domain, 
equivalent in area to one twelfth of the earth's surface, and the 
settlement and early occupation of the same. The exuberant and varied 
resources of this region, which embraces all the latitudes and climates of 
the northern hemisphere, can here be traced as in an open book; 
agricultural and mineral lands, their possibilities and yield; what 
commerce and manufactures have done; favorable and adverse influences of 
combined capital and combined labor; influence of the several religions 
and also of secret and other societies; the organization and evolution of 
governments and political science; in short, there is in this library 
ample material for the study of man, aboriginal and civilized, in all the 
requirements and conditions of life. 

Nearly half a century of time and over half a million of dollars were 
consumed in making this collection. First, all the nooks and corners of 
North and Central and South American and the West India islands were 
searched for whatever had been written or printed therein, and whatever 
related to them which had been elsewhere published. Then Europe was 
several times visited in like manner; and in numberless instances where 
the desired books and manuscripts could not be purchased, copies were 
made. Work of this kind was done in all the great libraries of England, 
France, and Germany, of Italy and Spain. Everything in St. Petersburg 
relating to Alaska was translated and copied, the archives of Alaska, 
which were sent from Sitka to the office of the secretary of state in 
Washington, being transcribed as needed in full or in part by able 
translators and collators. In the libraries of the British museum, the 
London Geographical society, and others in England was found much rich 
material on the history of the Northwest coast during the fur hunting 
epoch and the subsequent settlement of British Columbia and Oregon by 
English-speaking people. The archives of Spain and Mexico supplied masses 
of historic data relating to the conquest and occupation of Spanish 
America, while chronicles of the doings of Anglo-Americans on the western 
slope were secured in the older settled sections of the eastern side. 

When all that could be purchased on the subject - that is to say the 
history of western North America - was thus brought together from every 
quarter, and all desirable material that could not be purchased had been 
copied at a labor and expense never before approximated in the forming of 
great libraries, there still remained many historical gaps which could not 
be filled from any existing source. Then was devised a plan for gathering 
still further historical data relating to the early affairs of the several 
commonwealths, such as never before has been applied to any extensive 
effort of the kind. Corps of literary laborers, under competent 
leadership, were sent out in various directions to obtain and write from 
the mouths of living witnesses their own experiences. All the more 
prominent pioneers, and those who had taken an important part in making 
history were thus visited, and what they had seen and done was placed in 
imperishable form. 

Hundreds of original manuscripts, of priceless value and of the utmost 
importance, were thus brought into existence and made a part of the 
Bancroft library. Among them were the narratives of the Hudson's Bay 
company's chief factors and chief traders; of Alaskan officials under 
Russian regime; of the trappers and traders of the northwestern interior; 
the adventurous missionaries and overland emigrants to Oregon and 
California during the forties, before gold in the Sierra foothills was 
thought of' the padres and mission-builders who came from Mexico and Lower 
California, leaving a line of Franciscan missionary stations from San 
Diego to San 

Page 983

Francisco bay; the old Spanish families long resident in San Diego, Los 
Angeles, and Santa Barabara; Marshall, Sutter, and the great gold 
discovery which revolutionized the financial world; the miners, the great 
agriculturists, and the railroad builders; the merchants, bankers, and 
manufacturers, with scores of others who contributed of their experiences 
to the general storehouse of knowledge in the form of manuscript histories 
or of shorter dictations. 

Years of time and scores of secretaries were occupied in this work, during 
the progress of which Alaska was twice visited, and half a dozen journeys 
made to Mexico, with repeated tours of the entire territory to be covered. 
From the mission and family archives of southern California many thousands 
of important original papers and documents were secured, arranged, and 
bound in bulky quartos. Wagon loads of costly books and manuscripts were 
acquired at public and private sales of libraries, such as the Andrade 
collection destined for Maximilian's Imperial library of Mexico, but which 
at his death was shipped to Europe. Then there were the Pinart collection, 
the Ramirez collection, the Squier library, and fifty others. Of the 300 
volumes of San Francisco mission archives, consisting of papers relating 
to Mexican land grants, gathered from all the pueblos and missions of 
California into the United States surveyor-general's office, there to be 
used in the adjudication of claims, an abstract was made, occupying a 
dozen Spanish copyists. The archiepiscopal archives were transcribed in 
like manner, this long, tedious, and expensive method being the only way 
in which the historical data contained in these invaluable collections 
could be brought into and made part of the Bancroft library. 

A hundred like incidents illustrating the ways and means of this 
ingathering might be presented; but with the facts here given the reader 
is able to comprehend what otherwise might seem to him an exaggeration; 
namely, that this library is the largest collection of books and 
manuscripts in the world bearing on a single topic, if we may consider the 
history of a given area as a topic; that it is the largest collection of 
American history in the world; that no state or nation now in existence, 
or which ever had existence, has or ever can have as full and complete 
data concerning its early history as this collection gives to western 
North America; that with easily obtainable eastern data added, and the 
collection kept up in the future as it has been in the past, it is not 
possible for any individual state or nation, no matter at what expenditure 
of time and money, to create another library of American history which 
shall equal or even approach it, for the obvious 

Page 984

reason that, were the men and means at hand, the time has passed when it 
is possible to accomplish the pioneer work which gives to this one its 
exceptional value. 

By the artificer of the Manufactures buildings was also designed the hall 
of Administration, which, as at the Columbian Exposition, is considered 
one of the architectural gems of the Fair. It is of moderate size and 
graceful proportions, its light and symmetric outlines accentuated by a 
spacious dome surmounting a central rotunda, and with pavilions at each of 
the corners, broad stairways and terraces giving further emphasis to this 
chaste and dignified composition. In style it is oriental, the body of the 
structure resembling somewhat an Indian pagoda, while in the main 
entrance, deeply vaulted, and in the mural decorations are traces of 
Moorish treatment. The interior of the dome is handsomely decorated, and 
on the outer surface are figures in relief, the light which streams from 
the tall windows beneath imparting a cathedral-like effect. Within are no 
exhibits, the various chambers being occupied by the managers, the foreign 
department, the bureau of information, and as headquarters for the press. 

The palace of Fine Arts, erected by C. C. McDougall, with John A. Stanton 
in charge of its contents, is a modest structure of Egyptian type, 
constructed of brick and stone and intended as a permanent edifice. The 
exterior is adorned with palm and lotus leaves, with Egyptian and Assyrian 
deities carved in low relief, and the friezes are richly ornamented, the 
decorative scheme being fully in keeping with the architectural design. 
Set back some forty feet from the roadway and slightly raised above its 
level, the effect if further increased by a spacious vestibule guarded by 
sphinxes, and with floor of mosaic laid in Egyptian figures. Flanking the 
portico are massive columns supporting a gallery, whence pillars extend to 
the entablature, above which is a triangular crown. The interior is in 
keeping with the external aspect, the friezes, wainscotings, and 
staircases grotesque with conventional emblems, with heads of beast and 
bird. While to the buildings as a building, no exception can be taken, an 
exhibition of modern art would appear somewhat out of place in this 
Egyptian temple, with its pyramidal roof and walls as yellow as the sands 
of Nile. 

In the central hall is most of the statuary, the chambers adjoining being 
mainly devoted to water colors, and the oil paintings contained in the 
five compartments of the annex. All branches of art are included in the 
display and among the works are many from artists of repute in all the 
principal nations represented at the Columbian Exposition, some of them 
still alive and some who live only in their canvases. Corot and Daubigny 
are here, with Jules Dupre, Troyon, Henner, and Claude Monet. Of the 
Russian school there are Makovsky and others, and from Poland comes almost 
intact the collection of the society of Polish artists. England, and 
Canada, Italy, Spain, and Germany also find expression in these galleries. 
Of American painters there are several who rank among the great masters of 
their craft, while of the California display it need only be said that it 
is the best exhibition of local art ever gathered in a single collection. 

Horticulture and agriculture are prominent features at the Midwinter Fair, 
and in these departments are also included dairying, forestry, fisheries, 
fish products, and pisciculture, with other branches for which no separate 
structures were provided. For the housing of the various collections a 
single roomy edifice, designed by Samuel Newsom, with Emory E. Smith as 
chief of department, was erected in the style of architecture 
characteristic of the pastoral era, with low, massive walls of dull yellow 
tint, deeply arched entrances, and shady porticos inviting to repose. A 
glass covered dome 100 feet in diameter surmounts the central rotunda, and 
around it are smaller domes, with towers above the principal entrance and 
over the eastern end. The decorations of the building are more suggestive 
of its purposes than the building itself; for though an excellent 
combination of mission architecture, it is filled with products such as 
were never raised on California soil until long after the missionary era. 

Page 985

In the centre of the rotunda is a striking display of fruits from Fresno 
county, arranged in architectural forms and surrounded by agricultural 
groups from other counties. In a court adjoining is a classified array of 
vegetables, with a Ferris wheel constructed of oranges, and in adjacent 
sections are exhibits of tobacco, of California, Spanish, and Portuguese 
wines, and of malt and spirituous liquors. Here also are beef extracts and 
other food products, while from the San Francisco produce exchange comes a 
choice display of grain. In the southwest wing is a large assortment of 
dressed meats and agricultural implements, beyond which is a model fish 
hatchery from Mendocino county. The main floor is covered with avenues of 
booths and pavilions, interspersed with trees and flowering plants, each 
exhibitor striving to surpass all others in beauty of design and 
decoration. On the floors above is an endless display of fruits and 
flowers and forest growth, including the collections of the state boards 
of horticulture and sericulture. Here is the most attractive portion of 
the building, and perhaps of the Fair; for in these galleries the 
interblending of foliage with floral effects, of stately palms, of ferns 
and vines and broad-leafed plants, gives to them the aspect, perfume, and 
color of a spacious and richly stocked conservatory. 

The hall of Mechanic Arts, with Edmund R. Swain as its artificer, is 
fashioned so far as conditions would permit in the style of an Indian 
temple, its external aspect in contrast with the whirl of machinery, the 
models of railroads and steamboats, and the electric appliances contained 
within; nor is the effect improved by the boiler-house in rear, with the 
smokestacks of its furnaces in close proximity to lofty pinnacles, prayer-
towers, and gilded kiosks. Nevertheless it is a pleasing composition, well 
conceived and skillfully worked out to completion. Its most striking 
feature is the richly colored entrance-way, in the form of a pavilion with 
pyramidal roof, and flanked with stately minarets. At the corners are 
large octagonal towers, the spaces between them and the main portal being 
pierced with arched openings and the whole exterior aglow with tasteful 
ornamentation. 

Subject to the direction of A. M. Hunt, as chief of department, the groups 
were classified and arranged under the divisions of machinery; mines, 
mining, and metallurgy; transportation, railways, vessels, and vehicles; 
electricity and electrical appliances. In the centre of the main floor, 
surrounded by a circle of pumps, are two large tanks, into one of which 
are discharged the waters of a miniature cataract, illumined at night by 
electric lights. At the southern end are the engines and dynamos which 
furnish light and power to the buildings; in the western and northeast 
sections is the lighter machinery, and to the right of the main entrance 
are the electrical exhibits, including that of the General Electric 
company, near which is the display of Germany and 

Page 986

France, and across the aisle that of Great Britain. The mining exhibits of 
California, arranged by counties, occupy a large portion of the main 
floor, and here is a most elaborate display of the mineral wealth of the 
state, the list including 35 varieties, of some of which there are 
countless specimens. In the centre is a large gilded globe resting on a 
pedestal upheld by granite columns and surmounted by a grizzly bear. In 
this sphere is illustrated California's total yield of gold, and if made 
of that metal it would represent a value of $1,300,000,000. 

On a commanding location near the Horticultural building is the home of 
Southern California, approached from the central court through an avenue 
lined with orange and palm trees. Erected by the Southern California 
Midwinter Fair association for the use of several counties, its contents 
are worthy of what has been termed the Mediterranean region of the Pacific 
coast, where are raised nearly all the products of Italy, Greece and 
Spain. In the centre of the main floor are the exhibits of Los Angeles 
county, a feature in which is an oriental arch built of oranges and 
surmounted by an elephant, life-size and fashioned of walnuts. In rear of 
this is a walnut tower that did duty at the Columbian Exposition, a ton of 
nuts being used in its construction. On the left is a mammoth ear of corn 
covered with 45 bushels of grain in the cob; in the foreground is a 
pyramid of oranges from Pasadena, and behind it a tower of olive oil from 
Pomona, with tables between these structural groups on which are arranged 
the citrus fruits of other sections. Dried fruits are also grouped in 
artistic designs; from prominent vintners and viticulturists come 1,000 
bottles of wine, and there is a model farm with orange grove and field of 
alfalfa, illustrating old fashioned and modern methods of irrigation. 

Ventura county has a pagoda of beans in 83 varieties, with a choice array 
of fruits, almonds, and honey. The exhibits of San Bernardino and 
Riverside are in keeping with their reputation as among the great citrus 
belts of the state, the former having also wheat and wine with beet sugar 
from the Chico factory and mineral specimens from scores of mines, while 
Riverside, in addition to her Ferris wheel and pyramid of oranges, has 
peaches, prunes, and apricots, appearing to the best advantage during the 
term of the Southern citrus fair, opened in this building on the 20th of 
February. San Diego has her Silver Gate warehouse composed of many 
varieties of dried fruits and grains, with cereals in sheaf and windows of 
honey, jellies, and wines. The archway is handsomely decorated in seeds 
and grains; there are columns of olive oil and lemons, and nearby is an 
abundance of citrus fruits, the interior walls being hung with pampas 
plumes, photographs, and paintings in oil. There is also a display of 
mounted animals and birds, and of food fish more than 100 descriptions. In 

Page 987

the gallery of the main building are a woman's department and an art 
exhibit, with parlors, offices, an assembly hall, and committee and 
reading rooms. 

Northern and Central California erected for the housing of their 
collective exhibits a commodious structure near the Administration 
building, of no special order of architecture and intended for utility 
rather than display. The interior is richly decorated with floral 
embellishments, its contents consisting largely of fruits, grains, and 
minerals, a feature in which is the exhibit of the Northern citrus fair in 
competition with that of Southern California. Oranges by tens of thousands 
are arranged in attractive forms, with other fruits, green, dried, canned, 
and bottled, and with choice assortments of vegetables. Cereals are also 
grouped in many devices; in a figure of Ceres, in the form of a woman, and 
in the shape of a gigantic ear composed of many thousands of ears. And so 
with wine, of which there is a mammoth bottle fashioned of several hundred 
bottles, while one of the counties has a fountain flowing with wine. Of 
manufactures there are excellent samples, and in a word all the leading 
industries and resources of California, north of the Golden Gate, are here 
represented; but as these exhibits are culled from eleven counties, they 
cannot be described in detail. 

Several of the counties erected pavilions of their own, first among which 
may be mentioned that of Alameda, a handsome structure of oriental design 
and appearing to excellent advantage on its prominent site to the south of 
the Administration building. In front of the main entrance is a garden of 
semi-tropical plants; from the gallery is access to a roof garden, and the 
exhibiting space in the central court is well stocked with the productions 
of one of the most favored sections of California. Santa Clara displays 
her wealth of fruits and other products in a neat, rectangular edifice, 
its tower draped with flags and its cream-white color in contrast with the 
surrounding foliage. San Mateo's building is of the mission order, and its 
contents in keeping with the reputation of that county as a horticultural 
district. San Joaquin has a tasteful pavilion of cruciform shape, its 
central dome encircled with a balcony and capped with a graceful cupola. 
Worthy of note are the floral decorations of its interior, and especially 
of the main aisle, which is one mass of flower and plants. Manufactures 
are the principal feature in the exhibits, though the products of farm, 
orchard, and vineyard are well represented. Monterey, whose history 
antedates the landing of the pilgrim fathers, finds expression in one of 
the quaint farm buildings of a century ago, where, in addition to the 
fruits of the soil, are relics of mission days. In Santa Barbara's 
pyramidal structure olives and olive oil are among the principal groups, 
and in the centre is reproduced the obelisk, framed of oranges, which 
attracted so much attention at the Columbian Fair. Humboldt erected 

Page 988

an unpretentious edifice constructed entirely of native woods and stocked 
with lumber, grain, and fruits. Tulare has, in place of a separate 
building, a model irrigated farm with growing crops, forming a unique and 
novel feature among the county exhibits. 

The states adjoining California on the north and east have also their 
separate buildings at the Fair, others being represented chiefly in the 
main departments. Oregon has a handsome structure in the most populous 
part of the grounds, well stored with exhibits which, except for semi-
tropical fruits, include nearly all the classes displayed by California. 
Prominence is given to manufactures, in which Oregon rivals her southern 
sister, though here is sufficient proof, if proof were needed, of her 
wondrous fertility of soil. Nevada has an edifice of the mission order, 
the contents of which at once dispel the popular illusion that silver and 
sagebrush are the principal products of the state. For the first time, 
outside her own boundaries, Nevada has given adequate expression to her 
resources, showing that she is rich in the yield of her farms as well as 
in that of her mines. There are deciduous fruits of many varieties and of 
excellent quality, while from the floral decorations it will be seen that 
California is not the only clime "where the Junes and Decembers meet." 

Foreign residents of California have shown their interest in the Fair by 
erecting structures characteristic of their native land. As headquarters 
for British visitors was built, near the home of San Joaquin county, "Anne 
Hathaway's cottage," with thatched roof, projecting gables, and the 
tiniest of windows, all as in the original at Stratford-on-Avon. It is a 
quaint and restful piece of architecture, and not inappropriate to the 
part which it plays at an international exposition; for Shakespeare 
belongs not to England alone but to all the world. Nestling among the 
trees and in neighborly proximity is the Canadian domicile, resembling an 
old fashioned country house, comfortably furnished and tastefully 
decorated, its wall hung with portraits of statesmen and with paintings, 
etchings, and engravings of picturesque and historic scenes. To Servia, 
Roumania, and Montenegro belongs the largest and most ornate of the 
national pavilions, with features adopted from the public buildings of all 
the three, and with strong traces of Russian treatment. The Italian 
edifice is of classic architecture, a simple structure but handsome in its 
simplicity, and mainly used for purposes of recreation, for music, 
dancing, and other pastimes in which Italians delight. 

Page 989

In this connection may be mentioned Festival hall, at the western 
extremity of the grounds, intended for amusements and public gatherings, 
and with recreation grounds adjacent. It is a rectangular building, with 
spacious arches and stairways, flat-roofed and surmounted by a glass-
covered superstructure. On the main floor is an assembly hall which, with 
its surrounding galleries, affords seating capacity for 6,000 persons, the 
stage being 60 feet wide and flanked with tiers of boxes. Elsewhere are 
the offices of the management, with accommodation for the concessionaire 
and for the Midwinter Fair guards. Here concerts and other entertainments 
are given, and by Sousa's, the Iowa, and Exposition bands are open air 
concerts, the latter held during inclement weather in the Manufactures or 
Horticultural buildings. Here also it was at first intended to hold the 
sessions of the various congresses assembled in the city of San Francisco, 
the subjects considered including politics, economics, labor, finance, 
religion, temperance, education, literature, art, and music. 

There is no Midway plaisance at the Fair; but scattered throughout the 
grounds are many things which remind us of this inviting feature in the 
Columbian Exposition, while of both expositions it may be said that to 
their supplementary attractions, their Midway spectacles, their music, 
fieworks, illuminations, and special days of festivity and celebration, 
was due at least two thirds of the total attendance. At the former there 
are outside exhibits which found no place at Jackson park, and among the 
most interesting is the mining camp of `49. It is a typical camp of the 
olden days, with its row of shanties on either side of the street, its 
stores, stage office, and hotel, its dance hall, saloon, and gambling 
resort, with all the adjuncts of pioneer civilization, but with neither 
church nor school-house. In these days there were no children in 
California, and as for divine service, it was conducted at times in the 
saloon, with results much more satisfactory, so far as the collection was 
concerned, than at the fashionable sanctuary of modern times. Other 
distinctive features are the Oregon hydraulic mining exhibit and the 
Colorado gold mine, the latter reproducing in miniature the workings of 
the Saratoga mine in Gilpin county. 

The Chinatown of the Midwinter Fair includes a temple or Joss house, a 
theatre with its endless performances, a tea house where the beverage is 
served 

Page 990

with sweetmeats on square ebony tables, a court redolent with the 
oppressive odors of Chinese plants, and a number of booths where are 
gilded carvings, silk-embroidered robes, furniture inlaid with mother-of-
pearl, and other manufactures of wondrous design and workmanship. On the 
opposite side of the central court, enclosed with a bamboo fence, is the 
Japanese village, with its theatre, acrobats, and dancing girls, its 
restaurant and tea house, its lake and waterfall and landscape garden. The 
street in Cairo is here, complete in every detail, though differing in 
many respects from the one in Jackson park and from the Rue du Caire at 
Paris in 1889. Within the principal entrance is a bazaar with more than 
three score booths aglow with jeweled weapons, filigree work, and fabrics 
warm of hue. Near by are a Turkish caf‚ with luxurious appointments, and a 
restaurant where are served all manner of dishes on tables placed beneath 
the trees. There are mosques with fantastic domes and stately spires and 
minarets; there are two theatres, in one of which are performed the sword 
dance and the repulsive danse du ventre; there are the familiar groups of 
Arabs, Egyptians, Soudanese, and Nubian; there are camels, donkeys, and 
donkey boys, and finally there is the wedding procession, resembling the 
one already described in these pages. In the Hawaiian village, in addition 
to the cyclorama of the volcano of Kilauea, as represented at the 
Columbian Exposition, are the throne and uniform of the late king of 
Hawaii, with the furniture and equipments of his palace, relics of by-gone 
days, and many forms of native manufacture. Islanders in white flannel 
suits and island lasses in gay apparel are chatting and sauntering around 
the plaza, and in front of primitive huts of plaited grass and ferns 
stalks the gigantic ox "Apalahama," astride of which is a woman with 
bifurcated skirt of spotted calico. Ceylon has a court and tea garden 
transplanted from the Chicago Fair, as was also the Dahomean settlement. 
In the Eskimo village is shown how the natives of Labrador, men, women, 
children, and dogs, live in their hyperborean clime in cone-shaped huts of 
snow, so far at least as the effect can be produced by liberal coatings of 
whitewash. In contrast with this is the Arizona village, whose denizens 
are skilled in simple forms of manufacture, as in the making of baskets 
from native grasses so closely woven as to hold wa