The White City

More About the Great Fair — Buildings and Exhibits — Wonderful Display of Wealth — Monuments of Folly — Chicago Riots.

The people still continue to throng to the White City, and from 100,000 to 200,000 sight seers daily wander among the many marvelous objects, and yet there is no crowd. The immense grounds and buildings absorb all and there is still room for as many more.

There are ways and there are ways to see the fair. The veteran comes to the city with a well laid out plan for his week’s or two weeks’ campaign. He has read of what there is to be seen, and knowing that there is chaff among the wheat, he has selected a few things that he wants to see and study, and he goes about it in a business-like way. His country cousin, with visions of the county fair hovering in the realms of memory, has read in a careless manner of the World’s Fair, and comes to do or die, and he generally dies, or wishes he could, before he is half through. To begin with, he fails entirely to realize the magnitude of the thing. He comes expecting to see all in three or four days, and starting in at the first gate he finds, begins to go through it like a whirlwind. He spends half his time looking at thousands of things he cares little about and the other half in gazing at a few things he finds that do interest him. His last night comes and he is amazed that he is only half through.

It is difficult to realize the tremendous magnitude of the scale upon which the buildings are constructed. For instance, the building of Manufactures and Liberal Arts occupies a floor space of forty-four acres, while high above are innumerable galleries. One becomes lost in space, confused in his ideas. His eyes are met on all sides by enormous exhibits. Here he finds the Garland stove company’s exhibit but has become so accustomed to big things that he marvels little to see that their floor space, while as large as many a Canton store, is encanopied by a huge cook stove, and that beneath it and within the limits of its legs they have on exhibition a score of stoves and ranges, a reception room for visitors and numerous clerks, while all is brilliantly lighted by electricity. Direction is lost. The obliging guides do not tell you to go this way and that to find a thing, but they say “Go north so far, and then east.”

While this is the largest building, there are others nearly as large, and each is crowded full of exhibits. Is it strange that one becomes dazed, lost, in it all?

And yet order can be had out of all this chaos. Lay out a campaign and adhere to it. The same line of battle will not suit any two persons and so no definite rule can be given. Each one must work out his own program. Still there are a few general principles that can be mentioned for the benefit of those of the Plaindealer’s readers who meditate a trip. If possible secure a concise guide book and map of the fair before coming, and study it. The Brooklyn Eagle handbook has received the commendation of the Fair managers as one of the best of its kind. It is not burdened with a multitude of figures or facts, but it has an excellent map, and tells one how best to reach each building, and leaves it to its readers to select their own objects of interest. This book will be supplied free to Plaindealer readers who intend visiting the fair, by calling at the Plaindealer office. For those who have some days to spend in Chicago there are many things of great interest to be found in some of the state buildings, but here time can be saved. Without exception the western states have expended time, money and intelligence in displaying the products of their countries, and they will all pay the visitor. California revels in massive displays of fruits and minerals; Washington puts the others to shame in its school exhibit, which shows a wonderful system. Here also is seen a grain farm in the full operation of harvesting. It also has a choice collection of native animals — bears, seals, elks, etc. In Kansas the showing of stuffed animals is probably the best on the grounds. And so it goes. The east and south seem to have aimed to make their houses homes for their citizens, and besides being luxurious club houses there is little in them to interest, although here too there are exceptions, as in the relics in the Massachusetts building. Of course all want to visit the New York building. It is massive and gorgeous, perfect in appointment and worthy the Empire State. And right here it may be well to say that in all these state buildings there are handsome toilet rooms, free to the visitors, while a charge is made for the use of those in other places.

It is well to see the state buildings first, as they would appear insignificant if seen after a visit to the larger ones. After these are seen the visitor can act according to his pleasure. It might be well for him to take a trip around the intra-mural railway, which takes one around the grounds just within the walls, for ten cents. In this way one gets an idea of the location of the grounds and buildings. But to comprehend their size one must walk around by the Administration building. Here he is surrounded by towering structures, massive in their conception. The central figure of all is the Administration building, its huge dome 270 feet high. Within it are the offices of the Fair managers. To the south is the Grand Basin, at the near end of which three huge fountains throw hundreds of streams high in air in myriad forms, and at night by an ingenious contrivance each stream flashes forth all the colors of the rainbow in quick succession. The secret of it is that beneath the fountains a man is hard at work manipulating an intricate system of colored lights. Looking far down the basin, which is covered with naphtha launches shooting hither and yon, one sees a huge bronze statue of the goddess of Liberty, backed up by the wonderful peristyle, a long series of white columns, bearing upon their tops colossal statues.

To the left is the Manufactures and Liberal Arts building, covering forty-four acres, and costing $1,500,000.00, crowded to its utmost capacity with thousands of exhibits from this and foreign countries. To convey a faint idea of the value of its contents would be impossible. There are two pictures, which are valued and on sale at $20,000 each. There is lace from Italy at $1,000 per yard. Most of the exhibits in all the buildings are private and the articles are on sale, and it is no uncommon thing to see cards pinned to this thing or that, announcing that it has been sold for $50, $100, $1,000, $10,000 or even more. Some things on sale are valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In front of this building is the Electricity building, costing $401,000.00, comprising within its walls the results of Edison and Tesla. It is a magical spot, and at night it sparkles beyond belief under the bands of enchanters. Huge dynamos revolve day and night and crowds gaze and wonder. Close by this is the Mines building, where the very bowels of mother earth have yielded up of their riches, and where untold wealth lies scattered about on all sides. Close by this is the Transportation building, a large edifice, containing long trains of cars and vehicles of locomotion of every sort. Here Canton’s boat builder, J. H. Rushton, has his exhibit, and it is quietly whispered about that he may well be proud of his share of awards. His goods are presided over by Mr. Allen, of Canton, who always invites Cantonians within the railing for a chat. There are hundreds of bicycles, steamers, etc. This building cost $370,000.00.

To the right of the Administration building, near the lake, is Agricultural Hall, the Mecca for farmers, and in front of this is Machinery Hall, where is furnished the power which drives the water, the dynamos, and all of the machinery for this stupendous show. In one room are engines aggregating 25,000 horse power, fed by petroleum carried in pipes direct from Indiana especially for these engines. Their huge boilers throb, throb, throb, day and night. Here are found printing presses from all of the best manufacturing houses in the world. Here one sees operators pounding away on key boards similar to those on type writers, but they are setting type for the daily paper which is printed on the grounds. Looms are rushing, wheels are turning and pandemonium is loose. Behind this building lie the stock yards, filled with choice animals.

But why attempt to describe the half of the impossible? The more one sees the more the immensity of it all grows upon him. And then, when night closes in and all is bathed in light and radiance, when high heaven is pierced for miles by broad rays of light from the largest search lights on earth, which shoot, now here, now there, showing now some tall spire in the city and now some vessel far out on the lake, where many bands are playing and terrific displays of fireworks light up the lake front, one stands in Fairyland, in the realm of the wizard and the magician, lost in admiration and wonder.

And while 150,000 people are daily spending many hundreds of thousands of dollars in pleasure in this spot of enormous wealth, militia are dispersing huge mobs of unemployed workmen who daily riot in Chicago, demanding work and bread for their families. It is a sad state of affairs. The police force has been multiplied many times to prevent damage by these men, a part, but a small part, of whom, are willing to work, but the large part of whom are anarchists and disturbers, too lazy to work, and too fiendish to use their efforts for peace.

Another thing that is causing apprehension and alarm is the dread of fire in the vicinity of the grounds. When it was decided to hold the fair at this spot hotels and restaurants sprang up by the thousands, each man fondly hugging the delusion that a fortune lay within his grasp. Now the reaction has set in; competition keeps prices down and the crowd is not so large as was expected. The buildings are mostly light, flimsy structures, and the old insurance companies withdrew all risks some time ago. Irresponsible companies then came into the field and took everything, asking exorbitant premiums. One man paid $500 for a $3,000 policy for three months. These companies are now alarmed and are withdrawing their risks, and close watch is kept for fire bugs.

A gigantic monument to the foolishness that the lust for wealth engenders is seen close to the fair grounds. It is a massive framework of what was intended to be a hotel. It was to have 2,000 rooms. It was to contain a theatre with seating capacity of 15,000 persons. The stage was to be built out over the lake and real ships were to sail before the gazing audience. It was to be built for use during the fair only, and the promoters were to make many millions. George M. Pullman, the famous car man, was the leader. Work was pushed furiously and the present stage reached, when the company became alarmed at the task they had undertaken, and on this account and because they saw that while they were yet building, the wondrous White City would become a thing of memory, they abandoned the enterprise. There rises the huge frame; about the ground are scattered statues and timbers, and there is sunk $800,000.00, a total loss, of no earthly use. It is an object lesson with a vengeance.

And yet another is selected from the many. One man here put up a hotel. It was to be the greatest one around, and as a big advertising card he proposed to let his guests see all there was to be seen on the fair grounds without paying the price of admission, and so he built a big iron tower. It is 250 feet high, with a restaurant at the top, reached by an elevator, and here it was expected hundreds and thousands would daily congregate to eat and look. It cost thousands of dollars, and not a soul goes near it save the elevator man, who sits and sleeps, and dreams of loads that never come.

And yet another: The Great Eastern was built, with 1,100 rooms, and there are 300 guests. Its energetic proprietor has “that tired feeling.”

On every street is some “special attraction.” There is Libby Prison, Jerusalem, etc. There are eating houses where living is cheap but good, and there are good hotels (run by receivers) and saloons. Street cars are crowded, and so are the streets. Within the grounds is a lively scene. The cry of extortion is nonsense. Fifty cents entitles one to everything, with three exceptions: the Eskimo village, the Cliff Dwellers and the shows on the Midway Plaisance, and it is not necessary to attend these. Of course if these are what one wants to see they are just what he wants to see, and the charges run from 10 cents to $1.00. Some of them are good. The Ferris Wheel should not be missed, neither should the glass works. Lunches are expensive, and it is cheaper to pay from 10 to 30 cents outside the grounds for lunches put up in neat boxes and carry them in with you. Thousands do it.

The fair is a stupendous success, a marvel. The great White city is the creation of the greatest nation on earth, the work of all that is best. It should be seen by all. Pity it is that all these wonderful structures are made to last but for a year or two, and that soon the story of Jackson Park will be a tale that is told, and all these structures a mass of ruins.

WILLISTON MANLEY.