Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1890 — WILL FILL IN THE LAKE. [ARTICLE]

WILL FILL IN THE LAKE.

NEW GROUND TO BE MADE FOR THE WORLD’S FAIR. Eighty-nine Acres to Be Reclaimed from the Lake—The Filling: to Be Finished by the Last of Next July—Making Appointments—The Foreign Exhibits. [Chicago dispatch.] Specifications have been prepared for filling and piling the lake front for the World’s Fair. The executive committee spent two hours discussing the details of the work. A number of contractors awaited the result of the committee’s action, and about a hundred copies of the specifications were made for the bidders. The filling required to be done will be east of the Illinois Central Railroad, between the north line of Van Buren street and the south line of Park Row, both lines being extended east for a distance of 2,600 feet. A line connecting the outer ends of these projected lines will be the eastern boundary of the portion to be filled. The area will be about-forty-four acres, and will be inclosed by a revetment or shore protection 4,360 feet in length. The area to be piled is about forty-five acres and lies on two sides of the filled territory—north and east —and is Lshaped in general outline. Between the center line of Monroe and the north line of Van Buren street the piling is to extend east from the Illinois Central right of way 850 feet, and from Van Buren street to Park Row the piling is to be 250 feet wide. The piled area is to be protected by rows of piles tied together by heavy timbers. The contractor for the filling will be required to have the revetment completed and the whole area stipulated for filling filled up to a height of six feet above city datum on or before April 15, 1891, and the whole work of filling on or before July 31, 1891. That part of the piling between Monroe and Van Buren streets is required to be done by April 1, 1891, and the remainder of the work must be done by July 31. Treasurer Seeberger said that since the directory had decided to fill and pile the lake front there had been a noticeable increase in the collections, and that a better feeling prevailed among the subscribers. Some of them had been holding off because the work was not rapid enough. Now they were satisfied and coming forward with their payments. The Treasurer has $890,000 in bank to the credit of the corporation. “Who shall solicit exhibits? is the question that is forcing itself on the attention of all concerned in the interests of the fair,” said a Commissioner. “While the commission has the power of absolute control of the Exposition, Congress has not provided it with funds to pay the necessary expenses. There is a vast difference between the authority of the commission to act and its financial ability to perform, owing to the meager sum placed at its disposal by Congress. It makes no difference how much ‘authority’ the commission may have, the moment it ceases to have the necessary funds to pay current expenses that’moment it becomes powerless to go ahead. This Exposition is not like a Government contract, which so soon as the appropriation is expended can wait until Congress meets again. This work must be pushed night and day without any letup. “The Chicago Board has undertaken to furnish a site and expend $10,000,000 in buildings and other accommodations. Thus it may be seen both ends of the fair have been provided for. The Government has furnished the bosses and Chicago the capital to erect the buildings, but who is to furnish the exhibits or procure them seems to have been left out of the calculation. The ten or eleven bureaus proposed by Director General Davis to attend to these matters will cost at least SIO,OOO each, some of them much more, and of course it is out of the question to pay this expense from the present Government appropriation. It must be evident that this work, to be done effectively, must be done through bureaus, as proposed by Mr. Davis, and under his special supervision. It looks as if Congress created a great national commission without making provision to enable it to perform the duties required. No doubt this will be remedied when Congress meets again, but in the meantime ‘who will collect the exhibits’ and pay the necessary expenses is a question for the numerous ‘conference’ committees to solve.” Mr. Davis will probably appoint Vice President Bryan Chief -.of the Foreign Bureau. The appointment of Mr. Bryan will make him an officer of the National Commission, which has charge of the foreign exhibits. Mr. Bryan is an exceptional linguist for an American, speaking five or six European languages. He is a courteous and polished gentleman, a scholar, and a’business man of large capacity. He Is iMrst-class lawyer withal, and is eminently fitted for the place. Some of the Commissioners are veering around to the original position of the local board respccting>the site. “The main buildings,” said ohe of them, “ought to be on Jackson Park. I’d like to see Washington Park used for the overflow and as the camping ground of Indian villages and special exhibits. As much of the money as can be so used ought to be put into permanent improvements. I think the position ihr the South Park Board in<t]iis matter was right. Jackson Park; it seems to me, could easily be made the location of the main exhibition. The view would be the finest in the world —nothing like it anywhere. It would be , convenient, and could be reached by water and have a water connection with the Lake Front.” J. Ilerva Jones, of R6ckfard, Hl., proposes to reproduce “Old Faithful,” the largest geyser in the Yellowstone basin. He thinks the recurrent explosions can be reproduced by means of compressed air. Plans for dividing the fourth floor of the Rand-McNally building for the World’s Fair headquarters are being made by the architects.