Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1891 — WORLD'S FAIR WORK. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WORLD'S FAIR WORK.

IT IS PROGRESSING WITH COMMENDABLE ACTIVITY. A Brief Outline of the Labors and Plans of the Management—Estimated Cost of Principal BuUdings-A Word Concerning the tire.

EVER since its inception have the .prospects of the Columbian Exposition appeared as bright as they now do, s iys a Chicatro letter. All differences between the National Commission and the Local Directory are harmoniously adjusted. The finances are tn ex-

cellent shape. The Congressional appropriation was sufficient to enable the Commission and the Lady Managers to continue their respective lines of work

efficiently. The Local Directory has more than 810,000,000 in sight; and feels no doubt whatever of its ability to raise as much more as may be necessary. Interest in the Exposition is aroused the world over, and foreign nations, one after another, are deciding to participate. The work of preparation of the grounds and buildings is in full swing. The 'decks are cleared for action, and there will be henceforward no hitch in the rapid progress of preparation for the (great fair. Several weeks ago a cablegram brought ’the gratifying information that France

‘had decided to participate in the exposition. The for»m a 1 ac c e ptance, •conveyed by the French Minister Ribot to Whitelaw IReid, American .Minister to Paris, •and by him to Secretary Blaine, has been received, and Is expressed in terms that i< ave no doubt; that France will be ! most er ditably repge»eu.ed.

Frame is the first foreign country to formally accept President Harrison's invitation It has set the pace, so to speak, and has done so in such a cordial and 4ie«rty manner that its example is being (generally followed by other nations. Nortiflcation has been received that Russia, dtaly, Spain and Cuba. Mexico, Brazil, and nearly all of the Central and South American rations wi 1 participate, and are already making preparations to do so.’ 1 ' In'CubA, It is learned, tire Board of Frdifidtidu appointed by the ‘Governor ‘General has held a mo -ting and entered -enthusiastically upon the work of t coiUecting a sp'endid exhibit from that island for the fair. Similar preparations

are being made in Mexico. In England and Germany the proposition to participate has strong popular approval, and their'acceptance is expected soon. Tho

international character of the exposition may te regarded as assured. Skotchts and general clans of nearly all of tho great buildings of the exposition are completed, and have been finally

approved. The architects are now elaborating them into working plans, and the chief of construction is drawing up the specifications for them all, and will call very soon for contractors’ estimates. Director Jeffery, who spent two months in studying the buildings at the Paris Exposition, says: “The buildings at the Chicago Exposition will be as much superior to those at Paris as the latter were superior to those at the Philadelphia Centenn al. There can be no question that the effect at Jackson Park will astonish the world. We will have the grandest buildings ever dedicated to exposition purposes. ” Just as soon as the ground plans of the buildings can be completed work upon the foundations of the several structures will be pushed rapidly. A rough estimate of the cost of the chief buildings, etc., planned by the construction department, together with the number of acres they will cover, will be found interesting. Some estimates make the total cost more than $10,000,001). Buildings, etc. Average. Cost. Fish and fisheries..... 2.2 $3.7).000 U. H. Gavernment 3.6 400,0 0 ManuUctares3l.2 200,000 Electricitys.6 650,000 Mines and mining 5.6 350,003 Agriculture 9.2 500,000 Machinerylß.4 4»u,0J0 Power annexß.3 Horticulture 5.7 253,0,4) Women’s building 2.3 200 000 Transportation, including depots. 9.3 1,000.050 Administration 1.4 650,001 Live stock and show ring 38>.000 Gymnasium 185,0)0 Fine arts 400,0 0 Entrances 400,000 Pier and Casino 250.U00 T0ta1,...102 8 $6,570,000 It is believed that all danger of labor troubles in connection with the construction of the World’s Fair buildings will lie obviated. The amount of building to be done is so enormous, and the time in which it must be done is so short, that any interrupt-ion of the work wou d be a

very serious matter. Representatives of organized lalbon in Chicago have held several conferences with the directors, and on both sides the utihosV good feeling and a spirit of fairness has been manifested. Eight hours as a day’s work, and: the submission of all differences which may arise to a board of arbitration, have been jigreed to. The direotory is willbhg to consider 81.50 per day as the minimum pay for unskilled labor. This is satisfactory to most of the labor people, and it is not believed that the few dissatisfied ones will press their opposition. Preference will be given to union men in all branches of work, but the directory will not consent.

nor is it believed will the labor people insist, that no non-union men be employed. Hundreds of workmen have flocked to Chicago expecting to obtain work on the World's Fair buildings, and the number is being increased daily. These swell the number of unemployed already in the city to several thousand. Tnere is not enough Exposition work yet for a quarter of the number seeking employment, and it will bo three or four months before any great addition to the working force will te made It follows, of course, that workmen will make a mistake if they come to Ch cago now seeking work, unless they have the means of ma’ntaining themselves at hast for several months. An abundant supply of pure wat r from Lake Michigan for the Exposition grounds and buildings is te be provided by an extension of tho Chicago Water Works system. The Exposit on Company will construct a pumping station at JacKSon Paik with a capacity of 24,0C0,000 gallons daily. The city has agreed to take tho plant as soon as th s Exposition is over, and to refund its cost—about $20?,000 —to the Exposition Com pany. The abandonment of the Lake Front Park as a part of the Exposition site has simplified matters considerably. A few, living at a distance from Chicago and not understanding tho situation, have concluded that discarding the Lake Front necessitated finding a now location for the Exposit'on. Such is far from being tho case, and the impression ought to ba corrected wherever it exists. The Lake Front Park ombracess less than fifty acres, and was at first int nded as a sort of down-town side show to the main Exposition. It wrs proposed to locate there on y a few exhibits whif-h would prove specially attractive in the evening Jacksen and Washington parks and Midway Plaisam e connecting them embrace more than 1,0)0 acres, and Jackson Park has a frontage of two miles on Lake Michigan. Tho whole constitutes the finest site an exposition ever had. Hero the entire Exposition will be held. From tho start there was great oppo JjJpn to a dual site and to one portion of tho Exposition being several miles from the other. Now general satisfaction is expressed that the who’c of it will be in one place.

A Warning to ' o - Owners.

Possessors of canine pets will do well to take warning from certain recently reported ob tervations of Prof. Nothnagel. These go to prove that the development of cysticerci in the human subject is in some cases to be attributed to contact with the saliva of lap-dogs which have been allowed to lick the faces and mouths of their owners. The explanation is a feasible one, and adds a noteworthy contribution to our knowledge of morbid etiology. The taenia echinococcus,, as is well known, inhabits the small intestine of the dog, and it is highly probable that the ova occasionally find their way into the animal’s mouth; for example, in

vomiting. There are various aesthetic reasons why the kiss of even the most cleanly and most friendly pug or terrier should be dispensed with. We have now, thanks to the Viennese ob-erver a still stronger argument to ! urge against this practice. It mav, indeed. like the others, fail to daunt the too devoted master or mistress, but we cannot do less than avail ourselves of this opportunity to forestall if possible, by a timely warning, the sharper teaching of experience.— Lancet. Animals are kept on the roofs of the houses in Lima, Peru, and it frequent- • ly happens a cow passes her whole life on a roof, being taken there as a calf and brought/ down finally as fresh i beef.

A Man of Renown.

Dorn Pedro IL, the deposed Emperor of Brazil, has spent most of the time sinde the , revolution sent him into exile at various places in the Riviera. His health is not good and he has been much depressed in spirits by his misfortunes. Dom Pecfro de Alcantara was during his reign in Brazil the only representative of monarchy on the American continent. The attempt to found an empire in Mexico in the interest of his cousin, Maximilian of Austria, proved a disastrous failure, ending in the execution of the*would-be Emperor and f the insanity of his wife.

And Dom Pedro himself, among the wisest aid best of monarchs, has lived to see his empire turned into a republic and must spend the balance of his life in exile. To make his experience ell the more striking he has witnessed during his exile a desperate attempt to drive from the throne of Portugal the last of his race, who holds a precarious sway over a kingdom w’hich his ancestors had ruled for many centuries. Dom Pedro is descended from three of the proudest and most ancient royal families in Europe. His paternal ancestors were the Braganzas, his grandmother was a Bourbon, and his mother a Hapsburg. The Brazilian dynasty came into existence through the wars

with the great Napo’eon and ended with the overthrow of the second Emperor. Dom Pedro’s mind has lost its vigor since his enforced retirement.

t Taper Wheals.

Persona who have never had any business with a railroad except to ride on its cars occasionally have an idea that japer car wheels aie entirely made of that substance. This is a mistaken idea, as the only portion made of paper is the inside or filling of the wheel. This paper is held in place by steel plates, which are bolted together through the paper. The tire is then put on and the wheel is finished. Of course there is a good deal of work included in the making, but this is the sum and substance of a paper wheel. There are several sizes of paper wheels made, for instance, 42-inch wheels, 33-ineh, 30-inch, 28-inch and 26-iuch. The last two sizes are locomotive truck wheels. Some roads use paper wheels exclusively under their passenger equipment and cast iron ones under the freight equipment. These

pifer wheels are made l.y a Chicago company. Tires for paper wheels are made in Europe and this country al o. The weight of a 42-inch paper wheel is 1,156 pounds, and an axle 3;,0 pounds, so that the weight of a pair mount ed on an axle-is 2,650 pounds. There are two pairs in each truck and two trucks under a car, so that the combined weight of the wheels and axles placed under each car is 10,600 pounds. The value of a pair of 42-iuch paper wheels is in the neighborhood of $l5O, the tire alone being valued at about $56. The wheel center is worth about sl7 itself. Alexander received more bravery of mind by the pattern of Achilles than by hearing the definition of fortitude.

THE PROCTOR TOWER —1,500 FEET HIGH.

MRS. POTTER PALMER.

PRESIDENT T. W. PALMER.

ILLINOIS STATE BUILDING.

DOM PEDRO II. DE ALCANTARA, LAST EMPEROR OF BRAZIL.