People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1893 — WORLD’S FAIR GOSSIP. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WORLD’S FAIR GOSSIP.

People from All Lands Thronging Chicago Thoroughfares. Strange Things Seen and Heard at Jackson Park—The Beautiful Home of the Fishes—A Logging Camp from Michigan. [Special Chicago Correspondence.] The streets of Chicago now present some strange sights. In an hour’s stroll through the business section one may come across the turbaned Turk, stalking majestically along under a big load of self-importance; the coal-black Ethiopian, with his monstrous earrings and bangles of brass; the swarthy little Jap, with his beadlike little eyes taking in everything that passes, and yet pretending to see nothing; the hooded Bedouin of the desert; the driedup, mummified Javanese, whose appearance strongly suggests the need of a good scouring; and in fact a specimen of almost every race under the sun. They are all here, at any rate, and if you don’t meet them in our streets all you need do, if you wish to see them, is to take a trip out to Jackson park and there you will find them without any trouble. It is quite a comical sight to see a wild son of the Sahara, clad in the strange habiliments of his desert land,

scooting about among the teams on our street crossings. A number of Arabs were going down the street the other day and came to a crowded crossing. One of them gathered his fluttering garments about him and made a wild plunge among the horses and wagons, and succeeded in getting safely to the opposite side, from which he vigorously beckoned his companions to follow, uttering meanwhile, with great vehemence, something in his native tongue which sounded to uninitiated American ears very like a malediction on the carelessness of civilized teamsters. His brethren soon joined him, and as they stood for a moment on

the corner they held a consultation, apparently, to decide whether they had better venture any further among the snares and dangers of civilization or not. Having decided the matter they strode away to the south, in the direction of Jackson park. Out at the fair grounds there is a perfect reproduction of the confusion that we are told occurred at the building of the tower of Babel. In Midway Plaisance, which has become a part of the fair grounds, one admission admitting to both, where the foreign nations have their buildings, the opportunities for studying some of the strangest people on earth are manifold. Here the Alge-

[illegible] and Tunisians are busy with their building material; there the Egyptians are putting the finishing touches to their booths; and yonder are the people from Ceylon, deeply intent upon the completion of their odd dwellings. It is all wonderful to behold. Here, where but a few short months ago was a wilderness of bushes and shrubs, we have a composite city of villages from the different countries on the other side of the world. It is wonderful how quickly some of these strangers from abroad become Americanized. The Egyptians are especially apt in their studies of our language and manners. This was quite noticeable in one instance, when, a few days ago, a group of them entertained their American visitors with their efforts to converse in English. They would try to pronounce every word that was spoken to them and the mistakes

that they made were ludicrous beyond description. One of them, a keen-eyed young chap with a world of mischief in his brown head, was a born comedian. He possessed a rudimentary knowledge of several languages, and he spared himself no pains to entertain the crowd. He first sung a song in his own tongue, which must have been funny, as it convulsed his companions with laughter. Then he recited a piece in Spanish, concluding with the remark: “That Spain.” He next recited the same piece in French, concluding, as before, with the information: “That France.” Finally he exclaimed: “ Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay! That English.” This tickled the crowd immensely and the people applauded the young mimic uproariously. One of the leading attractions just at present is the beautiful Fisheries building in the northeastern portion of the fair grounds. The exhibits are rapidly coming in, and among them are some of the wonders of deep sea life. This magnificent home of the fishes will undoubtedly prove one of the most frequented buildings of the exposition. Here in the vast aquariums darting about in the crystalline waters will be seen the finny tribes of almost every lake and stream on the globe, and in the deep sea tank in the center of the building will be found rare forms of salt water life.

In addition to the live fish there will be a great many prepared specimens displayed in glass cases. There will also be a varied assortment of fishing boats and tackle from different nations, and queer models and implements from the celebrated fisheries of the world. The process of hatching and rearing fish will be fully illustrated, and the lover of piscatorial pursuits will here find much to edify and entertain him. Norway has a wonderful exhibit. The fisheries of that country employ more than eighty thousand men, and nineteen thousand boats. The exhibit now ready to be installed consists largely of full-sized boats and models of fishing vessels, equipped with nets and other apparatus. Cod, mackerel and herring form the major part of the Norwegian exhibit in a commercial sense, but the most interesting feature about their space will be the display of boats. From Mexico will come illustrations of the pearl fisheries of the Gulf of California, showing how the natives descend to depths of more than one hundred feet to capture the precious oysters. Canada displays the famous methods of Nova Scotia fishermen, and will also send a creditable exhibit of the food and commercial products of her fisheries. There will also be a large collection of boats, fishing paraphernalia, and fish-eating animals and birds, besides a collection from the museum in Montreal. Americans will not be outdone, despite the elaborate preparations being made by foreign competitors. Ten

states will make collective exhibits in the main building. They are Maine, Rhode Island, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio and Minnesota. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will each show its methods of fish propagation and culture. There will also be waterways by which fish climb the mountain rivers and rapid-flowing streams. And in addition to the live fish in tanks these states will show models and photographs of their hatcheries. The Japanese exhibit will be the largest of any of the foreign countries in the building. Besides the fish products there will be models of the different boats used in Japan. One section of this exhibit will be a display of isinglass made from seaweed, which is made in many colors, and which, when held to the light resembles the stained glass used in church windows. There are said to be a great many fishermen in the land of the mikado and they take great interest in everything pertaining to the pursuit. Their exhibit therefore will doubtless be very complete and extensive. The transportation of the fisheries exhibits from all parts of the world has been attended with many difficulties and much expense. Huge tanks have been constructed and special cars and vehicles have been fitted up, and with all the pains taken there has been much loss and disappointment experienced by those interested in the displays. Several rare and valuable specimens of fish life have died in transit, and some that it will be impossible to replace. The attempt is made to reproduce as nearly as possible in each tank the conditions under which the fish who will inhabit them naturally live. There will be tree stumps for perch to lie under, rock reefs for lake trout, and gravelly bottoms for river trout. The plants that will grow in the aquaria will also conform to the character of those found in the waters from which the fish are taken. One immense tank, seventy feet long, twelve feet wide, and five feet deep, already finished, shows ridges of rock peculiar to the river-beds of the Mississippi valley. Among the recent arrivals at the Fisheries building are two large Florida alligators. They are perhaps the largest living specimens that ever came to Chicago, being about twelve feet in length and well proportioned. These southern strangers are to be provided with spe-

cial tanks, and as they are very vicious will be safely fenced in to prevent them from reaching out and taking in any careless visitor who might take them for inanimate objects and venture too close. Just west of the Live Stock building, in the south end of the grounds, a logging camp is being erected. The camp belongs to the Michigan exhibit and is considered one of the glories of the Wolverine state. There is a log cabin and all the surroundings of camp life. Wild forest scenery only is needed to make the logging camp realistic as well as picturesque. Lying near it is a low wagon holding 36,050 feet of timber. This load is one of the biggest shipped out of Michigan on one car. The logs are arranged in the form of a pyramid thirty feet high, and in the most airy way possible. But for the thick chains bound in and out of the logs one could imagine the heaps toppling over at the slightest breath. Some of the logs measure three feet in diameter. The cabin is of hemlock, the logs being sawed in the interior, leaving the rough bark outside. The crannies between the logs are stuffed with strips of bark. The gable is made of Norway pine, as are the beams. The roof, which is not yet completed, will consist of hemlock scoops. These scoops are the remnants of the frees after the interior has been scooped out. The logs

are then cut lengthwise and nailed to the roof, one forming a trough down which the rain can trickle, another with the bark up, forming a bridge between the concave scoops. The height of the cabin is eighteen feet, while above the gables two tarmarac flagpoles shoot twenty feet in the air. Every implement used by lumbermen in northern Michigan will be exhibited in the sleeping-room. Behind the cabin will be ranged five logging cars, carrying loads of hard wood and headed by a regulation logging locomotive. Several logwheels used for hauling logs in the summer will be rolled alongside the cars. This exhibit will give the city people some idea of the rough life of the lumberman in the dense pine forests of the north and will illustrate to the uninitiated the immense labor involved in procuring material for the building of our homes.

Illustration of an alligator in a shallow pond behind a chain-link fence. Caption: FLORIDA ALLIGATORS

FLORIDA ALLIGATORS.

An illustration of domed buildings flying flags. Caption: FISHERIES BUILDING.

FISHERIES BUILDING.

Illustration of a man wearing a top hat and a woman in a fancy hat and carrying an umbrella. Both are looking at fish who appear to be in a large aquarium. Caption: IN THE FISH PAVILION.

IN THE FISH PAVILION.

Illustration of a long log cabin with two people standing in front of doorway. There are world's fair buildings in the background. Some loose logs on the ground. Caption: MICHIGAN LOGGING CAMP.

MICHIGAN LOGGING CAMP.