People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1893 — CHICAGO’S GREATNESS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CHICAGO’S GREATNESS.

Shown by the Multitude She Entertained on Chicago Day. • Million People Vtalt the World's Fair in Twelve Hour*—An Unequaled Beeord-Some Scenesand Incidents. (Special Chicago Correspondence. 1 Peerless among the great cities of the globe, Chicago stands to-day as a world’s fair city. She has ably demonstrated her supremacy a§ a host by receiving and entertaining within her gates nearly half a million people, in addition to caring for her population of over twelve hundred thousand. When the day came on which she was to commemorate the awful disaster which overcame her in 1871, she “turned herself loose” and gave the world a lesson in celebrating which will serve as a marker for the future generations of all lands to ponder over and marvel at We all expected a big turncut, and calculated on breaking all world’s fair records, providing the weather was fine. Well, the weather was fine, very fine. It was far different from that of October 9, twenty-two years ago. It was just such a day as

patriotic Chicagoans had been wishing for ever since the celebration was first planned. And the records were broken, beyond dispute, and a new record made for coming world’s fair cities to look up to. The most sanguine expectations were far short of the rqal accomplishment Great guessers and clever calculators fixed the probable number of admissions at the fair at a limit of half a million. But they placed the limit far too low, only a little over half-way up to the notch that it actually reached. Official returns show that 716,881 persons paid their way into the fair grounds during the day. To these may be added the vast number who entered

free, in one way or another, anything like an exact estimate of which can hardly be given. It is coming pretty close to the truth to state that in the aggregate the number of human beings within the gates of the White City on Chicago day was considerably in excess of three-quarters of a million. Such a vast concourse of people was never before seen save upon one other occasion, named in ancient history, when there were over five million souls assembled wjthin one city. But in all the history of world’s fairs there has never been anything like our Chicagoday crowd, p,nd in all probability there will not be< again during the present feneration. It was evident from the falling off in

the attendance on the following day that the crowd was made up principally of single-day visitors from the immediate vicinity of the city. The enormous business of suburban trains showed that the surrounding towns were pouring almost their entire populations into the swollen stream of humanity that was rushing down upon our city as if it would overwhelm it. But they were all taken care of and found that in a pinch there would be room for as many more. True, there was not much room for cavorting about the fair grounds. People had to look out for their ribs and pet corns. They were packed so closely in places that, as an Irish friend remarked: “Two av thim had to schtand in the place av wan.” The man with the horizontal umbrella and the gawk with the swinging cane had no show for the execution Of their fellow mortals. They had to bold themselves strictly erect and look out for their own optics on that occasion. ’ Yet, notwithstanding the terrible jam at the gates and in the central portions of the grounds, there was fairly comfortable going to be had in the mors remote thoroughfares. Midway

Plaisance was impassable. It appeared to be a solid, suffocating mass of surging humanity, and none but the bravest would venture in. There were very few accidents f<>r such a mass of people, and aside from the loss of breath and a few articles of personal property and an occasional “kid,” the immense crowd suffered no injury. In some instances women fainted and were picked up and passed bodily over the heads of the people to a place of safety where they soon revived. Minor accidents, such as the loss of a hat, or the tearing of a dress, were quite common, but general good nature prevailed, and the people put up with such little annoyances with commendable fortitude. The main attractions of the day were the speeches by world’s fair officials and national celebrities, the parade of states, patriotic music and the evening display of floats and fireworks. Everything passed off in perfect order and the spectacle that was presented after dark surpassed all previous efforts at illumination. But the one all-important feature of the day was the settlement of all the world’ fair indebtedness by the presentation of a monster check by the management to Treasurer Seeberger, the

amount being >1,565,310.76, which represented the last payment on the >4,500,000 issue of bonds, including interest from last February. The check was the biggest ever written in Chicago and the presentation was a fitting finale to the financial plot of the grandest fair the world has ever known. The payment will reimburse the moneyed men who came to the rescue of the great enterprise when it was in imminent need of financial assistance. It is said that there will be a large surplus, which will afford ample means for the .clearing of the grounds after the fair is over, and it is considered quite probable that the stockholders who contributed so promptly and generously to the first funds of the fair will receive part, if not the full amount, of their subscriptions.

THE JAM AT THE TERMINAL STATION.

A FEATURE OF THE PARADE OF STATES.

THE BIG CHECK.