People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 November 1893 — END OF THE FAIR. [ARTICLE]

END OF THE FAIR.

Closing Day Marked for Quietude —Total Paid Attendance 81,477,813. Chicago, Nov. 1 —The World’S Columbian exposition came to an end Monday night Six months ago it opened with splendid pageantry, and a thousand bright new banners were unfurled while a hundred thousand spectators cheered. Monday these weatherstained banners were pulled dow n almost m silence. Those that represent foreign countries will not be raised again. The day had been one of the most quiet since the opening. A few more than 208,000 persons paid for entrance, and these were not demonstrative. At Festival hall the Harrison memorial services were held. Few of the large crowd in the park knew when the time had come for the end. At 4:80 o’clock men could be seen crawling up to the flagpoles around the Court of Honor. Fifteen minutes later there was a little puff of smoke from the United States steamer Michigan which lay at anchor pff the grounds. Twenty more peals followed. All day the flags had been at half-mast, but when the twentyfirst gun was fired they were pulled simultaneously to the flagstaff’s peak, pnd after fluttering there for a moment, as if in farewell, they went down for the last time, and the official announcement had been made that the World’s Columbian exposition as an international affair was at an end. Festival hall at Jackson park was crowded at the services in memory of Mayor Harrison held Monday. Nearly all who were to have participated in the exercises that were abandoned were there to testify by their presence their feelings of sympathy and sorrow. The same seats that were assigned to the foreign delegates, the state and national commissioners, directors, lady managers and others for the closing exercises were reserved for them on this occasion.

President Palmer, of the national commission, presided at (he meeting. Around him were President Higinbotham. Director General Davis and the other officials of the exposition. President Palmer briefly announced the death of Mayor Hp prison, giving that as the cause of the solemn ending of the grand exposition. Dr. Barrows made a prayer and President Higinbotham offered resolutions expressive of the feelings of sorrow of all present. The resolutions were adopted by a rising vote. Dr. Barrows next read an address on the mayor’s death, written by President Higinbotham. The minister then pronounced the benediction and the exercises were over. Since the first of the world’s fair entrances to open began business at 6:30 a. m., May 1, 21,477,212 men, women and children have passed through the turnstiles after dropping paid admission tickets into the tin boxes. Children to the number of 1,253,938 purchased tickets to enter the grounds. The world’s fair period extended over 188 days, of which 179 were open days, the exceptions being the four Sundays, May 7, 14, 21 and July 28, when the gates were closed to the public and open only to those whose passes denoted they had business in the grounds. Of the 183 days twenty-seven fell on Monday, for Monday opened and closed the fair, while each of the other days showed up twenty-six times on the world’s fair calendar. Thursday was the popular day, although Monday and Saturday pressed it hard. May 14 was a closed Sunday, but inadverdently four paid tickets were dropped into the boxes at the pass turnstiles, and as nothing but paid attendance has been taken into account in comparing and arranging the statistics of world’s fair attendance, May 14 has the credit of the smallest attendance. As a matter of fact, the smallest attendance came Friday, May 5, when 10,791 people paid to pass through the gates Chicago day. October 9, with its 716,881, scored the largest figures for paid attendance.

The attendance by months does not vary except by moving forward and upward in an accelerated degree. May’s attendance was 1,050,0.37; June, 2,675,113; July, 2,760,263; August, 3,515,493; September, 4,659,871; October, 6,816,435. The total attendance including passes, was 27,529,400. When Chairman Peek, of the finance committee, figured up with Treasurer Seeberger Monday noon he found the exposition had just 12,515,000 in bank and in the souvenir coin fund. Estimating the receipts at 1150,000 more than the cost of administration for the day the balance on hand at midnight was nearly $2,750,000. Of this sum iiearly $1,500,000 is in souvenir coins, which are counted at their face value of fifty cents. The total revenue from concessions for the six months was in the neighborhood of $3,750,000, from which deductions were allowed amounting to about $250,000 for improvements paid for by the concessioners. Receipts from admissions and minor sources aggregate about $10,500,000, not including salvage. Altogether the treasury has received over $14,000,000 since the first day of May from gate receipts, concessions and incidental sources of revenue. Against the income from all sources, including $4,500,000 of bonds and $5,600,000 of stock, there has been a charge of $19,000,000 for construction and the operating expenses have been about $7,000,000. Up to a>d including the closing day the stockholders have a prospect of a dividend of betwee i 15 and 20 per cent, on their subscriptions.