Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1893 — THE WORLD’S FAIR. [ARTICLE]

THE WORLD’S FAIR.

Profits in the Plaisance—Attendance Up to October 30—A Financial Success. It is calculated that the visitors to the World’s Fair have spent more than $15,000,000 in the Midway Plaisance. The total receipts of the Fair from concessions are about $5,000,000. The Fair’s percentages from the sales of its concessionaries vary, but 20 per cent, is a fair average. This indicates that the visitors have spe.it about $25,000,000 on the I’a.r grounds, exclusive of the price of admission.-- Of this amount at least three-fourths, more probably-two-thirds, has gone to the Plaisance. The chief concessions on the main grounds are for the restaurants, the Intramural railroad, the electric launches, the gondolas and the catalogues. But on the Plaisance the concessions are almost innumerable. The Ferris Wheel easily heads the list in earnings. It has been a greater success financially than was the Eiffel Tower at Paris. It cost $392,000, and it did not begin to revolve until the latter part of June. For a while it carried only 5,000 or 6,000 people a day, but in August the number began to increase rapidly until 25,000 was only an ordinary day’s business. On Chicago Day it carried 40,000. It is said that the total number of its passengers at the end of the Fair will be about 2,200,000. It gets 50 cents apiece from these, the gross receipts Jhus being sl,100,000. By its contract with the Fair the wheel was to retain all its receipts until $300,000 was reached. The Fair was to have half of all over that sum. Hagenbach’s animal show probably ranks next to the Ferris Wheel. Its profits are said to have been $225,000. The gross recipts of the street in Cairo have been about SBOO,OOO, and its profits are estimated at $200,000. The receipts of the Fair from the German Village and Old Vienna have been $175,000 each, its share being 20 per cent, in each case. It is said that these villages wid have a profit of about $200,000 apiece. The beauty show, as the people call it, has for many weeks been crowded uncomfortably. Its profits are anywhere from SIOO,000 to $150,000. All the other concesssions in the Plaisance have made great profits. The paid admissions to the World’s Fair up to October 30 have been as follow: Openinpday 128,165'0ct. 5 180,454 Decoration day 115.578. Oct. 6 143.579 Infanta day 135,281 Oot. 7 222.882 German day.... 165,069|0ct. 8 88 050 Fourth of July. 283.2730 ct. 9.... 710,181 Swedish Day.. 12J.873 oct. 10 3J9.294 Bohemian day. 168.1-61Oct.il 309,277 British day.... 168.851 Oct. 12 275,217 Illinois day... 241.951 Oct. 13 215,313 New York day 160,382 Oct. 11 207,732 Wisconsin day 175.409 ( 0ct 15 81.769 Fenns’lv'a day 203,460 Oct. 16 235,287 Wales day. ... 180.7160 ct. 17 237.483 California day 231,522 Oct. 18... 298,458 Michigan day.. 160,128 Oct. 19 305.961 Ohio day 196.70 J Oct. 20 248,743 Texas day.,,.™ 202,376 Oct. 21. 290,317 Fish'm’n’s day 174,509 Oct. 23.152,206 lowa day... .. 199.174 Oct. 23..... 233,053 Odd Fellow day 195,210 Oct 24.. 244,127 Indiana day... 196,4240 ct. 25.. 2i9,3-'9 Irish day 107,853 Oct. 26 194,497 Total for May.. 1,050.0 17 Oct. 27 254,464 Total for June..2.6.5,1130ct. 28 ... 240,732 Total for Ju1y..2.76U.2630ct. 29 146,821 Total for Aug. 3,515<,493 Total for 5ept..4.658,902 T’tal to date 21,251,392 Oct. 1. 48,73 > Greatest day ih Oct. 2 128,5'6 Paris, 1889.... 397,150 Oct. 3 145, 31 Greatest day in Oct. 4............. 175,175 Phila, 18 6..., 217,526

The total free admissions up to date were 5,898,423. Financially the Fair has been a remarkable success, all its bonded indebtedness having been paid off on Chicago day, and a fund remaining for the partial liquidation of other indebtedness, subscribed as a guarantee fund. All the concessionaires are said to have made tremendous profits, even after giving the Fair 20 per cent, of the gross receipts. The attendance has surpassed that of the Paris Exposition by many millions. Chicago Day alone surpassed the maximum daily attendance at Paris by over 300,000. The total receipts and attendance will be announced soon.