By Water to the Columbian ExpositionWisthaler, Johanna Sara
History
By Water to the Columbian Exposition
Wisthaler, Johanna Sara
Great Lakes (North America) -- Description and travel; New York (State); World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)
By crossing a bridge over the lagoon, we arrived at the _Fisheries
Building_. In the main edifice we first saw fishing-tackles, nets, and
other apparatuses used by fishermen, and shown by the American Net and
Twine Co. The contiguous space to the right was given up to the exhibits
of several States in the Union, especially noted for fisheries, and of
various foreign countries as Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Great
Britain, Russia, and Norway. Walking through a curved arcade, we beheld on
either side aquaria of an enormous capacity, inclosing both denizens of
fresh and salt water. It is safe to say the display of aquatic life made
here, could rival the greatest permanent aquaria in existence; not only as
to their voluminousness, but the immense variety of their specimens.
Especially striking to the eye was a magnificent group of gold fishes. The
huge bull-cat fish and the gigantic turtle were conspicuous by their
monstrousness. We removed to the eastern extremity of the Fisheries
Building, forming a spacious circular pavilion. In the rotunda a basin,
twenty-six feet wide, presented a beautiful scenic effect. Over rocks
picturesquely arranged, the silver meshes of a brook wound their way,
forming here and there white gushes of waterfall which contrasted
agreeably with the moss covered stones, and the semi-aquatic plants. The
latter adorned the pool below, in which golden-hued fishes moved lightly
to and fro. The inspection of the angling pavilion at the extreme western
side of the Fisheries Building completed our visit in this fine structure,
whose exhibits demonstrated largely the fishery wealth of the United
States.
Taking advantage of the extraordinary calmness of the atmosphere, our
mindful commodore resolved to moor the yacht in vicinity of the Exposition
Grounds. For, he wished to give us opportunity to witness the display of
pyrotechnics announced for the latter part of the evening, in
solemnization of the Illinois Day. Therefore, the "Marguerite" conveyed us
to a place which proved exceedingly favorable for our design. Here, our
floating home was anchored. Enjoying a full vista of the White City, we
found a prolific source of admiration in the grand electric spectacles.
The illumination of the _Columbia fountain_ in front of the Administration
Building, and the display of two electric fountains in the western
extremity of the South Pond, were magical in effectiveness. Wonderful
flash-lights blazed from the tops of the tallest towers, surmounting the
larger structures. Whenever the operator threw the search-light
investigably over the yacht, we shut our eyes spontaneously at its
dazzling brilliancy.
As the gathering shadows of night wrapped land and water in darkness, the
hour arrived in which the visitors on the Fair Grounds--who seemed to be
almost as numerous as the sands on the shore--expected to view the scenic
effects produced by means of fire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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