World's Fair Nearly Ready
OUR full months from New Year's
day, lacking one day alone, the
World's fair will open Its Rates
to the people of the earth. Will
it be ready? "Yes," answer the
exposition builders, "ready and waiting."
Hut this Is an Ir.crrdu'ous world, refusing
to believe. Predictions of unpreparrdnnss
have been made concerning the World's
fulr ever since the flrnt spadeful of frozen
earth was turned on a bleak I'ecember dijr
in lWil. "It will he like previous exposi
tions," said the Incredulous ones; "opening
with a lot of the buildings In u half-finished
Mute, ond the vbltors will be hampered by
liordes of workmen engaged in construction
work."
Such predictions were almost universal
Outride of PI. Louis one year ugo, unci
even In the city they were not larking la
vigor. Many citizens who made occasional
trips out to the exposition grounds were
heard to utter woeful predictions of un
prcpa redness, because of the evident im
mensity of the enterprise and the com
paratively brief period for working. Kvenj
Home of the most cnthuM istlo advocates
of the fnlr shook their heads and muttered,
sorrowfully, "They can't do it no, they
can't get this enormous thing ready in
time."
Hut the. builders kept on at work, stead
ily, sturellly, strenuously. Like little Johnny
Jones' peach, the exposition grew and
grow; it still grows and grows and grows,
and so rapidly that one can almost see it
grow. The growth ts general, too, and
not merely In spots; wherever It is not
already full grown the World's fair 19
gaining flesh, so to speak, und putting on
muscle.
The progress of building operations sine
the first day of December has been very
considerable, though esilmates of the prog
ress during the closing month of 1!K)3 are
not obtainable Just now. Estimates fur
nished by the director of works up to De
cember 1, however, showed at that date
that the great exposition was so near to
completion that ona who takes the most
casual glance at .the figures cannot full
to comprehend the fact that It Is a fore
gone conclusion .'.that practically every
thing will be in readiness for the opening
on April 20. '
la the main picture of the exposition
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COMPL.ETKD LANDSCAPE BETWEEN WESTERN RESTAURANT PAVILION AND PALACE OF MACHINERY.
Itself, but how rarldly it was pushed alon?
under the f.crapers, and spades, and rol'.erj
of the landscaplsts! And tho.se twin, re:
taurant pavilions, pne at each end of the
Colonnade of States why, they were fin
ished so long ago that visitors rave be;un
to ask when meals will bo served. Already
below them that they lacked! only the
voice to become mouthpieces of Informa
tion like the Jefferson Guards. -
Right , in the center of the Colonnade Is
going up the wonderful Fe3llval.hu.ll the
abode of the music of many nations. Ti ts
great round theater of harmony was ac-
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JTH FRONT OF PALACE OF VARIED INDUSTRIES, WITH CORNER OF rALACE OF ELECTRIC1TT ACROSS
THE LAOOON AT THE RIGHT, .
the great fan-shaped area of exhibition
palaces, grand boulevards and lagoons,
there are eight buildings, exclusive of the
el at orate structures on Art hill. These
eight buildings -vre 97 per cent finished
on December 1; that is to say, striking an
average. Five of them were each 9J per
cent comi leted Education, Ehclr'city, Ma
chinery, Varied Industries und literal
Arts. On the M j.nuf jc'.ures building but
per cent of work remained to be done,
and but 7 per cent euh on the Tr impovta
tlon and the Mines, und Metallurgy
palaccr. During Pecernlcr the work has
leen pushed forward on cuch of the.-'o
Structures with leaiurkuble rapidity, so
that New Year's day finds them so nearly
completed that the '.IITcren.e H scarcely
worth mentioning. Ki.ch of the buildings
Wus ready, weeks ugo, to begin receiving
the exl.lblts.
On Art Hill, summit and slC the
work bus reached a stage that kindles
admiration in the ce- of hcholdt r.s, who
require but little uld to the Imagination to
co the picture complete. What lias te
coma of li e man who three months ago
aid that It would require a year to do lh
landscr.-e work on the d pe of Art bill?
Whore uro the snows of yesterday? Whera
Is laat year's bird's rest, und the dande
lion of list May? All are II iwn p irtlcu
larly the inun mentlur.ed; he is Uhhamel
to show bis face, for the hill nloje him
symmetrically shajed and podded, ready
for the f-ettlng out of the millions of How
era Unit will adorn them when the warm h
of spring Justifies thtt work. The ihalng
tap of these slopes to conform to the artlil's
Arsam wus a stupendous piece of labor in
nearly, all of the fourteen huje pcdestaU
deslgned for the carrying of glgintlc fig
ures typical of the Louisiana Purchase
states and territories are oc;-up!e1. Some ,
of the immense ladles in staff have oat 0.1
their pedestals for months, and the later,,
arrivals received hearty Christmas greet
ings from the earlier ones, who had be
come old-timers arid had gazed so long
at the glories of the expoeltlon spread oat
counted 25 per cent finished at the Decem
ber 1 estimate.- Work hnB progrejsed since"
then to such. an extent that the percentage
must be considerably rat ed. As a matter
of fact, tliU Festival hall is about the only
thing, in the grand picture that shows any
appearance of incompleter.ess. As it is to
be in a sense the center piece of . the expo
sition, und therefore the crown or climax,
it has been saved, like tho best things at
dinner, till tho last.
Back of the Festival hall, on tho level
top of Art hill. What do we find? Tho
eastern section of the Pulacc of Fine Artsi
9V4 per cent done, and the western rectlon
but one-half of 1 per cent behind that,
while the main and central structure of
tho palace, which Is to he permanent, and
is built of solid granite and marble, lacks
only about 20 per cent of completion.
Going back down tho hill, what of the
main thoroughfares and waterways? Grand
tasin scooped out so many months ago
that grass has grown In Its bottom, and
there Is nothing to do but turn on the
water und give the cheerful gondolier a
chance to put In his oar. Lagoons and
bridges complete as to, lagoons, and neatly
so as to bridges. Paving and grass plo:s
ready und waiting these many moons.
Sunken garden ready for the shrubbery
and flowers, and waiting for winter days
to pass.
Nearly a month ago the laying of the
last beam on the German government
building, conspicuous at tho eastern end
of Art hill and toward the north, was ce'e
brated with characteristic ceremonies im
ported direct from the fatherland; and
FtlU farther cast and north the grand steel
orch structure built by the I'nlted States
government, with Its splendid dome torped
off with an inspiring scu'pture group, loomi
largely, very near to completion. Just
south of the Government building Is tha
Government Fisheries structure, gleaming
in its staff sheathing, a finishes specimen
of Roman classic architecture; and farther
up the hill the handsome Missouri state
building is more than nine-tenths com
plete. Thirty other state buildings are nearlng
completion, with a dozen more ready to ba
"i lapied up in no time,"., as expres?d by
a man who thoroughly believes that every
building . will - be ready. Louisiana, Arl
. Bona, Nevada and Oklahoma were place 1
in the 100 per cent class December 1, their
buildings being finished. The Temple of
(Continued on Page Sixteen.)
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PALACE OF MACHINERY SCENE FROM ANT HILU