720 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



who came to Iowa in the early days of the state and laid the foun^^- 

 tion for the present stable prosperity. Several notable speakers were 

 in attendance and eulogized the pioneers. One of the best addresses was 

 delivered by Judge Martin J. Wade, former congressman from the second 

 district. Among other things Judge Wade said: "I hope some day there 

 may come some man touched by the fire of genius who can bring out the 

 history of the pioneer; who will thrill his readers not with the great 

 things, but fascinate them with the little things that were done in the 

 days when they were oftentimes without fire, when clothing was patched 

 and faded, when food was scarce and comforts and conveniences were 

 denied to those who toiled. The early settlers remember the prairie fires 

 that used to sweep the country years ago. They remember the hardships 

 and the grinding toil. They are the people who were here in the be- 

 ginning who laid the foundations of which this exposition is one of the 

 magnificent results. It is a marvel of human accomplishment and de- 

 termination. And if there are any names that should be traced in gold 

 upon the records of the past it is the names of these men and women, 

 not to immortalize their own glory for that is immortalized already, but 

 for the benefit of posterity." 



Aeroplane flights were made every day of the fair, several accidents (for- 

 tunately none of them fatal) marking the flights the latter part of the 

 week. Three aeroplanes, two biplanes and one imported monoplane, made 

 daily exhibitions. On Wednesday one of the biplanes was wrecked be- 

 cause of the engine "going dead" at an altitude of 2,000 feet, while on 

 Thursday the remaining biplane and the monoplane were damaged. 

 Fortunately, however, none of the aviators were hurt, and the machines 

 were repaired in time to give flights on the closing day. Although it is 

 only two or three years that aeroplanes have been in evidence at the 

 state fairs they did not prove to be the drawing cards this year that had 

 been expected, the aviators themselves complaining of the lack of in- 

 terest which was manifested in their flights. The starting ground was 

 in poor shape at Des Moines, which made it impossible to make the 

 easy ascents desired. 



Unofficial figures give the total attendance for the week as 272,070, 

 which is 1,388 in excess of the total attendance for 1911. While the 

 attendance during the past week was not so much on the two big days, 

 falling short of the 1911 record by 5,000 on Tuesday, still day by day 

 the attendance this year compared most favorably with that of last year 

 and the aggregate is larger. The fact that the railroads had refused to 

 grant any excursion rates no doubt kept many prospective visitors at 

 home. Although the weather was good throughout the entire week, 

 threatening rain served to cut down the local attendance. As a result 

 of these two factors attendance was not as large as had been confidently 

 expected. The profits of the fair this year are approximately $32,000. 

 Inasmuch as the new cross-section horse barn cost $26,000, this year's 

 profits will not only pay for this fine new building, but will leave a tidy 

 balance for further improvements. 



