574 



NEW ORLEANS EXPOSITION. 



as that did not promise well, it was decided 

 that New Orleans was the most appropriate 

 place, and that it should be located there pro- 

 vided a guarantee were furnished for the ne- 

 cessary financial support. This was promised, 

 and the Exhibition Company was organized un- 

 der the act of Congress. 



The next step was to raise funds, and the 

 people of New Orleans, with the aid of certain 

 railroad and other corporations, subscribed to 

 the stock of the company to the amount of 

 $500,000. The city government contributed 

 $100,000, to be devoted to the erection of a 

 Horticultural Hall, which was to remain and 

 become the property of the city after the close 

 of the Exhibition. The State of Louisiana ap- 

 propriated $100,000, and contributions were 

 made by other States to the funds of the or- 

 ganization. An appeal was made to Congress 

 for a loan of $1,000,000, which was granted. 

 The total of funds assured before active opera- 

 tions were begun was $1,608,000, which was 

 somewhat increased afterward. Notice was 

 given to foreign governments, through Ameri- 

 can ministers and consuls, that the Exposition 

 would be held at New Orleans, opening on the 

 1st of December, 1884, and closing May 31, 

 1885, and efforts were made to secure a repre- 

 sentation of the arts and industries of foreign 

 nations. The President appointed commis- 

 sioners for the several States, and in most of 

 them legislative aid was given to promote a 

 creditable display of their products. The of- 

 ficers appointed to carry out the work of pre- 

 paring the buildings and collecting exhibits 

 were the following : 



E. A. Burke, director-general and chief executive 

 officer; F. C. Morehead, commissioner-general; G. 

 M. Torgerson, supervising architect ; F. N. Ogden, 

 chief superintendent ; S. H. Oilman, consulting engi- 

 neer ; Parker Earle, chief of department of horticult- 

 ure ; George B. Lonng, chief of department of agri- 

 culture ; B. K. Bruce, chief of department of colored 

 exhibit ; Samuel Mullen, chief of department of in- 

 stallation ; Charles L. Fitch, chief of department of 

 transportation ; B. T. Walshe, chief of department of 

 information and accommodation ; Thomas Donaldson, 

 chief of department of ores, minerals, and woods ; 

 John Eaton, chief of department of education ; Will- 

 iam H. H. Judson, chief of department of printing 

 and publishing; C. W. Dabney, Jr., chief of depart- 

 ment of Government and State exhibits ; Mrs. Julia 

 Ward Howe, chief of department of women's work. 



Commissioners to visit various parts of the 

 United States and several foreign countries, to 

 enlist public interest and promote preparations 

 for representation at the exposition, were ap- 

 pointed by the Board of Managers. A number 

 of foreign governments took action and ap- 

 pointed representatives to take charge of the 

 interests of their people in connection with the 

 matter. The general classification and group- 

 ing of exhibits was determined upon as follows : 

 1, agriculture; 2, horticulture ; 3, pisciculture ; 

 4, ores and minerals ; 5, raw and manufactured 

 products ; 6, furniture and accessories ; 7, tex- 

 tile fabrics, clothing and accessories; 8, the 

 industrial arts; 9, alimentary products; 10, 



education and instruction; Jl, works of art; 

 12, natural history. 



The site selected for the Exposition was an 

 unimproved tract of ground of 245 acres, 

 known as the Upper City Park, lying on the 

 river-front about 4| miles above Canal Street. 

 It was part of a larger area formerly occupied 

 by the United States Government for military 

 purposes. It was acquired by the city for park 

 purposes, but never inclosed or improved, and 

 the only natural ornaments were some fine 

 avenues of live-oak trees heavily draped with 

 Spanish moss. It was laid out by the Exposi- 

 tion management in grass-plots, and planted 

 with the shrubs and flowers of temperate and 

 semi-tropical climes, and ornamented with 

 fountains, bridges, and electric lights. The 

 Main Building was placed near the center of 

 the inclosure, fronting to the east, and with its 

 southern end toward the river. This structure 

 covered thirty-three acres, and was the largest 

 ever erected for exhibition purposes. It was 

 1,378 feet in length and 905 feet wide, built 

 wholly of wood in a series of trussed sections 

 divided only by rows of tall pillars. It was 

 covered by a continuous roof, constructed large- 

 ly of glass. No partitions or courts broke the 

 continuity of the vast space. In the center 

 of the building was a music hall, capable of 

 seating 11,000 persons, with a stage accommo- 

 dating 600 musicians, backed by a large organ 

 specially constructed for the Exposition. The 

 Music Hall was separated from the surrounding 

 space only by rows of pillars, surmounted by 

 open Gothic arches, and there was an unbroken 

 view over the whole interior, which was sur- 

 rounded by spacious galleries twenty-three feet 

 high, reached by elevators and convenient stair- 

 ways. The exterior of the building was simple, 

 broken only by numerous windows and the 

 square towers that surmounted the entrances 

 at the middle and end of the main front of the 

 two ends. Over the main entrance in the cen- 

 ter of the eastern front was a high bell-tower, 

 containing a set of chimes, from the top of 

 which a fine view of the surrounding country 

 could be obtained. Over this entrance was an 

 allegorical group in bronze, representing the 

 aboriginal and modern life of the country, and 

 in a niche on either side a statue, one repre- 

 senting Columbus and the other Washington. 

 About one third of the width of the building at 

 the rear was occupied by machinery, and at the 

 southern end of this an extension 120 feet wide 

 was carried out a distance of 570 feet, to be 

 devoted to mills and factories in operation. At 

 right angles with this extension and stretching 

 to the river-front was a long building devoted 

 to saw -mills. 



The second building in size was known as 

 the Government Building, and was designed 

 for the exhibits of the United States Govern- 

 ment and of the several States. Its general 

 style and mode of construction were similar to 

 those of the Main Building. It was 885 feet 

 long by 565 feet wide. It was situated to the 



