760 



WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 



Over the several road bills there was strong 

 fighting ; the result was the passage of a good 

 bill giving full supervision of the making and 

 management of all roads to the town board of 

 each town, and decreeing that all road taxes shall 

 be paid in money. 



The Hon. John L. Mitchell (Democrat), on the 

 thirty-first ballot, was elected to the United 

 States Senate for six years from March 3, 1893. 



WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 

 In the issues of the " Annual Cyclopaedia " for 

 1891 and 1892 the history of previous expositions 

 and the story of the "details that led to the 

 World's Fair in Chicago were given. The actual 

 history of its life remains to be told. 



Officers. The World's Columbian Commis- 

 sion consisted of the following: Thomas W. 

 Palmer, president ; T. M. Waller. M. H. de Young, 

 D. V. Penn, G. W. Allen, and A. B. Andrews, vice- 



J residents; John T. Dickinson, secretary; and 

 ames A. McKenzie, vice-chairman of the Execu- 

 tive Committee, together with 8 commissioners 

 at large and 2 commissioners from each of the 

 States and Territories, including Alaska and the 

 District of Columbia. The World's Columbian 

 Exposition Association was officered as follows: 

 Harlow N. Higinbotham, president ; F. W. Peck, 

 R. A. Waller, vice-presidents ; D. O. Edmunds, 

 secretary; S. A. Crawford, assistant secretary; 

 A. F. Seeberger. treasurer; W. K. Ackerman, 

 auditor ; and C. V. Harrington, assistant auditor. 

 The director-general was George R. Davis, who 

 had the supervision of the following depart- 

 ments: A. Agriculture, Food and Food Prod- 

 ucts. Farming Machinery and Appliances ; chief, 

 W. I. Buchanan. B. Viticulture, Horticulture, 

 and Floriculture ; chief, J. M. Samuels. C. 

 Live Stock. Domestic and Wild Animals; chief 

 (acting), W. I. Buchanan. D. Fish, Fisheries, 

 Fish Products, and Apparatus of Fishing ; chief, 

 J. W. Pollins. E. Mines, Mining, and Metal- 

 lurgy; chief, Frederick J. V. Skiff. F. Ma- 

 chinery ; chief, L. W. Robinson. G. Transporta- 

 tion Exhibits, Railways, Vessels, and Vehicles; 

 chief, Willard A. Smith. H. Manufactures; 

 chief, James Allison. J. Electricity and Elec- 

 trical Appliances ; chief, J. P. Barrett. K. Fine 

 Arts (Pictorial, Plastic, and Decorative) ; chief, 

 Halsey C. Ives. L. Liberal Arts (Education, 

 Engineering, Public Works, Architecture, Music, 

 and the Drama) ; chief, S. H. Peabody. M. Eth- 

 nology, Archaeology, Progress of Labor and In- 

 vention (Isolated and Collective Exhibits) ; chief, 

 Frederick W. Putnam. N. Forestry and Forest 

 Products; chief (acting), W. I. Buchanan. O. 

 Publicity and Promotion ; chief, Moses P. Handy. 

 P. Foreign Affairs ; chief, Walker Fearn. Di- 

 rector of the works, Daniel H. Burnham. The 

 Board of Lady Managers was similar in organi- 

 zation to the National Commission, and consisted 

 as follows : Mrs. Potter Palmer, president ; Mrs. 

 Susan G. Cooke, secretary ; together with 9 vice- 

 presidents, 8 lady managers at large, and 2 from 

 each State and Territory. 



Opening' Exercises. The 1st of May in Chi- 

 cago began with fog, mist, rain, and mud; but 

 as the day advanced the weather cleared, until 

 the elements added their share to the universal 

 enthusiasm at the opening of the World's Co- 

 lumbian Exposition. 

 The day had been made a legal holiday, and 



from early morning until ten o'clock masses of 

 humanity thronged the thoroughfares leading to 

 the grounds, and patiently awaited the opening 

 of the gates. Meanwhile, the usual procession 

 was organizing, under the command of Major T. 

 A. Baldwin, U. S. A., and in time it started, led 

 by the police. Then came two companies of the 

 Seventh Cavalry, U. S. A., followed by the Chi- 

 cago Hussars and the mounted Troop A of the 

 Illinois National Guard. Next came carriages 

 with distinguished personages national and lo- 

 cal commissioners, the director-general, the di- 

 rector of works, President Davis of the Columbian 

 Commission, and President Higinbotham of the 

 Columbian Exposition Company, the Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the United States, the members of the Cab- 

 inet, the Duke of Veragua, the Duchess of Veragua 

 (escorted by Mrs. Potter Palmer). Gen. Miles, of 

 the United States army, Admiral Gherardi, Mayor 

 Harrison, and many others. They entered the 

 grounds at the western gate of the Midway 

 Plaisance, and passed strange groups of Africans, 

 Algerians, Japanese, Laplanders, Moors, and Per- 

 sians, each of which welcomed the advancing 

 procession in a manner peculiar to his own 

 nationality. Slowly they advanced past the 

 Woman's Building and the beautiful structure 

 devoted to the Mines and Mining to the west 

 door of the Administration Building. Two pla- 

 toons of cavalry had meanwhile drawn up be- 

 tween this structure and the terminal station. 

 and between these passed the guests as fast as 

 they alighted from their carriages. From the 

 eastern entrance the procession moved toward 

 the platform, extending across the whole front 

 of the Administration Building, from which 

 the formal ceremonies were to be conducted. 

 From the center of the platform proper radiated 

 a special stand, and upon this were chairs for 

 the President and Vice President of the United 

 States, the Duke of Veragua and his party, and 

 the higher national and local officers of the fair. 

 Immediately in the rear were the members of 

 the diplomatic corps, and right and left were 

 minor officials and guests, while last of all was 

 the orchestra. 



Had the weather been more propitious, the 

 ceremonies would have begun with a chorus by 

 1,000 voices; but this feature was dispensed with, 

 and the actual exercises began with a " Columbian 

 March," composed for the occasion by John K. 

 Paine, and rendered by an orchestra of 600 pieces, 

 led by Theodore Thomas. Then the blind chap- 

 lain of the United States Senate, the Rev. William 

 H. Milburn, was led to the front of the platform 

 by his adopted daughter, Miss Gertrude Gernloy, 

 and led the assembly in prayer. Immediately 

 following was the reading, by Miss Jessie Couthoi. 

 of William A. Croffut's poem, entitled "The 

 Prophecy," in which he told of how 



Sadly Columbus watched the nascent morn, 

 and saw a 



Prophetic picture of the land he sought, 



closing with 



He saw exalted Ignorance under ban, 

 Though panoplied in force, since Time began ; 

 And Science, consecrated, lead the van, 

 The providence of man. 



