256 



EXPOSITION, TRANS-MISSISSIPPI AND INTERNATIONAL. 



participate in this undertaking of the deep interest 

 which the Government has in its succi ." 



At tin- conclusion of this message President Mc- 

 Kinlcy touched the electric button that gave life to 

 the waiting dynamos, ami the Exposition was for- 

 mally declared open to the world. 



Exhibits. There were 4,(542 separate exliiiiits, 

 which were distributed among the various build- 

 ings. including some from foreign sources that were 

 housed in a small building north of the Adminis- 

 tration Arch. Also 245 concessions and privilege 

 contracts were made, which yielded a revenue of 



.. 



Admissions and Attendance. The price of ad- 

 mi-sioii was ."><) cents for adults and 25 cents for 

 children, except on Sundays and Monday and Thurs- 

 day evenings, when the charge was 25 cents for 

 adults ami 1"> cents for children, which rate also 

 prevailed on Oct. 31, the closing day. The number 



ber, provided that the presence of President Mc- 

 Kinley and his Cabinet could be secured. The 

 scheme was agitated in the local newspapers, and 

 on Aug. 20 the President said : " I accept the invi- 

 tation. ... It seems to me proper that a President 

 who has conducted a successful war should mani- 

 fest his appreciation of the achievements and arts 

 of peace as illustrated by the Trans-Mississippi 

 Exposition." This acceptance led to the following 

 action on Aug. 22 by the Exposition authorities : 

 Resolved, That the Trans-Mississippi and Interna- 

 tional Exposition hold a Peace Jubilee under its 

 auspices on the Exposition grounds at Omaha, 

 Neb., from the 10th day to the 15th day of October, 

 1898, to celebrate the victories of the army and 

 navy in the war between the United States and 

 Spain and the terms of the proposed peace in the 

 protocol between the two nation's entered into by 

 approval of the national administration." 





EXHIBITION BY LIFE-SAVING SERVICE. 



of persons visiting the Exposition was : Paid, 1,778 - 

 J.Vi: free. wjri.a.-.K : total, 2,613,508. The record of 

 admissions on the more important days was : June 



and Navy Day, 49,710; and Oct. 31, Omaha Day, 

 52,725. The largest single week was that of Oct. 

 7 r> t.luliilet- Week), when the admissions amounted 

 to :!!!. 15 1. f,,r which $116,320.10 gate receipts were 

 n-eeived. The total gate receipts during the Expo- 

 sition were as follow: Preliminary period, $20,- 

 074.37 ; Exposition period, $781,441.10 ; total, $801,- 

 5?.">. }?. 



1'euce Jubilee. When the defeat of Cervera's 

 fleet off Santiago made the result of the war with 

 Spain a foregone conclusion, it was suggested to 

 the Imposition authorities that it would DC a wise 

 plan to celebrate the conclusion of the hostilities 

 by a peace jubilee, and accordingly it was decided 

 to hold the same during the second week 'of Octo- 



A committee headed by Senator Thurston was 

 appointed to invite the President, his Cabinet, the 

 members of the Supreme Court, members of the 

 Senate and of the House of Representatives, foreign 

 ministers and ambassadors, governors of States and 

 Territories, officers of the army and navy, and 

 other distinguished citizens, as well as the Presi- 

 dent of Mexico and the Governor General of Can- 

 ada. Invitations to the number of 3,000 were sent 

 to the governors of the States, and 2,000 were sent ;o 

 the mayors of the larger cities. The President 

 having designated Wednesday, Oct. 12, as the time 

 when he would visit the Exposition, that day w.-a 

 appropriately designated as President's Day. The 

 remaining days of the week were as follow : Mon- 

 day, Mayor's Day; Tuesday, Governor's Day; 

 Thursday, Army and Navy Day; Friday, Civil 

 Government Day; and Saturday, Children's Day. 

 Interest, however, naturally centered on Wednes- 

 day, and on that occasion 98,470 persons were regis- 

 tered as passing into the grounds. President Me- 



