A TRIP TO ST. LOUIS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8102, 4 October 1904, Page 4

A TRIP TO ST. LOUIS.

AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.

(By F. H. H.)

(Continued)

Sunday, August 28.-\ esterday was a big day at tho Fair, for although it was mission week the day was specially that of the "Liberal Arts." At 8.45 a.m. a parade of the exhibitors marched from the main entrance for their buildings headed by a band of mnsic. At 11 a.m. there was a flight of homing pigeons from tli» summit of the Do Forest tower of wireless telegraphy, bearing messages to their various homes in the States. Let me say here that Mr Donne informed me that when ho arrived here there were 30,UUU laborers employed on the Fair grounds at a dollar a* hour, and that he had an awful job to get the Now Zealand stand built at anything like a reasonable price. I watched the beautiful two-storey printing press in operation at tlie Liberal Arts building yesterday, turning out and fold- | mc 96,U0U newspapers per hour ! At /J.oii there was a grand floral parade of decorated horses and vehicles, the prize being lOOOdol. There is not a great wealth of flowers in tho gardens of St. Louis, and 1 presume owing partly to this fact and the hot weather but f«w were dressed m flowers Kay designs and colors in papers takinc their place; the effect, however, was extremely fine. At 5 p.m. a race between two large balloons took place, the nri/.ca being for 5000d015., for the man m charge that gets nearest to the National Sonumont of Washington, D.C., a distance of 000 miles away by rail- This was advertised as a flying-machine race, but I have not seen one on the ground and don't think they are yet a success. There were two moro disastrous street car wrecks here yesterday. In one case the injured amounted to 16 people, and in the other to nine. As* far as I can understand they do their best to have reliable motor men, candidates having to put in 12 days without pay seated on the car alongside a reliable man before being allowed to take charge. The trouble arises possibly in there being such a glut of visitors to the town, necessitating a largo number of extra cars on the lines, one so close after another, that if a man is delayed ho disarranges the whole service, so that ho often drives his car at a reckless pace to catch up, and takes all risks. Last night wo entertained Mr Donne at dinner in a small way at the "Alps," after which, including Mr Moorhouse (Mr Donne's assistant), and two or three more New Zealanders, we did a bit of the Pike, witnessing "Cleopatra. Having elected to leave for Chicago this morning wo wished Mr Donne "kia ora," upon the cars, thanking him for ins many kindnesses and wended our way to our virtuous couch. This morning found us at the "Union station," ready for the "No. 1 Chicago-Alton Limited," timed to leave at 9.4, which it did punctually. This station is tho finest and best-man-aged that I have seen since leaving. (>n entering the large hall where the various offices are all lettered conspicuously, you will find curio shops, refreshments, post card stands, etc., and on going down stairs to the platform proper you will find all the trains standing upon their tracks (33 of thorn!), with the back *:ar towards you, and every one of these tracks numbered in large figures. lietween tne passengers and the train is a high iron fence, witn gates at intervals, over each of which is a swinging sign denoting the direction in which the train is going and also by means of movable hands upon a dial, giving you tho time at which it goes and the number of the track on which it stands. In tho centre of tho platform is a tower having a clock with* four illuminated faces, and at the head of the stairs is a loud voiced porter with a speaking trumpet who sees to it that the signs and times are correctly hung, and is continuously shouting out his directions to the passengers as to which train is to leave next, and to which numbered gate to go. Here again is an official who looks at your ticket, and shows you exactly to which train to go; and to cap all you will find a train porter standing at the door of his particular carriage to give you still further instructions. None but those who hold tickets are allowed upon the platform at all, and it is almost an impossibility for anyone to go wrong. . Anyhow, here we arc, and after crossing a fine bridge over a good point of the Missisippi, which gave us a good view of the river, both up and down, we have been racing along at an average of 40 miles an hour in a well-conducted, finely upholstered and most comfortably-running train, through tho beautiful State of Illinois; flying past miles upon miles of niaize, reaped corn, orchards, lovely big and little townships, and comfortable homesteads as far as the eye can reach on both sides of the train, and I'm not surprised at being told that this is one of tho richest States in America. Have now (2 p.m.) had a tine lunch in the dining car of fricasso chicken, asparagus, young potatoes; cost Idol 20 cents. .1 now feel at ponce with all mankind, and will fill my pipe and enjoy tho scenery.

We left St Louis at 9.4 a.m. this morning, arriving at Chicago at fa.4 p.m. to the tick, distance 280 miles. It is grand to see overything so beautifully green throughout the country, and this, too, in the fall of the year. In the evening we wont to the Uarrick Theatre, and saw "Tlio Royal Chef." It was well-dressed, and the posing of girls and electric light effect were good, but there wasn't a singer in the crowd, and the actors should have been hissed off the stage; but these people soetned to like it somehow. There is a much greater "pitch" given to the floor in all me buildings here than there is in Now Zealand. There is not the least danger of a hat in front of you obstructing your view of the stage, for you look right over the person in front of you. One is much nmusrd by tho curious placards one sees in tho shop windows, such as "If you want to be fetching got your dn\ss made from this mannish material," "Try our mannish shoes for women," etc. Tlioro are immense shops here, covering whole Mocks, and of several storeys, keeping everything possible.

Monday.— Had a long car ride out of the city, and ha.d a look at Garfield Park, a very lino and well-laid out property of 186 acres. . What marred it was a miniature fair on tho lines of the Pike, where dirty tents, dirty stalls, dirty men, and I dirty stalls abound. • They call it the ''carnival," and a "Queen of the Festivities." On this particular evening many of tho leading officials of the town attended in carriages. They had 400 police in attendance, and the populace present numbered 80,000 souls; so say the papers, anyway. Now, this was beyond all question the silliest and most childish nonsonse one could imagine, and yet these people laugh and go mad over things that we wouldn't go across the street to see in New Zealand. They delight, too, in doing everything the opposite way to the British. Their cars and vehicles go to the right on the street, instead of the left. You never see mustard on a table. Salt is never in salt-cellars, but is used like, popper from a castor. Pickles never on' the table, but must be ordered and paid for as other things. Your spirits are always in one glass, and water in another, and .drank separately. Conveniences are labelled "toilet," boots are always shoes, luggage is baggage; rump-steak never on bills-of-fare, sirloin steak being the nearest approach to it. A cent is called a penny, a silver piece a nickel, a tram is a car or trolly, a long drink is a high-ball, a canning establishment is a packinghouse, programme is spelt program, theatre is theater, a ' tin is a can, a jug a pitcher, a canal a ditch, and so on ad nauseum. There are many very elaborate hotels here, but the "Auditorium," on Michigan Avenue is about the best and should bo visited. Its Pompeiian room is always a show place for visitors, with its weaJtfi of white marble, its sculptnry, futures, furniture, etc. From the observatojry #1 this building a very fine view of : tiie town it obtainable, and the proprietors are very pleased to take people up ; there in the lift. In the evening we went to {the Chicago Opera House, and tried to endure continuous vaudeville. The building wsi packed and the audience en- j thustaatfe,' walling singers half -a dozen times, that would absolutely starve in New Zetland for lack of rapport.

[To ]t» Continued.)

Hawbra.