CHAPTER XLII

DEDICATION AND OPENING OF THE WORLD'S FAIR

FORMAL DEDICATION IN OCTOBER, 1892-IMPRESSIVE CEREMONIES IMMENSE CON

COURSE OF VISITORS-PERFECT WEATHER CONDITIONS--THE COLUMBIAN ODE-INTERVAL OF SIX MONTHS-INCOMPLETE PREPARATIONS-UNEXAMPLED RAPIDITY OF BUILDING OPERATIONS-THIRTY-ONE MILLION ADMISSION TICKETS PRINTED-THE

PANIC

FIRE INSURANCE PROBLEM-OPENING DAY, MAY 1, 1893-PRESIDENT CLEVELAND'S ADDRESS-STARTING THE MACHINERY-DEPRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES-FINANCIAL EMBARRASSES THE MANAGEMENT DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE DIRECTORY-ATTENDANCE RECORDS-FOURTH OF JULY VISITORS-ADMINISTRATION DETAILS-MR. HIGINBOTHAM'S HEAVY RESPONSIBILITIES-EFFICIENT COOPERATION OF ASSOCIATES THOMAS B. BRYAN'S SERVICES.

THE FORMAL DEDICATION

HE date fixed for the dedication of the World's Columbian Exposition was October 21, 1892, the four hundredth anniversary of the Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. This was the first great task encountered by the exposition managers, and caused them much labor and grave anxiety; but the experiences gained on this occasion were of great value in the management of the multitudes of visitors during the progress of the fair. The opening of the fair to exhibitors and visitors was not to take place until the 1st of May following, but "the dedication of the exposition buildings six months before the enterprise was to be actually inaugurated," says the report, "was approved as a means of disseminating throughout the country a knowledge of the grandeur and extent of the exposition, and of the completeness of the equipment which Chicago had prepared for it." The grounds and the buildings were yet in an incomplete condition, but the entrances and driveways had been made passable, while the great building in which the exercises were to be held, though still far from complete, had been enclosed and was temporarily fitted up for the purpose.

"The civic parade, upon the day preceding the dedication, was participated in by many thousands of people, including all the non-military organizations of the city, and the governors of most of the States of the Union, accompanied by the members of their respective staffs. It was a most inspiring scene. The procession occupied more than four hours in passing the grand stand at the custom house, where it was reviewed by Vice-President Morton."

THE DEDICATION CEREMONIES

The task of handling the crowds on the day of the dedication exercises was the first severe strain placed upon the managers of the fair. The means of travel were

CHICAGO: ITS HISTORY AND ITS BUILDERS

21

165

yet far from having reached the degree of completeness that were afterwards attained. Only those who had received invitations, one hundred thousand of which had been issued, were supposed to attend the dedication exercises, but as it was observed that great crowds had gathered at the entrances, the gates were thrown open later in the day and everyone admitted regardless of whether they were invited or not. The transportation lines, however, did effective service, the day passed without accidents, and the crowds were handled to the satisfaction of all.

The entire central part of the city was cleared by the police for the convenience of private conveyances. Carriages conveying persons officially connected with the ceremonies were passed through the police lines by means of cards previously issued. The members of the board of directors, the World's Columbian Commission, and the board of lady managers, and the distinguished guests of the occasion formed in line, in carriages, on Michigan avenue near the Auditorium, whence they were escorted by United States troops south on that avenue to Twenty-ninth street, where they were joined by Vice-President Morton and party and President Palmer of the commission. From this point the procession moved to Jackson park by way of the Midway Plaisance.

Across the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad, which had not yet elevated its road-bed, a large temporary wooden viaduct was constructed, over which the procession passed to the great Manufactures building, in which the exercises were to be held. At the middle of the east side of this building was erected a stand or platform capable of seating twenty-five hundred people. Over it decorations of flags and bunting were effectively massed, and at the south end, five hundred feet away, was another stand for the chorus of five thousand voices under the direction of William L. Tomlins, assisted by an orchestra of over two hundred pieces led by Theodore Thomas. In front of the platform for the speakers were seats for sixty thousand people. "The scene in the Manufactures building will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it," says Mr. Higinbotham in his report. "The grand platform was occupied by officers of the national government, members of the diplomatic corps, officers of the various states, senators and representatives, directors and commissioners. The eye and brain could scarcely comprehend the vastness of the audience stretching out before this platform, nearly every one seated or being conducted to seats by soldiers and the Columbian Guards in the most orderly manner. There was little motion, but the air was resonant with an indescribable hum of voices." On great battle-fields, where immense numbers of men are present, the shouts, outcries and rumbling thunder of cavalry charges, blends itself and is softened by distance into a continuous hum, often described by participants. An artillery officer at the battle of Waterloo noticed this humming noise, a noise quite apart from the rattle and roar of the firing. He wrote of it as follows: "We were enveloped in thick smoke, and, in spite of the incessant roar of cannon and musketry, could distinctly hear around us a mysterious humming noise, like that which one hears of a summer's evening, proceeding from myriads of insects." This remarkable humming noise, characteristic of vast assemblages, strikes the ear with a sense of strangeness and mystery. It was referred to by Dr. Peabody in the following passage:

"The day of dedication gathered the largest audience ever assembled under one roof. It mattered not that the ostensible purpose of the occasion was absolutely

defeated by the vastness of the multitude. The immense hall was filled with a resonant murmur, which resembled the soughing of the foliage in a boundless forest or the rhythmic laughter of unnumbered waves, and yet overpowered the reverberating hoof beats of a troop of cavalry riding through the adjacent aisles. The impressive ceremonies were duly observed; but the oracles were dumb, no voice rang through the arched roof. The audience only saw the prayer of the right reverend ecclesiastic, saw impassioned bursts of oratory and lofty strains of poetry; they heard but faintly strains of far-off music, swelling and receding; yet no one of that great assemblage will ever forget the sense of exultation that he was permitted a share in the grandeur of that unique and most impressive ceremony."

So great was the assemblage of people in this building that the majority of them were beyond the reach of the speakers' voices. One who was present said: “We found that although seated only about half way between the platform and the rear seats, we could not hear a word uttered by the speakers on the platform. Indeed, we could not hear a sound even, and the movements and gestures of the speakers were complete pantomime, producing a very singular effect." There were twenty-five acres of human beings in the audience, which numbered from one hundred thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand people, according to different estimates, said to have been the largest assemblage ever gathered under one roof. Perfect order prevailed. The dignity of the occasion seemed to have cast a spell over the audience.

THE EXERCISES WITHIN THE BUILDING

The dedicatory ceremonies were opened with the "Columbian March," composed by Professor J. K. Paine, of Cambridge. This was followed by a prayer offered by Bishop Charles H. Fowler, of the Methodist church, after which an address was made by the director-general, Colonel George R. Davis. Hon. Hempstead Washburne, mayor of the city, delivered an address of welcome and a tender of the freedom of the city of Chicago to the vice-president and the representatives of foreign nations. It will be recalled that Carter H. Harrison, Sr., Chicago's famous "World's Fair Mayor," did not enter upon his fifth and last term as mayor until the following spring. A portion of the "Columbian Ode," by Miss Harriet Monroe of Chicago, was read, and other portions, which had been set to music, were rendered by the chorus. The president of the board of lady managers, Mrs. Potter Palmer, then delivered an address on the work of the lady managers. President Higinbotham, of the board of directors, then tendered the buildings to the president of the commission, Hon. Thomas W. Palmer, who in turn presented them to the vicepresident of the United States, Hon. Levi P. Morton. The vice-president then, on behalf of the president of the United States, formally dedicated the buildings in an address closing with the following words: "In the name of the government of the United States I hereby dedicate these buildings and their appurtenances, intended by the government of the United States for the use of the World's Columbian Exposition, to the world's progress in arts, and in manufacture. I dedicate them to humanity."

An oration followed delivered by Hon. Henry Watterson of Kentucky, which was followed again by an oration delivered by Hon. Chauncey M. Depew of New York. The ceremonies were concluded with prayer offered by Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, clad in the full robes of his office. A national salute was fired by