CHAPTER X.

A PEEP AT THE PACIFIC SLOPE.

California's Reproduction of Some of its Old Mission Churches — A Unique Blending of San Antonio of
Padua, San Juan Capistrano, San Diego and Santa Barbara — 100,000 Square Feet of Space
Occupied by 266 Exhibitors from the Golden State — Great Columns and Pyramids of Fruits —
Pavilion of Redwood and Laurel — Samples of Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Quicksilver, Iron, Coal
Borax and Many Other Minerals — Orange, Lemon, Pomegranate, Fig, Lime and Apricot Trees
In Bearing — Towers of Walnuts and Almonds — Masses of Dried, Preserved and Crystalized
Fruits — A Live Palm Tree From San Diego County 127 Years Old, 50 Feet in Height, and
Weighing 47,000 Pounds— Beautiful Display of Spanish Silk and Silver Work— The State of
Washington— A Wonderful Exhibit — Woods, Metals, Cereals, and Fruits in Amazing Abund-
ance—A Great Display of Taxidermy — The Biggest Flagstaff in the World.

ALIFORNIA, glorious state of the Golden Gate, Yosemite, and
semi-tropical climate, has given to Jackson Park the second
largest state building in its combination of old Spanish mission
architecture. It is situated on the west side of the grounds,
north of the Woman's building, and just at the entrance, and
is, perhaps, more picturesque than any, save the Fisheries.
It is 144x500 feet; the main cornice line is fifty feet from the
ground, while the top of the central dome is some eighty feet.
The exterior is of plain plaster, artificially seamed and cracked,
giving it the appearance of the old mission buildings, while
recessed entrances give the walls that appearance of depth
and solidity characteristic of those old structures. The south
front of the building is formed of an Ionic colonnade with three
arched openings, which with the south towers, is reproduced from Mission Santa
Barbara. The northwest belfry is taken from Mission San Luis Rey, and the east
towers and the towers around the dome from Carmel Mission. The entire east
front of the building is a reproduction of Mission San Antonio of Padua and the
north front, of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Some of these have old Spanish
bells brought over by the Franciscan friars, more than a hundred years ago. The
roof is finished with red earthenware tiles, while surrounding the central dome is a
roof garden of tropical vines, plants and palms. Two elevators run up to the garden ;
these elevators are placed as exhibits, being a California product; the power being
a combination of steam and water.

This building is not of the clubhouse character of most of the other state
buildings. The entire first floor is open, and is devoted to California state displays.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 505

principally of fruits and canned goods. There are three fountains on the ground
floor, one in the center, and one on either end. The central hall is surrounded by
a wide gallery, and on the gallery floor in the north end of the building is the ban-
quet hall, a kitchen and an assembly room. In the south end are four servant's rooms,
and there is a cafe on the roof. In the north end of the gallery there is also a
council chamber. On the east side are the offices of the commissioners and their
secretaries. The whole of the interior is devoted to California products, most of
them exhibited by individuals. The 100,000 square feet of space is occupied by 266
individual exhibitors. Southern California takes the south half of the building and
the northern section the north half. A great many exhibits are made by counties.
San Mateo county has erected a pavilion built of redwood. It is circular in form with
large Corinthian pillars, the roof of which is covered with brilliant-colored pebbles.
In it are shown the wines and grapes and other products of this particular county.
In the center of the building is a huge relief map of San Francisco. It is twenty-
five feet in diameter and four feet high, showing the topography of the site and the
architecture of the city from the seal rocks at the Cliff house, and from the Golden
Gate to the hills of Alameda. So complete is the model that each visitor from San
Francisco can pick out his home. Of all the states, California is the only one
where the celebrated pampas grass thrives, and as this is something of a curiosity,
there has been erected a pampas palace by Mrs. Harriet Strong, of Los Angeles
county at an expense of $4,500. It is Moorish or Arabic in design, and is made
entirely of the plumes and stalks.

Another remarkable exhibit is the obelisk of sweet oil made by Mr. Lloyd, of
Santa Barbara county.

Visitors from Boston have a chance to gaze on and admire a bean pagoda
forty feet high. California raises more beans than any other state in the Union.

In the rotunda of the building is a palace of plenty. It is erected by the six
southern counties of the state. They are all semi-tropical in nature and contribute
rare plants and ferns for the palace. It is covered with flowers and made entirely
of products from the southern sections. In it are shown the various fruits grown in
the South, and just beside it, stands a tower made of walnuts. Fresno county is
represented by a pyramid of raisin and wine exhibits. A model of the great irri-
gation system that has reclaimed the desert is shown in the center. Obelisk ex-
hibits of olive oil, pyramids of marmalade, towers of dried fruit and many other
things are shown in abundance.

Just under the big dome stands a palm tree, 127 years old. The tree is fifty
feet high, and has been one of the attractions for tourists as they drove up the bay
of San Diego to the ruins of the old mission, which is up San Diego river, several
miles from the bay. The removal of the huge plant was something of a problem.
A box was sunk around its roots in an excavation made for the purpose, and the
tree thus inclosed was lifted by a derrick with the heart about the roots bound to
the tree by the protecting box.

California women occupy three large rooms decorated by their women
artists. The scheme of interior decoration for the rooms is an illustration of the

506 HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

wonderful wild flowers that cover the mesas and valleys of the golden state.
Travelers in the region about San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara are im-
pressed by the unusual beauty of the state flower — the garden poppy, or, as it is
called there, the eschscholtzia. In every valley and on the mesas where there is
suitable soil and moisture it grows in bewildering profusion, sometimes so abundant
as to predominate the landscape with its rich hues of gold and orange. This is
used altogether in the decoration of the main room in the gallery. The
center of the ceiling contains an allegorical panel, the picture of a young girl
scattering poppies. Below the' central panel, encircling the sloping sides of the
ceiling, are wreaths of wild flowers, the poppy conspicuous among them. In the
center of each wreath is the name of a county of the state. Great credit is due
Frank Wiggins for what he has done for Southern California, and also to the great
lemon producer, Mr. Garcelon, of Riverside.

On opposite sides of the room are two white woven grilles carrying out the
general design in conventional form. Between the poppy-room and the one next
to it, which contains the wild-flower collection of the state, are portieres of sixteenth
century cloth, bordered with poppies and gold fringe. Women throughout the
state have joined in the effort to make their apartments at the Exposition a striking
feature of the state's display. Monterey has1 sent portieres of yellow silk, emblaz-
oned with eschscholtzias in Spanish drawn work, valued at $500. The jewelers and
other firms of San Francisco have had special silverware, furniture, lamps and wood
carvings made with the same flower as the principal designs. A white and gold
carpet to complete the furnishing, and the effect of the assembled decorations is
extraordinarily rich.

The visitor will be struck by the splendid exhibits of Los Angeles, Orange,
San Diego, Ventura and San Bernardino counties, which have been particularly
mentioned, and the exhibit made by Frank Kimball.

Oregon and Nevada have no state buildings, although the latter spent $10,000
in the Mines and Mining building, and the former makes one of the finest of all
the pomological displays to be seen in the Horticultural building, although the
state made no appropriation.

The newly made State of Washington decided to erect a building entirely
unlike anything else at Jackson Park. With its quaint towers it reminds one some-
what of a Holland residence and wind-mill. The first floor, to a height of eight
feet, is of rough hewn Puget Sound logs, and from this height, for twenty-two feet
more, upright timbers form the superstructure. It is further distinguished by a
tall flag-pole, which raises its lofty crown, sentinel like, 208 feet from the mound.
In architectural design it is sui generis, but it is likewise picturesque. Briefly de-
scribed the building is composed of a main structure, flanked on either side by two
wings, and for sole exterior adornments has just four towers, each 96 feet high, at
the east and west fronts of the main building. The building, with the two wings,
covers a space 204 feet frontage by 126 feet deep. The wings are connected by
passages. The main entrance is an important decorative feature, of grinite mar-
ble and ore from the State, forming a broad vestibule built of native stone, 23 feet

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

507

high and 18x21 feet in area. All of this stone was donated to the commissioners,
and came from the Chuckanutt, Tanino and Pittsburg quarries.

The interior arrangement is as roomy as it is elaborately finished. The
entire space of the main building is a grand hall, 70x126 feet. At each end, east

and west, is a balcony. The east
space is fitted up for the commission-
ers' rooms, and elaborately decorated
and frescoed. The interior roof ar-
rangement is suggestive of church
ceilings. Immense Swiss trusses ex-
tend clear through the seventy feet
of space. Roman arches span the
aisles and passage-ways leading to the
wings on either side. The ceiling
here shows also the beams in the
rough, and the space between has
been arranged as panels, with fres-
coes painted by Washington artists;
each panel reproduces a landscape of
Washington. The interior arrange-
ments of the wings are exactly the same. Throughout the entire building Wash-
ington's natural products are displayed. For this purpose lofty shelves and cases
are erected against the walls and in the center of the halls. In the very center of the
main hall a minature Washington farm is exhibited. The west end is devoted to
fisheries and taxidermy. In this latter branch every wild beast found in the Wash-
ington forests and on its mountains is shown true to life. These include elk, moose,
bears, mountain lions, cayotes, foxes, deer, mountain sheep, and others of the
smaller animals. In the passageways the horticultural and agricultural products
of the State are carefully displayed as well as at the east end. The right wing is
given up wholly to the woman's exhibit, and the left wing to forestry, botany, min-
erals, coal, stone and iron. The building and exhibit is estimated to have cost
about $100,000.

WASHINGTON BUILDING.

COMMISSIONERS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

1. SIR HENRY WOOD,

Great Britain.

4. H. E. IMPERIAL CHAMBERLAIN
P. DE GLOCKHOVSKOY,

Russia.

7. H. E. SENOR DON ENBIQUE DUPUY
DE LOME,

Spain.
10. CHE. BAVN,

Norway.
18. HON. J. J. GRINLINTON,

2. HON. ADOLPH WERMUTH,

Germany.
5. IBRAHIM HAKEY BEY,

Turkey.
8. HON. 8. TEGIMA,

Japan.
11. ARTHUR LEFPLER,

Sweden.
14. J. J. QDELCH,

British Guiana.

3. ASTERE VERCRUYS9E,

Belgium.

6. H. E. MARSHAL JOSE SIMEAO DH
OLIVERIA,

Brazil.

9. HON. ANTON TON PALITSCHEK-
PALMFORST,

Austria.
12. HON. DR. ARTHUR RENWICK,

New South.
15. HON. FREDERICK DOUGLAS,

Haiti.