The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 5, 1899, Page 18

SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1899. New Jdea For the Ste of "] the Pan-Paeific States (S’xpoaz?ion, Build It Near the Beach in Golden Gate Park so as to Have a Lagoon on the Ocean Side for Vessels and a Great Lake for the Grand Court on the Grounds. R sy TSI PRESENT _ ~ TS——APPEARANCA OF ITE.... Rough Sketch of the Suggestions of Chairman George A. Newhall and Swperintendent of Park McLaren as to the New and Best Way of Using Golden Gate Park as a Site for the Proposed Exposition in 1901, position on the old N er grounds,” these I8 st of Strawberry Hill other is out on the beach of the Pacific Ocean. At the foot of Strawberry Hill there is a good lay of the land and also-the possibility of a lake or lagoon, which, of course, we will want. fresh w a distance, which will be considerable expense and trouble. 2 ‘line to putting the fair out on the ocean beach. This spot has a number of advantages not apparent at a glance. In the first place the weather is milder out there than it is in any part of the park obtained from the ocean at very small cost. There is a depression there that is only a few inches above the sea level, and to keep a lagoon supplied would be a matter of very little expense. Besides, the water will be sal will ition. The lay of the land at this point is also all that can be desired, and no matter from what direction the fair buildings might be seen they will have a beautiful background—either the blue HE I s Fair, to be held “Yes, I suppose the fair will come out the blue waters of the ocean or the and the greatest pleasure to- every- same way. b “As to definite plans of buildings, in San Francisco in 1901, is going to the Park, . McLaren, “but green hills of the Park. body who attend it.” “The thought that anything is going etc., I can, of course, say nothing. It to be th Atest exposition of M€ cannot deci 1g definite until, “Of course, I am only making a sug- LT to interfere with our plans never en- is too early, for nothing has been done bdlan ot all the plans for the buildings are laid gestion and that is the best 1 can do _ “Of course we are going to have the ters my head. I feel that we are going in that direction. What we want now its kind ever held, before us. Pacific States Exposition and it's'going* to have the exposition and that it is IS money. ~Once we have that the So sé 1 the members of the first committee to be. appointed,and th e men who know what they are talking about. It is true that the exact plans of the great exposition have not yet been de- cided upon. Everythin xcept the plan for raising the n ary money is gtill in a most embryotic condition. But everybody who F » do with the fair is thi #t. And in the minds has taken definite At present a cor nent org This consists of ( chairman, and J. Phelan, Henry J. Crocker, sky, R. P. Doolan and othe 3 C ht about e idea mittee n has orge A. B. Re on been perma- effected. New bers. The financial plans are already before the proper bodies for consideration and there is little doubt that they will be carried through. About $2,000,000 needed to assure the success of the un- dertaking. The financial plan includes a special city and country tax of $900,000, a State appropriation of $300,000, and a Con- gressional bounty of $250,000. So far as known no opposition to this plan has developed. Of course it is most likely that the big fair will be held in Golden Gate Park. No thoughts of putting it any- where else have been entertained by the members of the committee. “I don't know where else we could put it,” said a member of this committee, and he but voiced the ideas of the others. In order to_ house the exposition in Golden Gate Park the first man who will have to be consulted is Superin- tendent McLaren. / “Have I been doing any thinking on the subject? hould say I had. 1 have looke the grounds and decided that there are oniy two places where the fair can be located; that is, without destroying a great deal of im- provement and development that has already been done. Of course we could not -honestly permit such destruction because it takes yes to get a good growth of timber on this sandy 0 put the exposition on the old winter Fair grounds is out of the They are too small and would not admit of the elaborate decoration is now -contemplated. 'hat being the case there are only two places left. One of these is just to the west of Strawberry Hill and the other is out on the beach of the Pacific Ocean. “At the foot of Strawberry Hill there is a good lay of the land and also the possibility of a lake or lagoon, which of course we will want. But on that site we will ‘have to pump fresh water for quite a distance, which will be con- siderable expense and trouble. “I rather incline to putting the fair out on the ocean beach. This spot has a number of advantages not apparent at a glance. “In the first place the weather is milder out there than it is in any part of the Park. In the second place the water for the lake or lagoon could be obtained from the ocean at very small cost. There is a depression there that is only a few inches above sea level and to keep a lagoon supplied would be a matter of very little expense. Be- sides the water will be salt water, which has a more beautiful color than fresh water and will keep in better con- dition. The lay of the land at this point is also all that can be desired and no matter from what direction the fair buildings might be seen they will have o beautifyl backsvound. I just now. But when some plan of the general lay of the grounds and build- ings is made let -them be brought to me and I will do my best to make as good a showing as possible. But, by all means, let us have the fair. It will be a lasting good for the whole State to be the biggest exposition of the age,” said Chairman George A. New- hall when spoken to on this matter. “That’s the way I feel about it, and I am sure that cverybody who has the interest of our State at heart feels the going to_be the greatest on record. “At present. our committee finds everything running along smoothly. No opposition has developed anywhere and we are going to carry it through in the finest kind of style. B R R R T B B e R R B R R o B S S S R 2 Talks With the Empress of Austria. Her Secretary Has Just Published a Book Which Sets Forth Her Real Character. IENNA, Jan. 10. — Dr. Con- stantine Christomanos, who for several years was the late Em- press Elizabeth’s: Greek teacher, lecturer and companion in her long walks,, has published a book for which the material was furnished by the diary he kept when in Vienna, on board the imperial yacht and in the island of Corfu. The book is brimful of interest, for never before has any royal lady so sin- cerely and fully expressed her thoughts. Of discretion Dr. Christomanos does not think much; he is merely anxious to show the Empress to the world as he knew her, and to dispel the false views which have been entertained about her. It is more than likely that the court of Vienna will not let the book pass un- censured, and many think its publica- tion will be stopped altogether, for the Empress’ sayings were certainly not in- tended for the world. He Meete the Empress. Dr. Constantine Christomanos was lv- ing the life of a student with moderate means with his brother, Anton, when in May, 1891, they recefved a summons to court if either was prepared to teach the Empress Greek and read and walk with ber. Constantine, belng 'a hunchback, | Jearged to thought his deformity would be a hin- drance, and made his brother go. A court carriage came to fetch him in the morn- ing and brought him back at night. But Anton Christomanos was a medical stu- dent, and the Empress told him directly she did not believe in medicine, not even in homeopathy, though that was more harmless, the doses being so much smaller. Anton praised his brother so highly to the Empress thet on the third day, when she had seen him shrink and chatter because a shower caught them, she asked him to send his brother to her. Christomanos was to wait for the Em- press in a remote part of the park of Lainz. She stood before him before he was aware of it, a slender, tall woman in black, her head showing in relief against a white silk parasol, a black fan concealing half her face. He addressed her in Greek, embarrassed, of course, be- cause he had been taken unawares, but she helped him out of the difficulty by saying: ‘‘When the Greek speaks Greek it 18 like music.” She tried his walking powers by taking him right round-the park, showing him all the beautiful points and not dismissing him until three huors were gone. He had been instructed to walk one step behind her and to read to her as he walked, a feat which he soon omplish : o her-satisfactio He rather liked the position. Being a timid creature he was often frightened at the wild boar they met; while she merely took a child's rattle out of her pocket and frightened the beast away. This was the trial engagement and lasted until the Empress went to Ischl for the summer. In December he was engaged permanent- 1y and took up his abode in the Imperial Burgpalace. Working While Dressing. In the Empress’ own rooms thick Turk- ish carpets covered the floors, and it was on such a carpet that the teacher and the pupil wandered up and down together for more than an hour. She told him that he would have to walk with her daily in Schonbrunn in all weathers, but that be- sides she intended utllizing a part of the day which she had hitherto passed in idle- ness and tedium. *“To dress my hair,” she sald, “takes two hours every day, and while my hair is busy my brain is idle, and I fear it passes out through the ends of my halr into the fingers of my hairdresser. That {s why my head aches often. We will hs.n;latelsrt;el:m;are lrdx- reek, while my hair is being dressed. }oagn.llnt'h::: have to hold my brain to- "X':“fi o'clock on the following day he Continued on Page Twenty-four. other work will go along fast enough to please anybody. “But I have been thinking a good deal about how this fair is going to llr)(\k. I know just how I want it to 00k, By all means let us stick to the gen- eral plan of the World's Fair for a general model. There never was any- thing more beautiful than that in the way of architecture in the history of the world. Even now I can still see in memory that beautiful _ White City flashing in the sun. And out here in California the effect should be a thou- sand times more pleasing. “Of course there are unlimited pos- sibilities for the development of the grounds and buildings. Such a chance has never before occurred in the his- tory of the world. “By all means let the fair be located out on the ocean beach. That in itself will be unique enough to carry the thing through successfully. Just think of the opportunities. “For my own part I would suggest that the prineipal buildings all conform to the classic style of architecture. There is nothing more beautiful than that and you never grow tired seeing the perfect forms. “I can see it all before me just as I would have it. I would have the lagoon of good size and around it on three sides a most perfect and simple classic building with colonnades and porticos. The other principal buildings should all be close about and'around thém we can have the innumerable smaller structures of every style of architecture under the sun. The principal #buildings should be pure white and the others of every eolor of the rainbow and all the hues of science. The more the better. “If it's an engineering possibility, and I think it is, I would have a break- ‘water built out Into tne ocean so that small boats could sall out a consider- able distdnce in calm water. And. be- said Superintendent McLaren, “Is out of the question. They are too small and would not admit of the elaborate decoration that is now contemplated. That being the case there are only two places left. One of But on that site we will have to pump In the second place the water for the lake or lagoon could be water, which has a more beautiful color than fresh water and aters of the ocean or the green hills of the park.” sides, large excursion steamers might run out from the foot of Market street carrying passengers through the Gold- en Gate and landing them right in front of the grounds. Just think of what a unique excursion such a trip would be and what a beautiful sight the Expo- sition buildings will make when seen from the water. Such a sight could not be duplicated in the world. 3 “‘As for our exhibits, they will be of the best. Our new colonies on the west will most surely contribute things that have never before been seen in civili- zation. These can either be in the main building or else put in structures spe- cially erected for them. There is no end of the possibilities in this direction, “‘And by all means let us have a good plaisance, We must have such attrac- tions as the streets of Calro, the big wheel, the tower and anything new that develops: in the meantime. All these ought to make a picturesque ef- fect that once seen will neyer be for- gotten. ‘“Another idea that I have in mind is in regard to the management. I think that should be put into the hands of an experienced man at a good salary, Not less than $10,000 a year. It is worth that and we ought to get the right man at that price. I don’t care where we get him nror who he happens to be, just so we get him and ‘that he makes the exposition a success. “I also think that by putting the fair out on the ocean beach a great permanent benefit will be done the city. Transportation facilities out in that di- rection will be perfected. Large hotels will be built and roads will be cut through the sand hills on the south. I am sure that a large number of fine residences would soon be built on the surrounding hills and that that section Wwould soon become the finest part of the city. “Oh, the possibilities are endless, and the more I think of them the more ideas occur to me, The exposition Is going to be the greatest event in the history of San Francisco and it is the duty of every citizen to help make it a glorious suocess.”