Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/271

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITIONS 259 ing and joists, wholly of glass and iron. It was 1,851 ft. long and 408 ft. wide, with an extension on the north side 936 ft. long and 48 ft. wide ; height of central portion 64 ft., and of transept in the centre 108 ft. ; entire area covered, about 19 acres. Portions of the pal- ace were assigned to different countries and colonies according to the space required by each. The articles, excepting heavy machine- ry, were arranged in four principal sections, viz. : raw materials, machinery, manufactures, and fine arts. The paintings, however, were mostly assembled together ; but some of the prominent pieces of sculpture were placed in different parts of the building, in order to at- tract special attention and to add to the beau- ty of the interior. The building was begun Sept. 6, 1850, completed Feb. 3, 1851, and cost 176,000. On May 1 the queen opened the exhibition, which continued till Oct. 11. The number of visitors was 6,170,000, an aver- age of 43,500 a day, and the greatest number in one day (Oct. 7) was 109,915. No record was kept of the number of articles exhibited. There were more than 17,000 exhibitors. The prizes, including council and prize medals and honorable mentions, were 5,084, and the for- eign exhibitors, occupying two fifths of the space, took three fifths of the honors. In ma- chinery and in metal, glass, and porcelain man- ufactures, the British received the majority of prizes; in miscellaneous manufactures, textile fabrics, and fine arts, the foreign awards were one fifth more than the native ; in raw materials the foreigners took nearly four times as many prizes as the natives (988 to 262). The popu- larity of the world's fair was largely due to the great number of gems, including the Koh-i- noor; and the works of art exhibited. The financial results were : receipts from subscrip- tions, 67,800; admissions, 425,000 ; refresh- ments, &c., 13,200; total, 506,000; ex- penditures, 330,000 ; the balance in favor of the commission was increased by interest and small receipts to 186,436. Those who were on the guarantee list were not called upon for their subscriptions. The final balance, with additional parliamentary grants, was applied to a scheme for the advancement of the fine arts and of practical science. The " crystal palace " was sold to a company, its reerection at Syden- ham on an enlarged plan began Aug. 5, 1852, and it was reopened by the queen June 10, 1854. Since then it has been devoted to horticultu- ral shows, monster concerts, and other public amusements. There was a successful exhibi- tion of Irish arts and manufactures at Cork in 1852, which led to the much larger interna- tional one at Dublin in 1853. This exhibition owed its origin to Mr. William Dargan, who advanced 80,000. The building, 425 ft. long, 100 ft. wide, and 105 ft. high, with adjoining smaller halls, cost 48,000. The exhibition was opened by the lord lieutenant May 12, and continued till Oct. 29. The value of the con- tents was 500,000, of which the fine arts rep- resented 200,000. Up to that time no finer collection of pictures had been assembled in the kingdom. The exhibition was popular, and had 1,150,000 visitors; but it was not finan- cially successful, and entailed a heavy loss on the projectors. The New York world's fair of 1853 originated with a company incorpo- rated in 1851. The city gave a lease of Reser- voir square for five years rent free, upon the conditions that the building should be con- structed of glass and iron, and that the admis- sion fee should not be more than 50 cents. Congress also passed an act constituting the building a bonded warehouse, into which for- eign goods might be brought free of duty. In March, 1852, the company issued shares to the amount of $300,000, afterward increased to $500,000 and readily subscribed. The building was in the form of a Greek cross, 365 ft. long each way, and 150 ft. wide, with a central dome 123 ft. high and 100 ft. in diameter ; and on one side another building, 450 ft. long and 75 ft. wide, was erected for machinery. The presi- dent of the United States, Gen. Pierce, opened the exhibition July 14, and it continued 119 days. There were 4,800 exhibitors, more than one half of whom were foreigners. Among the many causes which operated against the suc- cess of the enterprise were the Dublin exhibi- tion of the same year, the long delay in open- ing, the distance of the locality from the then centre of the city, and the inadequate means of access. The principal feature of the exhi- bition was the fine display of American ma- chinery and agricultural implements. The financial results were : cost of building, $540,- 000; fitting and furnishing, $100,000; receipts from admissions, sale of catalogues, &c., $340,- 000. The exhibition was reopened in 1854, and in that and the following year the company ex- pended $200,000, thus exhausting the capital, receipts, and two loans. The building was afterward leased to the American institute and used for its annual fairs, during the progress of one of which, on Oct. 15, 1858, it was burned with all its contents. The Zollve- rein exhibition at Munich, from July 15 to Oct. 15, 1854, was held in a building of glass and iron, 800 ft. long, 280 ft. wide, and 87 ft. high, covering 250 sq. ft. of flooring, and costing $450,000. From 33 Zollverein states there were 6,800 exhibitors of goods, worth about $7,500,000 ; but the advent of cholera in the autumn and other causes reduced the number of visitors, and the Bavarian government was obliged to make up a deficiency of $1,000,000. The Paris international exhibition of 1855 was organized as follows : the government was to bear the cost and appoint the commission. A joint-stock company erected in the Champs Elysees a main building of glass, stone, and brick, 800 ft. long and 350 ft. wide, and other buildings for machinery, paintings, &c., were added. In the main building the goods were arranged by countries, and were classified near- ly as in the London exhibition of 1851. But