At last the time has arrived for the opening of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After many months of grueling, strenuous work and planning the Fair is finally open to the public. May 1, 1893 marks the grand opening, headlined by various important people, including President Grover Cleveland who speaks at the opening ceremony. From the first day at the fair, the feeling is that it had turned out to be a great success, despite its various problems and snags along the way. Despite the fact that Olmsted needs to continue and improve his efforts on maintaining the grounds, and Ferris “needed to finish that damned wheel,” as Daniel Burnham put it, attendance for opening day had come in somewhere between 500,000 and 600,000 people (Larson 239). Every indicator from the first day seemed to point to the fact that the Fair would be a tremendous success; however, that optimism lasted for all of twenty four hours. On May 2, only ten thousand people were recorded as having attended the Fair. Probably sparked in part by economic failure around the country and worldwide, this fact sparks great concern into Daniel Hudson Burnham’s mind. He begins to push Olmsted and Ferris to improve their efforts, and assigns Francis Millet the job of advertising and promoting the Fair to boost attendance because without it, the Fair cannot possibly profit. Come the end of the first month average attendance was only 33,000, a number far below what had been expected by Burnham and the committee, so only one question can be asked: Will the Fair ever profit?
Despite its incompleteness and the lack of attendance at the Fair, those who decide to attend can experience some truly remarkable things upon their arrival. It is full of newfound inventions and many first time attractions. There is even a daycare for children, where there parents can drop them off and receive a claim check in return. Spectators could view the first ever moving pictures on Edison’s Kinetoscope and were stunned by the sight of lightning chattering from Nikola Tesla’s body. The marvels are seemingly endless, with the display of the first zipper and first ever all electric kitchen, complete with an automatic dishwasher and the first box of Aunt Jemima’s instant pancake mix. Fairgoers could sample an odd tasting new gum called Juicy Fruit, a bizarre snack food labeled Cracker Jacks, and Shredded Wheat, or “shredded doormat” as some called it, which seemed unlikely to profit. The attractions and wonders seemed to never end and as a result two weeks was the recommended time that visitors spend in order to cover it all. Despite the interesting splendor of exhibits and buildings, attendance could not be boosted. Perhaps what was needed was the finishing of the grand attraction that was feared yet anticipated: The Ferris Wheel.
Finally, come the first week in June, the actual wheel itself was completely put up and. None of the 36 cars were hung yet, but the wheel was ready for its first rotation. Standing alone, unsupported, the wheel looked incredibly fragile due to its lack of visual support. It was decided that the wheel would take its first cargo-less test spin in a nerve wracking move. Luckily, the test was a success and everyone in sight was relieved that no drastic casualties were drawn, including Ferris’s wife who telegraphed her husband who had been unable to attend after. Almost no time was wasted before the gigantic cars were hung on the wheel, and by June 11, six of the wheels are hung and up for a test run with passengers. Yet again it is successful and the experience proves to be an awe inspiring one. When the cars first reached the top, a mighty 264 feet up, the people crammed into the cars roared but were quickly silenced upon realizing just what they were experiencing. The true power of the sight was described by one of the passengers as, “It was a most beautiful sight one obtains in the descent of the car, for then the whole fair grounds is laid before you. The view is so grand that all timidity left me...the sight was so inspiring that all conversation stopped, and we all were lost in admiration of this grand sight. The equal of it I have never seen” (Larson 270-271). The majesty of the Ferris Wheel was in no doubt upon the test day, and after the remaining thirty cars were attached, the wheel was finally opened on June 21, 1893. The ceremony was headed by Mister George Washington Gale Ferris himself and was attended by his wife, the mayor of Chicago, and many spectators and eager riders. While safety fears were obvious, the enjoyment was unarguable and one can only hope that it will give Fair attendance a boost that it desperately needs.
Naturally with all the excitement generated by the Fair, many people are infiltrating the city of Chicago and no one enjoys it more than our old friend Dr. H.H. Holmes. In typical Holmes fashion, the owner of The World's Fair Hotel denies admission to men, claiming the rooms to be full, when they truthfully aren’t, and accepts numerous young women that he finds “intoxicating.” With each new female guest, however, his new wife Minnie becomes increasingly jealous, and as a result, Holmes decides to rent a flat relatively far away from the hotel, claiming it will be better for raising a family. The move allows Holmes to enjoy himself at the hotel, and enjoy his fruitful company of female guests that may have found the hotel dreary, but did not mind because of the danger of Chicago and the warm, charming owner. Often times guests checked out without paying their bill however, seemingly disappearing without notice, but Holmes never minded and even payed for the stays. Without doubt, Holmes is behind the various disappearances, likely selling more skeletons for medical use in his sick and twisted fetish.
Some of Holmes’s tactics he uses for making guests disappear are even discussed in this section of the reading. Several guests are counted as having disappeared, including a waitress, a young stenographer named Jennie Thompson, another woman named Evelyn Stewart, and even a male physician. The hotel is described as smelling of chemicals, specifically of gas, cleaner, and medicine, but this was to be expected given Holmes ran a pharmacy downstairs. Holmes never killed to the face surprisingly enough, but he did enjoy proximity, and enjoyed being close enough to hear the panic in his victims as death approached them. He would use either his vault or chloroform to subdue his victims, before disposing of the bodies by burning them in his kiln, dissolving parts in pits of quicklime, or even skinning the bodies and selling them as skeletons for science. Regardless of the method, H.H. Holmes was becoming a very skilled serial killer who enjoyed his craft.
During Holmes’s last section of the reading, Minnie’s sister from Texas, Anna “Nannie” Williams, arrives upon accepting Holmes’s invitation to visit the World’s Fair in last week’s reading. Despite her initial skepticism upon hearing of Minnie’s impromptu marriage early on, Nannie is immediately charmed and trapped by Holmes’s typical, charming demeanor, as well as his affection for her sister. Nannie accompanies Holmes and Minnie on tours of downtown Chicago, the Union Stockyards, where the sight of pigs being slaughtered left Holmes notably “unmoved” and the girls disgusted yet thrilled (Larson 265). The three of them visit the Fair for many days and the women are thoroughly enamored with it. Finally, Holmes invites Nannie to stay for the entire summer and she requests her already packed trunk to be sent from home. Obviously Holmes has taken some interest in his bride’s sister, so it will be interesting to see if she will come upon the same fate as many other women have under the company of Dr. H.H Holmes. Will Nannie survive the summer? I guess we will have to wait to find out.
Despite its incompleteness and the lack of attendance at the Fair, those who decide to attend can experience some truly remarkable things upon their arrival. It is full of newfound inventions and many first time attractions. There is even a daycare for children, where there parents can drop them off and receive a claim check in return. Spectators could view the first ever moving pictures on Edison’s Kinetoscope and were stunned by the sight of lightning chattering from Nikola Tesla’s body. The marvels are seemingly endless, with the display of the first zipper and first ever all electric kitchen, complete with an automatic dishwasher and the first box of Aunt Jemima’s instant pancake mix. Fairgoers could sample an odd tasting new gum called Juicy Fruit, a bizarre snack food labeled Cracker Jacks, and Shredded Wheat, or “shredded doormat” as some called it, which seemed unlikely to profit. The attractions and wonders seemed to never end and as a result two weeks was the recommended time that visitors spend in order to cover it all. Despite the interesting splendor of exhibits and buildings, attendance could not be boosted. Perhaps what was needed was the finishing of the grand attraction that was feared yet anticipated: The Ferris Wheel.
Finally, come the first week in June, the actual wheel itself was completely put up and. None of the 36 cars were hung yet, but the wheel was ready for its first rotation. Standing alone, unsupported, the wheel looked incredibly fragile due to its lack of visual support. It was decided that the wheel would take its first cargo-less test spin in a nerve wracking move. Luckily, the test was a success and everyone in sight was relieved that no drastic casualties were drawn, including Ferris’s wife who telegraphed her husband who had been unable to attend after. Almost no time was wasted before the gigantic cars were hung on the wheel, and by June 11, six of the wheels are hung and up for a test run with passengers. Yet again it is successful and the experience proves to be an awe inspiring one. When the cars first reached the top, a mighty 264 feet up, the people crammed into the cars roared but were quickly silenced upon realizing just what they were experiencing. The true power of the sight was described by one of the passengers as, “It was a most beautiful sight one obtains in the descent of the car, for then the whole fair grounds is laid before you. The view is so grand that all timidity left me...the sight was so inspiring that all conversation stopped, and we all were lost in admiration of this grand sight. The equal of it I have never seen” (Larson 270-271). The majesty of the Ferris Wheel was in no doubt upon the test day, and after the remaining thirty cars were attached, the wheel was finally opened on June 21, 1893. The ceremony was headed by Mister George Washington Gale Ferris himself and was attended by his wife, the mayor of Chicago, and many spectators and eager riders. While safety fears were obvious, the enjoyment was unarguable and one can only hope that it will give Fair attendance a boost that it desperately needs.
Naturally with all the excitement generated by the Fair, many people are infiltrating the city of Chicago and no one enjoys it more than our old friend Dr. H.H. Holmes. In typical Holmes fashion, the owner of The World's Fair Hotel denies admission to men, claiming the rooms to be full, when they truthfully aren’t, and accepts numerous young women that he finds “intoxicating.” With each new female guest, however, his new wife Minnie becomes increasingly jealous, and as a result, Holmes decides to rent a flat relatively far away from the hotel, claiming it will be better for raising a family. The move allows Holmes to enjoy himself at the hotel, and enjoy his fruitful company of female guests that may have found the hotel dreary, but did not mind because of the danger of Chicago and the warm, charming owner. Often times guests checked out without paying their bill however, seemingly disappearing without notice, but Holmes never minded and even payed for the stays. Without doubt, Holmes is behind the various disappearances, likely selling more skeletons for medical use in his sick and twisted fetish.
Some of Holmes’s tactics he uses for making guests disappear are even discussed in this section of the reading. Several guests are counted as having disappeared, including a waitress, a young stenographer named Jennie Thompson, another woman named Evelyn Stewart, and even a male physician. The hotel is described as smelling of chemicals, specifically of gas, cleaner, and medicine, but this was to be expected given Holmes ran a pharmacy downstairs. Holmes never killed to the face surprisingly enough, but he did enjoy proximity, and enjoyed being close enough to hear the panic in his victims as death approached them. He would use either his vault or chloroform to subdue his victims, before disposing of the bodies by burning them in his kiln, dissolving parts in pits of quicklime, or even skinning the bodies and selling them as skeletons for science. Regardless of the method, H.H. Holmes was becoming a very skilled serial killer who enjoyed his craft.
During Holmes’s last section of the reading, Minnie’s sister from Texas, Anna “Nannie” Williams, arrives upon accepting Holmes’s invitation to visit the World’s Fair in last week’s reading. Despite her initial skepticism upon hearing of Minnie’s impromptu marriage early on, Nannie is immediately charmed and trapped by Holmes’s typical, charming demeanor, as well as his affection for her sister. Nannie accompanies Holmes and Minnie on tours of downtown Chicago, the Union Stockyards, where the sight of pigs being slaughtered left Holmes notably “unmoved” and the girls disgusted yet thrilled (Larson 265). The three of them visit the Fair for many days and the women are thoroughly enamored with it. Finally, Holmes invites Nannie to stay for the entire summer and she requests her already packed trunk to be sent from home. Obviously Holmes has taken some interest in his bride’s sister, so it will be interesting to see if she will come upon the same fate as many other women have under the company of Dr. H.H Holmes. Will Nannie survive the summer? I guess we will have to wait to find out.