The Pike

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Naval Exhibit

Real boats on real water engage in exciting conflict, making one of the most realistic of entertainments.

Naval Exhibit

Naval exhibit on the Pike

THE BATTLE OF SANTIAGO

The members of the American navy who have witnessed a performance of tire Battle of Santiago on the Pike assert that it is the most realistic as well as the most exact reproduction of a naval battle that ever has been given. At the west end of the Pike is the large lake of water, with an open screen front bearing the name, Naval Exhibit, and a background of rocks, forts and the characteristic fortifications of an important harbor. The lake is 300 by 180 feet in area and the fleet consists of eight battleships, six cruisers, six torpedo boats and one submarine boat. They are exact models of the vessels in the American navy, twenty-one feet long and are operated by electricity. In the reproduction of the famous battle of Santiago the action begins by a merchant vessel that attempts to run the blockade. A cruiser gives chase and destroys her. Thereupon the enemy’s fleet begins the attack on the besieging squadron, the shore batteries open up, and as stirring a little fight as ever was witnessed follows. The air is rent by shot and shell, the roar of artillery is deafening. One after another, the ships of the enemy’s fleet sink or retire, so badly injured that they are unfit for service.

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The scenic Railway

The most elaborate and expensive system of the kind ever constructed.

The scenic Railway

THE SCENIC RAILWAY

The Scenic Railway is an amusement feature that never loses its popularity in any American pleasure resort. The one at the western end of the Pike has a throng of patrons, mostly of the younger class, who are fond of thrill without danger. The building occupies a large area, partly taken up by restaurants, but the railway itself reaches back a great distance into the territory at the north. A ride on a scenic railway as elaborate and extensive as this is a sensation that should not be missed. There is not'a dull second in the two round trips that one makes. The climax of the ride is in the section where three swift dips are made in rapid succession, at terrific speed, which is gently checked by the rise that brings the car smoothly into the pavilion where one passes brilliantly lighted scenes of enchantment that suggest a second trip. The Scenic Railway carries thousands of passengers in safety, and returns them to the starting point eager for another ride. Unlike some other entertainment features, it imposes no dreary waits. It is always ready, and condenses into a few swift moments enough excitement to lift the most jaded into the spirit of the Pike.

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"Jim Key"

The most wonderful horse in the world, who can do almost everything but talk.

Jim Key

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The "Magic Whirlpool"

Wonderful and mystifying mechanical and electrical effects amuse and confuse the visitors.

The "Magic Whirlpool"

MAGIC WHIRLPOOL

On all the Pike there is no more thrilling or delightful sensation provided for the visitor than that to be enjoyed in a trip through the Magic Whirlpool. One who has never taken tire trip has no conception of its charm, and the highest recommendation of its worth is the fact that those who have once entered the circle of spray are eager to go again and again. A part of the course is open to the view of the pedestrians on the Pike. Here is a great waterfall, descending from nowhere, a waterfall circular in shape, that pours fifty thousand gallons of water a minute into the basin below. Out of the Nowhere from which the cascade conies there appear from time to time frail crafts filled with human beings, crafts that seem about to plunge down into the seething whirlpool. But they do not plunge. They pass by to reappear lower down. From the center of the vapor circle rises an electric fountain, like a great living prism, sixty feet high. The fairy boats in which the passengers circle around the magic whirlpool dart through tropical gardens and groves, through underground channels to the base of the mountain on which rests the enchanted lake, around the electric fountain and out again to terra firma.

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Theatre in Chinese village

The Chinese have curious ideas, from the American viewpoint, on the drama, and the practical application of them may be seen in this elaborate playhouse.

Theatre in Chinese village

The chinese village on the Pike

THE CHINESE VILLAGE

The Chinese Village is an attraction offered by an association of Chinese merchants. There is a Chinese theater, with native players; a joss house, with a guide to explain the significance of the religious rites and symbols; a tea house, with native waiters; and a bazaar peopled with native merchants, mechanics, painters and decorators. Here silk weavers and carvers of ivory carry on their handicrafts as in their native land. In the theater the actors from Pekin use their art with such skill that the observer comprehends in spite of the language used. A roof garden is provided, where one may be regaled with delicacies strange to the occidental palate, served by quiet, quick-witted Chinamen who know the art of making one enjoy what he eats. Famous conjurers from the East contribute to the pleasure of the visit. The Chinese Village is the temporary home of a large number of people, who provide enough entertainment and instruction to make a visitor’s stay a source of enjoyment and satisfaction.

PEOPLE OF THE CHINESE VILLAGE ON THE PIKE

A great dragon that looks as if it might breathe lire and slay with perfect ease all who approach it guards the entrance to the Chinese Village on the Pike. At the present time, when both China and Japan are so much in the public eye, the Celestials are of exceptional interest to Americans. Nowhere can these strange people be seen in all their native environment better than in their village. Here they carry on their natural occupations exactly as if they were at home. Among the five hundred individuals who were brought over from China for the World's Fair there are merchants, actors, magicians and representatives of all the trades. The workmen are engaged in their labor of moulding pottery, carving wood, handling tea and all the other occupations that are most characteristic of their home, and all this is for the benefit of the visitor who will probably never have an opportunity of seeing the artisan in his native shop. In addition to the booths of the merchants and toilers, there is a theater in which the real Chinese drama is given by Chinese actors and actresses. The performance is so utterly unlike anything that is to be found in the Western Hemisphere that no one should miss seeing it. There are also two restaurants where Chinese dishes, ranging in price from one to twenty dollars, may be had.

CHINESE CHILDREN ON THE PIKE

The most pleasing feature of the Chinese Village is the array of little children who are employed to attract the crowd to the entrance of the concession. The youngest of these little people is but three years old, and he lives in the village with his parents, both of whom are merchants. Of the others, Ah See, the nine-year-old boy, is the brightest and most promising. He is an accomplished musician and takes an important part in the theatrical performance. Fanny Moy, the seven-year-old daughter of the village druggist, is the singer of the company. Her voice is clear and well modulated, and her English is almost without a suggestion of foreign accent. The visitor is astonished to find many of these little Chinese children conversing fluently in the language that they had never heard until they reached America, only a few months ago. They are all under bond of 8500 each, the bonds being deposited with the United States government as surety for their return to China after the World’s Fair. For many of them a bond was also given to the parents who remained at home. During their stay in St. Louis they are under government inspection at all times, and physicians detailed from the army service look after their physical well-being. They also receive instruction in English from a returned missionary who knew some of them in China.

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Esquimau Village

One can believe himself approaching the North Pole as he moves among these mountains of ice.

Esquimau Village

An Esquimau family

Very happy people with peculiar customs and usages.

An Esquimau family

In the Esquimau village

Esquimau men quickly snap coins with their whips at several paces.

In the Esquimau village

SCENE IN THE ESQUIMAU VILLAGE

A party of representative Esquimaux, from Alaska and Labrador, give the life and realism to the scenes of ice and snow in the Esquimau Village on the Pike. Their work and their play are both shown. Their huts of snow and ice and their tents of sealskin shelter them as at home, and the visitor may watch them weaving beautiful baskets, or fashioning garments of skins, or repairing the harness and equipment of the dogs that draw the sleds over tire trail of mimic ice. On a platform amid ice and snow these natives give the bear dance, the sun dance and tire snow dance, hold novel and lively wrestling matches, and give astonishing exhibitions of strength and agility, and of their skill in the use of the harpoon and the bow and arrow. Besides the exhibit of the natives themselves, there is a demonstration of Alaskan gold mining; but the arctic museum is half the exhibit, worthy of repeated visits. Here is an immense display of Esquimau handiwork and of the animals of the North, all entertainingly explained in fluent English by a young native. Miss Nancy Columbia, who was born at the Columbian Exposition in 1893, and has toured much of the world since, is in the Village, and is, perhaps, the most famous representative of these cheerful, hardy people.

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The Infant Incubators

The tiny babies being reared by scientific methods attract the attention of all visitors.

The Infant Incubators

BABY INCUBATORS

One of the most popular concessions on the Pike is that in which the tiny mites of humanity are to be seen. In a handsome building, the back part of which is of fire-proof construction, are fourteen of the finest pattern of infant incubators and a nursery that is all of enamel, nickel and glass. Here the babies from all over the city, that are too frail or too immature at birth to live under natural conditions, are kept in the incubators until they can endure the temperature of the outside air. Then they are transferred to the nursery and are given the most perfect care and are gradually accustomed to the conditions that will surround them in their own homes or the orphan asylums to which they are to be sent. Three physicians, several demonstrators and a corps of trained nurses are always in charge. The demonstrators explain to the visitors just how the incubators are heated and ventilated, and tell a great many interesting and instructive facts about the care of very young children.

BABY INCUBATORS

The Pike is not all frivolous. Several of its attractions are of real scientific value and of deep human interest. The best of these is one in which immature and feeble infants are cared for by artificial means, thus saving the lives of many that, without this care, would be doomed to an early death. The beautiful building, with its open court and its profusion of symbolic statuary, is one of the few fire-proof structures on the Pike. The display rooms are fitted with nickel, enamel and glass, and there are fourteen of the most modern pattern of infant incubators. At one end of the long room is the nursery, separated from the visitor by a wall of plate glass. Here the “graduate” babies are kept, some in the little enamel beds and others in tiny cribs, where the lecturer may call attention to their plumpness and appearance of vigor in contrast with the pallor and evident frailness of the poor little creatures in the incubators. There are ten trained nurses, four lecturers and from twenty to thirty babies to be seen, but the babies constitute the real show.

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Entrance to Siberian Railway

Miles of Siberian scenery pass before the traveler, comfortably seated above the flying wheels.

Siberian Railway

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Entrance to Fair Japan

A towering gateway, typical of the Island country; within are many fairyland scenes.

Entrance to Fair Japan

Entrance to fair japan

Besides her displays in the several exhibit palaces, Japan has an interesting play-house and restaurant on the Pike, which show the gay side of Japanese life. Here are some pretty tea houses and gardens with lakes and lagoons, a Japanese theater and restaurant. Strange storks wade in the waterways, on the banks of which grow many kinds of beautiful flowers, ferns and mosses. Forty pretty Japanese Geisha girls help to entertain visitors with music, song and dance. Tea is served in dainty cups by dainty hands and the bright side of life in the Flowery Kingdom is brought to view. Thus, the wonderful little nation in the far East is seen at the World’s Fair in all of its ways and lights, and the more it is seen the more are the science, skill, pluck and progress of Japan admired by all mankind. To enter Fair Japan we pass through the brilliant and lofty Nikko gate, which is a replica of the entrance to the Nikko temple, 80 miles from Tokio. We find ourselves upon a typical street of Tokio, and bazaars are on every side where one may buy fans and flags, and works of art, and a thousand things that the Japanese make most handily.


Geisha girls in Fair Japan

These little ladies of the Orient, in their bright embroideries, are among the most picturesque peoples of the Fair.

Geisha girls in Fair Japan

DRINKING TEA IN A JAPANESE PAVILION

The twin tea houses in the Japanese Government Reservation at the World’s Fair are modeled after those in the parent country. Here one may sit and dream over the fragrant decoctions, listening in vain for the tinkle of the samisen and the sound of dancing feet heard in the real Japan. Here tea is served by native young women in gay kimonos and slippered feet. One has a choice of brands, the pale amber-tinted green tea or the darker Fomosa Oolong. The green is known from the province from which it comes. Fomosa Oolong is the black tea of commerce, and a favorite with the English and Americans. There are two ways of brewing tea. One is to pour boiling water on the leaves, American fashion; in the other, the boiling water is first poured from the bronze hibachi, or kettle, into the cooling pot. After becoming slightly cooled, it is turned on the leaves and allowed to steep for five minutes. Some connoisseurs declare that the delicacy of the aroma is preserved by this process. With the tea, delicious little crisp rice cakes are eaten. No Oriental nation takes sugar or cream, deeming that these additions ruin the flavor. The central figure in this picture is Mrs. Daniel Manning, President of the Board of Lady Managers of the World’s Fair.

THE SPIDER PLAY IN FAIR JAPAN

There are many interesting dances at the World’s Fair in the various Pike concessions; but the one that has something more than simple grace of movement to recommend it is the Spider Dance that is given in the little Japanese theater. The dance is not only weird and charming, it is historic. It is a dance that has been in vogue for more than two hundred years', and is a part of the most sacred religious ceremonial. It is accompanied by a sort of drama, with very little action except the measured dancing, and the story is told in the most solemn chants, all in Japanese. This story, which is translated for the audience by an interpreter, relates that at one time a prominent member of the Gen family, a near relative of the Mikado and a high official in the realm, was made the victim of a plot by his enemies. In order to destroy his life they had spiders transformed into dancing girls. The dancers strove to reach the person of the sick Minister of State in order to sting him to death, but his good spirits interfered just in time to save him. Then the good spirits went out to seek the Great Spider, found him in the forest and, in spite of webs, which enmesh the entire stage, gave him battle to the death.

GEISHA GIRLS IN FAIR JAPAN

When one passes down the Pike, he will do well to view the towering Nikko Gate of “Fair Japan,” with its gracefully overhanging roof and great crimson columns twined about with dragons and all glittering with electric lights. If he elects to enter, he comes upon a theater set in one of those dainty Japanese gardens of which we hear so much and see so little. In the theater the geisha girls, fifty of whom were brought over for this attraction, entertain the visitor with the songs and dances popular in Japan. One of the weirdest of these is the spider-dance. AU of these.performances are colorful and unique, and pervaded with the charm of Japanese young women, who flit about everywhere in the gardens and bazaars, demure and fair. The garden at the left of the theater is a miniature copy of the Imperial Garden in Tokio, and with its tiny lakes, bridges of quaint design, waterfalls and pavilions, makes an appropriate setting for the Oriental life of the place. Not far from 300 Japanese men, women and children inhabit this delightful spot, many of them occupied with the care of tire bazaars and little shops, where polite English is spoken to the visitor who may care to examine the exquisite wares offered for sale. In the tea garden one may be served with light refreshments by the charming and dainty young women who are seen grouped near the Lake in the illustration.

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In the Palais du Costume

Exact reproduction of the costume of Josephine, wife of Napoleon I.

In the Palais du Costume

JOSEPHINE ROBED FOR THE CORONATION, A SETTING IN THE PALAIS DU COSTUME

Fashion’s changing fancies, as mirrored in the dress of succeeding generations, are displayed at the Palais du Costume in a series of thirty dramatic settings, one of the most elaborate of which represents Josephine robed for her coronation as the Empress of France. This was one of the proud moments of tire great Napoleon’s life and his familiar figure is seen leaning against the mantel as if he were contemplating the vision before him. The robe worn by Josephine is reputed to have cost 3200,000, and this reproduction represents an outlay of 340,000, the costume having been copied in the original materials and the chamber furnished with expensive relics of the Napoleonic period. Not since the time of Josephine has any woman worn so costly a robe. The duplicate is of such a great weight that the strength of the average woman would be taxed to support it. The garment was made from the richest of velvet, woven especially for this purpose, and is trimmed in real ermine, the insignia of royalty. The purple field is sown with golden bees, and encircling the train is a wreath of imperial emblems worked in pearls.