AtDDtA1: The World's Columbian Exposition

[Dave Monroe]

   "They were bound this day for the city of Chicago, and the World's
Columbian Exposition recently opened there.  Since their orders had
come through, the 'scuttlebutt' among the excited and curious crew had
been of little besides the fabled 'White City,' its great Ferris
wheel, alabaster temples of commerce and industry, sparkling lagoons,
and the thousand more such wonders, of both a scientific and an
artistic nature, which awaited the there." (AtD, Pt. I, p. 3)


The World's Columbian Exposition

http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/

http://www.chicagohs.org/history/expo.html

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~shancock/fair/1893.html

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/WCE/title.html

http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/columbian.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Columbian_Exposition

http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog15/index.html

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/devilinthewhitecity/home.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/chicago/peopleevents/e_court.html


Main Entry: scut·tle·butt
Pronunciation: 'sk&-t&l-"b&t
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of scuttled butt butt with a hole cut into it
1 a : a cask on shipboard to contain freshwater for a day's use b : a
drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval or marine installation
2 : RUMOR, GOSSIP

http://m-w.com/dictionary/scuttlebutt

The origin of the word scuttlebutt which is nautical parlance for a
rumor, comes from a combination of scuttle - to make a hole in the
ship's side causing her to sink - and butt - a cask or hogshead used
in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water; thus the term
scuttlebutt means a cask with a hole in it. Scuttle; describes what
most rumors accomplish if not to the ship, at least to morale. (from
The Goat Locker Website)

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD-S

http://www.goatlocker.org/


"White City"

The White City, origin of the "City Beautiful" movement in the United
States, represents an unprecedented collaboration of artists,
architects, engineers, sculptors, painters, and landscape architects
who joined forces to create a single work - an ideal model city. The
White City truly was the largest single common artistic undertaking
ever. To preserve harmony in this ideal city, some general guidelines
were given to artists and architects. Within these guidelines, they
had wide latitude on the creation of the final product. One standard
was that the cornice height was always to be 60 feet. Another was that
the buildings should be within the Classical style. The dominant
Classical themes were Roman Imperial and Greek. Roman Imperial themes
were especially prevalent, manifested in the many domes, arches, and
arcades. For the grand celebration of a republic, it is interesting to
note the lack of Roman Republican influences in the architectural
style. The underlying themes of the White City, the true main
exhibition of the fair, were scale, harmony, and ensemble. The style
is known most commonly as the Beaux Arts style, as the architects who
designed the exposition were trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in
Paris, France.

http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/columbian.html#WhiteCity

The Black Presence at "White City": African and African American
Participation at the World's Columbian Exposition

http://columbus.iit.edu/reed2.html

How Did African-American Women Define Their Citizenship at the Chicago
World's Fair in 1893?

http://sadl.uleth.ca/nz/collect/whist/import/complete/womhist.binghamton.edu/ibw/page1.htm


"its giant Ferris wheel"

The Ferris Wheel was the engineering highlight of the exposition and
one of the most pervasive, lasting influences of the 1893 fair. The
Ferris Wheel was Chicago's answer to the Eiffel Tower, the landmark of
the 1889 Paris exhibition. The wheel was created by Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania bridge builder George W. Ferris. Supported by two 140
foot steel towers, its 45 foot axle was the largest single piece of
forged steel at the time in the world. The wheel itself had a diameter
of 250 feet, a circumference of 825 feet, and the maximum height was
264 feet. It was powered by two 1000 horsepower reversible engines. It
had 36 wooden cars that could each hold 60 people. The Ferris Wheel
grossed $726,805.50 during its short time in operation, at 50 cents
per ride. The profit of approx. $300,000 was of great benefit toward
balancing the books of the exposition. The wheel was dismantled in
mid-1894, after the fair, and reused at the St. Louis exposition in
1904. The original Ferris Wheel was scrapped in 1906. But, the
influence of the engineering and entertainment marvel can be readily
seen by the large number of Ferris Wheels of various types at fairs
and entertainment grounds around the world.

http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/ferris.html

And see as well, e.g., ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferris_wheel

http://www.hydeparkhistory.org/newsletter.html

http://columbus.iit.edu/dreamcity/00024024.html

http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/northside/nor%5Fn105b.html

Not to menion ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0607&msg=102297

Recommended cribbing

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0607&msg=103064