A popular history of the United States of America, from the aboriginal times to the present day (1881) (14582062597)

Identifier: popularhistoryof00ridpaj (find matches)
Title: A popular history of the United States of America, from the aboriginal times to the present day
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: Cincinnati, Philadelphia (etc.) Jones brothers & company San Francisco, A. L. Bancroft & co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



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as queen, and Utility herminister of state. Here was the realm where Thought had the mas-tery over Matter—the empire of wheels and pistons, where Steamwas the Mother of Motion.—All this and more was foreshadowed andprovided for in the grand structure designed by the Centennial Com-mission for the display of machinery 4 The fourth principal building of the Exposition grounds was Ag-ricultural Hall, situated on the eastern side of Belmont Avenue, andbeyond the valley of the same name. The ground-plan of the edificepresented a central nave eight hundred and twenty feet in length,and one hundred and twenty-five feet wide. This principal aisle wascrossed at right angles by a main and two subordinate transepts—theformer one hundred feet, and the latter eighty feet, in width. Theprojections of these transepts formed two courts on either side of themain structure, which, together with the four spaces similarly formedat the corners of the building, were enclosed with fronts and roofs,—
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584 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. whereby the edifice was extended into an immense parallelogram eighthundred and twenty feet long, and five hundred and forty feet inwidth. The entire area thus embraced in the ground-floor was tenand three-tenths acres. As to its style, Agricultural Hall had a touch of Gothicism—suggested by the Howe truss-arches of the nave and transepts—in itsconstruction. Over the bisection of the central avenue and the maintransept, rose an elegant cupola surmounted by a weather-vane. Theentrances were ornamental, and at each side wore handsome turrets.The roofs wrere pointed, stained a greenish tint, and flecked with sky-lights. The body of the building was composed of wood, iron, andglass, and was painted brown. The general effect was pleasing, and abirds-eye view revealed in the edifice and its surroundings a pictur-esqueness hardly discoverable in any other of the Exposition struct-ures. This building, being devoted to the general purposes of anagricultura