Fingy Conners & The New Century by Richard Sullivan

Author:Richard Sullivan [Sullivan, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montgomery Ewing Publishers
Published: 2012-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

Inside the Electric Building: the transformers at the General Electric Exhibit.

May 20, 1901

Opening Day At

The Pan American Exposition

Excited children were up and running around the Sullivan homes on Hamburg Street while outside it was still pitch-black. The oldest kid, the Alderman himself, was more excited than any of the others, as he had been an instigator of the exposition scheme and had enthusiastically boomed the enterprise far and wide whenever provided any opportunity.

He climbed out of bed as Annie moaned, “Already?”

He stepped into his trousers. He parted the curtains and allowed the glow of the Buffalo Furnace Co. across the street to invade the room. Annie opened her eyes to the reddish light and wondered for the thousandth time if she would ever live to see the day they could move away from this hell-hole forever.

The wind was rushing down from the north, pushing all the smoke and stench to the south, allowing a rare morning when it was possible to actually stick one’s head out the window and breathe in the fresh morning air if a person had a mind to. The only odor present was a fine one; it came from the grain elevators to the north, where the delicious scent of toasting oats filled the air.

As the sun rose it did not show its brilliant face, for it was a gloomy leaden day. This did nothing to daunt the population of the Sullivan homes nor of the city itself from the intoxicating prospect of the stupendous spectacle that lay ahead.

The Alderman had arranged for his own and his brother’s families to have a prime viewing spot of the opening promenade inside the grounds just over the Triumphal Bridge. It was over that bridge inside the exposition proper, its span anchored by four absolutely massive colonnades topped with giant heroic sculptures of rearing horses and majestic figures, that the parade of exposition dignitaries would enter the grounds.

All the family members were present except for Junior, who was required to be at his station at the Pabst Pavilion.

“Junior’s the lucky one,” moaned Nellie as she stood in the chill breeze waiting for the procession to begin. She huddled against her mother for warmth and looked around to see what handsome boys she might view as Hannah and Annie gabbed excitedly and the kids made no effort to contain themselves; they wanted in, now. But they would have to endure the pompous procession of dignitaries first.

“Finally!” sniffed Nellie as the distant sounds of the 74th Regiment Band could be heard at the far end of the bridge. A sea of black top hats appeared, those belonging to Vice President Roosevelt, Exposition President Milburn, Mr. Scatcherd, Mayor Diehl, Fingy Conners and all the rest of the cream of society who led the way. These were followed by other important people, men and women, who had worked long and hard to bring this day to reality; the architects, decorators, landscape designers, colorists and planners. Following them were the aldermen in derbys and

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