“The Devil In the White City” — Part III

The gates of the Exposition were finally open to the public, and these chapters mainly detail the moving parts and intricate details of the Chicago World’s Fair and its daily operations. I was fascinated by how much the author knew about these specifics, from the thousands of daily workers to the experiences people had at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The research he must have performed is mind-boggling. The Fair seemed to have almost everything from grand hotels to lavish restaurants, lush grounds to walk through, huge, shiny buildings, and even boats that transported patrons to and from the Wooded Island. It was a city within a city; and it had come to be known as “The White City.”

Scores of people who visited the Fair not only came for the large and varied new buildings, food, and cultural exhibits, but they came to have an experience; and an experience they got. It was overwhelming to read about the excessive and exotic “embellishments” brought in by the architects and developers. For example, Olmstead, director of landscape, had “more than eight hundred ducks, and geese, [and] seven thousand pigeons…” (Larson, 221) The Fair had representation from every country it seemed, as I can recall mention of Japanese in red silk, Algerians, Mexican ballerinas, Eskimos, Romanians in red, blue, and yellow, and the like.

I think a big draw to the Exposition became the grand Ferris Wheel. I am in awe of how powerful it was and how quickly Ferris was able to craft and construct it in the time he was given. Patrons were intrigued by how such a large structure of tons of steel could possibly move. Many were afraid to ride it because it looked unsafe, even though the wheel proved to be structurally sound. The storm that brought tornado-like winds to the Fair in 1893 was proof, as “…if no wind were blowing. Passengers felt only a slight vibration” (Larson, 300). All in all, it seemed Exposition attendees got the experience they were hoping for whether they traveled from just outside the City of Chicago or from other states or countries.

Larson recounts “The exposition was Chicago’s great pride” (Larson, 288), and “…the fair did more than simply stoke pride. It gave Chicago a light to hold against the gathering dark of economic calamity” (Larson 288–289). There was much going on economically at this time in history in the City of Chicago, and around the country. Railroad companies were failing, banks were closing, business owners and bankers alike were taking their lives. Unemployment numbers continued to mount. Industrial production was down and unions were on strike. Because our country was just beginning, to me, this was a prime example a great cause and effect between all of these different facets of the economy, and how they are all so interdependent on one another. In The Devil In the White City (DITWC), even Burnham and his architectural firm, including his grip on the Expedition, were feeling the economic pinch.

Exposition leaders were determined to make it an opulent and eutopic environment, but ironically, even the White City was not immune to the troubles of the “outside” world. The Exposition did not start out as anticipated. Ticket sales were down. Despite the City’s great pride in the Fair, only 10,000 people attended Jackson Park the first day. Personally, I expected this to happen considering portions of the Fair were not complete, the Ferris Wheel was still under construction, and all of the rising suspense of opening day was ironically “too good to be true.” It seemed like it all fell flat. It’s like nearing the finish line, only to trip and fall. There was a financial committee assigned to govern the Fair was overrun by Burnham and Millett. I found myself cheering for both of them with their “spend more to make more” attitude. They eventually made back their quotas on ticket sales with their marketing plan to attract visitors.

Other issues plagued the Fair, like the architectural failure by designer Frank Burnham that led to the cold storage tower fire, killing 15 people. The entire time, patrons were overhead riding the Ferris Wheel. Personally, I expected death in the making of the Fair, but not after its opening. It’s sad to see human lives taken away in the midst of one of the most biggest peaceful events in history. But this wasn’t the end. “The fair had begun with death, and now it ended with death” (Larson, 332). Not only did workers die, but Chicago’s beloved Mayor Carter Harrison was murdered the night before Closing Day. Millet and Burnham planned to make it absolutely unforgettable, just as they hoped the first day when the Fair opened, only to be met with disappointment. A funeral replaced the event on a sad note, as if the Fair itself had died.

After the smoke and dust from the Fair had stopped, citizens began to notice that the number of disappearances was higher than expected. “The lists of the ‘missing’ when the Fair closed was a long one, and in the greater number foul play suspected” (Larson, 335). This is when Holmes’s acts are coming to light. I find it so interesting how this doctor, with completely different motives than Daniel Burnham, was functioning and living out a completely different life of murder and fraud around the details of the Exposition. Both men fit oddly into this historical event like two puzzle pieces, opposite in color and shape, into one large,complex picture. Larson’s overall message of the book involving men’s choice to do good and evil will impact the upcoming events in the rest of the story. I get a sense that these disappearance rumors are only the beginning of the end for Holmes, and his crimes will catch up with him.