406
EXPOSITION AT VIENNA.
THE MACHINERY OF THE VIENNA EXPOSITION.
BY HAMILTON A. HILL.
Group XIII.
For Group XIII. the Austrians provided an entirely separate building, which ran from its westerly entrance towards the east and parallel with the main Exposition building, for a distance of 2,625 feet. It was itself a very large structure, one hundred and sixty feet wide and covering an area of nearly ten acres. Even this space proved by far too small, and all that could by any reasonable construction be placed among agricultural or other special groups for which separate buildings were erected, was excluded from the general hall. The portion of the agricultural buildings devoted to machinery covered about three acres more. Many leading manufacturing establishments also preferred to erect their own structures and to make private exhibitions therein. These probably covered two acres more. So that the whole machinery exhibits, including boiler-houses, pumping-works and heavy machines not under shelter, covered an area of not less than sixteen acres.
The main hall consisted of a central roof, resting on a double line of arches, above which were the windows which lighted the interior. Upon each side of this central portion were wide aisles outside the arches, covered with lean-to roofs, which rested against the walls above the arches, but below the windows. Along the centre of this hall was set up a high iron frame-work which carried the shafting by which power was furnished to the numerous machines in motion from the various engines on exhibition. With the exception of a small line of cold-rolled shafting put up to drive the shoe machinery exhibited in the American department, there was no power carried into the side aisles. They were devoted to steam- pumps, hammers and machinery not in motion. As the dif-