000, that of
Omaha for $37,500, and that of Buffalo for $67,000.

Before the exposition closed the management had begun to dispose
of salvage in a small way, but the results were very
discouraging. It looked much as if the property of this
exposition would go as had that of previous expositions, for a
very small fraction of the cost. At one time the directors of
the company thought it might be necessary to organize a company
and carry the salvage through a series of years in order to
realize on it. But the best that could be figured from such a
course was from $300,000 to $350,000 for the same property sold
to the Chicago House Wrecking Company for $450,000.

The only persons who raised any question about the sale and the
amount realized were two disappointed bidders. These bidders
were given all of the time they asked. They were furnished
information in reply to their inquiries. They could not be given
lists of the property of the exposition because, after careful
consideration of such lists, it was deemed inadvisable by the
exposition to attempt a sale on that basis. It was the
conclusion that more could be realized by selling all right and
title to the physical property of the exposition. I believe that
more was realized than would have been obtained on bids if an
inventory had been furnished.

The Chicago House Wrecking Company was doing business on the
grounds during the exposition and previous thereto. The officers
of that company have been in the wrecking business for years.
Looking forward to the time, they saved, as I happened to learn,
clippings from the newspapers showing contracts let by the
exposition; also clippings showing purchases of various kinds.
In fact, for months they were gathering through outside sources
all the information they could as to the character of the
company's property. In this way they obtained their information
as to this property. They were given no list from the company.
They were given no advantage over other bidders. I know it to be
a fact that the Exposition Company did all in its power to
induce other bidders to come from other cities, and stimulated
competition. The correspondence and telegrams passing through my
hands show this. There was a great deal of property that the
exposition had the use of and did not own. This app