A typical manial house attracted much attention. The building represented a house of the wealthy class, with shell windows. The exhibit contained therein consisted in the main of handsome handwoven fabrics and embroideries, prominent among which are the famed jusi and pina cloths and sinamy fabrics. There were, besides, many pieces of hand-carved furniture and works of art.
There were artificial flowers, cotton goods, fancy goods, embroidery, jusi cloth, sinamay cloth, pina cloth, and silks.
Besides the above, the walls, ceilings, and show cases were decorated with hats, baskets, mattings, and pottery. In the rooms were 50 pieces of carved furniture. A number of paintings was also on exhibition here.
Following is the list of awards as approved by the superior jury:
Grand prizes, 1; gold medals, 16; silver medals, 62; bronze medals, 213; honorable mention, 1,200; total number of awards 1,492.
PORTO RICO.
In the Agricultural Building, not far from the main entrance, was found the Porto Rico section. It was in the nature of a pagoda of two floors. The lower one was dedicated to agriculture, mines, forestry, and a few of the manufactures exhibits. On the second floor were the liberal arts and manufactures exhibits and the offices of the commission; also the needlework display, which was collected and exhibited by the Women's Aid Society, San Juan, and the Benevolent Society, Ponce.
The commission that represented Porto Rico at the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition was composed of the following:
Mr. Jaime Annexy, president; Mr. Gutsavo Preston, commissioner; Mr.
Antonio Mariani, commissioner; Mr. L.A. Castro, assistant secretary;
Mrs. R.A. Miller, honorary commissioner; Mrs. Hortensia Y. de Annexy,
honorary commissioner; Miss Maria Stahl, representative Women's Aid
Society of San Juan; Mrs. David A. Skinner, representative of Benevolent
Society of Ponce; Miss Pearl Magehan, superintendent of education; Mr.
Nicolas Hernandez, attaché.
The president of the commission was for some months in personal charge of everything concerning the exhibit. To his efforts the credit for the Porto Rico exhibit is due. Mr. Annexy is an industrial engineer and occupies a prominent position in his native country. Porto Rican coffee was considered the most extensive exhibit and was awarded the highest honors. The coffee produced in Porto Rico is almost all exported to Europe. In the year 1902 to 1903 coffee was exported to European countries to the value of $3,252,043, and the export to the United States was only $718,531. The total exports of the same year to foreign countries was $3,956,893 and to the United States $10,909,147. The exhibition of coffee was the most important aim of the Porto Rico commission, and it was distributed free in the Porto Rico Pagoda. It was also given away green, roasted, and powdered, in bags of different sizes.