Maybe you've already seen this, but in case you haven't, description from a fragment of a letter to his sister, summer of 1853: "...from a gallery (second floor) you have a glorious sight--the flags of different countries represented, the lofty dome, glittering jewelry, gaudy tapestry, &c., with the busy crowd passing to and fro-- tis a perfect fairy palace—beautiful beyond description. The Machinery department is on the main floor, but I cannot enumerate any of it on account of the lateness of the hour (past 8 o'clock). I would take more than a week to examine everything on exhibition; and as I was only in a little over two hours tonight, I only glanced at about one-third of the articles; and haing a poor memory; I have enumerated scarcely any of even the principal objects. The visitors to the Palace average 6,000 daily—double the population of Hannibal. The price of admission being 50 cents, they take in about $3,000." --The Complete Letters of Mark Twain, pp12-13 http://books.google.com/books?id=30p0kyQ5wOgC&pg=PA12&dq=mark+twain+ letter+to+pamela+crystal+palace&cd=1#v =onepage&q=&f=false