The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-06-29
A MONSTER MUSEUM.

A MONSTER MUSEUM.
B.rnum, Vanderbilt and others have
in contemplation q huge museum for
the city of New York. The gre:nd
purchased for the purpose cost them
$500. 900. and at least $4,000. 900 will
be required for the building. which will
be one of the largest in the world. In
the building will be thester. an a.
era house, a skating rink. an immen o
Inow for chariot racing and stseple
chasing. nD aquarium. two whole floors
f"r the unseum, aud another. the top
most in the building, for tropical gar
den. In a recent letter, Mr. Bsroum,
who is the master spirit 10 the enter
prise. wrote concerning it Is follows:
My old American Museum often
Melted me about $500. 600 . year. which
was, as you see. equal to ten per cent.
Oh your proposed capital OF $4,000. 600.
Now. twenty years later. New York
city, its suburbs. and the country gen.
orally, have nearly doubled their popu-
lstion, and with such an immense
building az the Museum Company pro-
poses to erect (being over sixteen times
larger than the Did Museum. which
stood on two city lots. while this con-
tains, thirty four. could present nov
elites, aud attractions which ought to
net NEARLY or quite million OF dollars
. year, from twenty Eve to thirty.tbree
per cent. on the capital. With . man.
sgeriaI experience Of over forty years.
during which time more than eighty
milions Of tickets have been sold to my
various entertainments. candidiy
say that cannot 80 figure it ss TO make
this new enterprise pay less than twenty
per cent. dividends. The Jenny Lind
concerts received over $700, 600. giving
but ten concerts a month. Ny Hippo
drome took 10 New York. Philadel-
p':ia nnd Boston at the ratio Of about
two millions Of dollars per year. having
taken even 10 the city Of Providence,
$ll 900 in single day. My present
travelling circus oftsn takes between
$1,000 aud $4,000 per day, or at the rate
OF more than two millions of dollars per
year, whereas that entire show woald
be but drop in the bucket il placed in
the Immense Baruum Museo n Build
ing. The fact is. there 10 no place Of
amusement in thu world that contains
one-6fth Of the genuine attractions
which / could present; hence. while
the citizens Of New York and vicinity
wouit constantly pstronize it,. no
stranger would ever think of visiting
the city without going there. There II
coufessedly need in New York city Of
proper place of innocent and instruct
i've family amusement and healthy re.
c.eAtiun, combining large variety Of
popular entertainments. where refined
mothers can take their children without
fear Of contamination. The establish-
ment proposed would supply this uni
versal wait. / consider that the trop-
ical garden feature ought Of itself to
make ten per cent. or more on the cap
ital. ,f'Phs year Of the proposed Worlds
Fair. three years hence. would. in my
opinion. show US many days that We
should be obliged to turn away theus-
snds, from our colossal building for
want OF ROOM"
That the calculations here made are
sound cannot be doubted. Mr. Barnum
counts on tho patronage. net only OF
the oitixeus Of Nav York, but Of ell the
strangers who visit the city. And how
many visitors does the reader suppose
the city Of New York has in the course
OF syesr? Psrsous who have ample
means Of judging and are not given 70
extrsvsgsnt estimates. give their opin-
ion that quo, 600 visitors enter Nov
York every day. or $1,000. 900 Of per
sons yssr. But suppose We reduce
this estimate one.hali. That wouid
make 1000. 600 visitors, very few u
whom would leavs New York without
sseiD6 lac Vouisn ,of The city. Bat !,
10 - We remembered besides that h
three years We are TO have VoYid'l
Fair in New York, and the nsmbel
who will como to visit Il frou every
part Of the United States and frem thu
uttermost parts Of che earth II beyond
ell calculation. There 10 nothing vie
ionsry. therefore. in believing that
there's millions In u.