The Irish standard., 1892-06-04
The Convention Hall.

and his relatives it's heartfelt coincidence
The Convention Hall.
1t is admitted by every visitor in the
city that the hall in the Exposition
building is the finest one in the country
for the accommodation of delegates at
tending the National Republican conven-
tion to be held here next week. It has a
floor space of 235x2O8 feet and it's capa-
c ty is slightly increased by narrow
gallery. The ceiling slopes upward to-
ward ridge pole from which the dis
lance to the floor is seventy feet In the
roof is skyhght 62x120 feet, so large
that were the glass not stained, the full
daylight would make tremendous
dazzle. In addition to this skylight,
there are big windows all around the
walls. The light is softened further by
the painting Of the walls, ceiling, and
the huge supporting pillars. The shape
of the interior is square, and as no at
tempt at ornament was made in the
original construction, the effect of the
huge room before the committee set to
work upon it was bare and unpleasant.
The centre of the hall is level, and here
the delegates and presiding officer sit.
From this central level the seats for other
persons attending the convention rise tier
ON tier on every side. The terraces be-
tween the rows of chairs fare eighteen
inches high, so that men who wear
bushes of hair and beard and women
who wear high hats cannot interfere
with the view of those behind them. On
account of the size and number of the
pillars the view of some will be slightly
obstructed at times. But to almost all
the audience the drama enacting in the
pit below will be always in full sight.
The representatives of the newspapers
have 298 seats provided'for them. These
seats are arranged in rows on terraces to
the right and left of the bpeaker. A
narr ow desk runs in front of each row.
The national committee sits behind the
chairman. There are seats in this con-
trail space reserved for distinguished
visitors and for the wives Of delegates.
The hall has been filed to the farthest
nook with plain kitchen chairs, upon
which the audience will be seated.
There are 1850 of these. The great
question has been how to distribute these
seats SO that there may be the smallest
amount of dissatisfaction.
The committee has remodelled the
exits and entrances of the building, so
that the danger of crush in a panic
will not be great. There has also been
some attempt at decorating this expanse
of interior, but no definite ideas of how
this has been done have come out. There
will be flags and shields and strips of
bunting. and, when the audience is once
seated, no further decoration will be
necessary. The band, which is to be
imported from Chicago, will occupy a
platform swung from the ceiling and
reached by stairway down from the
roof. It will thus occupy no floor space.
The. chairman will communicate with
the leader of the band by means of a
speaking tube.
The arrangements for the accommodate
ton OF the newspapers are most elaborate.
The seating arrangements are excellent
and the correspondents have been pro-
vided for as nearly as possible with re-.
gard to the Importance of their journals,
and very little with regard to politics.
From either side of the press platform
steps lead down to a big room where
copy may be written or dictated to expert
stenographers and typewriters, whom the
committee have tested and retained for
those newspaper men who may wish to
engage them. Adjoining this room are
the rooms where the various telegraph
companies have their Instruments and
wires. 4
Monday evening, June 6, there will be
grand opening OF the convention hall.
when those who wish may zee how ~ Il
will look during the convention, and may.
also hear & concert with Chauniceey M.
DeDew and William Molzinley q
speakers. 5sssIssa