St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-06-20
THE MAMMOTH WIGWAM.
Something About the Place Where
the Convention Meets.

CHICAGO. June 19.-The great wig
wan on the shore of Lake Michigan.
in which the Democratic national con-
yention of 1892 is to meet on Tuesday
next.is remarkable building. 1t breaks
the record in at least three respectS-in
size, in ugliness, and in the misfortunes
which have accompanied its conStruc-
ton. Nevertheless the indications now
are that it will be completed in time for
the assembling of the convention, and
that its interior convenience and deco
rations, its acoustic properties ana
the immensely of its seating capac-
ity will go far towards atoning for its
Rnmitigated hOmelinesS, the many ways
by which it is approached and the shah
blneSS of its surroundings. next door to
a police station and opposite the cyclic
rama. Externally the building is only
a mammoth dry goods box constructed
of the toughest lumber, rough roffed
over with tar paper and approached
from the outside by broad flights OF
wooden steps, one for the delegates and
two at each end for the spectators. The
canvas roof originally on the building
was torn into ShredS some days ago.
Since then the unprotected interior has
been several times thoroughly drenched
by rain storms which spoiled the dec
Orations, the last occurrence of the kind
happening as late as Saturday night, but
the decorator i'll charge has replaced
his Communications as fast as washed
away and the building contractor. by
doubling his force, and working day
and night, has now completed the root
so as to effectually shut out any fur
Their storms. The last buckets of tar
making it water proof were spread over
it this evening. From the center of the
roof inside, broad strips of bunting radi-
ate to the sides, where they are en-
closed by still BROADER tier of the same
material. Over the main platform is a
tour post arch handsomely decorated,
bearing on the pillars heroic-SiZed
busts of Andrew Jackson and Stephen
A. Douglas.
Behind the chairman there is a big
papier mache spread and extending all
round the rear of the hall, for twenty
half-length life-sized portraits of dis
tinguished dead Democrats, including
jackson, Van Buren,, Polk, Pierce, Bu-
chanan, Cass, Breckenridge, Houston.
Stephens, Mcclellan, Seymour, Tilden.
Hancock, Hendricks, Thurman. w. ii.
Barnum, Mcdonald, and Illinois two
distinguished sons, Stephen A. Douglas
and Sydney Bruce. There are also four
categorical pictur es. eighteen by twelve,
representing the Goddess of Liberty,
Peace, Victory and Fame, respectively.
The arrangement of the body of the
hall is much like that of the Minneapo-
lis convention. That is to say, the dele
gates are seated in the center, and the
spectators around in two gently slop-
ing tiers, running ali around the build
ing. Facing the upper gallery are dis
played the flags and coats of arms of the
forty-four states. This gallery seats
about 5000 people; the lower tier about
10000 Nineteen thousand people can
be seated in the wigwam, 10000 can get
inside it. The thirty posts which sup
port the new roof are covered with
white cotton and decorated with the ma
tional colors. 1t is claimed that they
increase the acoustic properties by
breaking the waves of sound. and that
in every respect the huge wigwam is
now far better adapted for the purpose
intended than before its recent vista
ton of storms and foods