Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-06
THE CONVENTION HALL.
Description of the Arrangements for Dele
gate- and Newspaper Men.

Description of the Arrangements for Dele
gate- and Newspaper Men.
The hall wherein the republican convention
will be held has been built within the walls of
the great exposition building at Minneapolis.
The convention hall Ia built like n great box.
placed inside the exposition building. The in
terror of this building formerly contained two
balconies about a central light well. and taking
this central space a nucleus, about it has
been built the convention hall.
The great convention hall is acknowledged to
be the largest hall of the kind in the United
States, and has but few peers in point of
size in the world. This is a broad statement to
make, but the facts will bear it out. The orig
inal intention TO seat IL 900 people, but adj
ditional chairs have been put in so that the hall
viii hold III 800 people. and one great feature
about IT IL that one will be allowed to stand
That is. there will be no standing room. as In
other convention halls.
In perfecting this great transformation the
architects have had one great object in view-to
make many seats as possible, and have them
all within hearing and seeing distance of the
speakers platform. Although not constructed
10 IN praise for beauty alone. the hall is well
adapted for the purposes intended.
IMPRESSION OF IMMENSELY.
The first sight of the hall strikes the visitor
with a sense Of immensely. From the remote
corner of the gallery man standing on the
speakers platform appears a child in
size. colOrs blend in the distance and the floor
appears a maze of chair backs. The EXPOSE
tion building IS over 4O0x5O0 feet IN size. and
the auditorium constructed in the interior is
2S5X23s feet. IL Is like great box within box.
Ii Is a vast place and shows its dimensions. for
the gallery Is not narrow in comparison that
the distance is not unbrOken. In the center of
tie steep pitch roof. 20 feet from the floor. is q
skyhght, 62x12O feet. The heavy glass has been
painted Mazzarine blue 10 soften the flood of
light that will penetrate through to the excited
politicians beneath.
There Is another small hole in the roof and
through this pair of steps will let the members
OF WeldOn's Second Regiment Band down To the
little band stand suspended beneath the roof by
strong iron rods Here Is where the music will
come from that will stir up the very souls of
the President makers beneath and make them
grow enthusiastic over the old patriotic and
martial airs.
TWO GREAT ENTRANCES.
There are two great entrances to the building,
one on the river side. the other opposite, for
visitors. Each is thirty feet wide. Once inside
the ticket holder Will find himself in broad space
between the exposition building walls. but still
outside of convention hall, to which smaller
entrances lead. Over each is the letter of the
section where the visitor is entitled to a seat.
Going up fight of steps the gallery guest finds
u
around outside the gallery.
There thirty entrances to the gallery.
each aisle and section having its own entrance.
The sections contain from al to nearly $50
seats each The usual confusion inside hall
by people entering at the wrong side will thus
be entirely done away with The ticket holder
must look up the section before he can get in
side at all, and then he finds himself right on
the spot. 1t viii then be easy matter TO
locate his seat. There are only ten rows of
N 10 in
eighteen inches high This is about the height
Of an ordinary chair, and an additional step is
necessary in the aisles between the terraces.
The speakers platform is on the southeast
side Of the hall and Is directly in front of the
delegates seats. those in the front row of these
seats being within but a few feet of the chair
man The platform is raised about four feet
above the floor, thus making it possible for the
chairman to be seen Of all men.
THE ARRANGEMENT OF SEATS.
The last TO be described, but by no means the
least important of the seats in this great hall,
are thoee that are placed on the terraces at
either side Of the chairman's platform and the
seats for the distinguished visitors in which
will be seated the 800 newspaper men who will
proclaim to the waiting world the result of the
conventions deliberations. This press platform
Is 29 feet In depth and 50 feet in length and is
arranged In four terraces. IL extends back
nearly under the gallery. AT no previous con-
tons made for the newspaper men, Never
have more than 225 been seated in the hall. but
this number will be exceeded next week by 10.
There are thirteen rows Of tables each plat
form, and each table viii accommodate three
and four men each. The Associated Press has
square table at the left of the speaker. seating
six workmen and the United Press
similar arrangements ON the right. while the
Press News has three seats directly to the
rear. Every correspondent will sit facing the
speaker, with the delegates a. but slight
angle.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR NEWSPAPER MIN.
In assigning the seats the press committee
has endesvored to place on the right the repre-
sentatives Of the papers which use the North
American or Postal telegraph lines. the office of
the company being on that side, and on the left
the papers using the Western Union service.
There are stairways Immediately at the rear of
the press seats which. the river side of the
building. lead down 20 the Office Of the Wes-
tern Union, a spacious room in which will be
seated some seventy operators. On the other
side and in similar room will be the operators
OF the North American. Pneumatic tubes con-
meet the tables on the press platform with the
receiving rooms of the telegraph companies
and the copy. as soon as II l. written. can be
sent by the newspaper man without his leaving
the table.