St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-19

$500 more will be required to finish up the
interior. Notwithstanding this. the building
will have a life of only six months. 1t is be-
ing erected on land devoted to the new city
hall, and the contract provides that every bit
of it shall be removed by Oct. 1.
Let US stop a moment and take a look at
this $4,000 sacrifice on the altar of party
politics. First, it's surroundings. 1t will be
palace rising out of a lot of two-story, shabby
buildings of brick and frame 1t will have as
its architectural brother the magnificent new
city hall, of granite and terra Gotta brick
which has cost more than one million dollars
and which is one of the finest Of the public
buildings of the United States. The city hall
and the convention building occupy one large
square, containing, 1 judge, about four acres
of ground. The elevation is about six feet
above the street, and there is quite a large
space running about the buildings between
them and the sidewalk. The shabby houses I
spoke of are on the opposite side of the streets
surrounding the city hall block. They look
like second-class lodging houses. At one cor
ner there is a saloon, and just opposite the
main side Of the convention hall there is
vacant lot, fenced by ragged bill board plas-
tered over with pictorial advertisements of
rolled oats, plug tobacco and special brands
Of whisky.
The building will cover more than an acre
of ground.
Many city blocks are not so large. Well
the convention building will cover consider
ably more than an acre and it will look like
a great four-story marble building with an
extra story CT canopy rising from its top in
the shape of ridge roof. This canopy will
be made of plates Of glass set in frames It
will be nearly half an acre in area and will
cover the space in the center of the conven-
ton hall, which has been assigned to the del
al will ha do
that the glass can be raised giving the hall
perfect light and as thorough ventilation al
most as though it was rooted by the sky. In
addition to this there will be series of ven
tilating FANS which will keep the air within
the hall in constant motion. The sides of the
hall will have many windows and there will
be more than one hundred exits and en-
frances 1t is estimated that the hall could
be emptied within five minutes If a panic
should occur.
In going over the plans with one of the
architects, l asked to the strength Of the
structure. He told me there was no danger
whatever of its not being able to hold the
people and to stand any kind of a strain.
at is" said he, 'six times as strong as it
need be and everything will be built in the
most substantial manner. 1t will be entirely
of wood, but brigade of fremen will be
constantly on hand with their engines steam
ing, and the least sign Of fire will be detected
by the watchmen."
THE SEATING CAPACITY.
The hall will seat 1861 persons It will
have, it is said, the largest seating capacity
of any building ever erected for a conven-
ton, with, perhaps, the exception of the hall
in which James A. Garfield was nominated in
1880. This is said to have had Is 600 seats
The Minneapolis convention hall had about
1000 seats, and a great part of the view of
hall cl,,,3
There will be no such posts in this hall. I am
told that every seat will be good one and
that the acoustic properties of the hall-by
means of great sounding boards-will be such
that all can hear. Each seat will be a chair
and about H. 900 chairs will be bought for the
occasion. The seats will be arranged in the
shape OF rectangular amphitheater. They
will rise up from four sides of the square pit
which forms the second floor and which is
occupied by the delegates and the alternates
This pit will be about one-half an acre in
size. In the middle, in three great blocks or
rows of chairs with aisles running through
them, will sit the 9A delegates those from
each state being together The states will be
allotted seats in alphabetical order beginning
with Alabama and Arkansas to the right of
the speaker, and ending with the states begin
ming with w, the place for each state being
marked by pole with little flag bearing its
name. On the right and left of the delegates
in the pit will be the seats for the alternates
and on the four sides Of the pit, rising to the
back walls OF the building, in two great banks
OF seats, will sit the spectators. The floor and
the lower bank will seat about 5000 peopIe
The upper bank, which is a gallery forty feet
wide, running around the hall and extending
back to the roof will seat $1,000 At the time
OF the convention the delegates will be thus
surrounded by banks of gaily dressed human
ity- They will be enclosed, as it were, in
hanging gardens Of fashionable women and
distinguished nen-gardens more wonderful
than the Hanging Gardens Of Babylon.
THE OFFICERS. AND THE PRESS.
In front Of the delegates and alternates, OF,
platform about as high as a table, will sit
the chairman president of the convention.
with the secretaries and tally clerks on each
side of him. Back of them viii be the ma
tional committee and the distinguished men
OF the party, while on each side of the presI-
dent and q little lower down, will be the
tables for the workingmen of the press. Each
! press table will accommodate several men
Each table Will have a pneumatic tube con-
nected with it, running to the telegram Of
fees, which will be located under the seats
at the front of the building, and as the re-
pcrters write their dispatches they can send
! them to the wires, sheet by sheet as thew
| finish them. There are to be 400 seats for the
press. There Will probably be l. 900 newspaper
men at tie convention, but these seats are
| for those who are doing. stelegraphic work,
| ana not fer drone5 .jan65 fancy writer's Ar
rangemcnts are being made with the tele-
graphic companies tte h&andse;a large amount
OF matter. Estimating that 400 papers of the
United States will take an average of three
columns, or $500 words, a day from the cou-