The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-20
AUDIENCES ON ICE.
The Effort TO Make Plays Bearable
In Summer.
Row 1t Is Done at the Broadway Theater,
New York.


at times difficulty IN keeping cool. 1t is
a difficulty which is pretty we'll spread
over the city, and 1t is one which has
other effects than the most obvious one
of causing temporary discomfort. IL seri-
ously injuries any business which has TO
be condAted in cool place, unless some
way Is found to make the place cool. in
spite of the adverse climstic conditions
Now. such business is that ot theater,
according TO the general belief, although
the opinion OF a theatrical manager viii
presently be quoted to the contrary. Most
managers, however, are sufficiently con-
vinced that this is the case, to try every
means to make their houses as cool as
possible, whenever they have them open
In the summer.
AS the warmest OF weather may now he
assumed TO be on its rapid way toward
New York, it may interest some OF those
who are to be temporary residents OF the
city 10 know how hard theatrical man
ager tries to make place OF amusement
pleasant for them, just in the way OF
cooling il of, Irrespective OF what enter
tainment he provides. For this purpose
the city theaters are variously provided,
according to the intention TO use them
much or little in the summer, and accord
ing to the opinions of the owners as to
what Is most effieacious and expedient.
Some of the houses have no means OF
cooling except the ordinary ones of venti-
lation, because they are intended for use
only in cool weather, and others have
elaborate machinery for the purpose. IL
may or may not be thought to have sig
nificance that, while the summer career
of a New-York theater is generally about
as doubtful as 'slce on summer seas" the
Broadway, which has perhaps the best
and most powerful cooling machinery in
the city, has managed. TO keep open for
the whole of nearly every summer since
ii was built The woman who isso incon-
siderate as TO use ian in that theater
surely does not realize how much of the
big building is given over TO keeping her
cool, irrespective OF her fan. The company
has fans of its own.
ONE FAN FOR THE WHOLE AUDIENCE.
The principal fan is down under the
ladies' parlor, on the Forty First street
eide of the building. OF course nobody
will understand that this is the kind of
fan that the inconsiderate woman up
stairs uses. 1t is not even. of the sort
that is borne before the Emperor OF
China, in the picture in the geography,
though that is an imposing instrument
in its wey. This fan more resembles o
windmill. yet not a windmill that Is
blown, but one that blows. The prin-
ciple OF tho windmill works both ways;
and as a wind can drive windmill, even
so windmill can drive or draw wind.
The windmill in question Is on OF 80
horse power. IL Is driven by an engine
of horse power, so that any body, whether
he understands such things or not, can
see that there are live horses to spare on
the part of the engine. The far, when
II gets really excited about the hCl
weather, makes something like 900 revc-
Iutions a minute.
This fan is in the end OF a sort OF fiue
which lies along the length Of the.build.
ing. This hue opens az its other end In
10 an air shaft, which runs 10 the top of
the building. Ii is through this shaft
that all the air comes in. and 1t is caused
TO do so with great velocity, when the
fan is agitated. The fan draws II down
the shaft and through the fiue, and hen
SENDS 1t about its business through the
building. When the night is hot the
flue Is filled with ice. AT first the in
coming cir encounters blocks OF ice laid
on their sides on frame. When IL has
got past these 1t comes TO more ice
standing on edge on smother frame. The
blocks are placed in Zigzag lines winch
reach all the way through the fine, and
by the time the air has twisted and
twined its way among them 1t has lost a
good deal Of the fiery vigor wberewith il
had been bent on distressing the city, be-
fore il was tur0ed to more useful pur-
pose by the fan.
A BIG ROOM FULL OF AIR.
Having drawn the breeze to itself on the
one side, the fan expels il ON the other.
A part OF 1t PASSES into big air cham ber
and a part OF IL into pipes. The chamber
is under the orchestra floor of the theater.
IL Is two feet high next the stage, and
six feet high at the other side, and this
makes a considerable air space. Those
who have sat in the orchestra seats have
noticed certain affairs like big pepper
boxes under some of the seats. These are
the tops of little pipes that open directly
into the big air chambe AS the air IL
consrantly forced into the chamber by
the fan, ii OF course seeks an outlet, and
so il comes up through these Ieppc box
es to the comfort OF hose who are sitting
In the orchestra seats.
For the orchestra circle the arrange
ment IL little different. the floor OF
this part Of the house rises In low steps,
TO secure the pitch required for seeing,
and the chilled air finds its entrance TO
tho house through rerforations in the
upright fronts OF these steps. II is
brought TO them from the fans through
immense pipes. The dress circle aid bal
cony have no scpatste plies Of air, but
by making business Of disposing of
most of tho air that CONES into the house
they manage to get plenty of II from the
lower portions. That Is TO say. ell around
the wells of the drcss circle and balcony
there are ventilators, 62 of them alto.
gether, TO carry on the air that Is passing
through the hcusc.It rises naturally from
the orchestra ard the orchestra circle,
where its entrance has been already de-
scribcd, and passes out through these
vcntiletcrs and also through yentilators
over the seven chandeliers. Butthis is.
not hot or vitiate1 cir. brcsure tho ufrcu-
lhtior through the whole house IL so
rapid that II does not have a chance 10
become so.
u is not necessary TO run the fen at its
full speed except on really hot nights.
As a general thing the house can be kept
comfortable by the running OF the fan at
bali speed and without ice. the mere cir
culation OF the air being enough. But
there are fine New York summer nights
when no known application OF cooling
apentA Ia found too much. IL IL then