New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-18
KEEPING A THEATRE COOL.
THE SIMPLE AND EFFECTUAL HUT
WEATHER METHODS AT KEITHS

The time has come upon the city when amuse-
ment-seekers begin to care less for the amusement
which they seek than for the place where theS
geek IT, The ventilation is more TO them than the
stage MANAGEMENT. They will go where they ex-
pect comfort and art cannot lure them where they
expect discomfort. II they can find comfort ana
good performance together. so much the better
Fut all the comparative comfort in town is not 10
u. found on the roofs of houses. Possibly good
deal of It u.s. but not all There are means whereby
the air inside house may be lowered seVerai ue
grees from that Of the streets. and that roo py
e,mple- processes Keith's Union Square Theatre Is
an example.
There is no great boast made of the amount or
ice used in cooling the house. though some is used.
but the place is kept at an agreeable temperature
in ways hat seem surprising when they are noteu'
tust because they so easy. The chief methoo-
the value OF which Is not generally appreciated by
persons who have cool large rooms-is the trhing
one OF keeping the air stirring. II the air or a
room is fresh and is all the time moving. hair the
battle is won. This is accomplished by electric
fans Of the usual pattern and Of suitable power
placed about the house. and by an electric exhaust
fan In the middle Of the roof
The air comes In by the pipes used for heating
in the winter. and also by the doors. The doors
admit the most OF II. and they prove Just as USE
full to let In the air to let In the people They
are the doors which open into the passages at the
sides OF the house and just here is another simple
device The passages between the walls or
buildings and are naturally cool. and they are
made cooler simply by letting water run over their
pavements from a hose partly turned on The
water trickles down and spreads out over the hoor
of the passage scarcely enough OF 1t to wet the
sole of q slipper, but II has wonderful erect IN
cooling the air that comes In through the doors
and is spread through the house by the fans And
I'm this easy way the most Of the work seems to be
done A few tons Of ice day are used for cool
ing the air that comes In through the pipes. but
the water flowing through the passages Is the main
dependence.
There Is one other thing. however, which adds
10 the comfort OF the house. and this is its abso-
| Lutte cleanliness There were days when nobody
seemed to think that a theatre ever needed to be
cleaned That time Is past. and now It IL gener-
| ally assumed that the parts OF the theatre where
| the audience goes-techncally known the front
| OF the house''-must be kept clean and fresh In
appearance. Mr.. Keith has extended this principle
SO as 10 make include all that Is behind the cur
| tain To anybody who has been used to seeing
many theatres and to taking them as they come.
| tho spotessness and freshness OF the stage. the
dressing rooms, the carpenters shop. the green
| room and indeed everything about this house. arc
a positive surprise. BY the way. the theatre Is odd
| enough In having a green-room at all That CEN
trail spot OF the poetry of the theatre the green
room exists In Just four theatres In New-York In
| Guiding this