Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-18
FACTS ABOUT BEN.HUR.
New Theatrical Spectacle as It
Really Is.
WONDERFUL PICTURES SHOWN.

4
Chariot Race.
| More people probably than were ever
| before crowded inside the Broadway
| theater in New York sat spellbound
the other evening while 4 new stand
ard was being set for the art of Great
ing stage pictures.
"Ben-Hur" easily surpassed old lin
its as a theatric spectacle. The Won
derfully beautiful and impressive pic
lures il presented, without a hitch or a
flaw, have never been attempted be-
fore. 1t may be years before an eff
fort will be made to equal them. Sew
enteer times the pictures changed,
| each revealing new wonders in light
ing, scene setting and effective ensem-
BILE. When seemingly the best had been
| accomplished, still more remarkable
| pictures arose in their place. Invent
| i've skill seemed able to make almost
the unattainable its plaything.
The hundreds in the audience saw
and enjoyed the scenes only in their
| entirety. Few stopped to consider
them in their component parts. Not
one. perhaps. fully realized the COM
| plexity, almost infinite detail, work, pa
| thence, expense, time and inventive
| and artistic skill that were involved in
| giving the spectacle of "Ben-Hur'' its
| material form. Yet to dissect this re-
| markable production is almost as in
teresting as to see it as 4 completed
| whole, says the New York World. Be
| fore the curtain was raised on the first
performance and when its success was
| still matter OF speculation the books
| Of it's producers showed an outlay of
| $4,000. covering a period of seven
months of preparation.
If the canvas used in its II scenes
were stretched out in Broadway, it
would carpet the pavement from For
ty-second to Fifty-ninth street. The
paint used in it's decorations would
coat almost any one of New York's
skyscrapers from basement to roof.
The panorama of the chariot race
scene alone required 1900 square feet
of cloth.
The chariot race scene probably at
tracted the greatest popular interest.
1t consumed only about five minutes of
the entire spectacle. Eight horses at
tached to chariots were revealed run
Al
background. The cradles and tread
mills on which the horses ran cost in
experiment and final construction
about $4,000. For their Introduction
the stage of the theater had to be re-
built and heavy steel trusswork, capa-
bic of supporting 40 tons, placed I'M
derneath. The racing machines con-
tain 1000 rubber tired wheels. Several
made which was considered perfect.
The management began its search
for horses as long ago as last June.
One hundred and twenty were tried
before L. We're chosen which were
deemed safe and equal to the require
ments. Each one tailed exactly with
the description in General Wallace's
novel Each cost between 5000 and
$3.50. stable was rented, and a spe-
cial treadmill was built, and each horse
was trained for an hour every day dur
ing nearly four months. There is one
camel in the play, but he inherited the
actors art of repose. He needed no
training or attention. although pro-
fessional animal keeper was engaged
to attend him.
Three hundred and sixty-two people
are required for each performance
There are 20 speaking characters in
trusted to skilled actors. The chorus
contains so singers, and $50 extra peo-
pie, or supers, fill out the scenes. There
are 40 stage carpenters, 10 property
men and 10 stage clears" Twenty
two negroes appear in the scenes. The
total number of costumes is 500. They
were all designed in New York from
al, e,,l
logical research. Six hundred pairs Of
shoes worn during the play cost the
mana cement an item of 81. 100. The
boards and wigs amounted to another
matter of $500.
The electrical and calcium parapher-
MALTA is one of the most important ele-
ments in the production. and wonder
full skill was involved in securing the
delicate half tone effects which reap
pear frequently throughout the produc-
ton. Tile expenses of preliminary cleo
trical experiments were $1,000, includ-
ing the invention of new apparatus. In
the miracle scene the shaft of white
light typifying the Messiah is of 10 900
candle power.
The time spent by Messrs. Ernest AL
bert and Ernest eros painting the
scenery was about six months. 1t took
nearly as long to design and make the
costumes. The company was in actual
rehearsal under Stage Manager Ben
Teafs direction for six weeks. The re-
suit OF all the work and worry and ex-
penditure which have been described
is revealed in homogeneous form in
three hours. the time which elapses
from the rise to the fall of the curtain
II is probable that the spectacle will
remain in New York for more than n
year. AS long as the audiences re-
main at their present size it viii be
witnessed by 1900 people every
week And. after all. the complicated
stage pictures. with their leagues of
landscape in perspective. their deserts,