New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-16

/ the hall (NIessrs. McKim Mead & White, of
! New-Yorkl he has maintained that there was as
little question about the desired outcome as
/ there was in the minds of the architects about
the appearance of the structure. In view of GER
/ tain memora bic failures. recently discussed in
/ q letter TO The Tribune from Paris this attitude
/ seemed very daring NJ GARNER after study
/ ing all that he was able to study about the
laws OF sound. and examining in person scores
of concert rooms and theatres famous for good
acousticaI properties, confessed his inability to
formulate any law. and built the Paris Grand
opera on chance so far acoustics were con-
cerned. He thought the results good but they
are far from satisfactory. The builders Of the
Trocadero took not a step without scientific
sanction, obtained from long and painstaking
series Of experiments and failed much more
dismally than NJ GARNER, though from expert
ments made last summer should say that there
are interesting lessons still TO be learned from
observation of phenomena in the hall of the
Trocadero. At the performance of NJ Saint
Saenss Exposition ode, lie Ecu Celeste" for
instance, every syllable of the actor who read
portions Of Armand Sylvestres poem could be
heard with distinctness in the furthermost row
OF gallery seats, while the music of the voices
and instruments was confused. These French
examples OF mystery surrounding the laws of
sound made Mr.. Sabne's claim that his deter
remaining no element of doubt touching the ex-
cellence Of the music hall yet to be built seem
very venturesome, to say the least. His conf
dence, it may be said now, has been justified
and rewarded, but in the absence of scientific
investigation after the fact pursued with the
same care and thoroughness that marked the
experiments from which he drew the laws which
ne laid down for architects and builders the
sceptic may not yet feel COMPOUNDED
Mr.. Sabine's experiments were made in the
true spirit Of science He seems to have the
lmperturbable patience and perseverance of the
German scientific investigator. He worked
three years at the instigation of the CORPORA
ton Of Harvard University to learn that the
lecture room Of the Fogg Art Museum could be
made serviceable, though not excellent by
placing felt on certain of its walls If he can
accomplish as good results in Sayles Hall of
Brown University, or the hall Of the women's
Musical Club in Grand Rapids. which are the
most impossible music rooms that I have ever
tested, he ought to do so at once; and if his
formulas are accurate as the new Symphony
Han seem to indicate that they are, they ought
70 be adopted by every builder of a public edi-
fee designed for speech or song Immediately
Mr.. Sabine began by establishing the duration
OF audibility Of what he calls residual sound
but which is popularity spoken Of as reverbera-
ton by means OF organ pipe the action Of
q
chronograph. Then he determined the relative
absorbing power Of various substances-cush-
ions. draperies, plaster Iath, plaster on tiles
and brlck, wood open windows men and women.
He began with all the cushions Of the Sanders
Theatre in Cambridge and noted scientifically
all the steps by which he 7 duced a reverbera-
ton which originally endured 5.62 seconds to
one Of only LA seconds durability He made
experiments in Cambridge Boston and New
York in
portions, shapes sand materials, having estab-
lished bases by Investigations in the Constant
Temperature Room Of the jefferson Physical
Laboratory in Cambridge. which was built for
Investigations in heat, and is underground, in
the middle of a large building on separate
foundations, with thick double walls of brick
laid in cement, aad having no windows and
only single door. By taking up the subject
OF reverberations he deterunined the coeficient
OF absorption and reflection Of various kinds of
wall surface, of furniture, draperies and an au-
dience. He can tell you now as the result of
five years Of work. the relative powers of alb
sorption (of sound, Of course) Of a fiddler on
the stage in Symphony Hall, and ten square
metres OF Sanders Theatre cushions a cush-
toned chair or open window When he came
to lay down the laws for Symphony Hall he
took two famous music rooms for comparison
and calculated that the duration OF the residual
sound, in seconds. was 2.3G in the Lelpsic Ge-
wandhaus, IA in the old Boston Music Hall
and would be 231 just between the other two
in the new Symphony Hall.
II is use that tells Of the fitness of a music
hall for its purposes. 1t would have been in
teresting 10 make the proper experiment TO learn
whether or not Mr. Sabines predictions have
been fulfilled. but even had ne tried the con-
ditions would not all have been present. The
hall was designed for the symphony concerts
nsc-riFnt's concert iacs cFeTal<aId re rUYTs~ Of