The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-26
GRAND OPERAS ZOO.
How the Dragons and Snakes Are
Manipulated.


From the New York Mail and Express.
Manager Grau OF the Metropolitan
| Opera House supports something Of a
menagerle In the big building on upper
Broadway. His speciality is dragons
and snakes and he boasts the possession
OF two OF the largest as well as the most
peculiar OF their kind. The animal are
generally kept in that indefinite region
referred to as up above'-that is, away
out of sight near the north pole of the
theater building, which is reached after
a hazardous trip through a veritable
northwest passage of confusing drops and
flies and scaffoldng. OF course, the
dragons and other monsters are not real
ly alive, but, like all good actors, they
look the part"
Expensive imported singers are a ne
cessity in grand opera; but so are certain
expensive mechanical properties, the
value Of which is not fully appreciated by
the audience. Every one knows of the
princely salaries paid to Sembrich, Melba
and De Reszke, but few have heard OF
the month OF labor and Of the mechanical
ingenuity represented in the "Rheingold'
snake, the invention OF Edward Siedle.
A proper presentation OF the Wagnerian
versions of stories from Morse mythology
requires a great display Of stage proper
ties
What II the siegfried dragon should de-
cline to yaup at the right moment; II he
should become suddenly indisposed be-
cause of the ENHANCEMENT of the wires
in his complicated inside or should be
stricken with locomotor ataxia some night
and be rendered unit for service? One
soprano may take another sopranos part
at a pinch and then there is "the faith
full little Bauermaster" to assume any
role that becomes suddenly vacant, but
who could take the dragons placer Such
indispensab BILE properties as the dragon the
"Rhengold' snake, the Swan in "Bohen-
grim" the sword which Siegfried forges,
the reed which he whites into pipe
upon which to play, and the bird which
he follows around the stage must be me-
chanlcally perfect and handled expedit-
iously and skillfully. A hitch In the ar
rangements is liable to spoil an other
wise impressive situation, break the con-
tinuity OF the story and destroy the IL
fusion. To guard against accidents of this
kind some twenty expert mechanics are
constantly employed in the opera house
TO keep the properties In order, and to see
that they play their parts well.
The siegfried dragon Is about 30 feet
In length. has a head feet In length and
a neck of feet. It is built OF canvas
stretched over an iroB skeleton, and is
worked by two men who crawl inside ana
whose legs slip into the big claw-shaped
feet Of the imitation reptile. The hght
which flashes from the dragons eyes IS
supplied from a battery which Is worked
from a keyboard convenient TO one or the
men. so as 10 produce the flashes which
hecone most pronounced when the mon
ster is supposed 10 become real angry
The dragons clouded breath Of hot vapor,
which issues from It's nostrails Is forced
through pipes led along the neck ana
throat. The IN on the back and the DIS
ties around the mouth are worked by
lines from the inside The dragons voice
IS the voice OF a singer concealed In the
u,nga. az near as possible to the dragons
mouth. He uses a megaphone-like ar
rangement. which throws the sound or
his voice well out into the theater.
,rbe "Rhein2old" snake r. a compara-
tt,,elv recent Invention. IL isD't quite 80
long as the siegfried dragon by foot or
two. bot possibly It hasn't yet attained
its fun growth. Like a country newspa-
per. the snake has patent inside IL aiho
& made OF canvas. stretched over wire
frame. but Il enjoys the distinction, un-
common n stage snakes Of wrigshng
along by force supplied from rs own
interior. There ore no overhead, under
stsge or side lines attached 10 y BY which
n may b. pulled IN the required direction.
n gguirms into view with . sideway mo-
tson raises ard lowers its fierce head.
v,blle steam p0urs out Of SO Dostrils and
ueht flashes from So eyes. lake che dra.
Ton. the "Rhcingoid' snake ~ supplied
yrifh on electric STORAGE battery The
manner in which motion "a impaired -
IA is "a professional secret
The reed which slegfrlo1 pulls from ne
hanks ~ e sfneam nnd proceeds 10 Whit
~ .nio mnsieal lntu Amnnf ~ appaf'
ently jusf lte ong npmbtf ~ other reeds
Along ne lsank. nul a iHp't, "a eonfne.