Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-12
VISITORS IRON SANITY CIV
Business Men from he North
Look over Auditorium
Plans.

With the true blue badge Of the ST.
Paul Commercial club futtering from their
coat lapels. twenty-seven members Of that
organization moved about Omaha yester-
day in a successful endeavor for informa-
tion that will aid them In launching an
auditorium boom In their city.
The st. Paul men arrived early yester-
day from Kansas City and we're taken in
land at once by President Sanborn and a
committee Of the Omaha Auditorium com
pany. They remained In the city all day
and were entertained at the Commercial
club.
subcommittee Of the st. Paul committee
lost no time during the dAy-showing that
public spirit, energy and business capacity
were combined in their makeup. Five or
six OF the visitors Immediately took John
Latenser, architect for the Omaha
auditorium, into their service, aud
secured Information pertaining to
every detail of the plans
for the big structure that is about to rise
on the Howard street site. The st. Paul
committeeman were by no means novices
in the building line and the architect was
never once asked to explain to them the
difference between q cross-section and a
front elevation. And no wonder that they
understood every line or the blue prints
and every technical term used by Mr.. Lat
enser, for among them were Arnold Kali
man. the owner OF the Metropolitan opera
! house and a score Of other big st. Paul
buildings; G. B. Bowlby, the owner of the
most complete retail building in the
SANITY city. John Caulheld, who knows a
thing or two about engineering from being
the executive head Of the ST. Paul water
works system for more than thirty years.
and others who have long since learned
how to build.
Another subcommittee devoted It's time
to an examination Of the site and a con-
sideration Of its adaptability, from topo-
graphy and surroundings, for the purposes
Of a public auditorium. Still another sub
committee entered into an Investigation Of
the financial proposition, learning the Sc
crets and the experience Of the Omaha men
who have hustled up a fund Of nearly $780,
600. It Ia whispered that the Omaha men
gave their st. Paul brothers a tip not to 90
against the brick game.
G.. p. Slime, secretary Of the st. Paul
Commercial club, said: ''Our plan Of op-
GRAFTON has not yet been decided upon.
We have Just taken up the auditorium pro-
jeot and we thought II best to visit Kansas
City and omaha and secure some reliable
data before laying out our work. The de-
struction Of the big Peoples church by fire
has left 81. Paul without a hall adequate
for conventions and unusual entertain
ments, and 1t was this confiagra-
tion that brought to life an
auditorium dream that has been with us
for some months. 1t is our purpose to or
ganise q stock company, selling the stock
to the citizens, as you have done In Omaha,
Aside from stock subscriptions, we have an
idea that we can raise considerable money
by giving several Entertainments Of unusual
magnitude. One OF our schemes con-
templates q big electric carnival in st. Paul
next fall, in which we hopeSto interest the
people Of the entire northwest. The plans
for this event are, Of course. embryotic.
but the AFFAIR will be carried out on the
same great scale that made such a success
Of our winter carnivals OF some years ago.
BY the way. you might state that we don't
have winter carnivals in st. Paul any more,
because our climate is too mild. You see,
the air UP there is so dry that the water
in the river doesn't get cold enough to con-
vert itself into suficient ice to build q
palace"
John Caulheld Of the subcommittee which
inspected the plans for the Omaha Audi
forum, said: Omaha is going to have a
magnificent building. We examined the
Kansas City Auditorium with great care
and are in position to say that in many
minor details the Omaha building will be
its superior. We are particularly struck
with the manner in which the Omaha
architect has avoided waste of ground and
interior distractions" 80
At ~ O'Clock the meeting of the Omaha
Auditorium company and the visitors was
called together In the parlors OF the club
room. President Sanborn briefly stated the
methods adopted In raising funds and the
result Of the work. j. W. l.. Corning re.
sponded and then asked questions. the prln-
cipal ones being in regard to the amounts
contributed by the public service corpora
tions and the railroads, the feeling Of the
labor unions toward the enterprise. the par
taken by the women Of the city in the worl
and the feeling of the community generally
Carroll O. Pearse made a short speech
The executive committee of the CONNER.
cial club then came in and all went t.
luncheon, after which brief talks ,wer,
made by J. Frank Carpenter, president O
the club, ID. A. Baum. chairman OF the ex.
1 a...sA.