Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-05
ORDERED CLOSED.
Six Theatres in New York by
Mayor Mcclellan.
Claimed That the Houses Are Unsafe
for Public Use.
And That Managers Have Ignored
Requests for Alterations.

New York. Feb. 4.-Mayor McClel-
Ian has ordered President Darlington
of the Board of Health and Polce
Commissioner McAdoo to close the
following theatres: Grand opera
house. Madison Square theatre, Prin-
ces theatre, Vaudeville theatre, Hur-
fig & Seamen's, and the theatre part
of Huber's Museum.
Last week, Mayor Mcclellan served
notice on l? theatres that unless GER
tain alterations for safety were made
by midnight, Tuesday. be would order
them closed. The Grand Opera hause
referred to is that at 23d street and
Eight avenue, and not the MetropOli-
tan at which grand opera is now be-
ing sung.
The mayor says that the six houses
ordered closed are unsafe for public
use and that reasonable requests for
alterations have been either resisted
or ignored.
1t was in the Grand Opera house
building that Jay Gould took refuge
during the Erie Railroad riots in the
early 7O's. The attraction there. this
week, Was Lawrence d. 'Orsay pre-
senting 1.-THE Earl of Pawtucket." At
the Madison Square, West Twenty
fifth street, famed during it's early
years as the home Of the Madison
Square Stock Co., was THE Secret OF
Polinchelle" and Kryle Belle was pre-
senting "Raf1les" at the Princess, an
upstairs theatre. The Vaudeville
theatre, formerly Mrs. Osborne's play
house, was occupied by a company
presenting Bernard Shaw's Candida.
Hirting & Seamen's was vaudeville
house and Huber's theatre was run
in connection with Il dime museum.
Mayor Mcclellan said in regard to
the other Is theatres in which altera-
tons were requested:
with the exception of the six thea
tres which l have named all are carry
ing out the recommendations made.
Il intend to have the inspecting board
make an inspection after these altera-
tions are made and will keep this board
alive. l will see that it makes inspec-
lions every three months"
Asked when the order to close would
go into effect. the mayor replied:
Nov; right away"
"Then you will not wait until the
performances tonight"
mo, we have done with waiting.
when these theatres have complied
with the reasonable requests made by
the several departments and are safe
for the public to enter, I shall have
them inspected and when this board
reports to that effect l will take pleas
ure in conveying the news of to the
public. Until that time they will re-
main closed
The closing of the Madison Square
and Princess theatres interrupts two
successes Of the season at the height
Of their career. At the Madison Square
James X. Hackett's company in The
Secret Of Polinchelle" made one of the
new big comedy hits of the year, and
at the Princess. Kyrle Bellew in Raj
fies' has been drawing large audiences
for more than 300 nights. On hearing
that the theatres would fight the order
Police Commissioner McAdOO said: III
the mayor has issued the order that
certain theatres shall be closed, you
may rest assured that l will close them
II 1t takes all the policemen in New
York to do it,
Save for the shifting out of few
hundred from the gallery the. perform