New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-16
SPRINKLERS FOR STAGE.
Plans DeIuge from Rigging Loft to
Flood Theatre Fire.

Oscar Hammerstein at the Victoria Theatre last
night made public description Of his latest in
vention by which he declares all danger theatres
viii be averted, panics and disasters made impos
sible and possible fires the stage exnguished at
their inception. He said he had given a statement of
his invention earlier in the day 10 Fire Commits
sioner Hayes and Inspector Baker. Of the Bureau
Of Combustibles. and that both had been delighted
with il. Officials of the Health Department had
been made acquainted with the details of the in
yention. ne said. and they had approved his idea.
While Mr. Hammerstein does not expect that his
invention will cause any modification of the recon-
mendations of the Mayors committee to
changes IN theatres TO promote safety and comfort
he says it will the danger element and in
crease the values Of theatre property. He renewed
last night his offer 10 let all other theatre
ayers make of his invention free of charge.
His statement is the following:
All stages have a rigging loft. suspended from
the roof taking in the whole width and depth;
from this loft all scenery is suspended by means
Of ropes and pulleys The floor consists OF wooden
Stats, or. in some cases, narrow iron strips. Do
away with them; replace them with pipes, per-
forated below preferably set on an angle). This
pipe floor connects or both ends with large pipe
(known as headers eight inches in diameter)
The law provides one tank holding 5000 gallons
of water the roof of the stage. Make il two
tanks; one in each corner of the roof Connect the
large pipes with tho tanks; valves 10 be close to
the wall. The operating rod Tor lever
chain of this valve extends to the stage: it Is TO
be operated from the stage
of the handle pull the lever OF the
valve, and cover of water will descend the whole
width and depth of the stage behind pressure or
10000 gallons. InstantaneOusy almost a small
flame a confagration is wiped out. Afx the
usual and small testing pipes to the tanks. reach
ing the stage; they will at all times indicate the
height Of the water in the tanks. Let the authori-
ties direct the fireman position near the oper-
atin rod or lever of the valve the stage during
g. performance; audiences and players VIII pe s1le
hereafter. .-,.
Installing his system in the Victoria Theatre anu
in the Belasco Theatre. When asked what ntu
been the result of his talk with Fire Commissioner
HAYES, he replied:
MIR Hayes SAYS he will ascertain az once II he
has an appropriation which Will enable him 10 set
up for experiment in a yard at FIRE Headquartetts
the necessary tank pipes and other appliances 10
show how quickly flames in scenery can be ex-
tinguished The tests viii show how large me
sprinkling pipes would need TO be, how large the
perforations how capaCious the tanks and what
should be the size or the valves TO fulll an re
quirements. The experiments would be a guide TO
an managers Of theatres who want 10 make the
stage absolutely safe against fire.
Mayor Mcclellan said yesterday that the recon-
mendations of his committee were being carried out
IN most of the theatres in Manhattan. The recon-
mendatiolS vary according to the conditions or the
theatres and provide for various improvements,
such as Increasing the size and number of exits,
leres and making special exits from dressing
After the theatres were made stie, the
Mayor said, there would be inspections OF all other
halls where crowds gather. inspections OF churches
and inspections of schools, with the intention OF
making all OF them safe.