The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-13
NEW YORK'S HUGE
HIPP0DR0ME OPEN
Amusement House with Audito-
rum Big Enough to Contain
Two Average Theaters.
New York Sun Special Service.

New York Sun Special Service.
New York, April 13.-The greatest
amusement place in the world, the Hip
podrome, filing the entire block on
Sixth avenue, between Forty-third and
Forty-fourth streets, was opened last
night.
Colossal in it's proportions, it will
lead in many respects all other amuse;;
ment places in the world. The mind
will have much to do in grasping the
bewildering statistics of this temple. of
pleasure, which has been slowly build
ruin G us is large ge enough s to ' eontain two or
binary theaters. Its stage is as big as
some of the irst-class playhouses in
New York. G.
Its hundreds of tiers of seats in the
orchestra and balconies will accommo
date a third more people than the Met
ropolitan operahouse and almost twice
theater., 1t is, equivalent to two Of
London's Hippodrome, generally re
garded heretofore as the most inter
esting modern structure Of its kind The
building is as freproof as architectural
ingenuity can make it, and in emergen-
cies it's. audience can be emptied thru
thirty-six exits. >. ~
The structure represents an invest
ment of $1,750,000.. Its purpose is to,
present in remarkable mixture, circus,
extravaganza, melodrama, ballet and
water show. 49,.
Two great balconies rise in the rear,
and along their rails and at either side
are seventy-fve boxes, seating from
five to twenty-five people each. Be-.
hind the orchestra extends promenade
with smoking and refreshment rooms,
200 by 50 feet in dimensions.
Thus far it is merely theater of
ordinary architecture on magnifed
Ia al oAl
New, York places Of amusement is no
ticed at first glance at the proscenium
An Idea Of the Interior.
Extending sixty feet forward Of this
| proscenium opening. which measures
occupied by two great rings, beneath
which is the tank for aquatic perform
ances, with a uniform depth Of fourteen
! feet and into which water can be
pumped at the rate of 5000 gallons a
| minute. ~
The stage area covers so feet in
depth and 200 feet between side walls.
Of this area the central portion imme-
diately back Of the arch is practically
a huge elevator carried on four twelve
inch hydraulic rams and capable Of a
vertical movement of s feet. Its
weight is 230 tons, and it is equipped
with counteer1weights guided by steel
l COIu1AllS. lid lHOFdUI oGl uCtuAO CdA
be locked and made stationary at any
required elevation. OF the intricate
! lighting equipment and it's miles of
connecting wires little need be said ex-
cept that it is promised to be the near,
est complete Of any theater in the
world
| On the roof is storage place for 80 600
gallons of water, from which lead SIX
four-inch standpipes connected with
frehose on every floor, beside the au
tomato sprinkling apparatus on the
stage.
Tooms ,: and below the u main n auditorium to
are the steel cages for wild beasts, ~suf
ficient in number to house comfortably
an ordinary circus. ILL., ...-
The First Performance. b.
4 The performance began with tn,
/ spectacle "a Yankee Circus on Mars
The first scene showed a stranded
| American circus bought by Marian
who takes it to his planet.
Following the circus on Mars, came
a spectacular production of American
civil war incidents, Andersonville,
there was a battle scene, bringing nun
bers Of mounted men on the stage. Th,
great hippodrome tank was utilized il
the battle scene, the fore part Of tn.
stage sinking until the stage repre-
sented a river.
With mounted troops represented il
| retreat, horses and riders rush forward
and plunge into the water, many fee
! deep. Many horses were in the waite,
at the same time.
The stage is remarkably large, ant
at times was crowded. Hundreds O.
persons and many animals, including
elephants and horses, were in view a
~ cyon So1% s4r -
duced in the first part of the perform
ance were unusually good.
] The records of the day-deaths
births, marriages, hotel arrivals, rail
road time tables, real estate transfers
building permits and other information
= of interest-wi]l be found, togethe,
with want advertisements, on page L
of this issue,
r Ny friend, look here! you know HOY
= weak and nervous your wife is, and yo,
=