The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-07-14

new comic opera that could be pur- 1 chased. talked figuresc to him one night until he consented to invest in the en- terprise. Before he paid over a dollar of his money he had the producing firm incorporated as a stock company, Wlth himself in control, and his name on the door of their offices.
 He didn't let any one else handle his money He accepted advice, 1t IS true but he was on deck all the time to see when the money went. Of course, De- ing an -perienced man, he paid out far more money than was necessary. "Either one of the two managers with whom he allied himself could have saved him probably $20,000 on the pro duction alone, but he plunged to the mimit. It cost $72,OOO to raise the cur tain on his first venture, comic opera, and then many thousands more were l spent in engaging librettists to reWrite the show, having stage managers pre- pare new dances, &c.
 This New England millionaire next conceived the idea that musical comedy was too expensive to daily with, and that money could be hade much faster by producing dramas. He tried out Western melodrama up State some where, with an $1S,O0O production of beautiful scenery and fine cast, but 8 week on the road convinced him that the play was worthless, and it was never even brought into New York.
 Having this beautiful scenery on his hands led him to produce another Western play in Philadelphia, but while the scenery fitted the play, the play it. self was no good and after four weeks that was thrown away.
 Still he had that beautiful scenery on his hands, and so it was not many weeks after that New York finally saw two of these beautiful stage pictures in third dramatic production, which, atfer brief existence, was finally laid away. These three productions proved heavy losses to the firm. Yet already the young millionaire is writing checks for productions to be made next season, showing that he too, proposes to con- tinue in the game until the luck turns.
 There have ben many angels on Broadway, but none of them expended money so lavishly as a Clifornia millionaire who, having written the music of an opera, paid S120,000 for the privilege of seeing it played at a Broadway theatre for two weeks. He rented the theatre outright for five weeks at a cost of $17.5OO but after two weeks the company broke up after a series ofs rows, disputes and financial troubles without equal.
 Ion brief tour of two weeks before coming into New York this generous angel provided every chorus girl with her sleeping car berths free, Four special sleeping cars were hauled on special train, and everyone lived on the train during the two weeks ourney.
 ''The angel even provided a special dining car and fed the company for nothing during the two weeks. When some one told him that 1t was not customary to furnish free sleeping cars for the chorus girls and to feed them for nothing he replied that each of the girls was accustomed to the best of everything, and that as the hotels in the one night stands were bad he pre- ferred to spend the money rather tahn run any risk of any of the girls becom- ing i'll on inferior food.
 "The chorus girls who made that memorable trip on the special train eating and living at the angels ex- pense, still speak regretfully of the best angel ever see on Broadway.-New York Sun.