Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-01-30
LONDON'S VAST ARENA
Amphitheater For Olympic Games
Will Seat 10000.
MARVEL IN SIZE AND BEAUTY.
The Stadium at Athens or the Coliseum
Would Be Lost Within It-Rhodes
Scholars In England May Compete
For the United States.

Nothing more extraordinary as a con-
structive feat is to be seen just now
In London, England, than the city with
in a city which is rising as rapidly as
Aladdin's palace OH the open spaces
of Shepherds bush, says the New York
Post. Astounding advance has been
made in the last few months in the
erection of the huge constructions that
cover 40 acres of what vas desert
land less than twelve months ago.
Eight spacious halls, each 400 by
20 feet, are already outlined in steel,
iron and concrete, for many external
decorations have already been affixed
to the fireproof structural walls. Two
hundred and fifty thousand square feet
of floor space have been rooted over for
the machinery hall alone. Other pal
aces are rising rapidly for education,
fine arts, music and woman's work.
In its present condition, with only
the two great segments finished at
each end of the mighty ellipse, the
Olympic arena irresistibly reminds the
spectator of the Coliseum as that VEN
cradle monument Of imperial Rome
now looks in the splendor of it's ma
jestic ruins. But the Coliseum, with
all its tiers Of arches, could be easily
contained within the completed arena
Of today.
The Stadium Of modern Athens, seats
and all, could be built within the space
Of grass that forms merely the center
Of London's latest marvel. The am
phitheater of Mines or Aries could be
hidden away at one end of the Shep-
herds bush arena and scarcely inter
fere with it's proportions. Some $4,000
people will be able to sit around its
spacious seats and watch the greatest
athletic gathering the world has ever
seen.
According to reports from the vari-
Gus countries interested in sports in
all parts of the world, the assembly Of
athletes will be the greatest both in
quality and quantity that ever COM
peted for international honors. France,
Germany, Greece, the United States
and many other nations aside from
England and the British colonies will
be represented by a host of entrants,
and the winner of any special event
can we'll be termed champion of the
world in his particular speciality.
The Olympic games will be held un-
der the auspices Of the British Olym-
pic council. The American committee,
which has been appointed in accord
ance with the wishes of Lord Desbor-
ough as president of the Olympic
Gil, is a representative one. the honora-
ry president being Theodore Roosevelt,
president of the United States; Caspar
Whitney, president, and Julian w.
Curtiss Of Yale, treasurer.
No athletes of the United States will
be permitted to compete in the Shep-
herds bush stadium through an indi-
vidual entry. He must be a member
of the American team and entered as
such by the American Olympic COM
mittee. Only native born or natural
lied Americans, either residents of the
United States or having migrated to
foreign countries within recent years.
will be eligible for the team.
While it is not likely that any Of
them will be used. the United States
has quite a few athletes in England
itself, who in case of necessity or in
the event of them showing such class
that they would be entitled to places
on the team can be called upon to
compete under the stars and stripes at
the Olympic g%ames-the Rhodes schol-
arship men. Under the ruling Of Lord
Desborough these men are eligible.
None of the Rhodes men are world
beaters. but in intercollegiate meets
they have been placed we'll most of the
time.