The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-02-23
RAILWAY HEATERCAR
Vaudeville Show to Be Given as
Train Speeds.
CHANGE or BILL EACH DAY.

Experiment to Be Made With Combi-
nation Dining and Theater Car.
Actors Going From City to City to
Give Performance-Seats For Sixty
five.
"Last call for the theater car"
If a scheme. new to the United
States, now under way goes through,
this will be cry heard in railway
stations at no distant day Chismore
n. Packard of New York city is the
! man with the idea. He proposes to
furnish vaudeville while the train is
whirling along. Packard has taken
out half dozen patents covering va
rious phases of his scheme.
He has thought out way to con-
vert the dining car into the theater.
He may also build new cars. A COM
pany is being organized to take up the
project, which win require about $780,
600 to start.
''The idea came to me long ago that
people who travel are wholly lacking
in real entertainment" said Packard.
II don't claim that particular idea was
Vi ASoAAAdAs S0Coo CfCAJ OAC WIZ 11tAo
done any travelling has thought the
same thing. Reading is all right, of
course, but people get tired Of that
They tire Of watching the scenery.
They tire of talking.
''The more I thought about it the
more / became convinced that there
ought to be some way of getting
around the matter. Build a theater
car, said to myself. l have spent
lots of sleepless nights bordering over
it and recently hit upon what con-
slider a practical scheme.
my idea is to build car patterned
along the general lines of the dining
car. The kitchen will be the same.
All the room given to- the kitchen is
needed My plan takes in the rest Of
the car l propose to build floors that
will rise in sections above the regular
flooring of the car when they are
needed. They will be regulated by
machinery and when not elevated will
lie close to the bottom flooringy so
there will be a level stretch.
''Fhe portions of the floor to be raised
win be in three divisions, one rising
higher than the one before it. That,
you see will make three distinct tiers
and give everybody a chance to see the
stage. When / say stage / mean just
little platform not over a foot and
half from the floor and only wide
enough for two performers. Our the
atrical productions will never take in
more than two performers.
'sThe regular seats used in the din
ing car will be used for the theater
seats. The tables will be constructed
so they may be converted into seats by
turning lever. Thus sixty-fve per-
sons may be seated. 1t will cost about
$4,000 to build the sort of car / have
in mind. | think the railroad people
will take to the idea because / will not
charge them anything to use the car
for dining purposes. / will supply the
walters. and they will act as ushers,
ticket takers and property men for the
theater
at will be my aim to have only we'll
known performers appear. A perform
Ter finishing an engagement in New
York, we will say, is to go to Chicago,
there to fill an engagement will
book him or her to appear in my thea
ter car on the trip. / win pay just
little for the one days appearance or
perhaps merely furnish the actors
transportation
"Well known actors are always go
ing and coming. There will be a
change of bill each day. Besides these
performers, there will be moving pic
lures expect to have at least two
performers and then the pictures.
will have photograph on hand for
talking pictures"