The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-01-22
But There is More Interest IN
the Idea That Ii is Sink
ing All the Time

MEXICO CITY, Jan. %. -Douktless
the time will come when Mexico's Ma
tional theater. the construction 81
which was commenced seven years
ago. VIII be completed, but It may be
styled monument to graft.
Beautiful IN its outlines and con-
tanning the best materials obtaihable,
Afexicans have long told strangers
with iustifcable pride that it was to
be the most magnificent playhouse
on the American continent, adding
that its cost when completed would
be 100000 pesos. Now the govern
ment is waiting for the reports OF
its experts to know just what part OF
this sum mas been wasted aud what
part can be saved without altering
the plans Of the architect.
The Investigators turned up infor-
nation that has resulted in the arr
rest Of the chief mason, who is
charged with having carried away
enough building material to enable
him to erect a few private residences
for himself. He denies the charge.
Within the first week OF the year
the investigators claim to have found
proof of fraud amounting to 100000
pesos. They aiiege that supposed
solid cement parts specified In the
contracts have been made with gravel
cores and the contractors paid $3.50,
Mexican curreey. a meter, when the
material supplied cost about $4.75.
"a division with those 'higher up" is
limited at. Carrara marble, which
figures largely in the construction of
the building, appears to have been
sold and resold to the government.
But there is another problem con
nected with the theater that is worry
ing the government officials more
than that OF, the suspected graft, The
building is sinking. In spite Of the
honest opinions of skilled and exper-
fenced engineers, it appears some one
made mistake in his calculations.
The building covers the greater
part of block. The subsoil of the
capital is the bed Of an ancient lake
and at a depth of six or eight feet
water is encountered and below moth
ing but mud for great depth. The
engineers decided to utilize the float
ing base, constructed Of layers Of
steel bears Joined in one great bed OF
cement. On this steel and concrete
base sunk twenty feet or more below
the surface the structure was reared.
The theory of the engineers was that
If it sank at all, it would do SO un-
iformly and that scores, possibly hun
dreds, of years would pass before
the subsistence was perceptible
The following figures just taken
show how far from correct the cal
culation was: The southeast corner
has sunk trife more than a half
a meter; the northwest corner haaI
gone down 1.0S25 meters; the north
esat corner has sunk 0.S1S and the
southwest corner 0.SSS meter. Every
earthquake has caused the structure
to settle a bit lower and the shock
of June lowered one part of the
building twenty-five millimeters.
A commission of engineers has now
been instructed to make an examlna-
ton and report the best method OF
preventing further damage.
President Modero is friend of the
poor, but not of the poor mans
drink" Through one of his cabinet
posts he has promulgated an order
that hereafter dealers in pulque must
close their doors at G p. m. instead
of Z o'clock, and on Sundays and
feast days the closing hour will be
noon instead of p. m. The tax on
the "pulque shops" has also been in
creased some SO per cent,
The late Rear Admiral Evans prob
ably never knew how near he came to
being challenged to a prize fight dur
ing the visit to Mexico which he
made soon after he was retired. He
had been heralded as Fighting Bob, .
and upon his advent his exploits
formed the one topic of conversation
in sporting as we'll as in other cir
| Giles.