The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-12

The floor will seat 10,661 and the balconies 440S Deducting the seats on the floor reserved for officials, delegates and alter mates and the press, leaves 7220 for the public These with the balconies make room for 11,62S seats for the accommoda- tion of Baltimoreans and visitors who are expected by the ten thousands from all parts of the country.
 The public seats on the main floor oc- cupy the two ends of the hall and run at right angles to the delegates seats, so that when a speaker on the roStrum IS facing the delegates the greater part or the audience will get side views of him. The great balconies that. have been added temporarily to the armory project from the ends and overhang nearly half these end seats on the floor. These two bal comics are 200 feet long by 52 Feet deep. At the front and back of the hall the narrow permanent balconies have been equipped with three rows of seats that will ac- commodate between 400 and 800 The bal conies are 12 feet above the ground floor in front and securely supported by beams
 of wood and steel. The two at the ends of the hall are banked so that the view from the rear seats will be unobstructed.
 To facilitate quick emptying of the building, 13 new doors have been cut in the granite walls, making d total of lS
 Twelve of these are for the use of those who hold tickets to the balconies, and en- able the balconies to connect directly with the street The extra doors on the ground floor are for use mainly as exits, since no difficulty is anticipated in handling all who enter through the wide entrance in the front and center of the building. Seats for the public are reserved only by sections. which are designated by num- hers and letters. The large blocks of seats are numbered and each numbered block is divided into three sub-sections, lettered respectively "A" "B" and "C.' A ticketholder who finds his piece of pasteboard stamped for instance, ''S5-B' will find his seat among the l32 chairs grouped under that subdivision. These subdivisions include from 42 to PIT seats each and the most desirable chairs in each division will go to the earliest corners.
 Space for 200 Musicians
 The convention hall band will be in a stand erected over the main entrance. Space has been given for 200 musicians. telephone with an electric signal light connects the leaders stand with the desk of the chairman at the opposite side of the hall, so that the latter may signal his wishes. The chairman's position is connected by telephone also with the six committee rooms which have been fitted
  the two ends of the building.
 No expense has been spared to beautify the interior of the hall. The principal task of the remodelers was the construc- ton of a false ceiling which would i'm prove the acoustic properties by prevent ing the speakers voices from being lost among the lofty steel trusses of the curved roof This has been accomplished by sus-
 nending from the roof beams arched trusses of wooden frame work which have been covered with bunting. The spaces between have been filled in with bunting so sto present an unbroken cloth ceiling which at distance looks more permanent than It's temporary use demanded. The ceiling is cream colored paneled with i gold.
 l The construction of this false ceiling and the draping of the walls and girders
 and the installation of the fiags pictures and party slogans which make m the
 interior decorations occupied IA men for
 more than month and cost s70o0. Thirty
 fou rthcusand wards of cream. gold and
 white bunting have been used and sonl wards of red, white and blue, To sew
 these strips of cloth together six seam