Omaha daily bee., 1912-06-19
* Senakor 0a11cey
-Depew and MR
EARLY SCENES In COLISEUM
Forty Firemen Are Called to Keep
= Exits Cleared.
STOLEN TICKETS ARE TAKEN UP
Possessors Of Cards Taken from Ma
tionai Con,mittec Hcndquarters
Are Not Allowed TO En-
ter Building. --,-.r-
STOLEN TICKETS ARE TAKEN VI

COLISEUM, CHICAGO, June B,.-fwo
hours before the convention opened the
Ifiremen were called upon to take ener-
getic measures to enforce strictly the fire
department regulations. Forty firemen
under charge Of Inspector j. C. McDon-
aid had been distributed through the
Coliseum to keep the exits open.
The early arrival Of hundreds of people
including spectators and employees soon
filled up some Of the aises leading to the
exits, the open places which the firemen
were required TO keep clear. A little con-
fusion also was caused by the inability
Of many to locate the entrances at which
their tickets entitled them to admission.
The firemen, however, took no excuses
for blocking up the aisles and those who
were unable promptly to get out of the
way were urged on.
All the preparations made by the hos
pital corps for taking care OF people who
might be overcome by the heat at the
first thrush Of the crowds were not
taken advantage of in view of the cool
weather, Nevertheless the nurses and
physicians we're early on duty.
A first aid emergency hospital had
been provided In the south end Of the
Coliseum. about 200 feet to the rear Of
the platform In the Auditorium. All the
aises leading from the hospital to the
main hall were kept open so that any
patient might quickly be relieved. Twen-
ty-flve physicians and twenty-five nurses.
with assistants, under DR.. George c..
Hunt, were on hand with bundles Of
bahdages and liniments. ,ct
IS s, stolen TtciSc-s Taken tru. 6'f7.a
Among the first tickets takenS up were
some Of the unassigned ones recently
stolen from the national committee head
quarters The tickets were taken away
from their holders and their possessors
refused admittance. m
A few counterfeit tickets also were
held by early arrivals, These too, were
confiscated The police said the spurious
tickets were poorly made.
Not ticket was offered for sale out
side the Coliseum. AT other conventions
the dealers have been numerous outside
the big hall. sse :.
Several early arrivals secreted them
selves In the alley behind the Coliseum,
hoping to effect an entrance through one
Of the rear doors, but they were doomed
to disappointment. The rear doors were
as carefully guarded as the front ones,
ticket boxes being at each door.
Presidcnt's Picture Absent.
For the first time in the, history Of re-
publican national conventions no picture
of the president hangs in the Coliseum,
where today 1,07S delegates from the
states and territories Of the United
States met TO name a candidate for presi-
dent and vice president and to formulate
a party platform. sA
Rough iron work, arching overhead, Is
hidden beneath red, white and blue bunt-
ing and the galleries are marked by
lines OF mountain laurel draped about tri-
colored shields and more flags, except
over the main entrance. where velvet
rug Of royal purple marks the box Of
Chairman Frederick Uphana OF the local
committee on arrangements and his Chi
cago aides.
The chairmans table. bearing a brass
plate inscribed to inform all that the ta-
BILE was used by the chairman four years
ago, when William Howard Taft was
norcinated, stands about third of the
way from the south end Of the rectangu-
lar hall, ON dais, Back of it are the
seats Of the republican national commits
tee and the space for the workers" and
Continued on Second Page.)