The daily sentinel., 1912-06-11
DEMOCRATS TO MEET
IN FINEST CONVENTION
HALL IN THIS COUNTRY

ments, and the insignia and colors OF
the various states.
The seating arrangements here
are the result OF long study on the
architects part, aided by the practi-
cal experience of men versed in the
practical problems of great conven-
tions. This hall will seat comforta-
bly, more than $4,000 persons, and
those in charge of its preparation be-
lieve they have worked out their
problem so that every member of this
great audience can command a view
of the speakers stand and under
stand what is being said. To bring
this about the location of the speak
ers' platform was the matter of first
Importance
In the Baltimore hall the speak
ers will stand well out toward the
middle of the auditorium, directly
opposite the main central entrance,
midway between the ends of the hall
and about 60 feet, or more than one
third the distance, from the rear
wall of the interior. This rostrom,
the heart of the convention hall, is
not large enough to permit much
pacing about on the orators part. 1t
measures about 3 feet long by 10
feet deep. II is elevated 6 feet above
the main floor.
Back of the rostrum, feet above
IL and communicating by steps, is an
other platform of the same size for
the use of the secretaries of the con-
vention. Back of this are 600 seats,
banked at the rear to a height of IA
feet, which are reserved for the Of
ticers of the national organization.
Grouped about the speakers plat
form, at both sides and in front, are
435 seats for the press. These COM
municate through passageways un-
der the banked-up seats behind with
the company rooms outside the drill
hall which have been fitted up for
the use of the newspapers and press
associations and telegraph and tele-
phone companies. From these Of
fees, within sound of the speakers
voice and of the secretary as he an
nounces the results of each ballot,
run wires that will carry the news
of the convention to the world.
In front of the platform, separated
only by the narrow row of press
seats and an aisle, are the places for
the delegates who come to Baltimore
to register the presidential choice of
the party in the various states and
territories of the Union. Although
the number of votes these states and
territories may cast aggregates ,O94,
the architects have provided seats for
LOO delegates, because some of the
states, Maryland among them, send
to Baltimore twice as many delegates
as they have votes, each delegate be-
ing the custodian of half vote.
Back of the delegates sit an equal
number OF alternates, and these q
400 seats occupy the center of the
floor between the platform and the
entrance. These four blocks of seats
VIII hold much of the life and motion
OF the convention. The location of
the representatives of each state will
be shown by an elevated sign.
For convenience in handling the
crowds, the convention hall seats
have been divided into rs sections,
of which 40 are on the floor and the
rest in the balconies. The floor will
seat 1861 and the balconies 4,4OS.
Deducting the seats on the floor re-
served for officials, delegates and al
ternates and the press leaves 7,22O
for the public. These, with the bal
comics, make room for 11,62S seats
for the accommodation of Baltimor-
by the tens of thousands from all
parts of the country.
The public seats on the main floor
occupy 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 Of the audience will get
side views of him. The great bal
comics that have been added tempor-
arily to the armory project from the
ends and overhang nearly half these
end seats on the floor. These two
balconies are 200 feet long by So
feet deep. At the front and back of
the hall the narrow permanent bal
comics have been equipped with three
rows of seats that Will accommodate
between 400 and 500. The balcon-
les are l2 feet above the ground floor
in front and are 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 the quick emptying
OF the building, 13 new doors have
been cut in the granite walls, max
/ ing total of is. Twelve of these
are for the use of those who hold
| tickets to the balconies, and enable
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 anticipat-
ed 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 designat-
ed by numbers and letters. The
larger blocks of seats are numbered
and each numbered block is divided
into three subsections, lettered re-
spectively, A. B and c. A ticket
holder who finds his piece of paste
board stamped, for instance, 'S5-B'
will find his seat among the 1872
chairs grouped under that subdivis-
ion. These subdivisions include from