El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-20
new THEATRE
4 MONUMENT
TO CRAFT?
Commission Unearths Al
legged Monumental Steals
In Mexieo's Playhouse.
NEW STRUCTURE IS
BELIEVED SINKING

Mexico City. Mex, Jan 20.-DOubtless
the time will come when Mexico's Ma
tionaI theater, the construction Of
which was Commenced seven years ago,
viii be complet but it may be styled
q monument TO at
Beautiful III Us outlines and contain
ing the best materials Obtainable, Mex
leans have long told strangers with JUS
ifiable pride that 1t was to be the most
magnificent playhouse on the American
continent adding that its cost when
completed would be 100000 pesos
Now the government IS waiting for the
reports OF its experts to know just what
part OF this sum has been wasted ana
what part can be saved without alter
ing the plans of the architect
The investigators turned up informa-
ton that has resulted in the arrest Of
the chief mason, who is charged with
having carried away enough building
material to enable him to erect few
private residences for himself. He de-
MES the charge.
Claim Many Frauds.
Within the first week Of the year
the Investigators claim to have found
proof OF frauds amounting TO 200, 900
pesos. They allege that supposed solid
cement parts specified in the contrac cts
have been made with gravel cores and
the contractors paid $3.50, Mexican
currency a meter when the material
supplied cost about S4.75. A division
with those higher up" is limited at.
Carrara marble, which figures largely
in the construction Of the building, ap-
pears to have been sold, and resOld to
the government
Building Is Sinking.
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 build
Ing is sinking. In spite Of the honest
opinions Of skilled and experienced en-
gineers, II appears some one made a
mistake in his calculations
The building. covers the greater part
Of a block. The subsOu Of the capital
Is the bed Of an ancient lake and at
a depth OF six or eight feet water Is
encountered and below nothing but
mud for a great depth. The engineers
decided to utilize the floating base
constructed Of layers Of steel beams
Joined in one great bed Of cement. On
this steel and concrete . base sunk 20
feet or more below the surface the
structure was reared The theory OF
the engineers was that II it sank at
all, II would do so uniformly and that
scores, possibly hundreds OF years
would pass before the subsistence was
perceptible.
Earthquakes Cause Trouble.
The following figures just taken
show how far from correct the calcula-
ton was; The southeast corner has
sunk a trifle more than half a meter;
the northwest corner has gone down
LOS25 meters; the northeast corner has
sunk 0S1S and the southwest corner
O.833 meter. Every earthquake has
caused the structure to settle a bit low
err and the shock OF June Z lowered
one part Of the building % millimet-
ers.
A commission Of engineers has now
been instructed to make an examina-
ton and report the best method OF pre-
venting further damage.
MaderO Fights Pulque.
President Madero IS q 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 s p. m. instead Of
o'clock. and on Sundays and feast days
the closing hour will be noon instead
CONTINUED on Next =ageJ