El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-08
HUGE FLOATING
AUDITORIUM
PLANNED
New York May Entertain
People in Unique Theater
at Minimum Cost.
GREAT TERMINAL
CITY IS OPENED

u
M art building and public audi
forum. to float in the waters
of New York harbor, is the next won
der which is in store for New York, If
the plans are carried out which have
met with remarkable approval here
during the exhibition OF the Archi-
tectural league. On a huge circular
raft or ScOW of concrete the designer
would erect a building of circular form,
with graceful DOriC columns of con-
crete and steel. and inside he would
have. besides ample space for art ex-
hibitiOns and schools of arts and crafts,
an auditorium which would OutclaSs
anything now standing in this cOun-
try. Its seating capacity would be
5000 persons and provision would be
made TO use il for public meetings,
great concerts or operate perform
ances-
BY a system of screens. the size %
the auditorium would be capable of be-
ing reduced to suit theatrical per-
fcrmance. Performances would be Civ
en- by municipal actors, according to
the designers plan, and prices would
be kept at tie lowest possible level.
Especial emphasis would be laid, how
ever. upon the use OF the building for
artistic purposes, particularly as a
school of the arts and the higher crafts.
By floating in the harbOr, it would save
entirely the cost of land, and could
be mOOred where most convenient
Engineers say, according TO the de-
signer, that such a structure is en-
tirely feasible. Watertight cOmpart-
ments in the hull" would provide pro-
lection against possible leaks In view
OF the designers plan to anchor his
floating art palace off the Battery, it
IS interesting to remember that for
years New YOrk's great auditorium and
structure surrounded by the waters Of
the harbOr, Castle Garden. an old fort
with 20 foot stone walls, which is now
surrounded by the made land OF Bat
terry park and used for the aquarium
CiEaret War Starts.
New York, which has seen about
every possible wind of commercial and
financial war start within its bOr-
ders, from the stamp act struggles Of
colonial times to the gambling war
Of last year, is now the stom center Of
''cigaret way whose field of opera
tions covers the whole United States
The fight is raging between several OF
the leading tobacco companies, and the
distinguishing features just now are
ing away with packs Of its cigarets-
Pictures OF actresses, of fishes, OF
baseball players, of buildings. and about
everything under the sun scraps OF silk
with college emblems stenciled on them,
playing cards, coupons redeemable for
a toothbrush or an automobile when
you have smoked few thousand dol
lars worth of the cigarets, all is grist
that comes to the premium mill. Evil
IDENTIFY the souvenir plan works, or it
would not draw the hundreds of thou
pie pour into it.
@sDIssOIvins'' a Sugar Company.
Another step in the progress OF
painless" trust dissolution which is
going on here rapidly at present was
marked this week by the announcement
that the American Sugar Refining com
pany, otherwise known as the Sugar
trust was about TO rid itself Of its
holdings of stock in the National Sugar
Refining company by the simple pro-
cess Of distributing these holdings pro
rata among its own stockholders This I
is the same kind Of dissolution that has
worked so satisfactorily to the owners
OF Standard Oil and Tobacco Legally 1t |
seems to answer every requirement for |
it reduces the Trusts share in the total
output of refined cane sugar to less
than One-half. In view Of the cOntinu-
ance Of the common ownership Of the /
two companies it is not likely. how /
petition between them.
Terminal City Completed.
With the opening OF the new Grand I
Central station, New York now has !
he builders Of the new terminal call /
heir astonishing group Of buildings. |
The name is not badly chosen. for the /
criminal covers T9 acres and has a ca
1acity OF 1852 cars. The mere fig /
Tres regarding the new station give /
iome notion OF its stupendOuS dimen-
iiOns- 1t took 500, 900 barrels of ce-
nent to build II, and lis, 500 tons OF j
iteeL Forty<twO tracks enter its upper
eTel where express or through trains
-rrtve and depart and the lower or
ocal traffic level has 25 tracks, to-
al of 1856 miles of railroad track with !
n the terminal The largest interlOck-
ng switch and signal tower in the
world controls the tracks, with 400 I
evers for the express tracks and $50
OF the local
The cost Of the whole work was
1SO, 100000 or more than the national I
ebt of Sweden. It is only natural to
= 49, II
ylvania station which was opened a
ouple OF years ago. and the builders
the rival structures emphasize the
ontrast at every turn
While the new structure is widely ad- !
ertised as the Grand Central terminal,
he Pennsylvania railroad especially re- [
ueSted that its station should be called
imply station The Pennsylvania
-ructure is a monumental example of |
he finest classic architecture. and is /
ow finished, while the terminal can /
ave % story business building piled
n top of it by continuing the steel !
ork already in place. The decOra-
ons OF the Pennsylvania enormous I
are huge map-l!ke pictures I
the country tributary to the system I
nile the new terminal puts into its
cling a section of the night skv with
le stars IN their real places $500 being
10 ~n, me lar5est of them being IL
minated by electric lights
New York Moving Nortbuard
Northward New York is still moving
nd the march is emphasized lust now
ILe Sale az auction Of one OF the old
81 ana most historic OF the cftv's
structures. Another. also
l the part Of town below 34th street
as gone over to the movies" which
1eIn uestlhed to conquer everything /
nat IS more than 10 years old sill =
ara DOWNTOWN theater viii be closed /
Is announced and it is probably only
gLe9 ~ Vi ume before the films
aim the Iheater OF an office buiidirr- 4
cts the site OLD friends of tIe oi5 i
leateTs IN, IND some cold consolation in
ne nous l,- NJ t lnat the movies" at least
nd of a time-honored house.