New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-05

changes hands here every dag. lost =
quarter on the Let's only Yesterday
The travellers then turned their at
tention TO the night scene shutters, on
whom devolvcs the titanic task OF re-
asserting the cumbersome props.
The last act scenery is naturally
on ton of the stack OF sets IN the scene
dock. and during the night the scenery
is reversed so that the first act is on
top and the others follow in regular
sequence for the performance the fol-
lowing day
Most Of the IIippodromc sets are
plastics on wheels. and weigh consider
able. They are shifted much as freight
from the last act Is backed off in a
corner. and the others follow in rota-
ton. When finally the first act set has
been wheeled out and set against the
wall. the men start all over again and
wheel them back in their correct order.
Many props that are bulky cubically,
such as stairways, platforms. aud the
like, arc hoisted up into the roof shed.
But the biggest worries Of the scene
Shutters are the two sixty-toot soldiers
in the Toyland scene. II requires d
force Of ten men and a derrick 70 swing
these enormous persons into place.
The party then descended TO the
cellar. and. walking west 70 Sixth Ave
nue., arrived shortly before midnight,
iusS in time TO see w. w. Powers's
100000 worth of five elephants put 70
bed. Lena, Jennie, RoXie, Julia and
Chin-Chin require one ton Of hay
nightly on which 70 repose. Three
hostlers attend the slightest wants
all through the long hours. and they
have only to trumpet Front" and
the three stablemen will come up on
the run with pals of ice water.
In spite of this loving attention the
elephants are a suspicious bunch: One
Of EN- always stands guard while the
others sleep. Quick 10 take advantage
Of this fact. the head elephant night
Waterman. who, sleeps in an up-to-dste
porch swing, brides Tie guard with
trunk while he snatches a nap.
Real sleep, however, is impossible.
except when Lena keeps guard. For
she SHORES, Enormous, elephantine
rumbles. that sound like the subway
trains rounding Times Square curve.
Lena must be awakened and fed five
apples before she will doze like
gentlewoman.
After the elephants were safely
tucked away, the tourists took peep
at the repair shops in full blast. In
the electric and carpenter shops hun
dreds Of hand lamps were being re-
neWed. and props of all descriptions
awaited wiring, nails or glue, as the
case might have been.
in the wardrobe department Nine.
Zeibarth and her assistants were busily
plying the needle, overhauling and rem
ovating the costumes for the next mat
inee, AS, with two performances daily,
this cannot be done during the day.
While in this region the voyagers
thought it expedient TO visit the engine
rooms and the ice plant, where the
force works all night long with the ma
chimes manufacturing the ice for the
sSaters
All these men understand how the
! ice is made, showing that college edu-
/ cation has its limitations. ITS this
way" offered one, "the ammonia cools
/ the brine. and the brine is pumped up
4 stairs. and, being colder than water. 1t
{ freezes it. D'you unders,andT
Why. Of course. one understands.
/ Bu. why make il so difficult? With five
elephants around, Why not a mammoth
/ ice cream freezer. which they could
/ easily take turns turning? And there
/ would be a dasher to lick big enough
/ for The whole ballet.
The party then assembled TO the sur
/ iacc and returned 10 the boXoAice,
where that celebrated parsonage, the
/ only one of his kind in the world, the
"all-night boxofficc man" abides.
lie seemed TO be an entirely human
scrt of person.
G.. r. Lake, the cashier. was counting
the days receipts. There are from
5000 TO 10000 patrons of the Hippo
drome daily, and they average 81 a
head. Mr.. Lake counted the money be-
Lind wire screen, but was willing TO
talk in the open. Mr.. Lake is the proud
inventor OF a patented handcuf grip.
Nnen he takes his money TO the bank
in stccl-lincd suitcase each morning
he handouts il 70 his wrist In order
20 steal the suitcase IL would be neces-
sary 10 amputatc his arm. A nasty
business,
Three girls were sorting out ticket
stumps according TO color, and when
they got through they checked them up
With the sales departments record Of
sold tickets. Tickets are checked six
times before the night is over.
About 1880 O'Clock the "all-night box
office man" hangs the rs. n. o. sign
out and sneaks around the corner for a
pot OF coffee and some brown schweise
for the girls. A friendly cop on the
beat happens in, and there is snort
dinner party.
while a dull rumble from below the
street level indicated that Lena had
not yet received her apples.