The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-06-10
Scene of Democratic Conven-
ton Next Week Will
Seat $1,000
EXPIRES. TAFT MADE
FIRST SPEECH IN III
Structure Was Built in 1908 at Cost of
S336,00o-Nearly 5000 Seats Avail
able for the Elaborate Dec
orations.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, June 10.-The Dem
ocratie national convention which as
sembles here on June II will be the
first political convention to be held in
the St. Louis Coliseum. The first pub
lie meeting in this building was in the
presidential campaign of 1905 when
William II. Taft, Republican nominee,
spoke there. At that time the Colise-
UNI was not completed. Fifteen thou
sand persons crowded into the struc-
ture for this opening.
The Coliseum was bull in 1907-1908
at a cost of 1886 600. AS arranged for
the Democratic national convention it
viii seat approximately 10000 persons.
This seating capacity is obtained as
follows: On the platform are 5l2 seats.
In the section for daily newspaper cor
respondents and press associations are
421 seats. Sections set apart for the
editors of Democratic weekly papers in
Missouri and Illinois will accommodate
23S more persons. Seats viii be pro
Ivided for LOIS delegates and the same
number of alternates. though there
NAV he some slight change in these fig
cgates with a fractional vote. In the
boxes are seating accommodations foI
/ 546. in the arena balcony 2.494 and il
the balcony 3.400. This makes a to
Ital of 9.SlS. Extra seats placed
| wherever possible throughout the build
ling bring the total seating capacity tC
I0bOut 10000. The building is so de
signed that there is room on the arenf
| floor only for the delegates, alternatcs
land the daily and weekly newspaper
linen.
! The Coliseum is an octagon, consider
ably narrowed at one end by a dag
onai side wall. The greatest length o-
the building is from north to south
land its narrowest dimension from cas-
Ito west has been rallied off for the plat
form and press sections. The platform
lis 80 feet wide and Immediately bacl
of the speakers stand and the table
for tellers and clerks a platform ex
Itension rises TO the rear of the uppe
ibaicOnv. This extension contains seat
! for 512 persons. These seats were dis
Irihutcd by the national committee. am
the members of the committee am
kthcir Immediate parties are to occup
most of them.
Around the arena door ON three side
are the boxes, which are reserved 10
Especially invited guests-.aTtv leader
Of prominence. diplomats, etc. Tina
Ipart of the public which is not fortl
nate enough to have platform or DO
seats is to be accommodated in til
Iarena balcony, which rises Immediate
from the boxes, and in the balloon.
which corresponds to the second ga
lerv in most public halls. The tott
number Of seats available for the pu
lie therefore is J,s94 and the distrih
ton of part Of these is allotted to Il
St Louis committee which raised II
800. 900 convention fund.
On the west side Of the ColiScuI
back of the speakers platform are II
work rooms for the press association
). and the telegraph companies. As tn
q, space, as originally planned, prove
associations, an Cight-fOot passagewi
= through this section was abandone
and b. order of the Mayor an alley
the rear Of the Coliseum was vacate
Il and covered with an awning. TIL
serves as a i>assageway. 4 passae
D way under the platform leads from t
press sections on the arena floor to t
work and telegraph rooms in the rec
On the north side of the building
the Washington avenue side-is
large emergency hospital; on the sou
side are the rooms of the Democrat
national committee, and on the east
or Jefferson avenue-side IS the roc