South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-29
HUGE ARENA IS
ALMOST FINISHED
Toledo Bowl Built al a Cost of
S150,000 Will be Tested
by Engineers.

huge bowl-shaped arena. costing
$4,000 and originally planned TO
seat $4,000 persons. is rapidly near
ius completion for the heavyweight
championship contest between Jess
Willard and Jack Dempsey july q.
The arena is located in Bay View
Park, a municipality owned plot Of
ground 60 acres in extent and direct
ly north four miles from the heart
II the city. Before oeIng turned over
90 Tex Richard, promoter OF the
championship contest. the park had
been used as a recreation center and
the arena rests ON the site OF two
baseball diamonds on the north
side OF the park is Maume Bay, and
90 the east is Maumee river En-
circling the plot is road OF crushed
stone. The park IS OF ARTIFICIAL con-
struction, most OF it being nHed ira
land but il is ideally situated in
every respect. II is perfectly flat and
treeless. making the work of the en-
pineers constructing the arena easier
than it otherwise would have been.
Immense Arena.
Some idea of the immensely of the
arena may be obtained from the fact
that 1t Is four times as large as the
arena in which JACK Johnson batter
ed Jim Jeffries 90 defeat in Reno,
New. and capable of seating four
times as many persons. Approxi-
mately 1880 feet Of lumbet has
been used in the structure Not a
bolt has been used, the entire build
ing being held together by nails o.
which two carloads or $4,000 pounds
have been driven. All new lumber
has entered into the construction and
this viii be sold after the contest
Precautions for safety have been
taken in the construction. Careful
tests were made OF the ground 10
ind out whether il could carry the
great human weight which would
rest upon it, The carrying capacity
of the lumber and the tensile
strength or the nails were deter
mined and a margin allowed for
safety
Although the structure was origi-
nally planned for $4,000 persons, a
load OF $4,000 persons was taken as
the basis Of the estimate and in
stead of allow ing 175 pounds per
l.ersOn, as IS done in ordinary con-
structiOn for live loads" an average
OF 200 pounds was taken. This
gave total live load" Of 5000
tons. but TO allow even a further
tion was based upon a load Of 10000
tons.
InsurCs Arena.
As an insurance against any set
Ting should rainy weather on the
Gay of the match, or even a few days
before. cause the structure TO settle
slightly, heavier footinss were used.
This entailed an additional expense
OF about $500 but Promoter Rick
ard decided it would be cheaper for
the greater safety afforded.
Nor Is the actual safety Of the
SPECTATORS the only thing which has
been considered. Every effort has
been made 20 make II certain every
ticket holder viii get the seat TO
which his ticket entities MIN. To
take care Of the big crowd, there
viii be four grand entrances, one
each at the north. south, east ana
west side of the arena. At each OF
these will be four runways, one each
for the SIC. S15 and $50 seats. while
the fourth will take care OF the $50,
sac. $50 and $50 ticket holders. In
order TO obtain entrancc il Will be
necessary TO pass muster Of three
separate ticket takers 10 guard
, against anyone not holding a ticket
slipping by.
Guard of Soldiers.
Several hundred discharged sol
diers all having seen service I'D
France. will act as ushers and guards
az the arena They viii be armed.
Bank clerks have been engaged b.
Promoter Richard in handling the
ticket sales at the arena and at the
downtown headquarters or the day
OF the contest.
Precautions against rushing OF
the gates also have been taken. out
side the arena so feet distant VIII be
q barbed wire fence. or ENHANCEMENT
sirht fee+ high and a half mile Ions
10 keep the crowd away from tire
entrances closer TO the arena viii
be a beard fence - feet high, sur
mounted by barbed wire. while III
The top OF the arena itself viii be "a
five foot fence OF barued wire, with
armed guards stationed every -
feet. The $40. SIS. $50 and $50 and
$40 seats also VII be separated from
each other by barbed wire Go prevent
cccupants of one section moving into
better seats.
There will not be a stairway I'm
the entire arena, which is 500 feet
across Entrance 90 the various sec
tions viii De alonE inclined ruuWays,
with eradc OF one foot 10 every
siN feet makinE the climb scarcely
noticeable The ruuways 10 the Sla
seats. which viii be- - feet from the
ground. viii be $50 feet in length.
For Ticket Holders.
An allowance OF Is inches seatway
mas been made for each ticket hold
a. TIE rows VIII be two feet apal
for an seats cheaper than 500 and
eight inches more for the $50 and
500 seats The seats themselves will
b. go inches iu width giVng ID
fnch,a Iss room between rows. The
only difference between the cheapes.