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! TOM YOUNG — Genera! superintendent . of Churchill Downs, who supervised various improvements Derby patrons will see for the first time today. Downs Plant More Beautiful ;| Added Conveniences for Fani Three Clubhouse Escalators,4 Automatic Sprinkler System Most Modern Improvements By DON FAIR Staff Correspondent CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 6. — The tens of. thousand visitors to Churchill Downs this year on Derby day, the .81st running, will find the ancient Downs more beautiful than ever, a bit more mellow, if anything, and while insofar as the public is concerned, the most striking improvement has .been the installation of three escalators in the clubhouse area, there will be improved traffic direction within the vast enclosure. The most important improvement at the Downs, which year after year has made substantial capital investments in improvements, will not be visible to the naked eye, unless one looks up, and very carefully. But the whole plant, from stem to stern, so to speak, has been "fireproofed" by an automatic sprinkler system which forever will remove a threat of a general conflagration of the Downs. Stanley Hugehberg, executive vice-president, tells us that more than 21 miles of piping was installed and special mains were built directly to the track from a nearby city of Louisville waterworks in order that adequate pressure, and water, would be available for the tremendous sprinkler system. Best Fire Protection Method ! The sprinklers, as William Fitzgerald, fire chief of the city of Seattle and chairman of the Washington State Racing Commission, remarked only a few days ago at the National Association of State Racing Commissions convention in Baltimore, are the best protection known to fire prevention engineers. If there is a better method of control, 1 e, stopping fires before they really get started, he doesnt know it. The sprinkler system really means that at long last, the Downs officials, and the American public* for that, matter, it being the public who actually "own" the Kentucky Derby, no longer need fear that a fire might occur at any time and wipe out the Churchill plant. It would be a terrible thing, for the Derby as we know it could not be held for at least two years while a rebuilding was in progress. Officials of Churchill Downs could have spent the money for the sprinklers on something else, as for instance, more seats, but it was the consensus of opinion that an absolute fire control-prevention system was a primary "must" on the list of Downs improvements. The escalators are spotted at strategic points in the clubhouse and are expected to do just what escalators are supposed to — make it easier for the patron to get to and from where he or she is going, particularly if that place is on the next level above. Churchill officials withheld comment on whether any more were contemplated in future years, but our own guess is that there will be more such installations in the seasons to come. Churchill has been steadily improving its service to its public in every respect possible. For instance, last year, improved dining facilities were opened in the clubhouse, and while it is still impossible for everyone who wishes to have a traditional "Derby Breakfast" at the track, still and all, more than 3,000 are now so accommodated as against just more than 2,000 in previous years. Still another improvement, which may sound like a minor one, but an improvement nevertheless, is a new routine for Continued on Page Twenty-Eight Ancient Churchill Downs Track More Beautiful Than" Ever Continued from Page, Two cabs. Those cabs engaged for the day, and many are, will be spotted in a reserved area away from the great flocks of cabs which are available to Downs patrons on a first come, first served basis. The seating capacity of the Churchill plant is exactly what it was last year, at something slightly over 35,000 box seats. A substantial increase in good box accommodations was accomplished two years ago, and any further expansion obviously ,was postponed until the all-important sprinkler system was installed, and paid for. Of course, dabs of paint here and there have brightened up the historic and rambling structure, and no changes have been made in the floral plan. Holland tulips again adorn the Garden type patio area just in back of the clubhouse and adjacent to the paddock. This area is one of the favored spots for, amateur photographers who bring their cameras along Derby Day. Certain minor improvements have been made in the press box, improvements which will make for more comfortable working conditions for the array of turf writers, radio, television men, and camera men who annually "cover" the Kentucky Derby.
