The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-20

! it was dreary and uninviting Iesor, pa
troniz by disreputable and noisy roughs,
and who compare that period OF its career
with its present POPULAR y, know that the
secret of the surprising change lies not in
the greater ease of access, not in the finer
and more numerous buildings, the better
accommodations, the music and the various
other means of pleasure, but in the single
fact that absolutely good order is rigidly
maintained at the different beaches. The
New York rough, who has been the bane
and the ruin Of SO many pleasant holiday
resorts near the city, has been banished
from Coney Island. The shrewd men who
| invested so many thousands of dollars in
Brighton and Manhattan Beach made their
great hit when they determined on thor
| ough policing of their places, and they
might have spent half dozen millions and
yet failed of success had they omitted this
| one precaution. 1t is because the public
| has the assurance that it will not be an
noyed by the ''roughs' of the city that
the public delightedly and contentedly
takes it's wife and children "down to the
beach"
We call attention to this matter Tor the
benefit of some other purveyors of summer
amusements who have not yet learned the
lesson how to make the greatest success and
the most money out of their public. Who
ever wishes to attract the very profitable
custom of summer holiday makers near New
York should take pattern OF the managers of
the two principal Coney Island resorts and
begin by making the public certain that
they will not meet drunken rowdies, ''keno
sharps," and disreputable and disagreeable
people of that kind. One quarrelsome
drunkard taints the place where he has
offended decent people; they go there no
more. One scoundrel such as two days
ago shouted .Fire' on crowded steamer
coming from Norton's Point, in order to
create alarm among women and children
and make an occasion for picking pockets,
keeps away from such boat multitude of
people who will not risk their wives and
families where such things San happen;
and, while in that particular case there may
have been no fault in tho officers of the
boat, we do not doubt that the owners will
feel the loss which such an occurrence must
put upon them.
The story Of this ruffian ought to be a
warning to the officers OF other boats to be
ready to act promptly and decisively
against such atrocious villains and the
fact that he had friends on board who vio-
lently tried to rescue him from the police,
and the other fact that he got off with fine
of ten dollars, show the necessity of having
a
boats to suppress at once, and with the
utmost severity, all rowdyism. This is
necessary mainly in the interest of the
owners of the boats The public knows
how to protect itself-it stays away it
goes elsewhere, and it is right.
| Considerable sums are invested in the
increasing number Of barges upon which
large numbers OF New Workers. mainly of
the laboring class, take their families for
cheap but wholesome excursions on the
water. Numbers of these barges pass up
and down the Hudson, the lower bay and
the Sound almost every summer day, and
especially on Sundays. Often they connect
with some bayside or riverside picnic
ground, and thus hold out double induce
ment to holiday makers of the humber
sort. We should like to suggest to the
owners of these barges and picnic grounds
that they can largely increase their profits by
a more prompt and rigid police system than
many OF them have yet adopted. Very
trequently-too trequently-the police re-
ports contain accounts of noisy rioting,
drunken brawls and violence on such
barges. Last Sunday a police boat was
obliged to interfere on the Hudson for the
safety of the women and children on one
such vessel.
Now a barge excursion on the Bay or
Sound is pleasant and healthiul recrea-
ton, which many poor man would gladly
have his family enjoy. and which is within
the reach of men of moderate means. But
nobody except a brute willingly exposes his
wife and children to contact with drunken
roughs, and we believe that if the pro-.
prietors OF barge line should make it
known that on their vessels no drunken
ness, no violent language, no quarrel
ling or fighting would be tolerated
for an instant, that they had taken
measures to maintain absolute good order,
and that any man might safely bring or
even send his vile and little children on
the vessels of that barge line with the
assurance that they would not be annoyed
or alarmed-whoever of the barge proprie-
tors will give this assurance in public adj
refreshments and carry it out will Largely
increase his profits and his customers.
And the same is true Of the owners of the
numerous picnic grounds outside Of the
city.
Where are the roughs to go? Well, even
the roughs will feel better if they are
obliged to be orderly on their holidays. 1t
is not many years since almost ali out
door places of amusement in and about
Nnu York warn infested hu rnnnLs