The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-11-10
MAKING MERRYG0ROUNDS
THE GRoTESQUE WOODEN BEASTS
IN A MODERN CARROUSEL.
4 Popular l orm of Amusement that
Originated in the Tenth Century
-SkiIfulIy Caryet

-Skilfully Carved
Lions, unicOrns, tigers, hippoyriffs,
camels, dragons, elephants, ana elks, as
well as horses and Jackasses, are made
right here III New York, says the SIN, in
a IA tory over on the East side, every
working day of the year. They are of
the excited, rampant. startling, UNIQUE,
and often preposterOus kinds seen in the
carrousels' at Coney Island, in the
Central Park and many other places.
When the carrousel was first invented,
in Italy, in the tenth century: when it
vas popularized in France few hun
dred years later, and in fact until recent
times, people were satisfied with wooden
horses, or ackasseS, to ride on ii cir
merry go-rounds. But modern ueni Is,
particularly the American kind of 1t, has
utilized most of the animal forms found
IN the menagerie, and the fancies of
aeraldry. to give grOtesgue pictur-
:squencss 10 the carruusel. In form, the
wooden animals generally approximate
$ closely to their original models that
pne has no Difficulty in recognizing
them. The elephants trunk prevents
ais being looked upon as lion; the
,amels two humps render it perfectly
easy to Distinguish him from the jackass,
I'D anybody who will take the trouble
20 observe the antlers upon the deer will
not make the mistake of confounding
him with the horse nut there is a
pviIt in their production when differ
ences are tar from plain. That is when
they are built UP for The carvers. Each
animal Is made up of a series of pieces of
;wo-inch poplar or bass wood plank,
firmly glued together so rs to leave
plenty of room for chiselliug and goug-
ing away for development OF the desired
form, yet keep the inside of the body
hollow.
Very heavy bass wood planks are glued
on the sides Of the built up pie. Legs,
ears, and heads are sawed out in appar-
emily shapeless chunks of wood, and are
attached to the bnilt-up bodies, either
before or after carving, according to cir
Sumstances.
dett in welding mallet, chise, and
gouge, and under Their rapid manipua-
non the clumsy pile of angles is speedily
rounded aud shaped. But it is not every
carver who can do this work. In fact,
those who can are very scarce. One
must have natural talent for it, some
: thing of the sculptor's genius, TO develop
by his keen tools the figure of an animal
from the clumsy mass of wood laid be
fore him, and TO give its features express
sion. Expression. That is where they
lust turn themselves loose Their en-
ployer does not interfere with their Civ
ing free rein to their fancy, and such ex-
cited. startled, and enraged expressions
as they put upon these beasts are often
both amazing and amusing. The boss
IS proud of their ach cvements in this
line. He says: There is drowsy, con-
sentative tone about the English ami
mails, while others are sharp. animated,
vigorous, vivacious. Oh yes. they
are: very vivacious, indeed. And even
if you have some doubts whether the
lion is roaring with laughter or with
rage, you at least have the delight of
knowing that he is doing something,
and doing it very earnestly, too. with no
''drOwsy, conservative tone" about him.
From the hands of the carvers the
animals go to the paint shop, where they
first receive heavy coat of brown body
color, and then are tinted up with as free
and untrammeled fancy as animated the
genius that gave them their vivacious
expressions. The results NAV we'll rattle
the mind of child that has precon-
ceived ideas based upon observations in
the menagerics, but perhaps nature would
have made the world much gayer and
more gorgeous if she had had the chance
to take some points from these carrOuSel
animals. Strict fidelity TO nature may
obtain in the blue. or even the green,
unicorn, Tor aught that anybody knows
20 the contrary, and possibly the hippo
grill is born with all that gild on
him, but what shall be said of the carmine
hon or the rosc-pink elephant! Finally
the animals that should have hairy tails
are provided with them portions of
real ones cut from cattle and then they
are all boxed up for shipment along with
the awning and the hand organ. and the
sectional platform, and the central pole
from which the whole ma :hine is to
depend, and the cogwheeis that are to
make it 20 round, and the guys anil
braces that are to prevent 1t from falling
DOWN. and the boxing to hide the
perspiring man who turns the crank, and
the little swords 10 alb ar rings with,
and the iron rings to be jabbed at, with
the brass one that gives free ride next
time to the 10y lucky enough to seize it.
Carrousels are only made to order, and
!, takes two or three months to get one
up. accord NC to its size \ little one,
supplied only with eight horses and two
chariots, can be got complete for from
800 To 500, a tording to finish. From
;lat the sale for choice goes up to the
Mammoth couccra forty fee: in dame
ter. with ri"u;r2n arms. carving tn rtv-