Wichita eagle., 1888-07-29
COMFY ISLAND.
A Cosby Resume OF the Attractions at
the Breezy Beach-A Pencil Pan
Drama OF the Pleasures
OF the Day.
MANHATTAN HOTEL,

Yesterday was dark red letter day
for Coney island. The morning was
gorgeous, and along about 1 o'clock a
heavy shower raised the lake SO that
bathing was good all the rest of the day.
a great many people went down there
30 rest and see how much they could
lift. notice that people who go away
on an excursion for rest most always
look more rested when they so away
than when they come back.
at Coney Island a great many laboring
people get rested by seeing how much
they can strike at five cents per strike.
You can get anything there almost for
five cents-a sandwich, a glass of
beer, slice of watermelon,
a ride on the Brighton stage, whack at
strength tester. Dutch sausage, whirl
around in the merrygo-round balloon.
a climb up in the wood elephant, a seat
in the variety show, any of which are
going at full blast at all hours, and each
one is the best on the beach, and five
cent drink entities you to sitting room
for any length of time, which time is
generally brief with a majority of the
visitors, who soon get their full of the
''stars in high tragedy" and the saw
filing sweetness of the pima donna S
rendition of the beautiful song entitled
White Wings" etc. Anything heart
can wish for is here at five cents each,
from a breeze to bill iOus coEc from a
flexible sandwich to strangulated her
MA.
1t afforded me lots of pleasure to
watch the bathers jump up and down in
the dark blue sea and splashlng surf,
aud splash each other with water.
Beauty was not very plentiful yesterday
on the beach. Aside from tail, reddish
| gentleman from New York, whose name
ought to be Esau, and who had moss on
| the north side of his limbs, there We're
very few fine looking men, and so when
| went in it attracted general attention.
! The ladies We're mostly OF uniform style
Of beauty, and not wildly beautiful at
/ the time ! was in. | heard that the best
looking ones waited. however, until |
had departed from my hotel.
Bathing costumes seem TO be similar
this year to what they have always
been. In stockings you occasionally
Sc a pair in odd shades like
a baby elephants breath, or smothered
pink, with Soft-shell crabs embroidered
upon them. BIighted egg is fast becom-
ing popular color with some Of the
more reckless and dashing bellies, but
stockings worn are mostly black. The
oldest thing | saw in stockings yester
day was an artificial foot.
They are still using the same hacks at
Coney island that We're offered to the
Pilgrims in which to ride up town after
/ landing, mucn fatigued, at Plymouth
Rock. They, however, preferred TO
skate across and go the balance OF the
way to their lodging places on foot, for
these hacks We're very old at that time
and no accident insurance company
would take risk upon them if they SO
daringlv jeopardized their lives.
The wild woman of the Catskills" is
still on exhibition at one of the muse
ums Girls who are trifle inclined to be
wild will do well to see her. They would
never be wild any more.
l then bathed. felt quite proud of
my suit because it did not bag at the
knees. This, / presume. is because the
capacity of bathing suit for bagging is
comparatively limited, and, as mine
seems to bag everywhere else, it could
not find time TO bag at the knee. Leav-
ing my clothes, my conscientious scru-
pies, my available assets and my teeth
in charge OF my valet, | nadly waded
out to meet my DOOM If | had been
going out to meet anybody else but
a moist doom | would have
dressed differently. [ heard several low,
wealthy people say, "Get on to the gun
wiper going out TO monkey with the
tide" One glorious looking being, with
her bathing trousers rolled up at the bot
tom SO that they could not get wet, said
in tinkling voice: There is man
who ought 10 have a sinker tied to him:
he will never drown. but If land breeze
springs up pretty strong he Will drift a
long way out TO sea. | did not tell her
that it was my intention to drift out to
see, because | was not acquainted with
her, but that was what | really drlfted
out for. After had Inhaled all the salt
water that thought was good for me,
| retired from the surf | then dressed
myself and strolled along the beach.
There is no charge for promenadlng the
Strand. The poorest man IN the country,
armed with large warty club to keep
OF the Dunko men, may stroll along the
beach with perfect safety and freedom.
There is a curious ado i'll amusements
on Coney Island. IN past seasons dime
museums, variety shows and such like,
which form a solid bulwark for over a
mile along the beach, have been doing a
fairly profitable business. These sum-
mer free shows have increased and null (
tiplied during the present season. aud /
during my stay here | have noticed quite 7
a mum Der of noted Ministries, and their fun
and Jokes can be listened TO for an hour
by anybody who will buy glass Of
beer. Competition like unto that now
existing among the free shows and dime
museums, was never before known on
the island. There are about twenty of .
these beer gardens in which stage enter (
tainments are given, without cessation
from before noon until midnight, and
this together with as many dime muse /
ums and freak shows, 10 say nothing of .
the innumerable merry go-rounds-both .
single and double decked-German I
sausage stands, lobster and clam stands, /
which generally hold forth in row boats /
drawn up on the beach and fitted out as
eating establishments; the peanut and .
popcorn vender, the cane and f.
knife joints, over which fake .
many sucker comes 10
grief in the vain endeavor to ring
cane or encircle a knife. which about .
one in every FIVE hundred accomplish,
while indeed the joyful proprietors Of /
these joints could well afford TO give .
each five cent patron one of these prizes,
the market value OF which, would be .
about two cents each, if they could get a
buyer. Blind men, goat carts, saddled .
donkeys, ocean shell stands, tramps'
Migrants, hand organs. and innumerable