Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-04-13
OPERA GLASS MACHINES.
GOING AL RIGHT AND MAKING LOTS
OF FUN AND MONEY.

Sometimes One Don't Work. and the Dime
Niust DO Refunded--A Dividend OF One
Ter Cent. the First Notwithstanding HAIR
pins and Other Trash Into the Slot.
Many humorous incidents have ut
tended the introduction Of tho new fan
gled opera glass machinery at the thea
tres. The theatre ushers say that tho
machines arc more fun than circus
when the wheels that operate the spring
that unlocks tho box led gets in snarl.
But the fun Is enjoyed by tho spectators,
and not by the ushers. The theatre goer
whose dino gets stuck In the slot gcner-
ally makes about thirteen and n half
times more fuss over the prospective loss
of the dime than man whose favcrite
corn Is stepped on by the inconsidcrate
man who persists In going out to see an
other man between the acts. Recently ut
the Casino n man In dress suit, with
bank notes In his waistcoat pocket, made
q commotion that disturbed tho whole
parquet assemblage for fully twenty
minutes because the usher told him he
couldn't get his money back until the
next morning at the box Office. Two
ushers had TO scurry around and hunt up
tho president Of tho company that runs
tho boxes to soothe the wrath OF the
would DO patron by handing him back
tho quarter he had dropped into the slot
that was out OF order. II costs n quar-
ter instead OF dime, by the way, TO get
n glass at the Casino. Outbreaks OF this
this sort arc getting less frequent,
though, and intending explosions OF
wrath aro headed off by the timely ar
rival OF tho usher. who, as soon as no
finds that box won't work, tries another
that will without extra expense to the
theatre goer. There's plenty Of fun,
though, when tho box selects a cantank-
erous theatergocr as a victim for its
cranky wrinkles. This happens one night
week, anyhow, and sometimes oftener.
GROWING IN POPULARITY.
Tho boxes are growing in popularity
despite these drawbacks. That Is proved
by the increased number used and by the
general introduction Of tho mechanisms
In the city theatres. Tho dime slot boxes
nro now In use in eight theatres, and
contracts have been made for their in
PRODUCTION into many out OF town thea
tres. On nn average 125 boxes are put
into theatre Of the slzo of tho Fifth
Avenue. OF these between fifty ND
lseyenty-flve az, s. iisl5d nightly. That this
| Is sufficient to return n satisfactory profit
Is shown by tho fact that in the first
month of the experiment with the dime
| slot mechanisms the company paid n
| dividend Of per cent TO Mrs. Langtry
| and other stockholders. 1t has been
found that tho idea tickles the children,
and mothers and nurses drop money into
tho slots just for the sake of seeing the
little ones open their eyes In delight
when tho lid pops up and reveals tho
opera glass enugly fitted in tho box.
Every night after tho play an agent Of
tho company goes around from box TO
box and collects the coins. In tho first
weeks Of tho experiment the tour was
made unexpectedly interesting by tho
amount Of unique bric-a-brac that was
gathered up from tho slots instead of tho
looked for silver coin. Lead dimes, little
souvenir medals of brass and lead, and
bent pins were found In the slots. Hair
pins, too, wero collected in punches ut
every tour. In fact, the hairpin seems
to be tho favorite implement used by the
constituencies theatre goers who put uI
schemes TO beat tho slot. But 1t Is q
waste of hairpins and also of centennial
medals and lead coins TO try and palm
them of on the machine for the genuine
dime or quarter OF commerce. Tho ma.
chines'are made to bend and break all
such nondescript counterfcits. And no
thing but silver goes through success
fully. Tho only effect Of trying TO bca,
the machine Is to throw it out Of order
| and about ten of tho machines arc in the
hospital for repairs each week.
WHY THEY ARE NOT RED.
1t was carly discovered by dishonest
theatre goers that the lids Of the boxes
cannot DO locked, except by n special
key, after the opera glasses have beer
used. A number of tho glasses were
stolen in the first week, but the pilfer
ing of tho boxes has since ceased. De
tectives keep n watch on tho boxes q
each theatre. They caught n well dressed
theatre goor walking off with glass on,
night recently ut tho Fifth Avenue thea
tire, and no was arraigncd in court, anC
only escaped prosecution for the larcen!
because imprisonment meant tho ruin o
, his little family. On several occasion
theatre goers have pocketed tho Glassc
in n fit of Observation-Disclosures and re
turned them afterward.
Il "Why don't you paint tho glasses red
SO that they can be told right Off"
. theatre goer asked Stakeholder Joe Rcy
nolds the other night.
"Oh, that would burst tho whole enter
prise at ono fell swoop," he said. "Yo'
can never get q theatre goer TO hire any
, thing that bears on it, faco the unmis
, taxable evidence that " y hired.
; shocks the public's pride too much. a
: long rs the glasses look like privat
, glasses the thing goes. Not otherwise.
The directors of the dino slot machine
/ arc considering tho adyisability Of rails
! ing tho ante on n glass to the Casin
, limit of twenty five cents peep. Som
; of tho stockholders object.
. 1T won't work." they say, "unles
YOU put q lot of women in tights on tn
stage TO look at. Then you may hop
; to collar the quarters Of the dizzy dude
: and tho ilamboyant bald headed men,"
This argument Is reported TO hav
brought a delay In the proposed increas'
A new form of case has just been dS
signed. 1t ia made of fine plate glass i
the form Of n tiny show case with
: bowed frcnt. The front Is made to slid
upward, like tho cover of an Office desl
Q IL you drop coin into the slot you ca
}, sec 1t slide down and watch 1t work III
:, machinery that opens the sliding cove
|. New York Sun.
n l ------
l. Slow hut Sure.