Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-07-09

A ROOF GARDEN GROUP.
vide q place where patrons Of the thea
ter could sit for time in the open air,
drink cooling beverages and listen to
music. Land in the heart Of Gotham
was high, and this precluded the loca'
ton of this open air resort upon the
level OF the street, and besides 1t would
not be novelty there.
But point might be taken from the
success of q certain Paris cafe chantant,
which is located on the top Of the build
ing and has become famous on that ac-
count. A garden on the roof would
provide the place for the music and the
drinking ard would be cooler and pleas
anter than at q lower Jewel. More than
that, 1t would be new in New York. SO
il was decided to make the roof Of the
theatre fat, to furnish it with chairs
and tables, 20 decorate II with palms
and other green things growing In
boxes and to provide orchestral music
and inuocHlous drinks.
New York tried the new way OF
amusing itself when 1t was ready and
pronounced it good. The beautiful re-
sort under the stars was hit. The
breezes, the colored lights with which
it was adorned, the music, were all
greatly admired. The noises Of the
street were so far below that they
blended tremendously with the brass
and strings OF the orchestra. All
was satisfactory saving and except
ing the refreshments. There
was a clamor for something stronger
than lemonade and the like. In re-
Spouse to this demand the sparkling
vintage Of champagne and beer and
whisky and all the rest were intro
duced. Then came boom both to the
roof garden and the wine trade. A
wine merchant told me yesterday that
he has never known OF such popping
of corks as Immediately followed the in
novatlon. "More champagne was con-
sumed during the first week" he said,
ethan was ever before drank in the
same time and space anywhere in the
world"
1t does not take amusement managers
in New York long TO learn lesson, and
the success of the Casino roof garden
was quickly taken to heart. When the
American Amusement company decided
to build the new Madison Square Gar
den, a roof garden was included In the
scheme. But in this case it was not
proposed to restrict the equipment to
chairs and tables, few musicians, COL
ored lights and some greenery. 1t was
designed to have q theater on the roof as
we'll as below It, and stage, small, but
excellantly appointed and we'll adapted
TO variety performances, was built. The
town in the meantime had gone wild
over eccentric dancing. Carmencta,
who when performing at Niblo's Gar
den at SIS a week had not received half
a dozen complimentary notices from
the press, had become the idol OF all
classes.
Miss Loie Fuller, a not very good
looking but very clever young woman,
had invented a performance consisting
of pastures, diaphanous draperies and
colored lights which she called serpen-
tine dance, and this was made feature.
Other dancers were engaged, and so
were performers on queer musical in
struments and singers OF songs and
acrobsts. In short, a complete vaude-
vile company was put upon the little
stage under the sky. The attendance
was large from the start, and so was
the stream Of dollars that flowed into
the Golfers Of the management. The
stockholders were much better pleased
with this part of their big amusement
building than they were with the ampl-
theatre. for it neTer paid.
The Casino management had to fall
in line In the matter Of stage entertain
ment, of course, aud the resort on the
roof there was quickly transformed into
q theatre. This season two more roof
gardens have been established-at the
Manhattan Opera House aud the Amer
lean Theatre. They have both been
we'll attended, and so have the
older ones. One Of the results
has been strong competition for
good vaudeville performers, and the
merry folk who devote their
lives to drive dull care away from the
rest OF us have pro6ted thereby, for
though the best of their class are Sc
cured for the roof gardens their monop-
lization in that direction has created
vacancies in the lower ranks, and many
are prosperous this summer who have
been wont to pass the warm season in q
strapped condition. 1t is like
" that more roof gardens
would be as well supported
as those already running, and
is certion that others will be establish
ed. The new style of amusement resort
is affected by great variety OF persons.
The audiences are capital subjects for
study on the part of the writer who is
seeking for types. They are equally
good as sketching ground for the char
acter artist. There you may see we'll
gowned women with flashing eyes, and
we'll groomed men, and visitors from
DER sea, and brides and grooms, and
sightseers from the inrerior, and great
fraction Of all present will be en-
terlained quite as much by
the performance on the stage,
for the roof garden crowd is still
: noN Nv to most persons. Notthe least
intsI 8 element OF the attendance is