The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08
YOUNG PETER FOSS'S CHUTE.
An Ingenious Vow Orleans boy who IL Doing
a Lnnd-Omce Business.

An Ingenious Now Orleans BOY who IL Doing
n Land-Onlce business.
From the Nsur oriean, Times. Democrat.
There is a brilliant prospect that buttons and
pins will be on a boom in the rear of the Tenth
ward. And this very probable rise in the value
Of the needy little articles will not be charge
able to the Dingley bill either. 1t is all on ac-
count OF a precocious boy OF -, several assist
ants, and a gay and madly delighted crowd of
other youngsters of large and small calibre and
ages. This coterie of magnates own a shoot
the-chute plant of their own, and that
they have fun galore with the property
is best attestcd by a visit to the chute.
Tho plant is of the movable order. and every
hf nfinw is p ~, s awny IN When a nf e. Is SrSSa ard u ont a tnS
placed at the corner of st; Andrew and Frerct
streets, and in a trice is ready for work. revenue
or any other old thing that comes handy.
a visit TO the Tenth ward chute will be worth
ones trouble. The machinery is not compli-
out. 1t commences about 7 o'clock and by 9:3o
at night the evenings fun is at an end and the
machinery is taken apart and safely housed for
The chute is the invention of Peter Foss, a
biarefooted, urchip Of 13, who wears a straw hat.
sion. Every boy in the neighborhood OF st. An.
drew and Freret streets Is dead jealous" of
the ,Foss boy. for within the short space ofa
week he has jumped into notoriety and prom
ises to corner the entire pin and button mar.
manifested any marked symptoms OF be-
ing destined to set the world afre, but his
in Which the lad lad was held by w his o fathe eP'" and
mother. and they seem to see in their little Peter
a probable rival OF Thomas Edison. And several
of the boys thereabouts look upon the chute pro-
prietor with awe. and seem to regard him with
q becoming veneration and respect. But Peter
and grace as he does his straw hat and happy
smile. and bosses the job of giving his neighbors
rides to their hearts content.
From the neighbors Whereabouts last night
naught OF complaint was made about the noise
,Sa the ure chr create during the shank Of
as quite content that the children were shoot
ing Peter Foss's chute. The spirit of happiness
deep in the neighborhood since Peter built the
chute. The children are as happy as the gay SOU
ingiy Interested and regard the sport as rare
good amusement for the little ones.
and the sight was impressive. So was the noise.
The chute is j%st an imitation Ta Of the real
constitute the piece de RESISTANCE Of the entire
scheme. These are laid parallel with one an.
other, at a distance of about a foot and a half
of an eight-foot elevation and the other rests on
the, ground. At the base OF the chute is n skid.
to the pieces Of scantling.. The boat" is a
soap box with two pieces of box wood nailed
fits over the pieces OF scantiing which
form the slide and the pieces of lockwood pre-
vent it from flying of the slide. That is about
the entire equipment, yet for u week Peter Foss
has been having IA harvest in the pin and button
line. and promises to break the entire neighbor-
hood. In fact. SO we'll has he done that the plant
has got beyond his personal control. and he has
been forced TO take in a partner. This partner
ls Willis Spindler, and he Is the youngstcr who
sells the tickets for rides on the chute. The
tickets are uniform in character and are roughly
marx on each. for the maGnates don't propose propose
to have any "phony" tickets rung in on the
Prices are trustlike in hxity. Two buttons or
two pins is the regulation price. Neither the
ties of blood. the bonds OF friendship nor the
- Ion MI n r Tho YanD nor hrtp.r ul,,s "a
reduction in the prices. And Foss Won't take
old pins. either. He is monoPoiist enough to de-
blemish;- And he gets them, too. With buttons
1t is different, Any old button is acceptable.
come in packages OF cigarettes.
There Is a regular system of management at
the Foss { Chute t His partner sells the tickets
tons Of assorted sizes. shapes, and coTfors, and he
The chnte.mad children of The neishborRood IRON In
addition to Spindler. Foss's partner. the manage
taker, who stands AT the foot OF the chute; there is
youngster who greaseS the s~cantling with lard
or fat 70 make things run smoothly. There are two
boys who hold the box in position while the pas
senger-for there is only one passenger to each
trip-takes his seat. And at the base of
box when 1t comes along wabblinglv down the
incline: These employees are paid in pins and
which is not cut. There have been no strikes at
t the chute; for plenty y Of willing diinlain gy EiTn,Hingsters can be
places of any one in the confidence and employ of
the management.
The chute is not confined to boys alone, but
girls patronize il as we'll. There were thirteen
and fourteen year old girls riding last night.
and there was, a few nights ago. a girl OF such
liberal proportions that she could not get into the
box at all, and she was forced to descend and let
some lefs weighty Individual take her place. II
Is rare good fun to, watch the boys and girls
swarm. about the ticket seller and the ticket
taker in their eagerness TO get a ride. The
ticket takers job is like that Of u man atthc
- uDOr' OF a local theatre nm n SUNDAY NIGHT
He is jammed up against the chute, and three.
score of children are screaming at him al once
demanding that he take their tickets and let them
ride. And when he does take the piece OF paste
feet of dizzy elevation by way OF "A small lad
der. where sits Peter Foss in all his dignity, and
then enters the box. FOss, waits till the rider is
well seated. orders the helpers to 'let CO."
gives the box a shove. and down slide box and
rider with becqmin speed and greatly to the
advent OF a trolley car in a back woods part of
town. There is considerable thrill about the
rides. for the eighteen feet of incline does not
join the base skid with any degree of nicely.
and there is more or less OF a jar when the box
strikes bottom. But the children like the jar
There is no danger about the sport. for even
IL the passenger were 10 fall from the chute tho
chances are. that he or she would come down
WIN. becoming grace upon the head of some
admiTing urchin who crowds about the Incline,
There are narycllous tales told OF the FosS
Chute. People tell in mutlied tones how n rival
threatened, to erect an opposition plant on How,
ard street, but had to go To Foss 10 find ont how
10 frame his plans and specifications. But foss's
parents admire the stand their son took, for he
declined 10 give his rival any information that
would lead 10 a possible breach in his power
over the neighborhGod. And there are other
and pins; how one girl cut Oft every button on
her basque o satisfy her desire for successive
thrills on, the eighteen,fOOt incline, and many
other hIlle schemes whereby they gain their