The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-25

SOunu winch the animal WOulQ make III real
life.
The dolls houses range in price this year
from ten cents to $780, The more elaborate
are fitted with latest improvements, and
were 1t not for their size could be lived in
with comfort. The $3.50 house stands six
feet high and has ten rooms on three
floors. Each apartment Is furnished COM
plete, according to its use. The house is
lighted with electric lights, connected with
switchboards, so that they can be turned
off or on in any ROOM
The parlor contains an electric CRATE the
ba throom is supplied with hot and cold wa
ter, and the kitchen has an electric stove
on which real water can be boiled or real
meals can be cooked The rooms are in
habited by little figures each dressed prop
erly according to it's station. The figures
in the parlor are In evening DRESS while
the servants in the kitchen wear working
clothes. The furniture is complete even to
the pictures on the walls, dishes on the Ia
BILE, carpets, bedding and everything a we'll
ordered house should have.
The locomotives of past Christmases were
for sale this year with complete railroad
outfits. The little steam engines run on
tracks, with switches, turn tables, side
tracks, draw bridges and round-houses. The
boy who wants to be the president of rail-
road can operate one which will run all
over the house with central and way sta
lions, bridges and tunnels.
One of the new features of this toy is a
block signal system which operates per-
fectly over the entire line.
The signal consists of sets of coored
lights arranged on bridges and uprights
just as in ordinary use, and operated by
electricity. When the miniature train en-
tiers a block the danger signals are display
ed just as on a regular railroad for the BEN
eft of the approaching train, and the white
light Is flashed out as soon as the train has
passed the block The cars are supplied
with engineers, conductors, ticket agents.
and the rest, all in proper uniform. and the
cars are filled with a mixed crowd of city
and country people. A system of this kind
can be had for prices ranging up to $780,
A great variety of self-propeling toy
vehicles are found A real steam fire en-
CINE which whistles and pumps water Is
one of the novelties of the year. Single
steam engines are on sale as high as $75.
They are complete models of the best loco
motives, and under favorable conditions
would be capable of running at a good rate.
A few toy horseless carriages were found.
Steam and electric propelling devices in
clude some beautiful models of steam
yachts. These vary from little skiffs worth
81 to complicated miniature yachts worth
several hundred dollars. Some of these are
six or eight feet in length and are built with
a system of steam engines, and with cab
ins and dining-rooms completely furnished.
The late war has Influenced the toy trade.
There are, as might be expected, models of
the>famous warships varying from crude
designs in wood to complicated steel struc-
lures. Some of these have turrets which re-
volve and little guns which shoot
The most expensive toy vessels are the
sailing yachts. These are intended for
racing on smooth water, and are complete
in every detail. The best of them are worth
500. The principal demand growing out of
the war, however, was for toy forts and
soldiers. The forts are made more careful
ly than ever before. Some are modelled
after famous American forts. They include
Notifications with real cannon mounted be-
hind them and miniature bomb-proofs and
barracks. The larger forts are surrounded
with wide moats. which may be filled with
water and crowded with Spanish warshlps
The little cannon will fire real shots at the
attacking fleet, and the moat is mined SO
that the enemy can be blown out OF the
water. The largest of these forts are eight
feet square, and cost $3.50.
The toy stores of Birmingham contained
more toy soldiers with complete uniforms
and toy equipments than were engaged on
beth sides in the Spanish war. The SOL
aiers come in various >izes varying from
little pewter or tin figures. worth cent
apiece to dapper little officers worth many