The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-15
Some Sights in The
Machinery Building



which I don't like. You wouldn't
like it yourself. It's the bicycle
ordinance. or rather the lack of It,
The streets aren't as well lighted as
ours, of course not; where are there
as many lights to the square inch
as in Scranton? But that is not the
worst of it; neither are the bicycles
lighted. Nobody makes them carry
lights, so they don't. After you have
been run over twice and scared to
death by a ghostly wheel several more
times, you begin to feel vexed with the
laNity of discipline in Buffalo. Some
times the street lights all 60 out, and
then your condition is pitiable indeed
If you get off a brilliantly lighted car
with the serene and laudable inten-
tion of going peaceably to your tenn
porary domicile, 1t is a shock to your
nerves to find yourself attempting to
chamber up the rear wheel of a bicycle,
a feat which you have never learned,
or to hear two sharp whistles or bells
as the riders dash past on either side,
while you dance frantically up and
down in bewlderment and terror.
Neither automobiles nor bicycles seem
to be compelled to carry lamps, and
as a result life in Buffalo after dark
is little exciting. 1t would seem
that with all that illuminating out at
the exposition grounds, an acetylene
plant too, included in the outfit, they
might have a few paltry bicycle lamps.
There is one thing I mustn't forget
to mention. Unless you happen to be
a millionaire, you will find a camera
to be a greater luxury than dining in
Alt Nurnherc. | have only heard of
one man who has managed to SNUG
gle a camera into the exposition
grounds. He was a Scranton man and
about the last person imaginable who
would try to bluff the sharp-eyed off,
cials. The truth was, he didn't try a
bluff at all. He simply carried fold
ing camera in his pocket, never at
tempting to conceal it, and they never
troubled him for a fee. Most of the
camera fionds are observed labeled
with a large and SNOWY ticket giving
their liccltse number. The Scranton
man had mirdCulouSly good luck not
to attract attention by the absence of
his number 1t costs a half dollar to
carry in the smallest. meekest, most
unobtrusive little kodak, and the prices
go up out of all proportion to the size
OF the camera. If you undertake to
use a tripod, they charge you $500 for
its admission. This makes art rather
expensive. 1t is cheaper to buy photo
graphs of the views you want from
the concesSionaires. Then you run no
risks of broken plates or smoky films
and you can always assure your
friends that you took them Just the
same. That seems to be the custom of
anybody who ever was suspected of
making a snap shot of anything under
the sun.
The Machinery and Transportation
building may not he as attractive as
the Midway, but it probably has as
many possibilities for edtication. OF
course, Scranton people are after edifi-
cation. They may not be so much in
terested in all the wheels that go round,
hut they will surely like the automo-
biles. ! don't really see how anybody
| can be happy, either here or hereafter,
without an automobile. OF course,
these vehicles do sometimes turn
Somersaults, but they are about as re-
liable as most things in this world, and
they are so nice 10 have, even if they
do make the entire household smell a;
if it had just struck oil. There are
some wonderful automobiles at the ex-
position. They are suited to every pur-
| pose from the cradle to the grave, or
rather from the childs perambulator
| to the hearse. Like dimities and mad
ras shirt waists, they come in all coll
| ors.
1t is only necessary to walk through
! this building to realize how utterly
! changed is the position occupied by the
| bicycle To-Day. When the Worlds Fair
was held it did seem that acres of space
was given up to the bicycle industries.
| Now comparatively few are exhibited
! 1t is as great a problem to decide what
| has become of all the bicycles which
were in use two or three years ago as
! to discover where all the pins and
| needles go. There must he a lot of
! them in attics and easements.
o
Women, as a rule, don't pause long al
! the machinery booths. They are noisy
| thinSs-these machinery eXhibits-and
! prevent one from imparting informa
! tion to ones friends about important
! things. There is one exhibit. however
| that is rather sure to arrest feminine
attention. 1t has a staring big card
which asks candidly, rs your belt too
| tight?" AS it usually is in these days
| OF elongated waists, some embarrass-
ment is naturally felt at the blunt in
! quiry. While it also deals with pulleys
1t means another sort of belt, however
! This interesting exhibit shows prac-
| teal workings in the power plant and
is the Cling Surface" ManufacturinG
companys booth fitted up with motors
and belts, The belts are treated with
some sort of tanglefoot thing-only
! they don't call it that, and they don't
| tell what it is made of-which prevents
them from slipping. At any rate, /,
| allows a loose belt and causes no fric-
tion, thus saving large percentage OF
| expense in wear. The exhibit is in
charge of Mr., Hopper, a Cornell man
and friend Of Mr.. Miles r. Hand II
is being used in many of the greatest
shops in the world and is found at one
or two plants in Scranton.
IL c, +.