The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-15
COMFY ISLAND NIGHT.
AS THE CITY OF FAKES APPEARS
UNDER THE ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

ney Is to Do 1t YOurseIf-Concert
Halls.
]. H. Kennedy in Cleveland Plant Dealer
There are many ways of seeing the real
Coney Island-(not that of the pulpit, nor
yet the one manufactured by the news
papers)-but there is only one that is ad-
equate and satisfying. That is to dis
cover tito work down to 1t by degrees.
Take a Brooklyn train to the Oriental
Hotel. 1t is a big, high-priced, enchant-
ing spot. Sit on tie piazza and watch the
sun go down upon the restless waters.
The moon will come up, the stars will
begin to twinkle You will see the lights
of Sandy Hook creep one by one out of
the darkness. and above them will glow
the twin beacon lights of the Navesink
Highlands. You will hear the rolling
wash of the waters, and If you are open
to persuation 1t will soothe your soul;
yes, even to a forgetfulness of that din
ner bell
Then as the night deepens and the soul
of this southern shore of Long Island be-
gins to waken from the sleep of day you
can move westward to Pains and have a
look at the Manhattan beach, and hear
where you see the first merry-go-round;
and then onward toward that blaze of
light and blare of music that have been
wooing and beckoning to you from the
first. If you have been patient and have
timed yourself with due reference to the
proper spectacular impression, it is now
about 10 p. m.
A cadaverous man, with an iron Jaw
leaned over the cigar show case in his lit
tle RainaS law hotel
mistic touch to the scene.
mo, SIR" he said, emphatically, the
island is not what 1t once was. Not by
thousand miles,
Improved, eh?"
Improved" was the sneering echo.
Yes, in one way. All the profit has
been improved out of it. They are getting
too - - too - blank good and sweet
these days to let a man make a cent
at his business.
why, 1 tell you" he went on, with
surprising frankness, that the chances
are not what they were five years ago.
If a man ran up bill for 10 cents then
and gave you IS bill, you could hand
him back 80 cents, and if he made
kick you just threw him out. Now he
wants his $3.50. and you have to count
1t out before his eyes-count it over to
the last cent-before you leave him.
to sleep"
/ have quoted this pessimist. here In
the portals of the Coney brewery, to en-
phasize one thing. The island Is wicked
in many ways. deplorably wicked in
some, but since the police department of
Greater New York has taken it In hand
no robbery or deeds of violence are per-
mitted. If you keep a civil tongue in
your head and your hands out of pock-
81 hat 30 a.
is as safe as the board walk at Asbury
Park.
But 1t is desperately full of life. Nat
ural life, as it comes up through men
and women who have let go many good
things and acquired many others. If 1
were a preacher 1 could find enough
texts in the Coney Island of one night
to keep me going for seventeen years.
There are two Conveys You find one
on Surf avenue for the women and the
children. 1t looks best in the afternoon
with the sun upon it. The other is dis
covered on the street that runs parallel
nearer the shore. This is the Bowery and
was made for men and for some women.
1t cannot look well except at night; In
fact, it hardly exists between sunrise
and shutdown.
On Surf avenue are hotels, booths with
out number, ry-go-rounds. places for
liiC SuiO VI lhltlSSs mere are HuHOTeuS VI
all these things. They seem like thou
sands You cannot enumerate them. Here
your picture is taken by flashight. At
the next place an X-ray man shows you
the bones of your hand and his own pock-
etbook with cents and a ring within 1t.
You are importuned from a dozen direc-
directions to come and be weighed You
can throw balls at a cat or shoot at a
duck-if you hit anything you get cigar,
knIy Ill So -
There are goat carts and ponies to ride.
Here is one place where you can check
1,105 bicycles at once, and sometimes 1t
is filled. Bankers stand at the doors and
get off machine-made jokes all the even
ing.
All the fakes" of the world are faith
cred here. All the midways of Paris, Chi
cago and the Pan-American would make
only one little bit of this vanity fair OF
Coney Island.
We sauntered through Jones' alley at
1850 p. m. The bowery had been yawning
for couple of hours and was now awake
The paint and powder and good clothes
were on, and the first few rounds Of
drinks had been applied, lubricatingly, as
you drop oil on machinery. The tones
were becoming mellow.
There are fully a score of concert halls
on this thoroughfare, and each one is like
the OlteISs IHey must look grim and
tawdry and dirty enough in the daytime
At night, when the chairs are full of
people, the thousands of electric lights
turned on and the bands laying much of
the material grossness disappears and you
see 1t through your imagination.
What Is a concert hail?&
1t means something else, somewhere
else perhaps, but will tell you what It
means in the understanding of Coney.
Here is a large hall, with a raised and
roomy stage at one end. The room is
filled with little round tables, and at each
of these are several chairs. dozen
walters in white aprons are about, alert,
open-eyed, hawkllke, for a thirsty man,
or man who can be jostled into the be-
lief that he is thirsty; for the more BUSH
ness each waiter does, the more money he
gets out OF It.
The doors stand open. There are no
ticket takers, because there are no tick
cts. No admission fee is charged The
moment you enter you are made welcome
but you feel that you have been spotted
and become a marked man. dozen OF
these brlgands In white aprons rise I'd
and coax you In their direction II YOU
are weak, and have nerves, you give IN
TO the first one, and drop into the chair
he points you to. II you know your busi-
ness, you look over and through them.
glance about the room until you have
found a place that suits you, go slowly to
It, and sit down. In this way you are