The Washington times., 1901-08-14
CONEY ISLAND FUN.
Centrifugal Force Used 10 Clean
Dimes From Delighted Visitors.

Dimes From Delighted Visitors.
Eoney Island has added a phrase to its
complicated vocabulary of pointed slang
and mixed up English as the 'barkers
howl it, Strange to say, for once the new
words are not in the least slangy, but
highly technical and secure of their place
in ali dictionaries.
Centrifugal force" is the phrase which
coney Islanders have recently become
acquainted with They have their own
ways of pronouncing it and give 1t va
riety of meanings. some of which are at
great variance with Webster. But with
Loop the Loops" and Flip Flaps" and
other amusement contrfvances in which
centrifugal force plays part, it will not
be long until everyone at the island
knows what it means and how it works.
What is this centrifugal force bust
nass?" asked Coney Island pony driver
OF the man who sells popcorn in the street
car terminal.
Its what sticks fly to the ceiling, "
was the ready answer. IF you got enough
of it you could stand upside down.
Just across the street barker cried
in deep and strenuous tones:
Here. it is, Here it is, The great and
only Loop the Loop, Everybody tries it,
everybody likes it, Here's where we turn
you upside down for the small and insig-
nificant sum of one dime-10 cents
Have you got Tho Santiago loop?" de-
manded some one in the crowd.
The crowd went in and for time was
content to watch others looping the
loop The cars, filled with four people.
tore down the incline and up and around
the spiral arrangement that makes the
loop. 1t looks dangerous 10 see the car
with its human load whirl around the
circle, but in a moment they are out OF
the loop and gliding slowly up the second
incline.
Il wouldn't try that for $5OOOO!" ex-
claimed one woman, who had said the
same thing about riding the donkey
farther up the street, which she otter
ward rode.
"Ah, come on and loop" insisted her
escort.
TT wouldn't hurt baby" said the
ticket agent We've carried more than
100000 people. and never had an accident.
At last she was persuaded to make the
trip She didn't know just exactly swhat
happened. and while the sensations were
not unpleasant. she hardly cared to try
1t again. In that she differed from two
young men, who looped seventy times
without leaving the car a few days be
fore They got reduced rate after the
twentieth round and were none the
worse for their extended trial.
The. greater part of the Loop the
Loop" attraction is like the ordinary
roller coaster. The difference lies in the
bewildering. twisting loop The cars are
pulled to the top of an incline by cable.
and are Started down one which is more
steep by an automatic brake. AT the
bottom of the incline is a circular affair
of steel resembling two sections of a
spiral railway. The car describes the
circle with great speed, and the Roadway
gained sends il up another incline. whence
there is an easy switchback descent to
the starting point. only one car is al
lowed on the loop section of the track
at a time. In case car should break IN
the loop 1t would simply see-saw for
few moments without harming anything.
There might be trouble If two cars were
allowed on the loop at the same time,
but ii is impossible under the block sys-
tenn used.
one has sensations in looping the loop,
but. like everything else that comes In
hurry, there is trouble in remembering
them. Tribune" reporter Topped 1--WE
or six times before he could remember
much about it The most feeling came
with the rapid fail down the incline. II
was something like the sensation one mas
in falling elevator. The loop part was
over almost before one knew it. The
blood did not have time to rush to one S
head A few stars twinkle IN the sun
light-where stars should not be-as the
car went up the second incline, but they
were all gone by the time the car reached
the ground.
The loop is constructed under patents
issued TO Edwin F. Prescott. OF airing ii
H..
feet high. Hnd the distance around as q
little more than seventy feet. The car Is
upside down for about one second sim
liar loops are running at Atlantic CITY
and at Boston The only accidents so far
have resulted from people putting their
hands outside the car which caused them
to receive slight flesh wounds. William
Il. Van Duzen, the manager, is confldent
that the courts will permit him to con-
tinue operations
The Flip Flap" is enc of the attrac-
lions at Captain Paul Boynton's chutes.
II is called centrifugal railway, and the
cars do a turn around a wooden loop.
The road is built on the mono-rail sys-
TEN. invented by Captain Lima Beecher.
The track is in the centre OF the trestle
work and the cars run on two wheels
placed bicycle fashion. AS a precaution,
there are guide wheels at each side which
run on tracks on the lower SIDE of the
trestle. The cars are virtually ciamped 20
the track. Every precaution for the
safety Of ''fip-fappers" is taken, and so
far there have been no accidents.
You can send a bucket of water around
will be spilled" said Captain Boynton
yesterday. Centrifugal force never fails
to do the work. and person could not
fail out of a car il he tried The same
system which we use on the 'Flip FLAP
road will one day bring Chicago within
Ave hours of New York. Such a road is a
possibility, and company Is Delns
formed to build it.
at Coney Island for several seasons but
only this year has centrifugal force iig-
ured in the criers descriptions. Before he
told of the safety of the strap which went
across ones waist. The barrel OF this
ettra ction is fifteen feet in diameter, and
1t rolls in a curved track. 1t turns one
over several times for a single fare. and
rs the speed is not great the riders know
very well that they are upside down
Once in a long while the barrel Will stop
with its passengers in the air, and the at
tendants have n busy time getting them
down. Just where the love part of this
attraction comes in no one seems to
know. not even the people who run the
show.
IL applying the principle of centrifugal
force to their amuSaments Coney Island
ors Cannot say that they have a decided
novelty. AS much as half century ago
centrifugal railways amused the youth of
Great Britain who visited the Liverpool
Zoo and other amusement centres IN Eng
land. The cars In those days carried only
one person. but they turned upside down
just as completely as do those at Coney.
OF course, the English we're not so undig-
nifed as to speak Of looping the loop
or Tipping the flap To that extent
Coney Island is original.-New York Tri-
bune.