The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-03
Scenes and Sights That May Be
Witnessed at Reservoir Park.
|, MAKES THE OLD YOUNG AGAIN
An Sorts Of People from lettering Age
to Giggling Girls Have the Time of
Their Lives-Music by Steam
and Main Strength.

ENTERED around the
.M1NEsESN asthnadc wheeze OF
X@N sirdy-gurdy from which
aLLS9pS0fD music is torn by main
VRS05D(L1 strength and steam is
No, NjaIlyU1Y Richmonds Coney Is
@ES>S land. Thel.e is the noisy
~ S0sSsS clatter of gravity rail-
road. the sustness-like ping of a small
rife. which splits fire internationally and
yie,ously at an inonensire target the
solid thu,np of baseball banged against
n wall .rainly in an attempt to knock the
brains out of a somewhat dizzilN attired
doll. the rafting OF dishes and glasses
from an Ice cream saloon. the shrichs
and other Joyous exuberances Of hail
hundred bathers, and above all the con-
slant murmur of conversation. eXclama-
tion admiration CONSERVATION and few
other things.
From q hundred yards away there come
the slush and the creakins and the
eoIsshing of an old m!ll-wheel. which
strangely senough is operated by cleo
tricity; from ettll nearer, where is strung
out tho inviting sign. Kill the Coon.
there is the echo of more base-balls and
The occasional clangor OF n cow-bell at
which one may toss three balls through
knet hole for FIVE Gents, with the
blessed privilege Of winning cigar.
which he couldn't smoke. and on the
eide is the lake with its tapping OF wa
fsers and its incoming couples, and the
man who can't fenther his oar. thus
compelling the heart Of his heart TO
raise her umbrella to get cut of the rain
storm.
And further away on one side Is the
Casino. from which there may come
grains of music or shouts of laughter
6ribbItnR themselves away on the moon
lit air: that Is when the moon is Shin
ing. When II isn't shining the noises
just fade away into the darkness. On
the other extreme is the Rathskeller.
whence come some more rafting oil
glass. shouted orders. laughter. AT times
song and occasionally the figure Of
the wrong way. to the infinite amuse-
m.ent Of onlooksrs.
LOVERS PARADISE.
Beside the Rathskeller and extending
away toward the Reservoir proper is
what may be termed q, lovers paradise.
1t is a stumpy looking forest. with much
thick foliage benches. few lights and
many dense pools of shadow. Scores
of couples are there. hand in hand. dream
ing of the whichitude of the muchness.
and building air castles Occasionally
from the abhrevi ated forest comes an ex-
cIamatinn suggestive Of the extreme joy
business of osculation- Moon or no moon
kindly might and the shadow Of Uhe
trees offer here all the pleasures of spoon
ing to the young couple.
And this is all West-End Electric
Park 1t is really the East-End of the
Reservoir Park. and there have been
gathered all sorts of strange things for
the edification and amusement of the
Richmondese BY night II is glitter
ing oasis in pail of night. red lights
and blue lights and white lights predomi-
mating. BY day it is not SO attra active
looking: the gla1nor. is not there 1t looks
like so much boards set up end on end.
but il possesses the supreme merit of
having lots of breezes drifting around
and therefore it draws the day crowd as
well as the night crowd.
It is only this Year that the West-End
Electric Park has been developed to its
present extent. Now 1t has become az
much Of an institution as has Coney Is
land or Atlantic City. True the board
walk is only a hundred or so feet long.
but things are concentrated there. and
from stall to stall one may wander. and
do almost anything he might possibly de-
sire to do All OF those things designed
70 separate one from s cent pieces are
there. and hundreds and thousands of
persons, sane enough in ordinary mo-
ments. are wading In and out among
them. laughing, jostling, poking. talking.
children again.
ACT CURIOUSLY.
This is possibly the one spot in Rich
uaond where the staid become frivolous.
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