The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-06
LOTS OF FUN AT CONEY ISLAND.
There Are New Tricks by the ScOre--SOO.-
600 Visitors Saturday and Yesterday.

There are New Hricks ny tne ScOre--9WO,"
600 Visitors Saturday and Yesterday.
II you have an invention or even an idea
for an invention, of a machine which will
place life and limb in jeopardy, take ii down
to Coney Island, get it attractively rugged
up, hire couple of barkers, charge Is cents
head for chances on life. and your fortune
is made. What the people who go to Coney
Island OF Sunday nowadays want is some
thing with the spice Of chance in it. Any
thing will do, so long as the chance is there.
Men and women will fall over one another
In their anxiety to shoot down slides at
lightning speed, with nothing between them
selves and the chute but their summer
clothes; they quarrel at the entrances to
pitch black pits, the flooring of which is
dotted with electrically charged plates OF
metal they whirl around fragile-looking
wheels. shoot at lightning speed through
papier mach6 dungeons, loop the loops,
standing up, sitting down and in every
other position, and do a hundred and one
things that no sane person would ever think
Of doing at any place but Coney Island
Police captains may come and police
captains may go. but Coney Island goes on
forever There is only one thing about
that they cannot say now. and that is that
ii is the same old Coney Island. 1t isn't.
II is even a very different Coney Island
from what 1t was three years ago. For
one thing, it isn't nearly 30 wicked. For
commercial purposes a universal effort is
made to convey the impression that every
thing behind closed doors is risky and ought
10 be seen. You get sly wink from the
man who eNhortS you to step inside and
see the houris from the Fast do few
Delsartean stunts. but after you have paid
your quarter and taken seat wondering
how you must have degenerated to feel
a secret delight in such degradation, you
are treated only to an elephantne exhibit
ton OF Terpsichore by a few elderly ladies'
who must have taken in washing for a
hvlng before they became houris.
All Of COney Islands badness is super
nclal. Up one or two narrow board walks
a few Of the old dives still flourish, but
they are 80 well under cover that it would
90 difficult for stranger to find them.
On the whole it la a pretty clean and moral
IIoney Island compared to the old Coney
island, but strangely enough 1t is far
more expensive Coney Island than it used
10 be In the last two years several mil
hons Of dollars Of capital have been put
mo Ioney Island, and II has been estimated
mat TO SEQ all the things that are to be
seen there and to do the place thoroughly
coats about $50 head, exclusive of eating,
which, by the way, is a wholly superfiuous
performance at Ccney Island.
That the two biggest days in the history
oitoney Island, the Fourth Of July and yes
terdav, have come and gone without any
serious mishap TO anybody or anything
very much 10 the credit Of Mr.. Dooley,
VINO happens to be the commanding police
93nclal in charge Of this very shaky king
upm Police captains don't have very
Reasant season of il al Coney Island.
mere are too many people with kicks
AZ what goes on there. From Clayton.
VINO VINO has passed to the pensioners, to the
S ate lamented Knipe: who was tried and
,ound wanting, captains have come and
gone with little to the glory OF the records
el, behind them. Whatever the future
.loins in store for Dooley il can always
w., i" sad OF him that the two days that will
Wv" IN history as Coney Islands greatest
"SSed without az much as a mishap,
IN the Bowery concert halls the young
Wtomen were thankful for the police edict
ssoon' long skirts, II saved lot of them
ron catching cold in their tights Shoot
t lhe chntes, visiting the moon, and then
cong cong next door for trip 20, 900 leagues
,,nder the sea, were all popular IA ever,
s, ,u Luna Parks big dance halls were
"'i'i'n''nR all dav ard h"'r IT. night