The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-18

IT will take a pocketful Of money
to fill the Christmas tree this year if
the newer toys are chosen. STAN
dard toys shown great advantage this
season, so tar as New York is con-
cerned. the Sun says, but the nechani-
cal toy. which is i'm chief demand,
comes high.
II takes for instance $500 TO buy
the train oflcars propelled by steam up
and down eighty feet of track. The
engine IS an eight-wheeleT, with boil
er heated by an alcohol lamp. The
train consists of three cars, with all
double trucks and equipped with air
brakes, a Pullman sleeper, a diner and
a smoking and library car, all fitted
with regulation furniture.
Close to each end of the track is a
device which causes the engine 10 re-
verse and a shriH whistle signals when
the steam gauge registers too high
pressure. About a dozen of these trains
have been sold thus far
The toy-selling season has really only
just begun, but from Park Row, the
center of toy purveying to small shops,
TO the Twenty-third street district.
where the wants of the little children
of the rich are satisfied, the story is
the same-the drift of sentiment is all
toward the mechanical toy. oddly
enough, the favorite toy is a mechani-
cal automobile which retails in both
localities from 30 cents up. This toy
dasEes frantically about when wound,
a sQueky horn sounding in the same
impertinent fashion as the deeper-toned
signals of the big touring cars.
OF course, these are for the boys.
Girls seems to prefer dishes to dolls
this year.
Not all girls have such simple
tastes. A big uptown toy store has
just sent TO Europe for two small girls
I'm England whose nurseries are be
neath the shadow Of the cOr0pet, two
dolls OF medium size. each with a COM
plete trOusseau. The price of each doll
and outfit is $500
Shipments OF expensive toys TO the
children Of the American wives of En-
glish peers are by no means infrequent,
and in every case the most expensive
toys are chosen. New York doll Gus
toners are beginning 70 rival the pro-
auctions of the French doll dressmak
ers. one New York store has a dozen
young women who do nothing but con-
struct dainty designs for costuming
dolls, Many of which are sent
10 France. returning to this country as
The latest Persian novelties in doll cos
tuning.
IN the line Of the more expensive
mechanical toys is a complete machine
shop that costs $50. Smaller shops
with fewer machines are sold at from
So. 80 up TO the point where desire
ceases and receipt for large figures be-
gins.
Machines are sold separately. A
drill, brand new, lathe sawmiL grist
mill. emery wheel. may be purchased
for from 30 cents To 50. These can be
operated by means of tiny electric
motor of triflng cost. and are so we'll
constructed that many of them are
really serviceable.
Shafting is sold separately. so that
the boy who owns several Of these ma
chimes may fit them TO run all at once.
perhaps through power gained by one
az the engines in which a vapOr lamp
burning alcohol produces steam.
Ia engines there is endless variety
and the prices range from 81 50 to $50
These include the turbine engine: cal
Oric engines, those operated by electri-
city and the old-time. steam-driven af-
fair. The growing favorite with the
boys seems TO be the turbine.
Steam locomotives of ordinary fash
ion still dominate all the toy railroads
where engines are operated on other
than clOckwork principle. The latter
rules I'm all but the most expensive
toys.
These trains are seen in a completely
equipped railroad yUard. I'm which the
block signal system is working. the
switch lights being tiny incandescents.
operated with the aid of a storage bat
terry. There is a roundhOuse. properly
furnished, a turntable. etc.
Besides the yard a passenger station
Is seen. and then if it is wished to run
the track through the city or country,
there are bridges and tunnels ar
ranged. All these things can be pur-
chased piece by piece or in sections as
preferred. The expense is not as great
as might be thought. IL is by far the
son.
New torpedo boats and submarines
make their appearance this year They
ere operated by ClOckWOrk.
The torpedo boat makes a dive for
Gu enemy. and as it reaches a given
point turns slightly and an explosion
IS heard the supposition being that the
enemy had been torpedoed The explo-
sion results from the discharge Of a
cap I'm the boats interior. through
sharp blow from a hammer released
b. the boats slight turn The torpedo
thus sent. the boat turns IN a sharp
circle and returns to the point from
which it started.
The submarine boat goes on the sur
face OF the water three or four feet and
then dives. going about the same dis
lance beneath the surface. II will
then return to the top OF the water.
move short distance and dive again.
repeating this operation until it runs
down.
These two inventions are considered
the most ingenious of the season. They
are rather high-priced.
Wireless telegraphy has taken its
place with the telephone among the
tcys. The miniature apparatus will
transmit messages twenty three feet.
and IS more technical in its operation
than most toys. requiring some expert
knowledge TO operate it.
Among the animal toys this season
are dogs, sheep and goats whose coats
of shining white are OF a particularly
silky texture, while the animals them
selves are amazingly realistic These.
like the majority of animal toys, come
from Germany.