The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-22
CONEY SHIVERS In ITS MIRTH.
THE MARDI GRAS BEGUN WHILE
POLAR BREEZES BLOW.
An Manner OF Lively Things Shown In n
night Parade-Oidest Inhabitants Lead
March at n Grand Bail-TwO Days
More TO Celebrate Coney's 80 Years.

The Atlantic pursed it's blue lips and
blow cold on the first nights celebration OF
roney Islands Fat Tuesday. The $4,000
-, more folk who went to the city OF odds
nd ends to frolic on the fiftieth anniversary
~ the day that old Capt. John B. McPher-
am hammered the first nail into Coney's
erst hotel shook and shivered.
It required fortitude OF spirit and thick
,a.s Of clothing to snatch an evenings
I'm in the teeth Of the polar breezes. but
tbev who started on the Mardi Gras fes-
tivitiee were made Of heroic stun. They
w.re the pick Of the millions who have sky
srked at Coney this season and they were
loval souls.
Unhappy was the girl who went attired
As in the gladstone summer days. The
chilly breezes found every puncture in her
onen work stockings and every hole in her
neck. a-boo waist. Unpleasant was the
pleht of the men who went blue serged,
without waistcoat, scorning an overcoat.
They we're blue from their tops to their
toes For such as these, and there were
many, but one course Of treatment brought
Joy, course Of highballs at Luna Park
or Dreamland. -,
Coney had an odd look about it, with
its streets full Of overloaded. bundled
no folks. Even the bankers had to wear
toppers and they gave that cheerful tribe
writing on the wall. 1t spelled the end of
the season. 1t meant that Coney is to
crawl into winter quarters In few days.
However. the Coney Islanders celebrated
the first night OF the semi. centennial .; n IN
the cold. the opening OF the Mardi Gras
festival was a success. The crowd cheered
Coney's banner parade, held its breath
while Coney burned In red and green hre,
that blazed with electrics wherever there
was space to hang an incandescent and
topped of the evening with bloodwarm-
ing ball in Stauch's.
One Of Coney Isles most interesting
bits Of history is the fact that on Sept. 70
1854. Capt. Mcpherson started to build
the first hotel that the Island knew. That
was the old Point Comfort House, as every
Coneyite knows, and il is still standing
at Thirty-fifth street and the ocean side.
There one NAV get a meal Of sea food or a
drink Of strong waters from the same nan
driver. In those days. too, it is recorded
that coneys were hunted where the nehts
Of Dreamland and Luna Park blaze now,
and il a dozen people registered at the
Point Comfort House in whole day Coney
Nothing less than a Mardi Gras would
do to celebrate the captains momentous
nail driving, Coney Island decided. Coney
had poetical reason to excuse the apparent
incongr,lity 1t is true that in Rome or
Paris or New orleans Mardi Gras is Shrove
Tuesday, the day before Lent, when the
world turns over a new leaf for forty DAYS
and goes into retirement. Therefore, Coney
argued, the days that precede its own
lasting and gloom ought, OF right 10 De
celebrated by Mardi Gras.
They started it of with brave parade
where walked birds and beasts that natural
historians know not Of ladies and knights
of story books, chariots from the triumph
of Roman Emperor, snorting automobiles
asssrtively modern, elephants and poodle
dogs, shoes and ships and sealing wax
Coney Island boiled down and concentrated
in a line of moving things It was Luna
Park and Dreamland and Surf avenue and
The Bowery and the steepiechase al az
once a crashing, rafting. laughing, howling,
whooping, cheering. singing clam chowder
Of the strenuous little sle.
A cannon doomed at 10 O'Clock and the
parade swung out from the review stand
like q Rlittering snake to Surf avenue.
The grand marshal and his white sasn.
his name was Parker--was thing to excite
mad cheers. There followed Conahan, the
naughty OF countenanoe,, Then a bugler,
blowing At to burst, Dustin was his name,
wound about with white and blue The
band followed, their brasses blaring the
prophetic melody:
Then the cheering began In earnest:
fellows from the Brooklyn navy yard,
men OF the United States Marine Corps,
sss P sss ding 1t s.sAs ssuS then
dazzling, eye-tiring. wonderful thing on
wheels, Luna Parks "A trip to the moon"
float, every foot OF which was cleaning
with white and red electrics.
met Ali, keeper Of the elephant folk, muffied
In his white and red striped blanket, tur-
baned In his best, strobe at the head OF his
people. He was no Pathan from the north
and he shivered to his white beard. The
camels, the ugly oonts, stumbled along,
bobbtnR their absurd heads. The bearded
sikhs tramped behind the red coated Brit
ish. The poor, miserable little monkeys,
straps. K cobra, Of all snakes the ugliest,
raised it's hooded head and Kissed behind
Rajput Singh, the bad baby elephant.
Dervishes and dancing girls. fellaheens
and iakirs lords and ladies in flowing lace
More floats, more OF the besashed, the
f1remen who fight the burnless flames, then
Thomas Abbott and Mrs. Susan Hubbard,
the oldest OF Coneyites. the one a., the
swheel, an inspiring float to the natives,
More bands crashed, bareback riders on
fat horses, the little people OF the midget
city, school children, clown mule that
was disappointlngly sedate, henhetn r.
Sutherland more floats. beer floats, there
was the parade
Another cannon doomed. A red fame
shot into the air from the Bowery. Whis-
ties blew. Cries Of Fire" startled the crowd.
Six fire ngines dashed through the streets.
Coney was afire again. 1t was quite to the
life. For q half hour the town was de-
stroyed over again. Tons Of red fire were
burned from house tops in the region that
real flames devastated a year ago. Parade
not excepted, it was the best show OF the
evening.
1t was II o'clock when the grand ball
started OF with old Mr.. Abbott and old
Mrs Hubbard leading the march. They
elescoped two bands to make the music
and Coney had not seen such dancing for
many a day. The wonder OF it was that
folks could shake a foot nimbly in such a
jam Of dancers.
They will have it all over again to-day
and tomorrow with variations. In the
afternoon Miss Eleanor Weber, Miss Florence
West and Mrs. Alfred Brown are down
for swimming contest II the water isn't
too cold. Tonight the feature OF the
Mardi Gras will be the burning of steamer
Of the shore and the life savers will show
how folks are saved at sea.
It's good show, but don't forget to take