The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-12

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veyances through the Brighton section
of Coney Island. The outcries are in
the enclosure of 1.-The Fall of Jerusa-
lem" this years fireworks show; but
they are not caused by that illumina-
ton of an event in Jewish history. 1t
is doubtful If the special assemblage
knows the meaning of the spectacle;
but when the figure of newsboy APP
pears suddenly in the sky, outlined in
suffering fire. and glorious in all the
changeful colOrs known to pyrOtech-
MICS, they greet the sight with all their
we'll developed vocal power. A news
paper has sent its street vendors down
to the shore for an evening out, and
they are enthusiastic over the newsboy
in fireworks.
The annual exhibition of explosive
resplendence is as big and bright as
ever, with a representation of Jerusa-
lem's destruction appealing strongly to
Israelites, but the scenes are not peo-
pied as numerously, and the armies,
ballets and popuiaces are dwindled
from what they used to be.
The visitor coming into Coney Island
from that end sees next the most spa
cious tent on earth, and ii was erected
to hold the biggest circus. but the
lights have been extinguished, and the
canvas stands for the fact that success
doesn't reward all enterprises in this
province of Showdom.
Is X
Reduction and extinction are not
words to use often, though, in writing
of Coney Island in 1908, and l need to
say so because many of its singulari-
ties. holding over from previous years.
can't be described again without repi
tition. The biggest new thing takes
the burned over ground of an old one.
1t is a steel building which, with its
outfit. may have cost half of the mil
lion dollars ascribed to its erection,
and is filled by what is called stee-
plechase. Several dozens of rail-
didn't count them-start at central
height and circle around and around at
a descending grade, broken by occa-
sional rises. Each of these rails has a
wooden horse astride 1t, and the rider
after paying 10 cents, is started evenly
| with a number of competitors to make
| the run of nearly half a mile. The WIN
ner in each race may ride again free:
and a slight degree of skill may af1ect
/ the result through leaning forward or
! backward at ascents or descents. Most
of the riders are boys and girls, OF
| course but men and women from wine
dinners are frequent and sometimes the
sight of a dignified old man in the sad
1 die of a wooden horse, leaning over the
neck of his steed, and even encouras-
| ing the doubly dumb figure to speed by
a Jockeys outcries, is a ludicrous sight.
That accounts for the presence OF run
seeking spectators. even though they
have to pay a dime opiece to get into
the building.
Coney Island is becoming a place OF
classes differentiated by money, insteao
of a resort for the masses almost en-
tirely. The multitude counts its nickeis
on quitting home, goes there by some
route costing no more than dime
each way by car or boat, curses the
governor for vetoing the scent fare
bill because he believed that dozen
miles of railway can't earn fair dlvl-
dends If operated only about a third OF
the wear at a scent fare) and on arrival
there calculates the largest amount OF
fpleasure that can be bought for the
least money. Such were two hundred
thousand of the three who were Coney
visitors on the Fourth of July, and
again on the ensuing Sunday Ihey
thronged the streets and beer gardens
fooled away the other cents they had
to spare, strolled aimlessly in the
street and went home tired out with
much pleasure seeking and little pleas
ure finding.
Three-fourths of the other hundred
| thousand had a little more money &c
spend and they pay dime apiece 1oi
separation from the two hundred thou-
sand of populace; that is to say, they
buy dime entrances to Luna park
Dreamland and Steeplechase park. each
of which is a subdivision of Coney
Island. with it's own outfit of side
shows and excitements, purchasable a
prices ranging from to 90 cents =
third kind of Coney visitors are people
of wealth. more or less, who roll IRON
Manhattan borough to the seashore II
motor cars. dine in costly fashion
such top-price restaurants as the ft2
l'venhall. Riccadonna and Villipig. FOL
lowed by a disdainful look in q
Dreamland or Luna park, and whir
back TO the city at speed entalilng
now and then. fine of $40 to s25. l
\ these people drink wine copiously a
, their dinners. they are apt to give oil
version to others besides themselves
by resolving themselves into parlor eX
hibits on the merry-go-rounds, gravit.
roads. water chutes and various bun
!. peg whirligigs and bumpslides
A circus about as good and bad
say. the average single-ring, wagon
travelling tent show on the countr
routes, occupies a central platform
both Luna park and Dreamlane
ground which the boats from IN
| ChuteS splash INTO pool Will ieiiA'
nine shrieks of delight, while circlin
a bit further away are various graVit
railways. each giving forth yells froI
women and girls as the carloads oil
down at points shrewdly spaced I
make the outcries serve advertisingly
and outer still frinees hullahalloo {
barkers and musicians belonging
shows as small as a mirror maze to
short but melodramatically thick pla
of Indians, bandits. cowboys and so
diers.
Snide? Oh, not SO very. One {
them. "A Man Hunt" / described
month ago as illustrating Rocky mour
tain life in a full acre of painted car
vas Sierras and Il hundred genuir
cowboys and greasers, soldiers and IL
dams. with faciie actors TO play N
principal characters in the story of
girls abduction and her stealer's burr
ing at a stake. That'n cost you half
dollar For the same price yau ma
see an excellent one of the familis
shows, with a large and realistic ~
production of a city squares traffi
the outbreak of fire. the arrival
firemen. their use of apparatus. an
- inc ives he VIZ