The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-23

vast wealth at his control, and who
stands at the back of young Craw-
ford. But the young Topekan heads
the company which controls forty
three Kinks, and gets a third of the
profits from every rink, besides draw
ing a salary as manager for each
house for three years after the house
is put into operation.
Has 43 Kinks in Europe.
Crawford's skating Kinks number
forty three and are all located in
European cities of wealth. All this
has been done in two years, and Craw-
ford isn't through yet. There is Italy
with her wealthy cities of Rome,
Florence, Naples, Venice and numer-
Gus others, besides Spain and Portugal
with their centers of population.
The present holdings of the Crawford
company-known as the American Roll
er Rink company, are: London. the
Olympia and Holland Park, Croydon.
Brighton, Bournemouth, Plymouth,
Sheffield, Bristol, Hull, Manchester,
pool Southport, Blackpool, and Chester
ALI in England; Glasgow, Edinburgh,
Aberdeen and Dundee in Scotland; Bel
fast, Dublin and Cork in Ireland; Car
diff. and Llandudno in Wales; Paris,
Marseilles Bordeaux, and Nice In
France; Brussels and Antwerp in Bel
GUM; Copenhagen, Denmark; Berlin,
Dresden, Hamburg, Frankfort on-the-
Main and Hanover, in Germany; st.
Petersburg and Warsaw in Russia; and
Amsterdam, Holland
Has Leased Hippodrome in Paris.
The latest house established was at
the Hippodrome. in Paris. This is the
most fashionable center. in that fash
ionable city. The rink started three
weeks ago with a nine-year lease. The
house was opened with an evening
given over to the aristocratic public.
through invitations. The second day
the rink started to make money. In the
/ first twenty-four hours the profits ag
gregated $1,000. One of the leading
features which Chef Crawford has pro-
vided for his rink at the Paris Hoppe
drome is a band of sixty-seven pieces,
known as 1.-THE Midget Band" every
member of the organization being a
dwarf, none of whom is over four feet
in height. And their musical ability is
reputed to be in direct proportion TO
the smallness of their size.
Travelling in Touring Car
Chef now lives in Paris, and lives in
style. He owns a $4,000 touring car, in
which he does all his travelling on the
level roads of Europe. He carries a
chauffeur and stenographer with him
on every trip, as well as Mrs. Crawford
who is keenly interested in the success
of her husband and accompanies him.
In crossing the English channel, as he
frequently does on his business trips,
the car is loaded on the sailing vessel,
carried across the channel and then I'M
loaded on the opposite side, where the
journey is continued in the. car.
Owns Yacht.
Crawford also owns a yacht in which
he takes frequent ocean trips. In the
two years. Crawford has sailed clear
around the British Isles up and down
the English channel, through the North
| sea, the Bay of Biscay, and down
| through the Mediterranean. 1t is al
| most impossible to pick up a metropoli-
| tan paper in Europe without finding a
| big display ad of some of the Crawford
Skating Kinks. The European editions
| of the New York papers carry display
| ads every day, and almost as soon as
one sets foot in a European country,
| he knows that an American owns near4
| ly every roller skating rink of note in
| the old country, and also that Wins
| lows skates are in use on every skas-
| ing floor in the mother country.
VIII Entertain Parents Next Year
All this has happeneI in two swiftly
fleeing years. Chef Crawford isn't
through yet He intends to remain
abroad several more years until he
sees the roller skating pastime firmly
established in every city of note in all
Europe. After that he may give some
thought to returning to his home in
Topeka Now he is busy with his ska.-
luS IlHhS-1liS Only Thought OF recred-
ton being to show his mother and his
relatives a good time next summer.
when they will visit him and travel
over Europe And by that time, if pres
ent indications augur anything, he viii
be worth many more thousands of dol
lars. The present season-according to
his letters to home folks-promises to
be the greatest yet, and doubtless
when Chef finds time to renew his ac-
quaintances here in Topeka he will b
rated as a millionaire