Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-08

This last summer 100000 to SOOO,OOO
people made 10000 trips to Coney Island.
They spent there $4OOOOOOO. mostly in
nickels and dimes, and the total sum was
three times what this nation paid to
Napoleon for Louisiana, or six times what
we paid Russia for Alaska.
There are In Coney Island peanut stands
the size of a broad top desk which rent
for $3.50 a season. The men who sell
frankfurters pay enormous sums for the
right to stand where they do, and get
their money back In the niekels Of the
20, OOO, 600.
On week days the attendance is large,
but on Sundays and holidays It rises to a
point where each visitor has room only to
be happy standing still. On the Fourth
Of July 100000 people crowded into the
little island bathed. shot the chutes. were
photographed and ate "red-hots." 1t was
believed that Coney would not hold a
single additional visitor, but on August
Is a new 10000 came, making 10000 in
one day.
1t is a wonderful business-this Coney
! Island-but a very risky one. The 800, OOO,-
0oO nickels depend upon the weather. When
the mercury drops, profits fal, to nothing
II a plague should break out and the
| island be quarantined, boats would stop
running and the people would stay in
their city homes. The Coney Island
farmer must harvest his crop Of nickels
while the sun shines.
New YOrk's largest skyscraper will cast
its shadow over the Battery Towering
thirty-one stories above the ground, 1t will
contain 100000 cubic feet with a rentable
lar Of ecIa faof n will hA
ten miles OF plumbing, twenty miles of
steam pipe, sixty-five miles Of conduits
and wiring, and 9OoO electric fixtures.
From curb to roof 1t will measure 416
feet. In building 1t will be used 1900 tons
OF structural steel, 100000 common bricks,
9Oo,eOo face bricks, 5,9Os barrels of cement,
5S5, 900 square feet OF floor arches, zG6, 900
cubic feet Of cinder fill, 125,ooo square feet
OF girder covering, 10000 square feet OF
partition tile, 10000 square feet of column
covering, 10000 square feet Of wall furring,
5000 cubic yards Of caissons 1900 cubic
yards Of earth excavation, 2,15o cube feet
of granite, 10000 cubic feet of Indiana
limestone, 5000 tons Of ornamental terra
Gotta, 5000 square feet Of wire lath, 1000
square yards Of plaster, 100000 lineal feet
Of spruce sleepers, 800 900 feet Of comb grain
yellow pine flooring, 2,SoO windows, 5000
square feet Of glass, 5000 doors, 2so, coo
pounds Of window weights, $4,000 feet OF
copper chain $4,000 feet OF ground, $1,000
feet Of picture mold, and 5000 feet Of
base.
Cinders required for floor arches and be-
tween sleepers of the floors will fill 500 900
cubic feet. approximately 46,0Oo,eeo pounds.
1t represents the consumption Of 115,eOo tons
OF COAL sufficient to develop 55OOo,0Oo
horse power hours Of energy.
There will be 2,iOo horse power boilers,
2,eSs horse power In engines, 1900 kilowatts
in generator capacity. 5000 square feet Of
radiator surface, 10000 candle power in
electric lights
Old buildings on the site are being torn
down The structure will be an addition
to the twenty-five story whitehall build
ing. The completed skycrAper will front
SO7.2h feet on Washington street and 1908
on Battery place, covering 51,5l5 square
feet, or twenty-one city lots 1t will cost
q. 10000.