Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-12-22
BILLION DOLLAR CHRISTMAS
Holiday Shopping outdoes All
Past Records in Volume and Cost
Skyscrnpcr BuiIt 10 Garry Adver'iHihx
Siuns ,,royes ~ Ent!urc--Envcutor
Plans TO Circle world In T""
Dnys-Pictorini Murder n New
Crime.

dollars, or an amount equal to the an
nua expenses of tho national govern
ment will be spent here this year TO
fiji Father Knickorbocker's five million
christmas stockings and those or rela-
lives and friends of residents IN his do
main Is the estimate OF experts VINO
have carefully followed one of the most
remarkable holiday seasons in the his
tory of the country. Reports from otNer
parts OF the country reflect similar con-
dtions and indicate a holiday business
of ten billion dollars or more for the
country at large IN spite OF the alleged
unsatsfa Glory business situation. Santa
Claus has been patronized in most lav-
ieh manner this year. Particularly heavy
has been the buying here by out
visitors, o. feature which IL attributed to
by the abundant crops and tho generous
prices which they hayo commanded.
Even In this billion dollar Christmas out
lay, however. the much-txked OF IN
creased cost Of living has had marked
effect Presents in the form Of luxuries
are fewer than ever before, and such ar
iicics as automobiles, expensive jewelry
and high priced decorations generally
rave given way to articles Of more gem
,ral use. In a word Santa Claus is be-
coming more Of business manager
very year The stores and shops report
This season that in spite Of the billion
dollar Christmas the greater part of the
money has been spent for useful articles
such as wearing apparel. and proper
tionately smaller amount FOR jewels,
autos, high-priced pictures and the like.
Toys as might be expected. account for
I'm ever-increasing amount. while candies
are a close second But In other respects
the billion dollar Christmas stocking is
more than ever filled with useful pres
Aa-d less with luxuries. Merchants in
al parts Of ne country agree with the
ChriSnas shopper. whatever the cause,
is learning TO S. md his money to bet
Ter purpose than formerly
AS result of the rumored' failure OF
the most ambitious aerial advertising
scheme ever attempted in this city,
Broadways nightly brilliance is not 10
be increased by several hundred thousand
electric lights and frequcnters Of the
Great White Way will not be forced To
crane their necks to. an uncomfortable
angle For In spite Of the great advance
which have recently been made in the
conquest of the air SKY signs are
not yet at a premium. Incidentally sew
eral western capitalists are said to be
out of pocket something like half a mil
lion dollars rs n result OF the failure Of
their electrical advertising tower 70
catch on. For years Broadway has blazed
every night with numerous and surprls-
ing electric displays. which have helped
10 give it its most familiar nickname
These. however. have been confined
either to the street frontage Of buildings
or to choice locations higher In the air
and II was only recently that the idea
was conceived of erecting a special struc-
tllre on upper Broadway TO carry such
signs exclusively. This idea took form in
+ sixteen story steel frame costing about
100000 designed only to afford space
for display electric advertisements II
was thought that such G novelty In the
form Of a veritaNle tower Of light OF
pillar Of flame could not fail to bring at
tractive returns. Unfortunately when It
came to disposing of space the theory
proved to be all wrong and the first
structure of its kind may shortly give
way TO an ordinary office building
broadway will not miss the lights. but It
Is sad blow to the persons who believed
that the aerial age had developed SO far
as to include aerial advertising
New York TO London or Paris I'm two
hours and trip around the world In
two days. That is the claim OF n local
inventor just made public by which he
expects to releRate all existing methods
of aquatic travel to the scrap heap Jus.
as soon as the company which he is form
ing can get under way to carry out mis-
idea IN the shape Of an actual vessel.
Moreover he asserts that the fare for the
first mentioned trip will be only five
dollars, while twenty-five dollars will
buy ticket for the latter One thousand
miles an hour 1t Is claimed will be the
maximum speed which is to be made
possible by a new means Of Transmitting
power BY a method which in experiments
on q small scale has shown astonishing
resur>I- 1t is not proposed, however, ia
travel at more than half the rate OF
speed since even then the problem Of air
pressure will be difficult. The machine
IN which the inventor expects to accom-
plish ruch record-breaking time Is .
mixture Of hydroplane and aerial mono
plane IN appearance 1t Is TO be operate Cd
only on water and because OF its great
speed will tackle nothing smaller thar
good-s!zed ocean. Even one of the
great lakes would be too small for safe
operation. Curiously enough the inventor
OF this az ". untrted machine says tina,