New-York tribune., 1914-08-05
FUN FOR CENT ON
MERRY-CO-ROUND
Apparatus Hauled Along
Street Substitute for
Fresh Air FrOIic.
LITTLE ONES HAIL
SURPRISE WITH JOY
Barred from Real Pleasure in
Green Fields, They Welcome
Pathetic Diversion.

Hoout noon yesterday IN CEDAR St,
Just around the corner from Green
wleh, carnival was in progress
least II was as close an approach to a
carnival as that region often sees.
The main apparatus Of the carnival
crew up at the curb on the north side
Of the street, just before the whistles
IN the neighborhood began to toot the
Toon hour. II was quite an extraordi-
nary affair.
1t was, or had been at one time.
small one horse truck. At the for
ward end, placed crossways, was
hurdygurdy. On the rear end under
circular canopy of dingy canvas was
q merry-go-round. The platform of
this, which couldn't have exceeded six
feet IN diameter, was surrounded by
two-foot barrier of chicken wire.
Within the barrier, mounted on the
platform, were two diminutive horses,
which had evidently originally done
service as rocking horses, and a small
chariot of the kind commonly seen on
merry-go-rounds. This cavalcade
rather crowded the space on the six
foot disk.
With the apparatus came two men
and boy-ltalians. AS soon as
bosebag containing the midday meal
had been affixed to the head of the
steed which drew the apparatus, the
staff in charge prepared for business.
One of the men set himself to the task
of grinding out "The Wearing of the
Green" from the hurdygurdy. The
boy dragged out and fitted into place a
heavy crank by which the merry-go-
round was made 10 revolve. The sec
ond man swung open the gate in the
chicken wire barrier and prepared to
take toll Of prospective customers.
With the first bars of the music they
came. There's always a ready audience
for hurdygurdy in a downtown New
York street. But this was something
new, there was more than a chance to
dance for few moments here. And
after looking the thing over for mo-
ment and learning that one could ride
for a cent, most of the children raced
off home TO beg the price of ride.
Soon some of them were back, and
three proud girls-the capacity of the
machine-climbed into the chicken wire
arena and bestrode the waiting steeds.
Then the lad leaned hard against his
crank and the platform began TO re-
volve, the music maker gayly twirled
the handle Of the hurdygurdy with one
hand while he fed himself black bread
and beer from tin pail with the other,
and the toll taker lined up applicants
for rides at the tail of the cart.
Owing TO the depression Of the gut
ter where the wheels of one side of
the cart rested. the disk of the merry
go-round tilted so that the riders rode
up hill through half of the circuit and
down through the other half. AS one
of the girls was considerably heavier
than the others, her side of the plat
form gathered speed on the down grade
but labored slowly toward the crest Of
the upgrade, giving sort OF seaslcK
motion TO the ride.
Once through "The Wearing OF the
Green" the ride endured.
II seemed long time to the lmpa-
tIently waiting customers, and longer
one to the boy who supplied the motive
power, but the girls protested that 1t
was much too short for cent. They
had to climb down, however, and give
place to the boys next in line.
II took only fifteen minutes TO gather
in all the pennies in the crowd that col
lected and then the carnival packed
nm and passed on TO new stand. But
il was a gay time while it lasted, the
most stirring thing that had happened
for the children since vacation began.
Pitiful pleasures, do you say? Pitt
full. indeed. Suppose it was your little
boy or girl that had nothing better to
while away the hot days of summer.
Think, too, of that beautiful country
TO which the Tribune Fresh Air Fund
is trying to send these children OF the
pitiful, pathetic pleasures. You could
helm put two weeks of real fun in the
country within the reach of every one
of these boys and girls if you would
contribute according 70 your means
toward the expenses of the Tribune's
Fresh Air campaign.