The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-28

How many of the thousands that visit Polls new Palace theater member the first "movieo that e1ec- frif1ed the citizens of Bridgeport more. than 30 years ago? This astonish- ing demonstration was staged by F'a- rind in the old Park City theatre. or Hawes' Opera House, as it was then called. It is now the Plaza theater. MT. F'arini, his first name escapes the memory of the writer, was a high grade photographer with a studio in the Warner building. He was at one time associated with P. T. Barnum in his circus, and was also g. close friend of Samuel s. Sanford, noted musician. Compared to the perfection of screen pictures of the present day F'a- fini's presentations were crude ones, yet they astonished all who witnessed them.
 The most thrilling picture which screen was the Bay State express, which came laundering up from New York and ran through Bridgeport without stop. On the screen Farini wards towards New York, then come ahead again. Beh elders almost faint ed at the unheard of performance of the "f1ier'' and considered 1t most uncanny.
 "Ghost show'' Had No Chance
 The audience that night went home spectable heads, wondering how it could all be explained, but Fa.rini kept kept his secret and for some time continued to run series of mo- ton pictures which thrilled folks and kept them away from Coles "Ghost Show on State street. It was not long before Cole hadn't ghost of a show to compete with these old-time movies" so he quit. The "ghosts'' vanished, but the movies remained.
 Besides the other excellent, no doubt, movie houses in Bridgeport to- ; day the last one, Polls Palace, stands out most conspicuou
 Looking backward. there once stood on the corner of Main and Congress streets, where the Palace is now a three-story brick building with tene- ments on the upper floors and a, bar room on the ground floor. In the rear was a long wooden tenement house, known as the Mark Moore block. Next above the corner saloon building on Main street was Charles ground. A short flight of steps led from the sidewalk up ito the lawn in front of the house.
 Mir. Wordin was a 3eweler. His store was some ways down Main street, to which he walked each day back and forth from his home. He was noted for the rapid manner in which he walked. and frequently both men and boys would try to outstrip l him. but without success. This. of | course. was asg a long time before Sam well known professional pedestrians, l were born.
 Next to the Wordin residence lived | Victory Curtis and his family His | property extende ed up Main street to the corner of Arch. It is on all this l acreage. from Congress street up to l nillion-dollar Palace. Ne Times Have Changed
 As one enters this new structure, by l using his Imagination he can find 1 himself walking on Charles Wordin's l front lawn. After being seated he | can gaze at the left of the theater | upon the boxes where once was a l gin mill. On the right hand, where 1 the big organ sends out its melodious | strains, was once Victory Curtis | chicken house. At the rears where | Mark Moore's block, back of which | were pig stys, COW barns and goat | pens.
 Then, stepping out of the Palace in ! the evening, looking upon automo- piles, brilliant street lamps, rows of | illuminated stores, and crowds of peo- | pie-verily the whole ensemble has | the appearance of Broadway, New York. 'Tis a long step from Farfni's screen picture of the express train~to l Polls Palace. but in English vernacu- lar-"We have arrived"I
 Another wonder that was started l in Bridgeport was the telegraph. Ger shom HubbeH was it's demonstrator. The writer is uncertain of the exact date of the first demonstration but 1t | was some few years after the terrible | NorwaR railroad accident, which oc- cured in 1852.
 Poles and wires were erected and | placed beside the tracks and led into the upper story of Thomas Ransom's grocery store on Water street near the old Housatonic station. This stood | near where now stands the long freight depot.
 Operator Played On Keys
 MT. Hubbell had before him a table on which was arranged a row of keys similar to those on a piano. On these | were printed the letters of the alpha-i bet. When the keys were struck in l order to spell out a word, correspond ing keys at the other end of the wire l which was in New York would spell out the same words. It was a slow process compared to that of the pres