Show World (July 1909)

THE SHOW WORLD 23 CONEY DAMAGED BUT STILL DOIN G BUSINESS Storm Hits Pleasure Island and Costs Concessionaires Some Money, But That’s All ! NEW YORK, June 26.—Despite the ■ newspaper reports that Coney Island j was almost put out of business by the {.heavy thunderstorm of last night, the J only damage done was of a rather ■ Sp it nature by the strong wind, which tore a few shingles away from { the concessionaires and frightened the ! folks for a few hours.—REVELL. • One bf the Chicago papers said: “A storm dropped on Coney Island at 5 o’clock this afternoon with a { combination of wind, rain and hail that,punished pleasure town as it had never been punished before. ■‘The wind, blowing between forty and forty-five miles an hour, tore down ' awnings and swept electric signs from their hangings and as the storm in¬ creased in violence it overturned auto- ; mobiles and wagons.by the score. I “When the clouds began to gather ; it was estimated that there were $150,- 000 people scattered along the beaches ‘ and among the amusement parks. There was a tremendous rush for shel¬ ter when the downpour began. The storm seemed to come from all direc¬ tions at once. Rain fell in torrents, • accompanied by large hail stones. “The people crowded into every¬ thing that offered a shelter. Swimmers along the beach scuttled away to es¬ cape the hail stones and big waves that seemed all at once to jump over the sea wall. Many of the lighter structures along the sands, bathhouses and pavilions were swept out to sea. “Wind and hail stones smashed thousands of electric lights in the 'amusement parks and the damage was ^estimated in the thousands. Fight for Life as Storm Rages. “While the storm was at its height • hundreds of people left their shelters to watch two men fighting for their lives at the extreme top of the 305- Hoot tower in Dreamland. Johnson and A1 Whitley, electricians, had gone to the top of the tower, to replace broken electric light bulbs. They were working on a swinging scaffold at¬ tached to the lattice work of the tower. "When the storm began to gather their foreman warned them to come down, but they stuck and were caught in the first blast of the gale. Seeing that they would soon be whipped off from the scaffold, which was already beginning to swing wide in the gale, the two men climbed up the ropes to .the^lattice work and clung there for “At that elevation the unimpeded wind tore at them so fiercely that s ome of their clothes were stripped from their bodies. When, the wind had died down a rescue party cut away part of the trellis work and pulled the almost unconscious men in¬ side the tower. Neither of the men wa$. seriously injured. Actor Quiets House. “At the Brighton Beach music hall Nat Wills was in the midst of his tramp act when lightning hit the building and short circuted all the lights. Darkness, following the deaf¬ ening crash, started a panic. “With the help of the orchestra, Wills managed to quiet the house. The lights were restored, but the show had hardly resumed when an¬ other bolt placed the theater once more in darkness. The audience this time started for the doors, but again order was restored. “The Oceaq View inn and the vaude¬ ville theater at Brighton Beach were hit at 5 o’clock. The gable of the inn facing the ocean was ripped up. ‘The sea got up rapidly under the drive of the storm and in a short time was sweeping over the sea wall. The water rose so rapidly on Ocean boule¬ vard that the audience at the New Brighton theater found itself ma¬ rooned on an island. Some waded, but- most waited for the waters to recede. Big Balloon Loose. “The balloon Pommern, which won the Lahm cup in the international race two years ago, was moored in a lot near the pavilion i» Steeplechase park when the storm broke. Dr. Julian H. Thomas is now the owner of the big balloon. He was preparing to make an ascent and the balloon had been filled with 80,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas. To keep the big gas bag from flying away, six tons of sandbags were attached to the rig¬ ging. In spite of the weight the bal¬ loon began to heave and tug as soon as the first gusts of wind hit it, -and just as Dr. Thomas jumped for the rip cord, intending to let out the gas, it rose and whirled away. “Many of the sandbags stuck in the rigging, but the gale whipped these loose and they crashed down on the pavilion, breaking scores of windows. “The falling glass slightly injured several persons who were in the pa¬ vilion. Dr. Thomas next heard of his balloon when a report came that it had landed at Rockaway park. Swoops Out of Sky. “Policeman Nevervill was standing near the park when he saw the huge gas bag come swooping down out of the sky. It hit a corner of the Inn roof and carried away part of the cornice. People in the inn rushed out and found the basket had been smashed. They thought from its ap¬ pearance that the balloon had been struck by lightning. Joe Whitehead and Flo Grierson are walking up alleys and side streets dodging managers with offers for musical comedy, and agents with con¬ tracts for vaudeville for next season. They can’t make up their minds which to choose. Joe says either would do were other fair charmer away. Lottie Mayer a Hit. Lottie Mayer, the deep sea diver ap¬ pearing at Riverview, is creating quite a sensation- as her act is one that has never been attempted before by a pro¬ fessional swimmer. The Viascope Special FIRE PROOF! NOISELESS! FLICKERLESS! NO VIBRATION ! Guaranteed Forever Against Defective Workmanship or Material Viascope Manufacturing Co. Room 6,112 E. Randolph St., CHICAGO FOR SALE SIX-LEGGED BULL 4J4 years old, in best health and condition. GREAT ATTRACTION and GOOD MONEY MAKER FOR RIGHT PARTY. WENZ & MACKENSEN Dealers in Animalsand Bi'ds Dept. 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