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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1904)
Luna Park A Modern Amusement Wonder t - : A L JAPANESE TR GARDENS LUNA I'AKK. IN THE BABYLONIAN UANGINQ GARDENS AT pr- 1 T : : : - - ; . .- A. . A CIRCTTS MAXIMtTS AT I.UNA PARK THREE-RING MID AIR ARENA WHERE! THE PERFORMANCE IS FRKli , w HEN ono contemplates the great ness to which Luna, park, the wonderful amuRomint placo OQ Coney Inland, New York Harbor, the thought la natural, "W tier a Would Luna Park bo If tho TranBrnlssIppl exposition had never been held In Omaha?" Ht fore that event E. S. Dundy, jr., was busy with his clerical dudes and Frank Thompson was doing well as an architect, and neither had ever shown any Inclma tlon to enter the show business in any of Its various branches. When the Omaha exposition whs opened in 1X98 "Skip' Dundy came to tlio front os owner of the "shoot the chutes" concession, and later he, acqulicd an interest in the giant hoc saw. This wasn't an extenslvo plunge, but II was enough to givo him the fever. Hl tt&linco ut tho close of the exposition wa4 rather on the red ink side of the ledger, but ho was out to get wen, and followed Omaha with an undertaking at Buffalo Laving Mr. Thompson for a partner. Thompson & Dunnlvant were architect and builders uud did most of the building on tho Omaha midway. One of the build, lugs they put up wus never paid for bJJ the original concessionaire, who got Oft bad from the very first, and was forced tci Closo up before tho exposition hud been, running six weeks. Thompson & DunnN vant took the building and rented It to another concessionaire, who also scored failure. In order to get their money oat the architects put in a show of their own. They didn't even know what to call it at the start and wavered for some time be tween two names. "Heaven and Hell" on "Darkness and Dawn." Finally, out ol deference to the proprieties, it was de cided to call the exhibition "Darkness and Pawn," and by that strange perversity (hat has always marked the acton of boodoos, the enterprise was successful from the start. From the opening to closing time each day the place was thronged and when the exposition closed Thompson & Duunivant found themselves with a very handsome balance on the right Ide. With Thompson's success and Dundy's grit, the partners went to Buffalo, and there did well on the midway. While the Tan-American exposition was in progress Greater New York was explored, and this adventurous pair decided that the Knickerbockers wcro about ripe for the springing of something new nnd novel in the line of amusement enterprises. Luna park, on Coney Island, was the re sult of the deliberations of this pair of planners, and it was a winner from the tart. New York had never seen anything like It, and that Is a polite way of saying that It was something new under the sun. It was bigger than anything in the world last summer, and will now be bigger than Itself this summer. Last year Luna park changed the en tire character of Coney Island and Messrs. Thompson & Dundy have been accredited as the actual regenerators of that widely advertised resort. This year Luna p:trk with Its great and many Improvements bids fair to supersede and completely b orb even tho name of Coney Island. Saturday, May 14, Is the day set for the formal opening of Luna park for the sea son of 1901. Sixteen acres have been ad led, making it thirty-eight In nil and a com plete and entire change has been mado. the plant today representing an expendi ture of it.7UO.000. They have doublo-dec ke 1 almost all of the space they occupied last year, which has been called the Raby loulan Hanging Gardens, and which gives an Increased capac ity of over 70,OX)0 pc( pie, and Is at the eamo time a great pro tection against rain or the sun, Tho-e gardens will be covered with palms and shrubbery and llower beds. Thero will be a score of little tea houses among tliom, where geisha girls will serve tea and Where everything will have a distinct Japa nese atmosphere. It will bo a restful place, win ro no selling of peanuts or candy or "spelling" for shows will be lormltted. Xu one cuiuor there will bo a restaurant. THE DURBAR PROCESSION AT NIGHT IN THE STREETS OP DELHI, LTTNA PARK THE ELEPHANTS ARE COVERED WITH THOUSANDS OF ELECl'UIC LIGHTS ILLUMINATED FROM STORAGE BATTERIES CAKRIEB IN THE-HOWDAH3. Thompson & Dundy mean that It shall bey", trucks and handsome cabs will run a good restaurant. So they have given the urountl the COrner. Just before the fire privilege to a firm of caterers that does a great and high-priced business in a Wall street olllca building on very low terais, on condition that tho contract may be broken on twenty-four hours' notice. The greater part of the extra sixteen acres will be given up to a reproduction of a street in the ancient city of Delhi, India. The presence of 300 natives of India, including acrobats, snake charmers, yogi, and artisans of various crafts, will give local color. The visitors at this Fhow will see, passing through the street, the largest elephant herd In the world, forty camels, and 100 horses decked out with silk, satin and gilt reproductions of the gorgeous trap pings which the princes of India put upon their 'royal beasts In honor of their em peror at the world's most famous pageant, the "Durbar," In January, 1903. An illus tration of the workings of Thompson's In genuity is given by the fact that in the night parade tho Jewels on the elephant trappings will bo represented by hundreds of miniature colored electric lamps, oper ated by storage batteries concealed In tho howdahs. In one corner of the Streets of Delhi a large pool has been constructed, where twelve elephants will chute tho chutes. This- is a novel and sensational act that Is known as tho "I'lunglng Ele pha nts." There will bo a three-ring aerial rlrcus, with tho rings suspended over the lagoon at the foot of the chutes, where a prac tically continuous free circus performance will be given day and night, at which all tho newest and most sensational ring acts of Europe and America will be presented. "War Is hell" will show real ships in real sea fights on real water. Another new feature will bo "Fire nnd Flames." An entire city block has been erected, Includ ing a theater, schoolhouse, a tenement and a six-story hotel. The street In front of It Is regularly paved. There are real street binipe on tho corners. Real Ftrooklyn rapid transit trolley cars will run In front on ren.1 tracks. Greek fruit and peanut venders will obstruct the curbs. Automo- show performance begins two men will march through tho park with a banner thirty feet long on which this legend will be Inscribed in very large letters: "The cry of fire will soon be raised. Thero Is no cause for alarm. It Is part of tho perform ance." Then a puff of fire will come from a window In the block. A policeman will ring in an alarm. Four engines, with their hose carts, the water tower, a hook and ladder company and a search light, will dash up. There will be rescues by scaling ladders. Women and children will Jump into Ilfo nets and the people In the theater will be rushed out to safety after flessrs. Thomp son & Dundy's own patent plan for theat rical safeguards. The buildings, of course, are made of steel and asbestos and cannot burn down, but the audience across tho street from the fire will think so. The fire department, which Is under tho command of Chief Henry W, McAdams, for twenty one years chief Instructor and drill master of tho New York fire department, Is al ways on duty and is ono of Luna Park's many safeguards against fire. The park Is equipped with salt water mains, which proved their efficiency when they were put at the city department's disposal during the great Coney Island fire last fall and enabled It to stop the tierce conflagration. All of the old shows anil attractions that demonstrated their popularity liust summer will be at Luna I "ark again Ahis year, In cluding "A Trip to tho Moon," chute the chutes, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Un der tho Sen," tho old mill, the Infant In cubators and the helter-skelter slide. The two new thrillers will bo whirl tho whirl and the circling swing. Toward the end of last season an entirely new kind of people began to make their presence felt In tho Coney Island crowd They began to come down to Luna park on week days, until toward the last of the season the Saturday and Sunday receipts, large as they were, were hardly larger than those of the formerly despised slack days. This meant that people were visit" lng the place who were so well oft that they did not have to wait for Saturday for their spending money. The running expenses of Luna Park for the coming season are figured at 1500,000. Thirty detectives with some extra men from the detective agencies and the cit detective force have been employed te keep out thieves and improper persons and to maintain perfect order. "We'll have peoplo coming from further away to see Luna Park before we get through," saya the always confident and always correct Dundy, "than they will go to see a world's fair. No world's fair cant Induce any sane showman to put up for a single season such an amusement plant as we have put up here. We're here to stay. We've got to make a reputation this summer that will kpp men, women and children coming out here in 1906 and 1906 and so on indefinitely." Enoch Ardcn Variations The story of Enoch Arden appeala strongly to the hearts of readers, and it Is assumed that Tennyson foresaw what would actually happen should the shlp- wrecked sailor, returning after years of exile, discover his glrl-wlfe to be no tho contented, spouse of another, nat urally supposing her first husband to be) dead. In the story Enoch gazed long at his early love through the window, then with great self-abnegation left her In her happiness (though ho was Inconsistent to make sure that she should know of his re turn and belated death). Everybody feels that Enoch did right In not Intruding on the peaceful homo. Yet In practical llfo this Is not al ways the way. At Stowe, Vt., a drams having the same elements ran differently. An Enoch Arden there returned after years of absence to find his spouse the wife of another man. What he did was to punca the new husband. Then the wife caine to the aid of husband No. 2, and together thejr bundled the Intruder Into the street with the threat of a broken head should be r turn.