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sacred
HAPPY DAYS
138
plenty. Over the unruly mob stood a man
with a huge rattan which he used freely,
whacking the boys over the head and shoul-
ders and dragging them out if they of-
fended twice.
The first gallery was where the richer
people sat and the top gallery was for the
use of colored folks ex-
clusively.
It was the custom to
have three and even four
plays in -one night.
First, a tragedy, then
a comedy, then like
enough a minstrel
show and a _ roaring
farce for the wind-up. It
was no uncommon thing
to have the performance
ep up—particularly on
Saturday nights — until
one, and even two o’clock
in the morning.
The Old Bowery was
twice destroyed by, fire
ances and is soon to be
torn down. -
No place of amuse-
ment in America ever
attained the celebrity of
Barnum’s Museum and
it is not likely that any
ever will.
Figure 4 illustrates the
building as it appeared
in its prime.
It stood at the juncture of Broadway
and Ann street and when we remember i
was literally covered with pictures of birds,
beasts, fat people, giants, dwarfs, etc.
ntrance was at the apex of the tri-
angie and from the balcony above a band
ept up. a constant tooting and drumming
night and d:
Truly, Barnum’s Museum was a wonder-
ful place. From cellar to roof it was fairly
packed with such a collection of miscella-
neous curiosities as has never been drawn
together since.
Woods, which occupied the East River
front at a point about the foot of Seventieth
o summer garden has ever attained the
opularity which this noted place of amuse-
ment long possessed.
Here _nightly concerts were held and
Fig. 4—Baryum’s Museum.
dancing, boating, bathing, etc., were in or-
T.
It was really a beautiful spot, standing as
it did upon the high bluffs, overlooking the
East River.
As the city grew, however, the rough ele-
ment crept in and Jones’ Woods became no
torious as the scene of nightly brawls, until
finally it sank so low as to be the resort
only of the most disreputable.
A few years ago it was destroyed by fire
and was never rebuilt;-the site is now a
vacant lot.
Fig. 6.—Crystat PALACE,
‘here were said to have been as many
as 760, 000 in 1849, and before the final de-
_ struction of the building by fire, in 1863,
this number was greatly increased. Al-
though it was the custom to refer to Bar-
num’s Museum as one of the great bum
bugs of New York, the contrary was
fact. Barnum liked to have his little joke
on the public, but with the loss of his col-
lection perished thousands of curiosities re-
lating to the earliest period of our history
as a nation, which no money can ever re
place,
Figure 5 illustrates the Crystal Palace,
which our forefathers used to think the
most wonderful struc 7
ture in the worl
It the
ground now known as
Reservoir Park, Sixth
nent exhibition Ppaild.
It was built of
life was short and fire
in 1857, if we are not”
mistaken, and the land
has been used for park
purposes ever since,
The Crystal Palace. never attained the
popularity of the other places of amuse-
ment which we have mentioned, partly
owing to its brief career, but more partic-
ularly, we fancy, from the fact that it was
always more or less of an advertising
scheine.
As far as antiquities are Concerned, its
collections never amounted to mu
cannot at all be compared with thous of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Mu-
seum of Natural Wistory, in tor th “park,
Figure 6 illustrates the famous Jones’
a
Besides the places we have mentioned,
“Mitchell’s Olympic,” on Broadway, near
Howard street, deserves notice.
his was the home of light comedy and
opera and. was for Syoars a most famous
reso!
The old Vauxhall Gardens, on the Bow-
ery, near Spring street, were famous about
the beginning of this century. They were
conducted on the plan of the London Vaux-
hall, which, a hundred years ago, was the
most noted summer garden in the world.
The New York Vauxhall has long since dis-
appeared.
The Fifth Ward Museum Hotel, on the
Fig. 6.—Jones’ Woops.
corner of West Broadway and Franklin
street, was another. noted resort, where a
small collection of really meritorious an-
tiquities and curiosities were gathered to-
gether in a saloon. Here a mission mes
free—to those who satronized t the bar,
sale of this collection realized Si jen 35
when the place was finally sold out, after
the proprietor’s dea’
Such were a few of ‘the most noted places
of amusement in New York in the days
when our fathers and grandfathers were
ys. ~
[This story commenced in No. 277.]
THE KING OF THE AIR
The Haunted House on
the Hill.
By GASTON GARNE,
Author of “Those Barclay Boys,” “333,”
“His Last Chance,” “Holding His Own,”
“Enchanted Mountain,” etc.
CHAPTER XIII.
BACK TO THE TOWER,
For the first few moments after Professor
Pistrucci’s mad leap to hisdeath Fred Fel-
lows crouched on the deck of the airship
and never moved, overcome by the horror
of the situation.
“It’s awful!” be murmured at last; “just
awful, but he deserves it—he deserves even
@ worse fate, .There isn’t the least doubt
that he would have killed me in the end if
he had lived and got the chance. What am
I to do? Oh, what am I to do?”
‘or many moments Fred pondered over
the situation.
was no one left but Bianca. Pro-
fessor. Pistrucci had given him the airship,
rons and obtain patents on its various
a peand purely there could be no trouble in
joing
The cng of the Air had passed the ex-
perimental stage. It was a gigantic suc-
vess—it was actually flying—it obeyed the
rudder perfectly. It meant millions for its
owner if it was rightly handled.
Fred drew a long breath and resumed his
seat at the wheel which controlled the rud-
der.
“All there is about it Professor Pistrucci
ad he is
|. s far better for
me and it will be wetter tor Bianca in the
end.”
Fred’s mind had cleared up now and he
was able to t!
The King a he Air was rushing on ata
speed which our young inventor estimated
must be in the neighborhood of a hundred
miles an hour, but the gas in the bag would
soon be exhausted and that meant trouble.
Fred looked at his watch.
y had been away from the haunted
house just forty-five minutes. This meant
a flight of an hour and a half if he returned
immediately and made the same speed back,
which was quite unlikely.
On leaving the tower Professor Pistrucei
had estimated that he had a two hours’
supply of gas in the bag.
This was a pretty close call, Unquestion-
ably there would be difficulty in finding the
way back and should the gas become ex-
hausted in the meanwhile it simply meant
@ drop to deat!
Fred jooked | over the rail.
the Air was just passing
over a large town, but it was now late and
there were but few persons on the streets.
Every one of them was staring up at the
airship and the Breatest excitement seemed
to preva
of course it was ‘quite useless to think of
recovering Professor Pistrucci’s body. Fred
never even gave the matter a thought
further than to resolve that for Bianca’s
sake he would go and claim the remains of
the wretched inventor if their discovery
was ever reported in the papers, but that
was something for the future. Fred felt
that he had all he could do to take care of
the present.
He immediately turned off all the electric
lights but the big searchlight at the bow of
the airship and then started to turn the
King of the Air itself.
The huge mass obeyed the rudder per
fectly and came around with a majestic
swing which gave the searchlight a cir-
cular sweep upon the darkened sky, pro-
ow came the tug of war. Of course
ly had a general idea of the “direc.
tion i which the haunted house lay.
t's northwest,” he murmured.
at bare, broken ledges on its east slope.
That's my landmark and, thank heaven, it
Is light enough to make it out. Guess [ll
try B Uttle more speed.”
peed was controlled by a small lever
at his Tight han
Fred_ pulled it and the King of the Air
responded beautifully.
Speed was increased many miles an hour.
at we want here is a speed gauge
and I must make one first thing,” thought
Fred. Then he settled quietly down to
business, keeping a sharp lookout ahead,
fore to miss his bearings meant certain
Tine slipped o
The hip wa 3 soon sailing over the
tops of the eastern Alleghenies, but Fred
could not see anything that looked like the
particular mountain he had in mind.
Thirty minutes passed, forty-five came
and weut.
Fred grew seriously alarmed.
The King of the Air was now hovering
over a desolate region where there were no
towns and scarcely a farmhouse visible.
It seemed as if the required distance
must have been covered. Fred reduced
speed to the iowest point of safety and kept
his eyes xed on ne eaks ahead.
w risen and it was com-
paratively, Tight still nothing of the ragged
mountain
“T shall Just have to “make @ landing the
best place I can find,” thought Fred, when
all at once he saw smoke of a railroad
train on the mountainside ahead o
‘no help for it. I must go down and in-
quire; it is madness to keep on as I am.”
Now came the final test of {he working
qualities of the King of the
Fred understood the apparatus which
controlled the downward movement of the
airship perfectly well, although he had
never tried to work it.
He reached out and pulled another lever
with beating heart, at the same time shut-
ting off the propelling power.
Instantly the fans ceased to move and
six broad sheets of thin metal shot out from
e sides of the airship.
one change of movement was sudden but
ntle, the “sustaining wings,” as the pro-
feaor called them, doing their work per-
re
g
‘With a rapid but steady movement the
huge mass dropped, still obeying the rud-
re
a
®
This was the first step. There were still
six other sustaining wings to bring into
Play, three on a side, which were supposed
to check the speed of the descent in such a
manner that the final landing would be
most easy.
As he neared the ground Fred pulled the
lever which controlled them, hoping that it
inight not be necessary to touch the ground
at all,
le was now directly over the railroad
and the train seen on the mountainside had
just pulled out from a station where there
were a few houses.
On the platform were several men, ‘who
were staring wildly up at the strange
aerial monster above them. Fred could
ear them shouting to each other or to
him—he could not make out which.
Never did any invention work more per
fectly.
The airship now moved downward with
a motion so slow as to be scarcely per-
ceptible.
To the men on the station platform it
pered to hover above them like a huge
ird.
Fred leaned as far over the rail as he
dared, and, making o speaking trumpet of
his hands, shouted a
ello! Hel
“Hi
“Hello!” yelled a large man, who held a
lantern in his hand. “Who the blazes are
¥ ind of a machine is that?”
“What railroad is this?” shouted Fred,
ignoring t the question.
rie,” answered another man on
plat form
“Wha* station?”
“Two stations ahead. Say, what sort of a
{bing ig is that, anyhow? Can't you tell a
ell
“Good-by!” Fred called back.
Quick as lightning he turned on the
power, pulled in the sypporting wings and
also pulled the rising
The King of the ‘Air rose in the same per
fect manner that it had done at the start
and flew on over the mountain down which
the railroad train had come.
As soon as he had passed the peak Fred,
to his great joy, saw the e ragged sides of
his landmark ahead of
A moment more and he. ‘flew over Slab-
town. The station was closed and dark
and there was no one to be seen.
” Great care was now necessary in order to
make the landing on the tower a success.
few moments more and Fred caught a
glimpse of it.
The haunted house was all dark and no
one to be seen until the airship was just
over it, when Fred, to his astonishment,
perceived a band of a dozen or more
mounted men dashing furiously up the
road.
mit was no time to investigate them.
Fred had his hands full now to make
the landing without breaking the tower to
pieces or ruining the King of the Air, but
he turned the searchlight down upon them
and took one look.
whole company was instantly
thrown into the greatest confusion.
The horses were reined in and the men
began shouting and pointing up at the
strange aerial monster overhead.
Fred paid no attention to them, however.
His whole thought was how to make the
landing and he accomplished it beautifully,
the sustaining wings working like a charm,
gently as a farmer would set down a basket
It is 1 must know it. There's .