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Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 480 – Chicago is My Kind of Town

Part 480: Chicago is My Kind of Town

Advertisement for Moses & Hamilton in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1894-1895.

In 1904 Thomas G. Moses returned to Chicago. That same year, he was finally accepted into the prestigious “Salmagundi Club” in New York City. R. M. Shurtleff has sponsored his membership into this fine art society and Moses was eager to continue with his artistic studies. In addition to making inroads into the world of fine art, the scenic studio of Moses & Hamilton was doing very well. This meant that it was very hard for Moses to walk away from future projects in New York, as well as his business partner Will Hamilton. Moses wrote, “When I had to tell Hamilton, I almost gave in to stay with him, for he was awfully broken up over it, as he saw his meal ticket slipping away.” Since the beginning, Moses was the heart and soul of the company. Even five years later, Hamilton would still advertise his previous partnership with Moses as “formerly of Moses & Hamilton.”

Of Moses & Hamilton, Moses wrote, “Our work was rather pleasant and we received good prices. I sometimes think I should have stayed as our business was increasing each year. Our fiscal year was June 1^st and I remained at [Coney] Island up to the last.” They had just opened “War of the Worlds” at Luna Park that season. They received $2,900.00 on this work and made a profit of $2,200.00, as they painted it in less that one half the time they thought it would take. Moses commented, “The show was a big hit.” It was hard for Moses to leave his success to become one of many painters in a studio, even if her were in charge.

But he would not be welcomed with open arms by everyone at Sosman & Landis. Moses wrote about his return to Sosman & Landis that year, “When Mr. Sosman announced to the ‘gang’ that I was coming back and would take charge of all the work, there was much dissention among a few.” In particular, one lead scenic artist resented Moses’ return to a supervisory role. Moses continued, “Fred Scott tried to start a mutiny and went as far as he could by quitting, hoping the others would follow. But none did, and he came back and asked for a job. I put him on for he was a clever painter.” Scott was still working at Sosman & Landis in 1911. Very little is known about this scenic artist other than a few brief comments in Moses’ memoir.

Moses continued to describe his return to Sosman & Landis, “I fell in line with the old work rather quickly. It lacked the interest of production work, but after all, what is the difference? There is no glory to be had in the painting of a production – all the honor goes to the stage manager or director.” In some ways Moses’ return to Sosman & Landis broke his spirit; he was settling, possibly abandoning his dream of fine art. I believed that Moses recognized that his own artistic growth would become stagnant while employed at Sosman & Landis. This was why he yearned to be a fine artist; at the end of the day, you are in charge of the end product and how it will appear before the audience. Fine art is often treasured, whereas backdrops are often perceived as mere backings, regardless of how fine the painting.

Moses also commented on Landis’ failing health, writing, “We found Mr. Landis in bad shape. While he seemed to know Ella and myself, he couldn’t talk at all, yet appeared to be awfully glad to see us.” Moses might have painted side by side with Sosman over the years, but there was unique loyalty to Landis and his family.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 423 – Coney Island – “Fire and Flames”

Part 423: Coney Island – “Fire and Flames”

Besides “Trip to the Moon,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and “The War of Worlds,” Moses & Hamilton produced several smaller attractions at Luna Park. Thomas G. Moses recalled, “At Luna Park I had a big show of ‘Fire and Flames,’ a very effective amusement park show. Real fire, real engines and an awful mob of street vendors and loafers. A lot of good comedy and it did good business.”

Thomas G. Moses and William F. Hamilton helped create the spectacle “Fire and Flames” for Fred Thompson at Luna Park in 1903.

The attraction that Moses referred to involved the burning of a four-story brick building over the space of a city block. In 1903, the New York Times described this upcoming attraction at Luna Park, reporting that the setting for “Fire and Flames” was to depict “the greater part of Manhattan Island below Forty-fifth Street, with millions of lights in the tall buildings” (New York Times, 28 Sept 1903, page 7). The article continued, “A hotel is to catch fire, when all the paraphernalia of the Fire Department, the ambulances, and police reserves are to be exhibited.”

Detail of a scene from “Fire and Flames” at Luna Park.

The Peninsular Club Public Opinion journal advertised “Fire and Flames” as “the most realistic and stirring of all the shows.” The article explained, “Hundreds of supers take part in this, with many horses, cabs, wagons, several real trolley cars, fire engines, hook and ladder outfit, life net and water tower. The street scene is so life-like that it doesn’t seem like a show at all, and the flames bursting from the house-windows, the people at the windows screaming for help, the firemen scaling the walls with their ladders to bring down some, while others leap into the life-net, are all so terribly real that the audience feels that it has assisted at a bona-fide holocaust. The heat and ashes from the flames are sufficiently genuine to give all the thrills an ordinary mortal requires” (The Peninsular Club Public Opinion, August 12, 1905, Vol. XXXIX, No. 7, page 200).

In 1904, the former chief instructor of the New York City Fire Department, Henry W. McAdam, left his position after twenty-one years to become the director in charge of Luna Park’s “Fire and Flames” (Fire and Water Engineering, Vol. 37, 1905, page 248). McAdam was one of sixty fire fighters cast in three engine companies employed to work for Thompson for this one spectacle. The actual burning of the block involved four hundred people (Broadcast Weekly, page 7).

Moses recalled, “It was so popular that a similar attraction called ‘Fighting the Flames’ immediately appeared at “Dreamland,” the nearby amusement park also on Coney Island. Extant photographs documenting the two shows reveal almost identical spectacles.

Detail of painted backdrop next to three-dimensional building for “Fighting the Flames” at Dreamland.

Amusement park attractions, such as “Fire and Flames,” inspired early filmmakers to record the excitement and action of the spectacle. They left small snippets of popular culture that we are able to still explore when studying the past. Thomas Edison made a short movie depicting the 1904 “Fire and Flames” attraction at Coney Island, giving us a glimpse at the scene Moses describes above. Here is a link to the short film that Moses helped create for Luna Park: https://vimeo.com/165556307

I noticed something wile watching the film of “Fire and Flames;” the scenery is identical the “Fighting the Flames” as depicted in postcard s and photographs. “Fire and Flames” used a much bigger set. I wonder the film was incorrectly labeled at time of production since both attractions were filmed at the same time.

Postcard depicting the Dreamland attraction “Fighting the Flames”

Similarly, the competing attraction “Fighting the Flames” was also filmed and is available to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJylhIhtrlA

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 422 – Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “The War of Worlds”

Part 422: Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “The War of Worlds”

Postcard depicting the entrance of Luna Park

Amusement park attractions with massive spectacles provided a unique opportunity; new technology was integrated into established and successful scenic illusions. There were ample opportunities to experiment with visual spectacle. In some cases, already successful endeavors were tweaked, or revamped for even greater appeal. Luna Park showcased the work of many artisans, including the scenic art of Moses & Hamilton.

“A Trip to the Moon,” near the entrance of Luna Park.

Nearest the main entrance was Luna’s premiere attraction, “A Trip to the Moon.” The attraction was transported from Steeple Chase Park to Luna Park in 1902, then renovated and placed in a new building at the expense of $52,000. The new airship, Luna III, was also enlarged to accommodate more passengers. The show now ascended over a panorama of Coney Island, flying over Manhattan’s skyscrapers before continuing its journey to the moon, after rising into the clouds. Another change was that visitor’s would enter a moon dragon’s mouth, allowing them to walk into its stomach as the floor rocked to and fro as though alive. Descending to the dragon’s tail, visitor’s returned to earth, exiting safely on the streets of Luna Park.

Exterior of the building where the “War of Worlds” spectacle was located at Luna Park.

The building next to “A Trip to the Moon” was “War of the Worlds” and it resembled a monster submarine boat. The interior of the building depicted a small-scale version of Fort Hamilton and the New York Bay. This scenic spectacle depicted a naval attack on New York Harbor by foreign enemy invaders.

Painted scenery placed at the entrance of the “War of Worlds” show.

Moses and Hamilton also were hired by Fred Thompson to paint the scenery and engineer some of the scenic effects for “The War of Worlds” at Luna Park. For their services, they received $2,900.00. Moses noted that their final profit from Thompson’s project was $2,200.00, as they painted it in less that one half the time they thought it would take. Moses wrote, “It was all painted in oil as the scenes all worked through a tank of water. The attraction included battleships that were large enough to hold the “good-sized boy” who operated them during in battle scenes. Moses recalled this “big hit,” but one having “too much powder and noise.”

The audience was located in one of the batteries guarding New York Harbor, and watched forty ships sail toward Manhattan. The enemy fleet represented the combined navies of Germany, Britain, France and Spain. The ships appeared along a distant horizon, and slowly approached the audience, who were seated in one of Fort Hamilton’s turrets. As the enemy approached, battleships and destroyers fired their guns. An enormous shell blew up one of Fort Hamilton’s bastions. Then an enemy ship was blown into splinters. As the battle raged, the fort’s mighty guns shook the ground. Fortunately, Admiral Dewey’s American fleet sank the all of the foreign ship, before the enemy was able to lay siege to the city.

Historical accounts of the spectacle record that the show used a combination of electrically controlled models and small actors maneuvering the larger ships. The painted background by Moses & Hamilton was a huge canvas that depicted the harbor and Statue of Liberty.

Admission to every one of Luna’s attractions would cost just under two dollars. “A Trip to the Moon,” “War of the Worlds,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” Hagenbeck’s Trained Animals and the Infant Incubators were the most expensive attractions, priced at 25 cents each, today’s equivalent of $6.75. Dime attractions included “Shoot the Chutes,” “Wormwood’s Monkey Theater,” the Gondola Launches and the Japanese and Chinese Theaters. Rides on the miniature railroad called the Midnight Express or the Razzle Dazzle cost only a nickel.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 421 – Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”

Part 421: Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”

A postcard depicting the entrance of Thompson and Dundy’s Luna Park on Coney Island.

In 1902, Thomas G. Moses recorded that Fred Thompson was building Luna Park, opposite Dreamland and Steeple Chase Park on Coney Island. Moses & Hamilton would paint several projects for Thompson at Luna Park.

Thompson and Dundy’s “Trip to the Moon” at Luna Park. This attraction was moved from Steeplechase Park in 1902 to be the premiere attraction at the new Luna Park.

Thompson and Dundy’s “A Trip to the Moon” was extremely successful at Steeplechase Park during 1901; over 850,000 people took a voyage on the airship Luna. Even though much of the summer was cold and rainy, the attraction greatly contributed to the overall success of Steeplechase Park. In fact, Steeplechase was the only park to turn a profit that summer. At the end of the season, however, the amusement park’s owner, George Tilyou, decided to increase his profits for the next season, offering Thompson and Dundy 40% of their profits instead of the customary 60%. Thompson and Dundy decided to take their attraction elsewhere and start their own park. They leased the nearby Sea Lion Park and an adjacent parcel of land on the seaward side, planning to build an new 22-acre park.

Luna Park opened during the spring of 1903, with a staggering price of $700,000 to construct. The grand opening for Luna Park was scheduled for May 16. For the dedication, 250,000 electric lights were switched on at 8PM and a five-lane gate opened to a stream of visitors. In two hours time, attendance had reached over 60,000 visitors, signaling Thomson and Dundy’s success. By mid-summer, all of their loans were repaid while the profits continued to roll in. Those who had helped out that first summer, struggling alongside Thompson and Dundy, were rewarded. For example, the head of publicity who had worked the entire first summer on a percentage basis with no salary, received a huge bonus. At the close of the season, Thompson and Dundy paid him $116,000.

Luna Park was named to honor Thompson & Dundy’s main attraction – “A Trip to the Moon.” In addition to this featured ride, Thompson designed two other massive attractions – “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “The War of Worlds.” Although they were not ready for the opening, visitors came to the park in droves. Moses & Hamilton were hires to create the scenic illusion for both of these new rides.

A postcard depicting the ride at Luna Park – “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

In his typed manuscript, Moses wrote, “Our first big job for ‘Luna Park’ was ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.’ It was a very unique show and kept us busy for several months. We had a real submarine boat in front of the show that actually sank with the passengers and was totally submerged. The passengers were then taken out of the boat through a passageway into another boat, a duplicate of the one they first entered. Then, the effect of under the sea was sprung on them and it worked perfectly. The illusion was very convincing.” The total cost to create this illusion was approximately $180,000.

A submarine took passengers on a realistic underwater journey to the North Pole, very much in the same way that the Luna airship took riders to the moon. The ride was in a building that covered 65,000 square feet. The entrance alone was 125 feet wide by 70 feet high, and 150 feet deep. Between 100 and 200 riders walked down a ramp and boarded a Holland-class submarine replica. They sat sit facing large portholes that presented a view of the ocean around them on the journey. After the hatch was latched shut, the submarine submerged under water in a 24-foot-deep pool.

Moses & Hamilton painted a panorama purportedly measuring 3 ½ miles long, depicting the underwater voyage from the Indian Sea to the North Sea. The canvas that was allegedly held on twenty-four spools with various underwater compositions depicting seaweed, coral reefs, schools of fish, sharks, sea monsters, a mermaid, and even the shipwreck of the Flying Dutchman.

The air inside the Nautilus submarine was cooled as the passengers traveled closer to the North Pole. It was an exciting journey as the submarine narrowly missed colliding with a ship passing overhead, and later struck then an iceberg when ascending to the surface.

At the North Pole, passengers exited the vessel and were greeted with a blast of cold Arctic air. Eskimos in fur skins emerged from their igloos, eager to meet the new arrivals. Real seals and polar bears also cooled themselves on nearby icebergs. Passengers were encouraged to take and ice chips as a temporary memento on each hot summer day. Before boarding the Nautilus for their return home, visitors were treated to a spectacular view of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky.

Entrance to “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (left).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 420: Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “A Trip to the Moon”

Part 420: Coney Island – Thomas G. Moses and “A Trip to the Moon”

In many situations recorded throughout Thomas G. Moses’ memoirs, things never quite go according to plan. When Moses moved his family to New York, his stable employment with Henry W. Savage evaporated at the end of the season; his work for Savage ceased when the Castle Square Opera Company left the American Theatre. Similarly, his work for Henry Greenwall was also short-lived as the Greenwall Company also left the American Theatre. Moses & Hamilton began designing settings for other Broadway venues between 1900 and 1904.

Moses & Hamilton’s Broadway designs include “Under the Southern Skies” (Theatre Republic, Nov. 12, 1901 to Jan. 1902), “In Dahomey” (New York Theatre, Feb. 18, 1903 to April 4, 1903, with a return to the Grand Opera House from August to September, 1904), “The Medal and the Maid” (Broadway Theatre, Jan. 11, 1904 to Feb. 20, 1904, Grand Opera House, March 1904), “The Pit” (Lyric Theatre, Feb. 10, 1904, to April 1904), and “Girls Will Be Girls” (Haverly’s 14th Street Theatre, Aug. 27, 1904 to Sept. 3, 1904)

It was Hamilton who prompted Moses to try his hand at the amusement business on Coney Island. Both scenic artists were immediately caught up in the excitement of amusement park profits. In 1901, Moses wrote, “We started the year on the jump. In addition to the weekly grind of getting out the Stock Company’s work, we had the contract for the “Trip to the Moon,” a big amusement park novelty owned by Thompson and Dundy.”

The midway at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, with the “Trip to the Moon” ride pictured right.

Entrance to the “Trip to the Moon” at the 1901 World Fair

Thompson erected a 40,000-square-foot building that was 18 feet high to house the attraction at an expense of $84,000, for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. Every half hour thirty passengers boarded “Thompson’s Aerial Navigation Company” spaceship “Luna.” It took twenty employees to operate the ride, with an addition to 200 actors to animate the journey.

At the sound of a gong and the rattle of an anchor chain, the passengers began their journey into space. The spaceship included enormous red canvas wings that moved with system of pulleys, flapping like a bird.

The vessel rocked from side to side, before rising into the sky. Hidden fans blew on the passengers who sat in steam chairs, creating the sensation of being airborne as a series of moving panoramas provided the scenic illusion of passing clouds; the city of Buffalo (a model with blinking lights) vanished in the distance, and eventually the entire earth disappeared from view. The illusion was enhanced with lighting and sound effects. This ride is reported to be the first electrically powered mechanical “dark ride.” Thompson even patented his creation (US725,509).

Fred Thompson’s patent for the airship Luna

As passengers exited the spaceship, they were greeted by Selenites – sixty little people were employed to guide them through a maze featuring “crystallized mineral wonders” on their way to the “City of the Moon.”

Selenites pictured in the “Trip to the Moon” ride.

Actors performing during the amusement ride, “Trip to the Moon”

One of the moon monsters in “Trip to the Moon”

The Palace of the Moon King in “Trip to the Moon”

At the end of the experience was a souvenir shop, with samples of green cheese and “mooncraft demonstrations.” The passengers were then admitted to the palace of the “Man in the Moon,” as well as a spectacular stage show. Sadly, they returned to earth by way of a simple rope ladder.

The Palace of the Moon stage show at the end of the “Trip to the Moon” ride

This amusement was wildly successful at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Tickets were US$0.50 at the time, twice the price of most other attractions at the exposition. Over 400,000 experienced “A Trip to the Moon” before it closed on November 2, 1901.

The 1901 “Trip to the Moon” amusement ride was preceded by Jules Verne’s 1865 novel “From the Earth to the Moon” and the 1877 four-act opera “A Trip to the Moon,” with music by Jacques Offenbach. In 1893, a play based on Verne’s classic novel appeared at New York’s Booth Theater; it was followed by a music and dance number, “A Trip to Mars” that was performed by a company of “Lilliputians.” A movie also followed the success of the 1901 World’s Fair. During May 1902, filming started for “Le voyage dans la lune” (A Trip to the Moon) by Georges Méliès. By September 1, 1902, the film was released in Paris and then New York City.

When the Pan-American Exposition ended, Fred Thompson and Elmer “Skip” Dundy placed their “Trip to the Moon” amusement in Steeple Chase Park on Coney Island, experiencing a wildly successful season during 1902. At the end of the season, they immediately began planning their own amusement park, leasing Paul Boyton’s Sea Lion Park. Their sixteen-acre park soon expanded to a twenty-two acre park, after acquiring some more adjoining land. Advertising that the new park had cost one million dollars to construct, it opened on May 16, 1903. At eight o’clock on the evening of the first day, 250,000 lights illuminated their venture – Luna Park – outlining the buildings and creating a magical land.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 145 – Harley Merry’s “Parsifal” and Scenic Realism

In 1893, Merry was credited for his “innovation in scenic realism” at the Holmes Star Theatre. His scenery for “The Pulse of New York” was advertised as “a perfect picture of city life” with “elaborate scenic embellishments” and “wonderful mechanic effects” (The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 30, pg. 10). Merry’s stage settings introduced well-known points of interest and scenes from everyday metropolitan life, including a bustling elevated railroad, activity around a river pier, a famous Bowery resort, a steam pile driver at work, and a building on fire. The rescue scene showcased the “leap for life” – the new the method adapted by the New York Fire Department for saving human lives. This final scene would later be developed into the Luna Park attraction “Fire and Flames.”

Poster for “The Pulse of New York,” a production designed by Harley Merry.

At the time, Merry was exploring a new type of stage entertainment; one that that went beyond any romanticized visual spectacle. I believe that it was a late-nineteenth century version of our current “reality TV.” It was understandable that Merry gravitated toward creating realistic settings for both the stage and film. He soon partnered with the Edison Manufacturing Company and was involved in an early film production “Parsifal.” This short film was based on the New York Metropolitan’s Opera that ran for approximately one half hour.

1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.

A scene from the 1904 Edison film “Parsifal” with scenery by Harley Merry.

Each copy of the film was sold with an illustrated lecture on the life and works of Wagner, the story of Parsifal, and a synopsis of the different scenes. The movie was divided into eight reels, each reel containing a separate scene running from 20 feet to 382 feet in length: (part one) “Parsifal Ascends the Throne;” (part two) “Ruins of Magic Garden;” (part three) “Exterior of Klingson’s Castle;” (part four) “Magic Garden;” (part five) “Interior of the Temple;” (part six) “Scene Outside the Temple;” (part seven) “Return of Parsifal;” and (part eight) “In the Woods.” The production team was relatively small: Edwin S. Porter (director and photographer), Edison Manufacturing Company (producer) and Harley Merry (scenery). The cast included Adelaide Fitz-Allen, as Kundry and Robert Whittier as Parsifal. Unfortunately, due to the expensive price and unfamiliar medium, the film only sold only a small number of copies. Merry almost certainly lost his $1800 investment.

Advertisements in Motion Picture World (Dec. 7, 1907, page 655) noted “In Parsifal we offer the greatest religious subject that has been produced in motion picture since the Passion Play was first produced by the Edison Company about eight years ago, and there has been a constant demand for this picture during all these years, and continuing up to the present day. At the same time, there has been not only a demand, but a long-felt want for a new religious picture of interest and merit similar to the Passion Play.

Harley Merry acquired the motion picture rights for Parsifal and brought his idea to Edison and Porter. Edison had been experimenting with ways to combine silent films with recorded music and the fit seemed perfect. This is the same year that Edison films for many other topics also appeared, including spectacles at Coney Island, such as“Fire and Flames.”

The final contract to produce “Parsifal” was between Edison Manufacturing Company and Merry Scenic Construction Company, giving Merry a royalty payments based on the linear feet of each film sold. Merry was to receive two cents foot for a film that measured 1,975 feet long. Each copy was sold for approximately $335 dollars (today’s equivalent of over $9,000). Although several full-page ads were placed in the New York Clipper, the film did not sell well at all. Interestingly, the Library of Congress restored the film in 2001, taking the soundtrack from surviving copies of the original Kinetophone cylinders.

Advertisement for the Kinetophone by Thomas Edison.

What I find fascinating about Merry’s career as a scenic artist and designer is the he continued to adapt his scenic art form to new technology. Merry, as well as Ernest Albert and others, were continuously integrating new technology into their final painted product, whether it was stage machinery or Kinetophone.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 144 – Spectacle at Coney Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Thomas Moses

The past two posts have delved into the world of Coney Island spectacles. This is part of my continued exploration of the life and times of Thomas G. Moses, the creator of the Fort Scott scenery collection.

Moses also designed and painted many attractions for Coney Island from 1902 to 1904, having arrived in New York during 1900. Although he initially painted for Broadway, he was soon caught up in the excitement of Luna Park on Coney Island. In many ways, I think that this may have been the happiest time in his life. He was on an artistic ascent and jobs were plentiful. He would only leave this region after Joseph S. Sosman pleaded for his return to Sosman & Landis Studio in Chicago during 1904.

Postcard deppicting the entrance to Luna Park on Coney Island.

In 1902, Moses recorded that Fred Thompson had started to build Luna Park, opposite Dreamland and Steeple Chase Park on Coney Island. Thompson and Elmer “Skip Dundy” became the park’s creators after creating a wildly successful ride, “Trip to the Moon,” for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. They transported the attraction to Coney Island an experienced a wildly successful season during 1902.

“Trip to the Moon” attraction on Coney Island.

At the end of the season, they immediately began planning their own amusement park, leasing Paul Boyton’s Sea Lion Park. Their sixteen-acre park soon expanded it to twenty-two acre park after acquiring some more adjoining land. Advertising that new park had cost one million dollars to construct, it opened on May 16, 1903. At eight o’clock on the evening of the first day, 250,000 lights illuminated their venture, outlined the buildings and creating a magical land.

Moses was involved in creating a major attraction in Luna Park called “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” with his partner Will Hamilton. In his typed manuscript, Moses writes,

“Our first big job for ‘Luna Park’ was ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.’ It was a very unique show and kept us busy for several months. We had a real submarine boat in front of the show that actually sank with the passengers and was totally submerged. The passengers were then taken out of the boat through a passageway into another boat, a duplicate of the one they first entered. Then, the effect of under the sea was sprung on them and it worked perfectly. The illusion was very convincing.”

Crowds on street in front of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” attraction created by Thomas G. Moses and Will Hamilton.

This illusion took visitors on a trip beneath the seas in the Nautilus submarine. Passengers boarded the vessel, the outer hatch closed, and passengers dove deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Through portholes, one could see monsters of the deep, sunken ships and huge coral reefs. The ship journeyed from the Indian Sea to the North Sea. During their journey, they hit an iceberg during their ascent to the surface. When the passengers unloaded from the ride they were treated to the Arctic’s cold atmosphere, created from ammonia gas, and a spectacular view of the Aurora Borealis. They also experienced Eskimos in fur skins who had emerged from their homes, eager to meet the new arrivals. The total cost for this illusion was approximately $180,000.

Same building transformed from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” into “Dragon’s Gorge” in 1905.

In 1905, this attraction was replaced by “Dragon’s Gorge” – an indoor scenic railroad coaster that allowed visitors to witness magnificent scenes from the North Pole all the way to the Grand Canal. So popular was ride that it remained open until 1944 when it was destroyed by fire.

Moses and Hamilton also produced the attraction called “Fire and Flames.”

“Fire and Flames” at Coney Island. Note backdrop to left of building created by Thomas Moses and Will Hamilton.

Photograph of “Fire and Flames” attraction.

This was the reenactment of the actual burning of a four story brick buildings over the space of a city block. Fire engines raced to the scene and over sixty firemen rescued people from the burning buildings. Visitors watched people leap from smoke-filled windows onto a net below. Moses recounted this project, writing, “Real fire, real engines and an awful mob of street vendors and loafers. A lot of good comedy and it did good business. It was so popular that a similar attraction called “Fighting the Flames” immediately appeared at “Dreamland.”

Moses and Hamilton also did several other small shows at Luna Park, including “The War of Worlds” for which they received $2,900.00. Moses even notes their $2,200.00 profit, as they painted it in less that one half the time we thought it would take. It was all painted in oil as the scenes all worked through a tank of water. The attraction included battleships that were large enough to hold the “good-sized boy” who operated them during in battle scenes. Moses recalled this “big hit,” but one having “too much powder and noise.”

Luna Park proved to be a lucrative investment for many scenic artists as Coney Island. Elaborate venues with massive spectacles really showcased their art. This was a unique period in time when new opportunities were abundant for theatre manufacturers and suppliers. New technology was integrated into old pictorial illusions. The inspiring artist and investor had many opportunities to experiment with spectacle. Amusement park attractions also proved to be inspiration for early films.

Thomas Edison even made a short movie depicting the 1904 “Fire and Flames” attraction at Coney Island. The scenic realism and early movies of Moses’ contemporary Harley Merry continue tomorrow. In the meantime, here is the link to the short film for a wonderful step back in time: (https://letterboxd.com/film/fire-and-flames-at-luna-park-coney-island-an-attraction-at-coney-island/)

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 143 – Disaster Spectacles at Coney Island – The Eruption of Mount Pelee

The “Eruption of Mount Pelee” was another one of the models destroyed in the fire in the Harley Merry studio. This Coney Island disaster spectacel opened only two years after the actual event killed 30,000 people in 1902. Architects Essenwein & Johnson designed a structure to hold the “Mont Pelee, the Last Days of St. Pierre” production. Measuring 225 feet by 150 feet, it was the largest amusement structure on Coney Island and employed over fifty individuals to create attraction, many of who were electricians and mechanics.

Photograph of a wall in Coney Island near the “Johnstown Flood” attraction that advertised other disaster spectacles.

A hundred and sixty thousand tons of water was used for the production on a stage measuring 160 feet by 90 feet. The audience’s viewpoint was from that of a spectator in a boat off shore. The production opened with an exquisite view of Tampa, Florida, depicting peaceful waters in the bay. Ships and yachts sailed by as daylight gradually transitioned into a glorious sunset. Soon it was dusk and twinkling lights illuminated windows at seaside resorts. Finally the stage was obscured by darkness. Travellers now journeyed all the way across the ocean and were transported to the island of Martinique.

Article in “The Evening World” describing “The Eruption of Mount Pelee” in great detail.

The attraction used a brand new technology with a radium curtain that brought about realistic darkness while the change from open sea to the island of Martinique took place. During their travel they experienced a savage storm at sea with lightning, flying clouds, surging water and rain.

Arriving at Island of Martinque, they were just in time to witness an amazing sunrise and the warm glow spread over the red-tiled roofs in the unsuspecting city. The audience’s “boats” came even closer to the shores of Martinique and the city’s buildings continued to increase in size.

The clouds surrounding Mount Pelee soon begin to darken and ominous rumblings are heard in the distance. Suddenly, fire shoots upward from the mountain and streams of molten lava pour down the mountainside. Masses of rock are hurled through the air, igniting homes as they land. Flames sweep throughout the city and steam rises from the harbor as anchored ships begin to smolder. This horrific scene gradually becomes obscured with black smoke. As the smoke resides, the scene has changed and the audience now witnesses a devastating view of mass destruction. It was said to be an impressive disaster spectacle!

I had to wonder why the models in Merry’s studio that depicted attractions on Coney Island were the work of Harley Merry or the studio renters E. Van Ackerman and J. Katzer. If we consider the models to be the work of Ackerman, it would be a natural extension of their sideline business that produced both photographic backings and stereoscopic cards. It appeared that Ackerman Bros. was the epitome an early twentieth scenic studio’s attempt to diversify, providing all kinds of painted scenery for various venues.

Card for stereoscope produced by the Ackerman Bros. of New York.

It the models were part of the studio contents left by Merry it would also make sense as he had died only four months before. Merry’s scenic art and designs had already transitioned from simple stage productions to scenic realism spectacle and film by the turn of the twentieth century.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 142 – Disaster Spectacles at Coney Island – The Jamestown Flood

The January 6, 1911 issue of the Brooklyn Eagle that noted the destruction of “Old Harley Merry’s Studio included destroyed contents included the completed scenery for “The Real Girl,” “Class,” the original models for “The Johnstown Flood,” “The Eruption of Mount Pelee,” “The Deluge” and twenty-two other similar productions.” I realized that these were well known attractions at Coney Island!

“The Jamestown Flood” attraction at Coney Island.

Visual spectacles thrilled early twentieth century crowds, allowing visitors an escape from their everyday lives. In addition to the standard amusement park attractions with exotic animals, freak shows, and carnival games were disaster attractions. Visitors would pay to witness emulations of the death and destruction caused by the Jamestown flood, the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee, the San Francisco earthquake, the Galveston flood, the Fall of Pompeii, the naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, the Boer War, the Fall of Adrianople, the War of the Worlds, the Battle of Merrimac. There were others that didn’t depict a specific event, but just capitalized on horrific situations titled “Fire and Flames,” “Fighting the Flames,” “Hell Gate,”” End of the World,” and others. These amusements put viewers in a front row seat to relive the death and destruction with vivid dioramas and elaborate technical productions.

“The Galveston Flood” attraction at Coney Island.

A postcard depicting a scene from “The Galveston Flood” attraction at Coney Island.

The Johnstown Flood show (1902-1905) was an attraction at Luna Park on Coney Island. It had initially made its success at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, along with “Trip to the Moon.” Both attractions were transported to Coney Island.

The building from “The Johnstown Flood” attraction at the 1901 World Fair.

A poster from “The Johnstown Flood” attraction for the 1901 World Fair.

On May 31, 1889, a dam near Jamestown, Pennsylvania collapsed and flooded the valley with twenty million tons of water. There was virtually no escape as everything was destroyed in its path and 2,209 people lost their lives. An article from “Snap Shots on the Midway” advertised the Johnstown Flood attraction as “a scenograph, the logical evolution of the cyclorama, the diorama and the scenic theater, accomplishes the illusion, which is set on an ordinary stage and is in reality a performance in pantomime, where all the actors are what would be called in stage parlance, “properties.”

The Johnstown Flood show began with Memorial Day activities, a mere twenty-four hours before the disaster with an army processional crossing a little bridge in the bustling town. As day progressed and lights gradually appeared in residential windows as the stage darkened to dusk. Trains move across the line of vision as the moon gently ascended from the horizon. Night waned and sunrise broke forth on the morning of the disaster. As the hours passed, the wooden foundation of the dam wss undermined by the trickling of the waters from the rivulets feeding the lake of South Fork (fourteen miles away). An avalanche of water was launched down the Conemaugh valley, sweeping away five thousand inhabitants of Johnstown. The article continued, “An electric storm is made to burst in the stage picture before the arrival of the deluge, when the afternoon of May 31st, 1889, was innocent of water from the skies, but under cover of the darkness and in fitful gleam of vivid lightening the spectacular effect is heightened and is convincing. The cry of the talker: “‘The dam is burst!’ his relation of the wild ride of Johnny Baker, a ride between flood and a horse, between life and death, the loss of the horse and the death of the noble boy, comes with startling effect.

Memorabilia from “The Jamestown Flood” attraction at Coney Island.

Fire then breaks out in the debris about the stone bridge. Hundreds of dead and other hundreds of living are imprisoned there. They are burned to a crisp. The Catholic Church, the field hospital, also breaks into flames. The rescued perish there. Then the fire dies away and the scene darkens. The turn of a hand measures the time of the change coming with the light which shows Johnstown as it is today, rebuilt and flourishing.”

The Buffalo Times (May 4, 1901) issue published that the Johnstown Flood “scenograph” for the World’s Fair was created by the artist E. J. Austen. Austen was noted “the foremost cycloramic artist of the world” and assisted by a large staff of noted artists, chief among who were Charles A. Corwin, Frank C. Pepraud and Herbert V. Brown. In producing the marvelous mechanical effects, E. S. Shea of New York had a prominent part, being the “originator of many devices now being used in the prominent theaters of this and other countries.” Herbert A. Bradwell, the electrician also stood out at the head of his profession producing novel effects, many that had never been seen before. Bradwell, advertised as a specialist in illusions and a constructor of electric and scenic shows, was located at 28 Lexington Avenue, New York.

In 1906, “The Deluge” replaced the Johnstown flood in the same building. This attraction enacted the story of Noah and the flooding of the entire world. During the final 1908 season, changes were made to the finale include an earthquake and fire in addition to the flood.

“The Deluge” attraction at Coney Island.

Second scene from “The Deluge” attraction at Coney Island.

Fourth scene from “The Deluge” attraction at Coney Island.

To be continued…