Rides and Exhibits
"Everything is sliding and crumbling. Everything glitters, totters, teeters, titters"
-Henry Miller
Coney Island popularized roller coaster culture, a more traditional form of entertainment, in the United States. American engineers employed their knowledge of physics and built magnificent gravity-powered rides that dipped, dove, flew, looped, and glided through the park. Traditional technological models were enhanced by electricity in order to fit society’s craving for stimulating entertainment. So, although the industrial revolution inspired the original production of rides, it was the changing imagination of the modern world that inspired the development. Furthermore, he uncontrollable movement of the Coney Island rides offered physical and emotional relief from industrial discipline and routine (Register 130).
The first American “roller coaster” was built at Coney Island. The Switchback Railway, duly named, was not the most exciting ride. It reached a maximum speed of six miles per hour and provided a leisurely tour of the beach. However, it was popular. Other rides like the Shoot the Chutes, the Whip, and the Tickler were more aggressive. They tossed and buffeted its passengers, often causing men and women to brush up against one another.
Coney Island’s popular thrill rides also turned the world upside down. The Flip-Flap Railway, with its 25-foot circular loop, was the first inverted coaster at Coney Island. It attracted much attention, but closed after only a few years. The dangerous g-forces of the vertical loop caused the death of many passengers who were not able to hold on tight enough. Attempting to correct this problem, Edward Prescott designed a roller coaster with a softer, oval-shaped loop (Pescovitz Online). This helped ease the extreme forces experienced by the rider. Utilizing the technology of the time, Prescott did the best he could to build a safe and exhilarating ride. Unfortunately, the Loop-the-Loop attracted more observers than riders.
The construction of high-speed coasters followed. Drop-the-Dip, which was later called Rough Riders, was the first one built. William Mangels employed a third rail and a motor man to provide energy for the “train” as it traveled up hills and around curvy turns (PBS Online). The train picked up speed as it moved along the track. The operators of the Rough Rider were decked out in military regalia because it was also erected in tribute to the Spanish-American War. The dual aspects of the ride provided entertainment on two levels— adventure and education. Again, however, the ride was not entirely safe. Operators often pushed their vehicles too hard, especially on downward inclines, which caused cars to become loose. Passengers were propelled from the ride.
On another side of the park, life was beginning. In the infant incubator building, visitors paid to stare at premature babies. The idea of putting "incubator babies" on display orginated in France and gained popularity following a French exhibit in the Berlin Exposition of 1896 (Lieberman Online). At Coney Island, Dr. Martin Couney became known as "The Incubator Doctor," and was praised for his medical achievements. He endorsed the use of technology to gain the attention of the public. The building utilized complementary inovations, such as thermal controlling devices, feeding tubes, and sterilized sleeping chambers (Silverman Online). Although progressive, his iniatives were disturbing to many. One tourist commented, "I didn't like the idee of the little helpless creeters bein' laid out on exhibition, like shirt buttons, or hooks and eyes, to be stared on by saint and sinner, by eyes tender or cruel – and voices lovin' and hateful to comment on. I felt that the place for little babies wuz to home in the bedroom" (Holley 280).
