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New York circa 1905. "Luna Park circle swing, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
United States Patent Office, September 11, 1906.Circle-Swing
Be it known that I, Harry G. Traver, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Circle-Swings, of which the following is a specification.
My invention relates to an amusement apparatus or roundabout device, the object being to so construct a device of this character that it will be simple and efficient; and the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, construction, and arrangement of mechanical parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed. …
Agreed, that flag really needs to be replaced. How on earth does a workman even get up there to do it?? Hot air balloon? Zeppelin?
Since motorized flight was in its infancy, the swing ride seats here are made to look like a sleigh.
By the time Harold Lloyd filmed Speedy at Luna Park in 1927, the sleighs were replaced by small airplanes. The "A Trip to the Moon" pavilion appears behind Harold in these frames grabs.
For an amusement park where one would expect to see quite a few kids, this photo seems to be populated by all grown-ups. (Maybe the kids were all at work in the coal mines, textile factories and sardine canneries.)
They need to take what's left of that poor old American flag and properly retire it!
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