View allAll Photos Tagged lilliputian
Carte de visite by Charles D. Fredricks of New York City. Three of America's top stage performers gathered for this portrait dressed in fine clothes. In the center stands Joseph Huntler (about 1846-1870), who performed using the stage name "Colonel Small." To the left is Charles Nestel (1849-1937), known as "Commodore Foote" to adoring fans. Charles's younger sister, Eliza Nestel (1857-1937), who performed as the "Fairy Queen," stands to the right with a bonnet at her feet.
The Nestels began performing in 1861 in a show called The Little People. They went on to perform in dime museums, P.T. Barnum’s circus sideshow, and the American Lilliputian Opera Company. Promoter William Ellinger first paired Huntler and Charles Nestel on stage in 1862.
A Washington, D.C., newspaper ad describes them as "those miniature men, Samsons in intellect," who entertained crowds by speaking in different languages and posing for motionless and slow-moving tableaux—in the vernacular, poses plastique and tableaux vivant.
Ellinger also brought the Commodore and the Colonel to the White House to meet the First Family in January 1865. They "were received with the greatest courtesy by the President of the United States, Mrs. Lincoln and the members of the Cabinet," noted a newspaper report. The celebrities made their way from the Executive Mansion to the Capitol and were escorted to the floor of the House of Representatives. There the same news story stated, "So great was the interest evinced, that the Speaker of the House placed the dwarfs, one on each end of the desk, which positions they occupied for several seconds." The Speaker was Schuyler Colfax, a Lincoln Republican who represented a district in Nestel's home state of Indiana.
I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.
A random candid screen shot from London, on main road near Battersea. The scale of the flowers on the panels make this couple look like Lilliputians.
The hedgelings feel completely at home. The little table and even the entire shape of this 'baby hedgehog hideout' has the shape of a hedgehog!♀️👶 Hedgehog-faerie-baby [triplets] !!! @charlescreaturecabinet Hedgelings ~Happynose 45mm Micro BJD ~SOON!
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#charlescreaturecabinet #cccbjd #ccc #hedgehogfaerie_baby #triplets #hedgeling #happynose #microbjd #tinyjointedtail #tinywings #balljointeddoll #limitedition #collectibles #anthropomorphic #charlesgrimbergstephan #rotterdam #designer #sculptor #bjdartist #dollart #cabinetofwonders #wunderkammer #bjdart #lilliputian #handmade_outfit #argenTTo #whisperingwoodlingwoods #sylvanianfamilies
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CCC HUFFY, HOGLET, HOLLY | 45mm Micro BJD | HAPPYNOSE Hedgeling Faerie | Ball-Jointed Doll | lil' pOtbellie ~rose quartz pink /w pink faceup painting Glow-in-the-Dark resin
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/w poseable ears (stringed), tiny joined tail, clear tiny wings
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Sylvanian Families
Baby Hedgehog Hideout
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Hand micro knits hedgeling hats dresses @argenTTo | Etsy
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Photo: @charlescreaturecabinet | NL
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BJD Sculpt ™️ Copyright ©️ 2008 | Charles Grimberg-Stephan | Charles' Creature Cabinet | All Rights Reserved.
Fake Tilt Shift - What do you think, any good?
Actually this is almost straight out of the camera (SOOC) and is a shot of Albert Street Uniting Church in Brisbane taken from the clock tower of the Brisbane Town Hall.
This poor old classic is slowly disappearing in a sea of highrise 21st century blandness.
This is right in teh middle of the city centre.
See the land of the LILLIPUTS for full effect.
Lilliputian forest of bright pink tulips in the lake island's park.
Date: April 27, 2018 13:47
Temperature: 18°C (64°F)
I had no idea what this was: it was only five inches tall, the leaves were teeny, and I couldn't even see the insect. I discovered all kinds of Lilliputian blossoms I would never have seen otherwise. If it hadn't started raining, I would have stayed longer. Maybe tomorrow.
I had been planning for weeks to visit a pretty little (and I mean Lilliputian) waterfall yesterday with five other flickrites. And I was pretty stoked, hadn't been there in over a year and then only the one time at that. So I made it halfway through the hike before I managed to nearly kill someone else or myself and got spooked and turned back, missing the waterfall entirely.
Really, it was bad. I took a wrong step, and felt the earth go soft, pulled back my left foot, put all my weight on my right foot and leaned onto the hillside, and watched in horror as a boulder that wouldn't fit in my bathtub dislodged and went bouncing end over end down the embankment and we could only wait till the noise died down to yell down to Patrick, who had scurried ahead as he always does. Patrick was fine. I did not plummet to my death. But I lost all interest in the excursion and went and had a minor panic attack and laid down on the trail for a while, until I noticed raptors circling overhead, waiting to see if I had in fact died. In consolation, another hiking companion and I shot some of the creek on our way to wait for the other hikers to return. We had a lovely time, there where I couldn't die or think about heights.
So yesterday was a bit of a washout for me. Such is the life of an acrophobe. My other worst fear, ticks, came into play when I saw one half sticking out of Patrick's shoulder blade last night, waving three little legs at me. If Patrick had come to me missing a hand, bleeding from the stump of his arm, shooting blood in every direction, I'd have been fine and taken care of it and gotten him the correct medical treatment. I can handle trauma. I can handle near death experiences. I have seen some very, very terrifying things in the hospital when Dave had his emergency open heart surgery. If I printed those things here you'd never read my posts again. But ticks? Ticks incite such an instant panic deep within my soul I can hardly describe it. And I found myself at midnight last night trying not to pass out or have to call 911, trying to remove a thoroughly embedded tick from its happy place. I then put myself to bed on the couch, away from the laundry basket where Patrick's clothes from yesterday were. Seriously. HATE TICKS. I even boiled my tweezers after soaking them in 93% rubbing alcohol.
Today I slept in for the first time in WEEKS. I am loathe to report that I had planned on going to the Tulips at sunrise today; not only did I sleep until about 10:14 am (and it felt goooooooooooood) it turns out I missed the hot air balloons over the fields. BIG BUMMER. But sleeping in for the first time since February felt divine.
This afternoon Patrick and I hit one of our favorite bakeries, then not really knowing what to do with an unplanned day, found ourselves out at Dry Creek, a falls we had never visited before. GO GO GO! It's pretty, it's an easy 3 mile walk (although it is uphill slightly, it's still not as aggressively uphill as many hikes in the Gorge), and the falls are just...enjoyable. Are they what I'd have seen yesterday? No, but it felt good to get out there again today and see some falls. : )
Top off the day with a flick over at OMSI and some pulled pork from Podnah's Pit? Yeah, life in Portland is goooooooooood. Even if I nearly died, nearly killed Patrick, had to battle a tick, and missed the hot air balloons all in 24 hours.
What is GARC racing? Where did it come from?
We have no idea.
But we have many, many credible leads and a few dodgy legends. The leads are dutifully recorded, competently researched, reliably attested; the legends, not much more than the drunken ravings of a space-mad miner of suspect principles. The first category has been exhaustively covered by professorial stuffed shirts and saltine cracker dry documentaries and are frankly, more boring than zoning commission’s minutes.
So the History Channel has teamed up with the Speed Channel to confuse the legitimate information and certifiable facts of those shows with needless dramatizations, heavily slanted reporting and emotionally manipulative voiceovers to bring you: the Legends!
Tonight’s episode, The Ducks of Haphazzard! By now, everyone knows GARC racing started in the Counties of the Asteroid Belt with rednecks and rockbillies souping up their mine carts and jalopies. And we could spend two hours talking about the economics of mining and free trade and competition and turnover and how speed equals turn around and turn around equals blah, blah, droolity, drool, blah…
But instead we found some colorful rock jockeys who use their 2069 Dodge Charger GARC racer, nicknamed the Generally, to run their Uncle Jephthy’s famous Marshine!
Meet Boo and Luck Duck, innocent orphans and absurdly dangerous racers taken in by their criminally irresponsible uncle and suckered by him as part of his Lilliputian criminal empire which includes their totally, smokin’ cousin who we actually introduced just for ratings and their grade-school drop-out mechanic buddy who keeps the Generally up and running, despite the two modern-day Robin Hood’s tendency of nearly wrecking it on every, single run. The Duck boys, it would seem, never met an asteroid they didn’t trade paint with.
We cannot talk about these scofflaw delinquents without mentioning the heroes of law and order vigilantly trying to take them down. Sheriff Rockett P. Coal-train, beacon of brilliance, shining like a binary system of justice in a dark world and his 2079 Dodge Monaco Patrol ship are out safeguarding the starways, blackroads and space-goattracks of Haphazzard county. Diligently chasing down those good ol’ boys and making the constantly shifting, slim space between the crushing granite gargantuans of the Belt safe again for decent, law-abiding road racers like you, me and Vin Turbine.
(for further pictures or information please go to the end of page and by clicking on the link you will get them as soon as possible!)
The Vienna Prater
Lieblingsnahausflugsziel (favourite nearby excursion destination) in Biedermeier Vienna is the Prater. The season opens with the race of "noble runners" on May 1. The usually before the carriages of the nobility running lackeys on that day line up under high bets to public competition. The main avenue along to the pleasure house (Lusthaus) and back drag the racers to the cheers of the audience. Trumpet-blasts, flags and cash prizes await the winner. Military music they escorts into the first Prater coffee house where them a splendid breakfast is arranged, while the ones having fallen by the wayside are collected. This race is banned in 1848 because of inhumanity. In the afternoon swayed - as from now on every Sunday - people and cars down the hunter line (Jägerzeile - since 1862 Prater Road). The state-carriages of the Court, the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie to evening make in a continuous parade the main street with its lofty Prater coffee houses to a "Nobel Prater".
"Bey the public-houses (Inns)" in the Prater.
Coloured engraving, T. Mollo. 1825
The people has fun in the Wurstelprater (Hanswurst, clowning on Vienna stages) in a tangle of guest houses and Prater lodges, puppet booths, calendula games and swings between the Prater harpists, salami sellers and spectacle. Here is the stronghold of the showmen with their monkey theater and flea circus, jugglers and fire-eaters, giants and dwarfs, menageries, panoramas, wax figures and ghostly apparitions. On the "Zirkuswiese" in Circus gymnasticus the popular equestrian companies by Christoph de Bach (? 1808) and Alexander Guerra perform. One camps in the Prater floodplains and waits until at nightfall on the "fireworks meadow" Stuwer (? 1802) lets shoot up his sparkling rockets.
City Chronicle Vienna
Dr. Christian Brandstätter, Dr. Günter Treffer
2000 years in data, documents and images
From the beginnings to the present
Courtesy
Christian Brandstätter Verlag mbH
The publishing service for museums, businesses and public authorities
www.brandstaetter - verlag.at
The historically grown amusement park looks back to a rich history. First documentary references of that area, which originally had jungle-like character, go back to the 12th Century. The former imperial hunting ground in 1766 under the "popular" Austrian Emperor Joseph II was made accessible to the public. Soon after, a number of small entertainment venues (carousels, shooting galleries, food stalls, ...) arrived, entertaining the people and also providing for the physical well-being.
The inhabitants of Vienna enjoyed themselves by riding artfully designed Hutschpferden (swing horses) and by swinging into lofty altitudes. In the process you could with long poles jab into rings. Hence the name carousel. It had been created recreational devices for the general public.
The fireworks of Stuwer and the balloon ascents end of the 18th Century dragged the Viennese from the city to the fairgrounds in the Prater. Following the trend of the times were national artistic institutions (theaters, waxworks museum and people museum - "Präuschers panopticon" with 2,000 objects, Vivarium, Planetarium, ... ) built and connected to the hustle and bustle. Sensations in the old Prater were the Abnormitätenshows (abnormalities) in which Lilliputian, Hirsute men, Siamese twins including "Freaks" (monster, abnormal shape) were to see. The thick Prater-Mitzi or the Russian-born trunk man Kobelkoff, as well as the ghostly magic theater of Kratky Baschik enriched the morphology of the bizarre Prater landscape. With the development of technology and electricity, the entertainment in the Prater was becoming more and more diverse.
In the emerging age of railways, the in Trieste born Basilio Calafati founded the first railway carousel in 1844. In this hut in 1854 the figure of the "big Chinesers" was set up as a mast. Many showmen and technicians from all over the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy, but also from the rest of Europe in the illustrious Viennese amusement park their ideas put into practice.
The Englishman Basset succeeded in 1897 to set up the still existing Ferris wheel in the Prater. This vehicle with a diameter of 61 meters originally had 30 cars. When the first "living pictures", the Cinematography, were born, 1896 the first cinema was opened in the Prater. Electricity in 1898 the first electrically operated Grottenbahn brought in the Prater. This fairytale train was also the first in Europe. On the occasion of the popularity of the airplane in 1911 the first "Aeroplan Carousel" was established. Followed in 1926 the first "Autodrome" and in 1933 the first "ghost train". In 1928, the still running "Liliputbahn", a reduced form of the great steam locomotives was placed in the Prater. 1935 brought a Prater entrepreneur from Chicago the rapid "flight path" in the Prater, a system not running on rails.
The Prater always changed its face, modernized and adapted itself to the trend of times. One attraction always replaced the other. Only few historical venues have been able to transport themselves into the present. Tradition-conscious companies such as the "Pony Carousel" from the year 1887 or the nostalgic slide tower "switchback (Tobogan)" from the 50s fight against the taste of the times and the needs of the visitors. In popularity but the historic Ferris wheel, the "Miniature Train" and of course the restaurant "Swiss House" (specialty: stilt and beer) will never lose.
Rickety ghost trains and sparkling grotto railways, although dusty, will not allow to be pushed out of the Prater. Between the historical venues flash the new, modern, hydraulically operated high-tech fairground rides. 1909-1944 the enormous dimensioned "roller coaster" always was a magnet for the Prater trippers. A reduced form is the after the war built "Neue Wiener roller coaster". Was swallowed entirely by history the magnificent "Venice in Vienna". On the site of the present Emperor's Meadow (Kaiserwiese) was located around the turn of the century the illusory world of the artificially recreated lagoon city. The initiator Gabor Steiner created in 1895 a world in the Prater, in which not only the high society, but also the Bohemian maids and the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian multinational state amused themselves. In the era of the fin de siècle (= the decadent over-refinement of feeling and taste at the end of the 19th century), in which the Prater flourished, performed the most famous conductors of the time (Strauss, Lanner, Ziehrer).
Characteristic for the Wiener Prater today is also the adjacent green, left in its naturale state Praterau (Prater floodplain). An engaging recreational landscape with trees, meadows and ponds. Through this welcoming and quiet part of the Prater leads the 4.5 km long main avenue, which is lined with old chestnut trees. At the time, colorful flower parades were held there where, inter alia, even the Emperor and Empress and Mayor Lueger showed up. Along the main avenue were situated the now defunct, three famous coffee houses. The1783 built by Canevale "pleasure house" (Lusthaus) at the end of the main avenue, however, is still to be found. Past is the "Vaudeville Light", where for a long time popular movie stars and artists of yesteryear (Aslan, Jeritza, Moser, ... ) entertained the Prater audience.
To the Prater belongs also the fairgrounds. There in 1873 took place the world exhibition. The Rotunda, those proud crowned by a cupola central building in 1937 became a prey to the flames. What in the course of time of historic buildings of facilities in the Prater not had outlived itself, was destroyed in World War II. The most severely battered amusement park but was rebuilt. It established itself again as an integral part of the cultural entertainment of the city of Vienna. The force measuring machine "Watschenmann" is part of the local history of this unique institution, but also the cheeky and defiant "Prater Puppet" characterizes the color of the Vienna Prater.
Three inch tall Lily, kidnapped from Lilliput, fights off sleepover girls who want to play dolls.
The book is "Lilliput" by Sam Gayton, illus. by Alice Ratterree.
When I took out the envelope from my mailbox, I thought, "What a perfection! "; When I opened it, I was amazed by the elegance and refinement of the box it contained.
I did not dare open it ... In spite of everything, I removed the cellophane, delicately unfastened the knot of the ribbon, opened the box ... Raised the tissue paper and discovered, coiled up among the scholarly folds, a jewel; A marvel of Lilliputian sweater with its tiny label "Lel Bills Doll Fashions". The thread is soft as a chick down, the blue so subtle and my flirtatious Elf immediately adopted this wonder!
In conclusion : A jewel in its case <3
Quand j'ai sorti l'enveloppe de ma boîte aux lettres, j'ai pensé: «Quelle perfection!»; Quand je l'ai ouverte, j'ai été étonnée par l'élégance et le raffinement de la boîte qu'elle contenait.
Je n'osais pas l'ouvrir ... Malgré tout, je retirai la cellophane, je défis délicatement le nœud du ruban, ouvris la boîte ... Je soulevai le papier de soie et découvris, enroulé parmi les plis savants, un bijou; Une merveille de chandail Lilliputian avec sa minuscule étiquette "Lel Bills Doll Fashions". Le fil est doux comme un duvet de poussin, le bleu si subtil et mon Elf coquette a immédiatement adopté cette merveille!
En conclusion: Un bijou dans son étui <3
www.flickr.com/photos/121363204@N05/31342325826/in/datepo...
3D red/cyan anaglyph created from stereograph courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Frederick Hill Meserve Collection, at: npg.si.edu/portraits
NPG Title: Charles Sherwood Stratton
Date: Circa 1863
Photographer: Mathew Brady N.Y. Studio
Notes: A stereograph of the world famous showman "General Tom Thumb," who entertained and provided a diversion for Northern audiences during the Civil War. I've not seen a precise date for this photo, but he appears to be about the same age as in his wedding photos (Feb 10, 1863), so I've tagged this as circa 1863. Below are some short newspaper articles from the period leading up to his wedding, which provide a look at his act and what he was doing, and the extent of his popularity and fame.
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The Weekly Pioneer and Democrat
Saint Paul, Minnesota
November 22, 1861
“—Gen. Tom Thumb, who is at present making the tour of the Canadas, had a narrow escape from serious injury at St. Catharines on Monday last. The carriage in which he was going from his hotel to the railroad was overturned in consequence of the axle breaking, and the General was thrown out. Several of his suite were severely injured, but he received only slight bruises.”
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The Standard
Hillsdale, Michigan
December 3, 1861
“Gen. Tom Thumb Coming. –The world-renowned Lilliputian, Charles Stratton, of Bridgeport, Conn., known as Gen. Tom Thumb, will give one of his amusing and interesting entertainments in this village, on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday next, the 10t inst. See advertisement in another column, and posters about town.
The Original Celebrated and World-Renowned American Man in Miniature,
GENERAL TOM THUMB,
Smallest man alive, at Waldron’s Hall, in Hillsdale—Positively for one day only, Tuesday, Dec, 10. Two Brilliant Entertainments—afternoon at 3, and evening at 7 ½ o’clock. Doors open half an hour previous. The little General will appear in all his wonderful impersonations, Songs, Dances, Grecian Statutes, &c., &c., as presented by him by Royal command before Queen Victoria and Royal Family, at Windsor Castle, on 4 different occasions, and throughout the world for the past 19 years….He will also ride in beautiful miniature Carriage, drawn by Lilliputian Ponies…from the Hillsdale House to the Hall, previous to each entertainment. Admission. Day Entertainment, 25 cents; Children under ten, 13 cts, Schools admitted on liberal terms…”
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The Tribune
Chicago, Illinois
December 30, 1861
Tom Thumb.—Gen. Tom Thumb, who has been the feature of the past week, remains at Kingsbury Hall for another week, which will positively be his last one, as on Saturday next he commences a journey northward. The little man has met with extraordinary success in this city, and will vary his entertainments the coming week so as to suit the tastes and indulge the curiosity of all. The General was at the Hinkley concert Friday evening and created quite a sensation. He entered the Hall during Mollenhauer’s splendid performance of the “Carnival,” and in spite of the excellent music drew the attention of the whole audience and was the focus of hundreds of opera glasses. For a little man, the General is decidedly a big thing.”
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Columbia Democrat
Bloomsburg, PA
January 11, 1862
“A Bold Attempt to Rob General Tom Thumb.
The dressing room of Gen, Tom Thumb, in Chicago, was entered on Friday night by some experienced burglars, and the trunks containing his wardrobe -eight in number- broken or cut open, and the contents scattered promiscuously upon the floor. His jewelry, however, valued at $18,000, was deposited elsewhere. The thieves therefore failed in their design.”
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The Alexandria Gazette
October 22, 1862
“A great sensation was created among the free masons of Connecticut a few days ago, occasioned by Mr. Charles Stratton, alias General Tom Thumb, being initiated, passed, and raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in St. John's Lodge, No. 1. of Bridgeport. The hall was crowded to excess to witness the interesting ceremonies.”
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Weekly Journal
Muscatine, Iowa
November 7, 1862
“P. T. Barnum, accompanied by General Tom Thumb and Commodore Nutt, has been visiting the 17th Mass. regiment, stationed about seven miles northwest of Washington. Elias Howe, Jr., (whose yearly income is a quarter of a million) is a private in this regiment, and carries the mail daily from Washington to the camp.”
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The Alexandria Gazette
January 14, 1863
“The excitement and interest in the marriage of General Tom Thumb and Miss Lavinia Warren, the little Queen of Beauty, is now the sensation of New York.”
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Red/Cyan (not red/blue) glasses of the proper density must be used to view 3D effect without ghosting. Anaglyph prepared using red cyan glasses from The Center For Civil War Photography / American Battlefield Trust. CCWP Link: www.civilwarphotography.org/
(for further pictures or information please go to the end of page and by clicking on the link you will get them as soon as possible!)
The Vienna Prater
Lieblingsnahausflugsziel (favourite nearby excursion destination) in Biedermeier Vienna is the Prater. The season opens with the race of "noble runners" on May 1. The usually before the carriages of the nobility running lackeys on that day line up under high bets to public competition. The main avenue along to the pleasure house (Lusthaus) and back drag the racers to the cheers of the audience. Trumpet-blasts, flags and cash prizes await the winner. Military music they escorts into the first Prater coffee house where them a splendid breakfast is arranged, while the ones having fallen by the wayside are collected. This race is banned in 1848 because of inhumanity. In the afternoon swayed - as from now on every Sunday - people and cars down the hunter line (Jägerzeile - since 1862 Prater Road). The state-carriages of the Court, the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie to evening make in a continuous parade the main street with its lofty Prater coffee houses to a "Nobel Prater".
"Bey the public-houses (Inns)" in the Prater.
Coloured engraving, T. Mollo. 1825
The people has fun in the Wurstelprater (Hanswurst, clowning on Vienna stages) in a tangle of guest houses and Prater lodges, puppet booths, calendula games and swings between the Prater harpists, salami sellers and spectacle. Here is the stronghold of the showmen with their monkey theater and flea circus, jugglers and fire-eaters, giants and dwarfs, menageries, panoramas, wax figures and ghostly apparitions. On the "Zirkuswiese" in Circus gymnasticus the popular equestrian companies by Christoph de Bach (? 1808) and Alexander Guerra perform. One camps in the Prater floodplains and waits until at nightfall on the "fireworks meadow" Stuwer (? 1802) lets shoot up his sparkling rockets.
City Chronicle Vienna
Dr. Christian Brandstätter, Dr. Günter Treffer
2000 years in data, documents and images
From the beginnings to the present
Courtesy
Christian Brandstätter Verlag mbH
The publishing service for museums, businesses and public authorities
www.brandstaetter - verlag.at
The historically grown amusement park looks back to a rich history. First documentary references of that area, which originally had jungle-like character, go back to the 12th Century. The former imperial hunting ground in 1766 under the "popular" Austrian Emperor Joseph II was made accessible to the public. Soon after, a number of small entertainment venues (carousels, shooting galleries, food stalls, ...) arrived, entertaining the people and also providing for the physical well-being.
The inhabitants of Vienna enjoyed themselves by riding artfully designed Hutschpferden (swing horses) and by swinging into lofty altitudes. In the process you could with long poles jab into rings. Hence the name carousel. It had been created recreational devices for the general public.
The fireworks of Stuwer and the balloon ascents end of the 18th Century dragged the Viennese from the city to the fairgrounds in the Prater. Following the trend of the times were national artistic institutions (theaters, waxworks museum and people museum - "Präuschers panopticon" with 2,000 objects, Vivarium, Planetarium, ... ) built and connected to the hustle and bustle. Sensations in the old Prater were the Abnormitätenshows (abnormalities) in which Lilliputian, Hirsute men, Siamese twins including "Freaks" (monster, abnormal shape) were to see. The thick Prater-Mitzi or the Russian-born trunk man Kobelkoff, as well as the ghostly magic theater of Kratky Baschik enriched the morphology of the bizarre Prater landscape. With the development of technology and electricity, the entertainment in the Prater was becoming more and more diverse.
In the emerging age of railways, the in Trieste born Basilio Calafati founded the first railway carousel in 1844. In this hut in 1854 the figure of the "big Chinesers" was set up as a mast. Many showmen and technicians from all over the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy, but also from the rest of Europe in the illustrious Viennese amusement park their ideas put into practice.
The Englishman Basset succeeded in 1897 to set up the still existing Ferris wheel in the Prater. This vehicle with a diameter of 61 meters originally had 30 cars. When the first "living pictures", the Cinematography, were born, 1896 the first cinema was opened in the Prater. Electricity in 1898 the first electrically operated Grottenbahn brought in the Prater. This fairytale train was also the first in Europe. On the occasion of the popularity of the airplane in 1911 the first "Aeroplan Carousel" was established. Followed in 1926 the first "Autodrome" and in 1933 the first "ghost train". In 1928, the still running "Liliputbahn", a reduced form of the great steam locomotives was placed in the Prater. 1935 brought a Prater entrepreneur from Chicago the rapid "flight path" in the Prater, a system not running on rails.
The Prater always changed its face, modernized and adapted itself to the trend of times. One attraction always replaced the other. Only few historical venues have been able to transport themselves into the present. Tradition-conscious companies such as the "Pony Carousel" from the year 1887 or the nostalgic slide tower "switchback (Tobogan)" from the 50s fight against the taste of the times and the needs of the visitors. In popularity but the historic Ferris wheel, the "Miniature Train" and of course the restaurant "Swiss House" (specialty: stilt and beer) will never lose.
Rickety ghost trains and sparkling grotto railways, although dusty, will not allow to be pushed out of the Prater. Between the historical venues flash the new, modern, hydraulically operated high-tech fairground rides. 1909-1944 the enormous dimensioned "roller coaster" always was a magnet for the Prater trippers. A reduced form is the after the war built "Neue Wiener roller coaster". Was swallowed entirely by history the magnificent "Venice in Vienna". On the site of the present Emperor's Meadow (Kaiserwiese) was located around the turn of the century the illusory world of the artificially recreated lagoon city. The initiator Gabor Steiner created in 1895 a world in the Prater, in which not only the high society, but also the Bohemian maids and the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian multinational state amused themselves. In the era of the fin de siècle (= the decadent over-refinement of feeling and taste at the end of the 19th century), in which the Prater flourished, performed the most famous conductors of the time (Strauss, Lanner, Ziehrer).
Characteristic for the Wiener Prater today is also the adjacent green, left in its naturale state Praterau (Prater floodplain). An engaging recreational landscape with trees, meadows and ponds. Through this welcoming and quiet part of the Prater leads the 4.5 km long main avenue, which is lined with old chestnut trees. At the time, colorful flower parades were held there where, inter alia, even the Emperor and Empress and Mayor Lueger showed up. Along the main avenue were situated the now defunct, three famous coffee houses. The1783 built by Canevale "pleasure house" (Lusthaus) at the end of the main avenue, however, is still to be found. Past is the "Vaudeville Light", where for a long time popular movie stars and artists of yesteryear (Aslan, Jeritza, Moser, ... ) entertained the Prater audience.
To the Prater belongs also the fairgrounds. There in 1873 took place the world exhibition. The Rotunda, those proud crowned by a cupola central building in 1937 became a prey to the flames. What in the course of time of historic buildings of facilities in the Prater not had outlived itself, was destroyed in World War II. The most severely battered amusement park but was rebuilt. It established itself again as an integral part of the cultural entertainment of the city of Vienna. The force measuring machine "Watschenmann" is part of the local history of this unique institution, but also the cheeky and defiant "Prater Puppet" characterizes the color of the Vienna Prater.
This lilliputian dragon is one and a half inches long and 1/8th of an inch in Diameter. Despite appearances, it is one fish attacking itself in a mirror. 105mm macro on D2X, two Ikelite strobes.
I thought these people, walking over the 02 arena, looked like the lilliputians from Gulliver's travels.
Is it still there? I haven't visited since this photo from 2014.
Article from the Construction Enquirer...
The steelwork bridge has been designed by public artist Liam Curtin.
The original walls and abutments for the canal bridge, at Nob End in Little Lever, have already been rebuilt and the construction of the metal work using scaled up Meccano style pieces in now underway.
The bridge will be built on the site of an old disused horse bridge and it will stand 1.3m high and span 6.4m across the canal.
The scheme is intended to create better links between Little Lever and Moses Gate Country Park.
Artist Liam Curtin, members of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society and local volunteers will be constructing the bridge.
Work is expected to take a few days to complete and could be finished by Tuesday.
The scheme is costing £90,000 and is being funded through an agreement with a developer as part of a local planning application.
Curtin said: “Building a bridge from giant Meccano is the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
“I spent my entire childhood building mechanical devices from Meccano and now we have the largest Meccano style set in the world.
“This project is unique not just in the sense that it is scaled up Meccano but because local people are actually building their own footbridge and it is bringing the community together.
“It wasn’t until I actually saw the finished pieces arriving from the factory that I realised we had created something quite wonderful.
“As members of the canal society unpacked the lorry they appeared like Lilliputian figures in a magical toy world.
“I am so grateful to everyone involved.
“The engineers at Bolton Council have been creative and inventive and given us something which is structurally sound without compromising the artwork.
“The local residents and canal society members have been working tirelessly and the factories in Bolton have made the pieces.”
This is not an immitation 'tilt/shift' miniature. It *is* a miniature of the city. The top floor of the city museum in Nuremberg showcases an immense wooden model of the walled Old Town. So real that you might expect lilliputian citizenry to pop out of the tower and prod you with toothpicks.
Web sites using this photo
www.live-like-a-german.com/vacation_package_details.php?v...
kunstnuernberg.de/stadtmuseum-fembohaus/
platicaspendejas.blogspot.com/2017/10/
misterios.agnus.com.mx/2017/10/historia-de-la-coleccion-d...
yoleo.bisshow.com.mx/index.php/2017/10/25/historia-de-la-...
A busy place during lunch time, where office workers usually hang out. They have restaurants, coffee shops, boutique and specialty shops, flower stalls, kettle corn stalls, Mrs. Fields Cookies (my favorite!) and even musicians to entertain people. It's a nice place to be if you want a break from being cooped up in your cubicle.
7th Street at the corner of Figueroa
Downtown Los Angeles
Shot from the 18th floor of the Verizon building
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Tilt-Shift Photography or Fake Tilt-Shift Photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model. Imagine yourself as Gulliver looking down at the Lilliputians. It's pretty much like it.
To add good miniature effect to your photographs, shoot subjects from a high angle (especially from the air). It creates the illusion of looking down at a miniature model.
I've been keeping an eye out for chanterelles ever since Jim Fowler posted the photos of his delectible haul: www.flickr.com/photos/22032600@N04/7742131766/in/photostream
So far I've only found them in photographic (rather than gastronomic) quantities, such as this specimen and its lilliputian clone. It's a Red Chanterelle (Cantherellus cinnabarinus) I reckon, and Sally pointed it out to me along Cedar Rock Trail at Stone Mountain SP, NC.
I took these photos in February when Giants came to visit Perth. It was awe inspiring experience seeing the skills and unity of the puppeteers (Lilliputians) work as one to give this giant diver life. The beating music was amazing as they worked to the beat. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I glad to have not missed.
From a very happy collector : @charlescreaturecabinet "Little [HOLLY] has just arrived safely. She is really super cute, so small and yet so perfect. Thank you so much for letting me adopt her. She is already impatiently looking forward to the arrival of Hoglet and Huffy!❤️" ~🍀💞~CCC-Lover Anoniem | BE
@charlescreaturecabinet Hedgehog-faerie-baby [triplets]
~Don't MISS these lilliputian cuties!
www.charlescreaturecabinet.net/
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#charlescreaturecabinet #cccbjd #ccc #hedgehogfaerie_baby #holly #hedgeling #happynose #microbjd #tinyjointedtail #tinywings #balljointeddoll #limitedition #collectibles #anthropomorphic #charlesgrimbergstephan #rotterdam #designer #sculptor #bjdartist #dollart #cabinetofwonders #wunderkammer #bjdart #lilliputian #handmade_outfit #argenTTo #whisperingwoodlingwoods #sylvanianfamilies
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CCC HOLLY | 45mm Micro BJD | HAPPYNOSE Hedgeling Faerie | Ball-Jointed Doll | lil' pOtbellie ~rose quartz pink Glow-in-the-Dark resin ~early in stock artist proof
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Sylvanian Families: Baby Hedgehog Hideout
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Hand micro knits @argenTTo | Etsy
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Photo: @charlescreaturecabinet | NL
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BJD Sculpt ™️ Copyright ©️ 2008 | Charles Grimberg-Stephan | Charles' Creature Cabinet | All Rights Reserved.
Rhinoplasty: my favorite operation.
The chisels in this shot were handed down to me by my father and my grandfather. These are actually woodworking chisels, of course, and not surgical instruments. The osteotomes I use in the O.R. are a lot smaller (of course), but wouldn't be the right scale for this comp, nor would they convey the same sense of sculpting.
My wife humored me by serving as my ever patient patient for this shot.
Info: off-camera flashes (left umbrella, right ceiling bounce), 1/4th power. ISO 400, ƒ/10, 1/160th sec.
©2009 David C. Pearson, M.D. / Pearson Facial Plastic Surgery / www.JacksonvilleRhinoplasty.com
garden building, st. hilda's college, oxford 1967-1970.
architects: peter and alison smithson (1923-2003 & 1928-1993).
the modern houses we saw in oxford all shared a common theme, the exposed frame, even if the architects weren't entirely in agreement as to what an exposed frame is and does. going from house to house felt like eavesdropping on a conversation in stone, something all good cities offer - oxford in abundance.
in one way, arne jacobsen's position at st. catherine's college was the most extreme. he demanded a temple-like perfection of the entire construction and exposed it at will. it very nearly broke the back of the concrete contractor, but the impossibly slender beams and their perfect surfaces remain the finest concrete work in town.
stirling's nearby florey building is all about its expressive A-frame but dimensions and finish are less hysterical than at st. catherine's and for all its obvious drama, it must have been easier to cast. what is striking about it and what the photos probably don't show all that well, is that the florey, like stirling's other buildings from the same period, is not very big. knowing that the A-frame was something of a shared sign for the members of the contemporary megastructure movement, the florey positively becomes a miniature. I think this is part of the boyish charm of stirling's early work, if you'll allow the expression, that they are too small. they form a kind of lilliputian architecture which can never be threatening however radical his statements appear to be.
arup associates under philip dowson produced some very refined, exposed concrete frames over the same years, but for all their refinement, they were also much more pragmatic than those of jacobsen and stirling, and this may bring us a little closer to understanding their very different places in the hierarchy of architectural history. what arup/dowson did was to place an idealized frame in front of the building. the frame reflects the order and construction of the interior but they are not identical and so allows the major part of the construction to be simpler, cruder, and cheaper.
with the garden building by the smithsons, we are moving into a new territory. it may look like the other exposed frames, arup's the most for being placed in front of the building, but it is not an idealized version of an inside order, and if anything, its prefab concrete and (originally) untreated oak timbers are cruder than the rest of the house which otherwise shares its civilised spirit and much of its architecture with that other "establishment work" by the smithsons, the economist building in london.
read horisontally, the oak timbers form trusses that connect once again to the rationalist spirit of the buildings mentioned above, but make little sense. standing next to the house, however, they could easily be read vertically, becoming stylized trees. this is underlined by the plants that grow up the facade and also - and rather more strangely - by the relationship between the garden building and an enormous, old tree right in front of it. this relationship is no accident as can be seen in the presentation drawings of the project in which the tree seems to overwhelm the house both in size and in the detail of execution. the modesty of the project owes much to this.
the trees also link to the foliage of the surrounding gothic and neo-gothic buildings and the timbers themselves link to the timber frames of their interiors. the smithsons themselves spoke more about the frame as a screen which gave the young girls living there a psychological protection. I have no doubt that they were serious, but maybe not entirely truthful. if layering was their purpose, they certainly achieved it in more than one sense.
the smithsons very deliberately moved into the territory of architectural poetry, and we can all point to their frame-screen-lattice and say, look they added poetry as if it were a hat you can put on and take off, that can't be how it works. but it does.
I don't know what to call the garden building. regardless of the add-on quality of the exterior frame, it is not venturi's decorated shed - the house is simply too refined and too grounded in its oxford location for that. significantly, we both left the grounds of st. hilda's college feeling that we had just seen the best modern house of our trip so far. we still don't know what hit us, perhaps because it was so gentle.
this photo was uploaded with a CC license and may be used free of charge and in any way you see fit.
if possible, please name photographer "SEIER+SEIER". if not, don't.
the smithsons, more.
more words, yada, yada, yada.
"Teenie Weenie Town" written and illustrated by William Donahey. Copyright 1942 by William Donahey. Whittlesey House, publishers, Jersey City printers.
"Teenie Weenie Town" written and illustrated by William Donahey. Copyright 1942 by William Donahey. Whittlesey House, publishers, Jersey City printers.
Cap'n Jack: "Well, then...since I be Lilliputian and stuck here for a while, I require certain things to keep me happy. And believe me, love, you don't want me unhappy. Savvy?"
Me: "..."
Cap'n Jack: "Firstly, I must have a steady supply of rum."
Me: "That'll be easy. You're so wee that you shouldn't go through that much."
Cap'n Jack: "You'd be surprised. Oh, and darlin', don't call a man 'wee'. It's very...disconcerting."
Me: "Hmm. And what else do you need."
Cap'n Jack: "First, the rum then let's have a think. Actually, bring me some paper and a quill. I know exactly what my next demand shall be."
Me: "Oh, dear...this is going to cost me, isn't it?"
Cap'n Jack: "Better break out the doubloons, love."
On the way from Melk Austria to Passau Germany the Avalon Waterways Impression passed many towns sporting Maypole flags.
The Gasthof Draxler located in Niederranna Austria on the Danube river bank is a hotel popular with cyclist.
About the Maypole:
The pole is usually a very tall treetrunk denuded of its branches, and it is installed by the villagers on the eve of 1st May, to remain in place for at least a month. The process is very much do-it-yourself, and usually orchestrated by a farmer with a tractor, but the business of actually getting the pole to the vertical is the business of the menfolk of the village, using a Lilliputian selection of long sticks and ropes. The process is usually helped by lots of shouting, and the provision of Bratwurst and beer, and once the pole is up, its bottom section bedded into a deep hole in the ground, it is decorated with tinsel and garlands and often with the symbols of local crafts and guilds.
The maypole’s part in village life doesn’t stop there, because maypole climbing (Maibaum kraxeln) competitions follow the May festival, all over the country. Young men climb the tree to a certain height and ring a bell, whereupon their climbing time is stopped, or else they climb all the way to the top to retrieve a bunch of sausages. The competition is accompanied by (you guessed it) excessive eating and drinking.
There’s also a ritual of good-natured maypole theft during the night of 30th April/1st May. Rivals attempt to steal any reasonably portable maypole, despite the fact that most will be specifically guarded against such an eventuality. There are differing local rules: guards can be coaxed away, guards must have/must not have a hand on maypole all night, etc. Once the maypole is stolen, it has to be released against a forfeit, which is usually some kind of alcoholic refreshment.
And then there’s other frivolities, such as how many people can you have hanging off one maypole at any one time. The record is held by a village in Austria, which also has the maypole tradition, and currently stands at 34. With that many people up there, you’d have to hope that the tree was sturdy, and the farmer who supervised its installation hadn’t had too much pilsener before making sure the job was properly done.
Lemuel Gulliver, known as the Exceptionally Younger, holds a rare Lilliputian edition of the story of his twelfth great-grandfather's worldly adventures.
These memoirs, as jotted down by Irish satirist and writer Jonathan Swift, were first published in October 1726. Swift was also Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, hence the common historical reference to him as Dean Swift.
We're Here looks at A Small World today.
Am i taking this title thing too far yet? :)
Apparently i was wrong yesterday, there were more like 10,000 people on the walk from one end of the island to the other in aid of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.
You can find out more about the walk here
And make donations to the hospice here
www.iwhospice.org/Giving/SingleDona.html
And yes i did feel like a wimp with a limp* as i was overtaken by grannies and small children who'd already walked halfway across the island before i even joined in :)
Only when you look under the leaves do you see the purple. This nondescript plant with Lilliputian flowers doesn't command much attention but when you look... really look, you see the beautiful parts.
Open house was today and it was wonderful getting to see the students. I've missed them -- especially the ones with purple leaves underneath and Lilliputian flowers.
AIWS or Micropsia is a condition in which a patient’s sense of time, space and body image are distorted. People may appear tiny or patients may feel that part of their body shape or size has been altered. A sufferer may perceive humans, parts of humans, animals, and inanimate objects as substantially smaller than in reality. Another name for the condition is Lilliput sight or Lilliputian hallucinations.
Lightbox here : www.flickr.com/photos/brancusi/8199558710/in/photostream/...
Collaboration with Matilda H.
PALIMPSEST, APRIL, 1932
FROM BELLEVUE TO CASCADE
Beside the North Fork of the Maquoketa River, situated on the line between Jackson and Dubuque counties, lies the town of Cascade. As a pioneer village it was neglected by all the early railroad building activities, and the lack of such transportation threatened for a generation to doom the community to oblivion.
At intervals for thirty years, various projected railroad schemes included Cascade on their route, only to fail, one by one, leaving the community in deeper despair. The earliest of these proposed roads was the “Ram’s-Horn”, first broached in 1848. It was to have extended from Keokuk to Dubuque by way of Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Cascade. An “air line” directly across Iowa, passing from Bellevue through Cascade, was suggested, but interest in this road was soon overshadowed by a more promising “Southwestern” route from Dubuque, which likewise pledged a station at Cascade. The organization of the Davenport and St. Paul seemed promising but it “also went up in thin air”.
If ever a community had reasons to feel discouraged Cascade certainly did. Outside aid had apparently failed, and it seemed that the town would have to build the railroad if there was ever to be one. Various citizens bestirred themselves.
On October 13, 1876, Dr. W. H. Francis of Cascade wrote to Captain M. R. Brown of Bellevue concerning the feasibility of constructing a narrow gauge road from Bellevue to Cascade. The matter “met with instant favorable response on the part of the people of Bellevue.” All winter the subject was discussed. On March 9, 1877, a meeting was held by the citizens of Bellevue for the purpose of organizing and financing a preliminary survey for a narrow gauge road to Cascade.
Not until August 4, 1877, however, was the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade and Western Railroad Company organized at Bellevue. This arrangement was apparently not entirely satisfactory, for another meeting was held at Garrytown and a third at Cascade on August 30th when final details were settled. Officers and a board of directors, including three men from each township on the route of the proposed road, were elected. It appears that capable, energetic men were chosen, who believed that the road could actually be built. From the name of the company it may be assumed that the promoters held high hopes that the new railroad might eventually become an important link in a trunk line across the State connecting with the Milwaukee narrow gauge then building westward to Galena from the lakes.
The project was eyed jealously by Dubuque, for the “gate city” did not welcome competition at Bellevue. According to a Cascade Pioneer editorial in September, 1877, D. A. Mahony was urging “the business men and capitalists of Dubuque to take active steps to build, or assist in building a Narrow Gauge Railway to Cascade,” and warning them that “the loss of the trade of the southern part of the county” would be incalculable. He warned his fellow citizens that Cascade was “putting her shoulder to the wheel” in behalf of the Bellevue project.
“The time for action has come,” declared the editor of the Pioneer, “and our people have organized for a purpose, and that purpose is to secure a home market for the products of the surrounding country, and an outlet for other markets” by establishing rail connections with the grain market at Galena to the east and with the thriving cities on the Missouri River. “We understand”, he continued, “that Dubuque business men scoff at the very idea of the people of this section having the financial ability to construct the road. We beg to differ with them on that point, and refer them to the directory elected to manage the organization who alone if they chose to, or were required to furnish the capital could construct the line between Cascade & Bellevue.”
Even in those times, however, when the wages of unskilled labor were as low as fifty cents a day, railroad building was expensive, and few roads were completed without one or more reorganizations. The capitalization of the company was fixed at $200,000, and stock was distributed in sums ranging from $5000 to a few shares held by enthusiastic boosters along the way, some of whom, not having the money to pay, arranged to assist by working out their subsections with teams and labor. In 1878, a tax was voted in Bellevue and in various townships along the route. The people of Bellevue were particularly loyal in their financial support of the new road, as they felt such a railroad would be advantageous in securing the relocation of the county seat at that place.
Perhaps the most important task confronting railroad builders was the location of the route. The determination of the grade between Bellevue and Cascade was particularly difficult, for the altitude of the river town was only about six hundred feet above sea level while the table land only a few miles to the west attained an elevation of eleven hundred feet. But the financial support which might be expected from the various communities that were directly benefited was as important as the engineering factors in determining the location of the right of way.
At the lower end of Bellevue, Mill Creek empties into the Mississippi, and it was the valley of this little stream that afforded the only practicable opportunity of reaching the prairies inland. For a distance of about two miles, the line runs on the north side of Mill Creek, then crosses to the south side for about three miles, and thence returns to the north side, climbing steadily all the while until it emerges upon the uplands. Passing on westward with a great sweeping S curve, the road reaches the first station at the town of La Motte, eleven miles from Bellevue. A mile and a half east of La Motte is a long siding which is used for “doubling”, since the grade ascends there at the rate of about one hundred feet per mile.
Beyond La Motte the topography of the country is of bold relief, and the line contains many stiff grades and sharp curves. Passing Zwingle slightly more than four miles west of La Motte, the line continues down grade to Washington Mills on Otter Creek, twenty-two miles from Bellevue. About fourteen miles from Bellevue, the road passes into Dubuque County and thence along the county line between Dubuque and Jackson counties through Bernard and Fillmore to Cascade. At two sharp curves the right of way dips over into Jackson County for a distance of about a mile in each instance. Nineteen and sixteenths miles of the entire route lies in Dubuque County and sixteen miles in Jackson.
With very little ready cash in the treasury but with unswerving faith that the job could actually be accomplished, the directors launched bravely upon their undertaking and on September 19, 1878, the first ground was broken at Cascade. According to the Cascade Pioneer, it was an event “that will never be forgotten by the present generation. It was a grand gala day for Cascade and five thousand people were present to participate in the happy occasion.” The line was partially graded in Washington Mills, and some work was done at Zwingle and La Motte that year.
By the close of the season, however, the cash was practically exhausted and reorganization was imminent. On January 7, 1879, J. W. Tripp resigned the office of president whereupon Vice president James Hill assumed the management until March 1st, when he was made president. On May 9th, George Runkel, acting in behalf of J. F. Joy, a Detroit capitalist, proposed to take over the unfinished road and complete it without further delay, the offer was accepted and the old company’s franchise was transferred at Zwingle on May 17th to the Joy interest, operating under the name of the Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad Company. The new management prosecuted the work of construction with vigor, and on January 1, 1880, the road was completed from Bellevue to Cascade.
“At Last We Have It!” proudly announced the Cascade Pioneer. “On Monday it became apparent that the track would be completed to the town on Tuesday. Although no general celebration was announced, yet a large number of people gathered at the depot to see the last rail laid and the train come in. The laying of the track to the depot was completed at noon. Engineer Allen Woodward and his fireman, Sam Elmer, on No. 2, were patiently waiting for the completion of a switch east of the depot, while an immense crowd of men and boys occupied every available space on the cars, to enjoy their first ride on the narrow gauge.”
As soon as the switch was completed, “Woodward seized the bar of the throttle valve of No. 2” and backed the train up the track “as far as the O’Brien place,” then, reversing the lever, he “sent the little engine flying towards Cascade, and in a few minutes drew up at the depot” where a cheer of welcome went up from the multitude. Vice-president Runkel honored the members of the press by inviting them to ride in the cab of the engine. Among the number were John Blanchard of the Monticello Express, Tom Duffy of the Dubuque Herald, and the editor of the Pioneer.
More than fifty years have now elapsed since the celebration of this notable event in the history of Cascade, but the little narrow gauge trains still make their daily trip from Bellevue and return. At seven in the morning, after the arrival of the mail at Bellevue, the little engine and cars, constituting the mixed train, begin their “up” trip, which is made on the leisurely schedule of ten miles per hour. Between stations, however, considerably greater speed is attained than the schedule indicates, as one hour is allowed for climbing the steep grade up Mill Creek to La Motte. When business is heavy or the track is slippery, this is accomplished by “doubling”. The train is divided and part is taken up and side tracked at the summit while the engine and crew return to the bottom of the hill for the remainder of the train.
There is always considerable switching at the stations en route, “spotting” cars at the elevators, coal sheds, and stock-yard platforms, as well as the work of loading and unloading the local freight at the depots. Much of the schedules time is consumed in this manner, especially at Cascade where one hour and ten minutes is allowed for the turn around and work in the yards. At 11:25 A. M. the train begins its “down” trip to Bellevue, where it arrives in due time at 2:40 P.M.
A ride on the downward journey is a delightful experience. At places the train travels high on the edge of a precipitous bluff where wonderful vistas greet the eye in every direction. Again the track leads through deep valleys close to a crystal clear, gurgling little stream, hemmed in on either side by rocky ledges. But most of the way the route is across open farming country, more prosaic though none the less beautiful.
For the amount and quality of service expected, the road is well equipped with motive power and rolling stock. There are in use about fifty box cars, thirty-eight stock cars, twenty-six coal and flat cars, and one caboose. The passenger equipment consists of two coaches both of the combination express and passenger variety. Four engines, numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, constitute the motive power of the road. A rotary snow plow is used to remove the deep drifts from the numerous cuts through the hills. The engines are of regular type, one with four drivers and three with six drivers about four feet in diameter. They are all equipped with automatic couplers and air brakes. Occasionally, when in need of repairs, they are loaded on a specially constructed flat car and transported to the Milwaukee engine shops at Dubuque or Marquette where they are repaired without being removed from the car.
Compared with modern transportation units, the little engines, cars, and coaches seem Lilliputian, yet for the territory served they are adequate. The trains are operated as efficiently and perhaps more economically than their more impressive neighbors out on the main line. Freight has to be transferred at the Bellevue terminal. Two small coal cars are required to handle the standard load of thirty tons, five narrow gauge box cars of grain fill only one large box car, and two narrow gauge stock cars make up one standard gauge carload of hogs or cattle. Formerly the task of loading and unloading was all done by hand and sometimes as many as ten or twelve men were employed in this operation, but in recent years modern machinery has been installed. A clam-shell bucket loader is used for transferring coal, and belt conveyors for grain and corn.
There can be no doubt that the building of the narrow gauge saved the life of Cascade. In 1876 it was only a straggling village, “lazying along side of a sandy street”. It had once been a way station on the Western Stage Company line, “but that means of transportation had long ceased to exit, when the railroads came west of the Mississippi river.” Only the existence of a few churches seemed to hold the town together. Then along came Isaac W. Baldwin with a few cases of type and a Washington hand press. Apparently “he had bout as much excuse for running a newspaper in this village as he would have had peddling peanuts in a grave yard”, but he exerted a decisive influence on public opinion by his Pioneer editorials. Cascade got its railroad, and in consequence grew into a prosperous community of more than twelve hundred inhabitants.
From time to time there have been several attempts to induce the Milwaukee to transform the road into a standard gauge, but the company has always maintained that the business was not sufficient to warrant the unusual expense due to the topography of the country.
Thus the sole survivor of the narrow gauge railroads in Iowa continues to function, perpetuating the history of an early phase of railroading. Tourists in northeastern Iowa who come across the Bellevue-Cascade railroad for the first time find it an interesting surprise. What impresses them as an amusing curiosity is none the less a genuine railroad of vital importance to a number of substantial communities