6
T he A
u t o m a t ic
A ge
BIRD’S-EYE V IE W OF A BU SY ROUTE
By Harvey Carr
The illustration which accompanies
this story is a comprehensive map or
diagram o f all the street coin oper
ated vending machines and scales
located in the principal business sec
tion o f Woodlawn, Chicago. The map
embraces that pai*t o f Sixty-third
street, which is the W oodlawn thor
oughfare, from its eastern extremity
at Stoney Island avenue, to White
City at South Park avenue. There is
a total o f 188 machines on this route,
including the large number which are
located in White City proper.
Each machine on this map is desig
nated by a character or combination
o f letter and numbers, which tells
what kind o f machine it is and the
name o f the operator. In most in
stances the manufacturer o f the ma
chine is designated particularly so in
the case o f the scales.
Each machine is, fo r the most
part, duplicated throughout the route
which shows that the route is worked
systematically by the operator. It is
noteworthy that there is no evidence
o f unfair competition by overlapping
interests. That is, one does not find
two different peanut machines stand
ing side by side on a single corner.
There are, however, competitive ma
chines located on opposite sides o f
the street, which, o f course, do not
conflict.
There are other startling character
istics o f the route business indicated
by this map which are pointed out by
the investigator who furnished this
diagram to the A U T O M A T IC AGE.
One o f the outstanding features is
the absence o f machines near thea
ters. W hy? There are six good
theaters on this route, and with one
exception there are no machines near
these theaters. This one exception is
a peanut and ball gum machines
which is next door to one o f the
theaters at the entrance to a shoe
© International Arcade Museum
shine parlor. The question has been
asked— do not the people play ma
chines near theaters, or is there some
objection on the part o f the theatre
operators? And if there is, why is it
that there is a pop corn popper or
confectionery which sells bulk goods
within a few doors o f every theater
in this section?
It was pointed out that the ma
chine which is indicated in the circle
in this illustration is located in an
out-of-the-w ay corner, which plays
$8.00 eveiy ten days. It is a peanut
and ball gum machine and is a money
maker so we are told. The diamond
represents a single peanut machine in
a billiard hall which plays form $6.00
to $9.00 per month according to the
information given us by the investi
gator.
W hite City, as will be seen by the
map has a number o f peanut and stick
gum, or flat gum, machines located at
advantageous points throughout the
grounds. The Penny Arcade has a
large number o f striking bags, elec
tric machines, picture machines, foi--
tune machines and other devices.
However, they are operated on pri
vate property, and the play is seas
onal, while the other machines on the
street get a year around play and are
operated fo r the most part on routes
by recognized operators and are on
public property, where crowds pass
and give them constant play. E le
vated machines are indicated in heavy
black, but no attempt is mado to give
the number or kind.
When an insect plague swept over
the region near Essen, Germany, de
foliating all the trees, the estate o f
Hans von Berlepsch, which has over
a thousand birds nesting on twelve
aci-es o f land, remained green, stand
ing out like an oasis in a desert.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/