the elephant with a pitchfork and then turning it loose to wander down Surf Avenue. In an organized publicity stunt, Thompson and Dundy announced they were going to hang Topsy and sell tickets to the event. Following an intervention from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Thompson and Dundy agreed to more a humane method of poisoning, electrocuting, and strangling the elephant in a smaller private affair that was captured in the short film Electrocuting an Elephant. Thompson and Dundy ultimately electrocuted Topsy, then killed her using cyanide, in January 1903. Thompson and Dundy planned to add new rides including a flower garden, a German village, and a Trip to the Moon attraction. The lagoon and the Shoot-the-Chutes attraction were the only parts of Sea Lion Park to be retained. Early plans called for Luna Park to include a tower with 38,000 lights. The park's original rides and attractions also included an infant incubator, a Shoot the Chute ride, a three-ring circus, and a Fire and Flames show that employed over a thousand performers. Luna Park unofficially opened on April 5, 1903, with a live show. The same month, Leo Wyent and George M. Foley sued to prevent Thompson and Dundy from issuing a concession that would allow a third party to sell cigars and alcoholic beverages at the park. Thompson and Dundy planned to sell alcoholic beverages at one location in the park, the German Village. Calling itself "[t]he heart of Coney Island", Luna Park turned on its lights on May 16, 1903, at 8 p.m. The park's gates opened five minutes later to a crowd of 45,000 guests. It featured 39 shows and initially contained 53 buildings. Admission to the park was ten cents. An additional fee was required for some rides, ranging up to 25 cents for the most elaborate attractions, although the park also hosted free shows. Luna Park was accessible from Culver Depot, the terminals of the West End and Sea Beach railroad lines. Its general manager D. S. Smith had arranged for the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) to operate express trains directly to Park Row Terminal in Manhattan during the park's operating hours, terminating directly at Luna Park's main entrance; this arrangement continued until 1909. The park was extremely popular, recording 142,000 guests on Independence Day in 1903. Thompson and Dundy had recovered 90 percent of Luna Park's construction cost