The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-04-13

been greatly weakened BY sickness and sSsAth, and
that the ship itself 10 unit for further service
The telegraphs supply ~ with many items o. ma
rhine disasters which ere worthy the att ntion Of
those interested. The bark Hercules frorA Liverpool
for Charleston, was recently abandoned in sinking
condition. The bark T. J. Southland was found with
six feet Of water in her hold and abandoned seventy
miles south Of Cape HenloEen on the 10th instant;
her crew were taken of by the Perota and Montauk.
Tho ship Damascus has been condemned to be sold
It Salinas Bay in consequence Of damages sustain
cd at sea. She was insured in Baltimore for twenty
two thousand dollars.
The steamer Empire State, on her trip from this
city to Fall river last Monday evening, caught nre'
and will have to return for repairs. Her passengers
were all taken off by the steamer Commodore, and
conveyed to Stonngton.
We learn, from Boston. that the U. 5. ship-of-
war Vermont, lately detached from the Japan expe-
diton, has been laid up in ordinary.
Thirty German families were rendered houseless
by a fire in Syracuse, on Monday night.
The Cunard steamship America, having been
eleven days out from Liverpool, is overdue, with
days later European news. The lines east Of
Boston not in working order last night, and we
could not, therefore, ascertain whether she had
reached Halifax or not.
Flags were flying in all parts of the city yesterday
in commemoration Of the birthday Of the lamented
Henry Clay.
In addition to several columns Of advertisements,
inside pages to-day contain an interesting letter
from Paris, relative to the politics Of Europe curl
GUS description of Sabbath Amusements in New
l III
Intelligence; Commercial Review; large number of
miscellaneous paragraphs, &c.
Our City Railroads.&c. Plea for the sufFocated.
New York is fast becoming the City of Rail-
roads, The Rubicon which the Londoners dared
| not cross, we have boldly traversed. We have
| solved the problem of intermural railroads.
Despite the cries of those who foretold endless
lists ofcasualties-despitet the groans Of omnibus
! proprietors and the plaintive means Of hack
drivers-despite the wry faces Of that highly re-
| spectacle class of individuals who look upon all
improvements as revolutionary schemes. preg-
nant with danger to the State-we have now
four lines of rail cars actually running through
the very heart of the city, and several others in
contemplation or about to be established And
SO they ought to be-
1t is. indeed rather a matter of wonder that
the public should have submitted SO long to the
omnibus regime, than that it should now be SUI
perseded by the cars. Sixpence for the priyi-
kge of being immured in sort of prisoners
van and churned for half an hour-for being
deafened by the horrible clatter of shaky win
dows-and for saving about fifteen per cent in
time on pedestrians-is certainly cheap; but
this is all we can say in favor of the omnibuses'
Human ingenuity has never contrived q more
thoroughly unsatisfactory mode of locomotion.
1t has always been a mystery to us how, out of
population of less than three-quarters of
million some eighty to one hundred thousand
persons should he found every day to undergo
the voluntary martyrdom of a ride in stage"
| The city railroads were advocated on seve-
raj substantial grounds. Speed was one; and it
is certain that far greater speed might be, and
sometimes is, attained by the cars, than their
elder rivals the buses, ever pretended to reach.
Comfort was another. We were promised-and
we are bound to say that this promise is occa-
sionally kept-that we should have comfortable
seats and room for our legs. We were assured
to deafen US with their clatter. Finally, we
were given to understand that sufficient num-
Der of cars would be placed on each line to af-
ford regular and commodious means of transit
for passengers. On the strength Of these
pledges, we consented to the temporary incon-
venience of allowing the pavement of the
great thoroughfares Of the city to be torn up,
10; 10 Tor
annoyance Of surrendering the centre of three
avenues to private companies, for their special,
we might almost say, their exclusive use.
The concession was important, but, had the
inducements which were held out to us been
realized, there would have been no just ground
to regret it. The prospect Of saving time and
increasing the comforts of the community, was
sufficient to warrant even greater sacrifices
What have we gained?
| Ifany inquire how the assurances of the city
railroad projectors with respect to the personal
comfort of travellers, have been borne out by
their practice. we refer them to the letter of
"Censor," in yesterdays HERALD Or, to place
the matter still more fully at rest we recon-
mend them to attempts journey on Sunday even
ing at nine o'clock. or on any evening between
five and six o'clock, in the Fourth Sixth or
Eighth avenue cars. They will then be enabled
to form toierably correct idea of the compress
sibility Of the human frame, and to say, at
word how many men, women, and children,
can be squeezed into cubic yard. To appre-
ciate the position thoroughly, the experiment
talist ought to be accompanied by lady, and
if possible by child. If one of the seats is oc-
cupied by man whose pretensions to gallantry
induce him to surrender it to the lady, she may
think herself fortunate. We males are growing
less and less polite to the fair sex; and con
sidering the very courteous manner in which
our civilities are usually requited, we don't