Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-07
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE CITY or NE W YORK,
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
NEW YoRK, MAY ., 1853.

this evening with my oiu iienus, ING icaueiS Va
the Intelligencer.
the CITY rather more lightly this year, think, than
usual Every body did not move, partly perhaps
because every body could not find houses to into
for notwithstanding the vigorous growth of houses
blocks and new streets springng up in every direction
almost in night they do not keep pace with the growth
of population. Rents have advanced and many, who
might otherwise followed the old custom of moving
have felt that they must hold to the tenement they
occupied be left houseless. Another circumstance
mgated little the severity of the crisis, and that
the fact that May-day came on the Sabbath and the
moving thus divided considerably between Saturday
and Monday and the agony Of single day not piled
high Still there has been enough of toll and sweat,
and troube and anxiety and hurry and buste and dust
and fretng and bawlng, and sprawng, and spashing,
and smashing, and broken furniture and aching hearts
to overwhem and sink city of moderate dimensions.
This abominabe custom Of May-day moving would GER
tanly be honored in the breach than in the obsery
But it probably enables owners to keep rents at
higher mark than they would otherwise obtain and as
they have the staff in their hands, there be
no prospect of speedy change.
Two ferries have just commenced running between
New York and Brooklyn: one from Wall street to Mon
tague street. in Brooklyn being about halfway between
the Fulton ferry and the South ferry and the other from
between the Fulton ferry and Katherine ferry Roosevelt
leads from the ferry directly up to Chatham square,
and of into the heart Of the city, it is but
short distance from Chatham square the Park and City
Hail. And the Wall street ferry, as every body knows
from the name leads directly to the money heart of the
city There has been quite struggle for several years
to obtain the establishment of the Wall street ferry The
oneyking frowned the idea of having his royal do
minons his golden horoughfare invaded by ferry boats
and omnibus lines. But the revolutionary democracy Of
the age too powerful for the moneyking The
ferry is established three fine steamers the line,
and omnbuses rattle through Wall street. making bankers
and brokers dodge and very much as they do poor
women and children in Broadway.
There six ferries between New York and Brook
yn, employing about twenty steamboats,. What con-
compared with the old horseboat times of fifty years
ago, when single with onehorse power trans
ported fifty people day. and extraordinary occasions
perhaps hundred, between New York and Long Island
Now twenty powerful steamers with large and ee
CANT cabins fitted up with cushioned seats and stained
glass doors and windows may their passengers
thirty forty thousand day. or fifteen to twenty thou
sand each way Thenew boats and ferry houses of the
Wall street ferry very commod;ousy arranged and
fitted up and indeed in this respect the New York and
Brooklyn ferries collectively probably not surpassed
by any ferries in the world.
fifty other thronged localities and channels of movement
in the city, he is prone wonder where they all
FROM and ready exclam with the good old lady under
similar circumstances, there must be meeting
where" But his wonder viii somewhat subsde if he will
count up the lines Of ferries steamboats, and railroads
which daily pour their rushing tides Of human life into
the great metropolis Let him look first at the short
ferries connected with the city, beginning the
East river and going round to the Hudson First there
is the ferry, below Hurgate, to the fine village of Astoria
Then the Williamsburg ferries, two lines well fitted up,
with not less than three boats each Another is about to
be established at the north Of Williamsburg at Green
Point Then Brooklyn with her six distinct ferries
then Staten island with lines Of boats and Jersey
city ferry the horoughare Of the gree. of
travel and Hoboken with its boats plying TO
three different points in New York Then think Of the
great number Of boats which upon what may be called
the long ferries Flushing New Rochelle, Fort Hamil-
and Coney Island Long Branch, Fort Lee and many
other places. Then up halfdozen large and
elegant daily running Long Island Sound and
still larger number Of passenger boats the Hudson,
say nothing Of the almost countless number Of freight
boats And he must not omit the steamers, Allan
tic and Southern which now average about day.
And then the railroads. the Long Island the New Haven
and Boston, the Harlem and Albany the Hudson River,
the New York and Erie, the Patterson and the great
Southern lines via Philadelphia. Let him think Of all
this and be viii not be surprised that fifty thousand
people daily whrled into New York and daily whirled
again lie viii longer be at loss to account for
the throngs and jams the crowdng and eboung, which
he every SIDE for the blockade Of Broadway
and other streets by struggling carts omnibuses, car
riage and other vehicles Of all descriptions Broadway
often gets choked and promiscuous jam Of carriages
sometimes for mile in extent is brought adead stand
while all the streets vany endeavorng TO charge
and break through the line There be remedy
for this but to widen other streets and open thorough
fares, and, what is most likely to be the case, general
to railroads The railroads already in operation
in the Sixth and Eighth have demonstrat their
practcabiy and utility for city purposes and probably
the rails destined be laid in Broadway and other
principal horoughfares Indeed the strong opposition
which has been made railroad in Broadway probably
has not been much against the road itself against
the supposed corruption Of the City Council and their
gross disregard Of the public interest
The present growth Of the city and suburbs with the
accompanying increase Of business Of oil kinds is almost
bewilderng and it is expected receive impulse the
fore. The Crystal Palace is prominent among the excit
ing Of this impulse The world is coming to
see and all Gotham is aroused and stirring its stumps
All are brushing round and preparing for unusual time,
some to make money, and some to make show! The
grand Hippodrome, which has just been opened on
the arstocratc Fifth avenue, will be Of the marked
features Of the season took Sixth to-day
ana went up to the Crystal Palace and intended when
sat down to say something about It in this letter. but
oIy TT. F.