Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-23
EVENING STAR.
MATTERS AND THINGS IN NEW YORK.
[coRREsPoNDEScE OF THE STAR.
Nh Vnnx Mnu

through house-ceaning, and shown her new
bonnet, and stella shawl, and her light silk
dress, New York may be said to have fully
entered upon the spring season, and glo-
rious season it is. The weather is just warm
| ing up to the summer mark; the air is pure
| and invigorating, and all that lives feels the
throb of renewed youth. But vegetation is
remarkably slow; scarcely half the trees are
in leaf; the peach and apple blossoms are
just out; while for flowers, we have little or
nothing to speak of. Nevertheless the late
| spring will have praise in the fulness of au-
| tumn, for no untimely frost has nipped the
tender plant or blighted the hope of the
| farmer.
Although we may say the snow is but Just
off the ground, We already begin to " go out
of town." and the groves of Staten Island,
| the shady walks of Hoboken, and even the
sandy reaches of the sea shore, begin to
| swarm, especially on Sundays, with the rest
less hOrdeS of weary citizens, who seek mo-
| mentary relaxation from the drudgery of the
| office and the workshop During the winter
| ample arrangements have been made to en-
tertain these temporary visitors, and numer
| Gus gardens, groves, retreats, and parks,
| never before dreamed of, have sprung into
| existence.
| 1t is worthy of remark, that the character,
| both Of the visitors and the hosts at these
suburban hosticries has, within few years,
undergone material and radical change. Ten
years ago, the old. fashioned country tavern,
with its plain grub and rye whisky, was
| about good enough for summer visitors but
now fine architecture delightful parks, music
| and the dance, cookery equal to the Astor,
| and the finest wines are indispensable. These
| improvements have been made at the demand
| of ha of n,
| especially, there is a miraculous outpouring
| of our foreign-bOrn citizens. Almost every
body who goes pleasure hunting on that day
| is OF European birth or parentage. Brought
| up to consider Sunday a day Of recreation.
| they mean no harm, and see no sin in swarm
| ing into the country TO climb trees roll on the
fresh grass, sing with the joyful birds, and
| drink lager beer. They are generally peace
able though noisy, seldom get drunk, and re-
| turn refreshed rather than debauched by
their peculiar mode Of spending the Sabbath.
In the matter Of drinking it is worthy Of es-
| pecial remark, that the introduction of the
great TeutOnic beverage Of lager beer has
done, strange as it may appear, a surprising
work for temperance. Lager beer is all tie
| rage; in town and out of town, in the low
drinking den, and the aristocratic palace he
tel, IN bar rooms. eating houses, summer re-
sorts, everywhere lager beer is the great-n-
quired-fOr, the always-drunk, the ever-popular
drink for the masses; and not cnly the masses.
but for the select, for the aristOcracy. Its ex-
| ceeding mildnesS almost prccludes the posi-
bility Of getting drunk upon it, while its
smar.ness and bitter flavor make it especially
grateful TO the palate in warm weather The
consequence is there is a perfect mania for
lager, and hundreds Of hard drinkers who
| were going at a galloping pace toward de-
struction through their brandy potations, are
growing healthy and sober, under the miIder
| tonic of lager. If good for nothing else, it
would be invaluable to the persons who stand
| in danger from more ardent spirits, for giving
them the means of "tapering off safely and
agreeably Five years ago lager beer was
| thing almost unknown Now il is sold in FIVE
thousand places in this city.
We are just now city Of ruins. The ad-
vent of May is always celebrated in New York
by the. carpenters carnival, when that inter-
esting fraternity, in company with their breth-
rem, the masOns, commence furious onslaught
upon the old or old fashioned edifces which
have served the pride and convenience Of our
ancestors, but have become too small or too
antquated in style to please their go-ahead
children. Broadway of course must be the
first place of attack, and they are at it brave
ly. Gothic Hall, fine old Masonic temple,
as trm as the hills, and good for a century's
wear, is coming down to make room fer fIe
marble dry goods temple, and the solemn
mysteries of apprentice, iellow-craft, and Roy.
al Arch MasOns, will give place to A" "cheap
ma am, very cheap; only piece of tho kind, l
assure you. Mrs B has dress from il,
and paid seven dollars yard" The pulling
down of the old hall causes many sigh of re.
glet among our now gray headed citizens,
who first rode the mysterious goat and grid
iron under its roof
John Jacob Astor's old house is going also,
to make room for Buckley's Serenaders, and
instead of the chime of dollars, there will
come up the music Of the banjo and the bones.
Indeed, Broadway and many other streets
could hardly look more like destruction had
they been swept by the bosom Of fire.
And speaking of fires, test of steam fro
engines in the Park, the other day, demon
strates the fact that such engines are capable
of getting up steam and being put in work rking
order In from ten to twenty minutes after
lighting the furnace fires. Two prizes IF $500
and $500 had been offered by the Common
Council for the first and second best steam
hre-engines. The toSt took place in the Park
before an immense crowd Of people. Two Of
the machines were throwing good streams of
water within eleven minutes after lighting the |
fire under the boilers, and others some eight |
or ten minutes later. One machine, built by |
Larned and somebody else, whose name do |
not remember, driven by small oscillating
engines, to which was attached one of Cary's |
rotary pumps, using fifty feet of hose, threw |
an inch and quarter stream LA feet horizon-
tally for an hour. Another machine, built by |
Mr.. Burnham, threw a stream 13O feet, ard |
another, by Mr. Jas. Smith, "a small machine,
intended only as a model,) played through |
twentyinch hose, and threw a stream about |
% feet. Altogether, the results were gratify- |
ing, and steam will most likely soon be extern |
sively introduced as the most effective means |
of suppressing the fire iend. The first award |
was given to Smith, and the second to Larned;
but it is said that, in consequence of some
dissatisfaction on the part of competitors the
committee of the fire department who made
the awards will, in few days, reopen the
case and witness another test, when, if they
can find sufficient cause therefor, they will
readjust the prizes. saw large number of
our brave red-shirted fremen looking on with
q good deal Of interest but from their con-
versation L gathered that they were not
pleased with the idea that any new tangled
concern should usurp the place of - der ma.
chine" TECUssRH
S Mr.. Jice, the lumber dealer, saws he is
letermined not tn fpada uithont 4