New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-11-18
A Commercial Palace +.

pearing and in their place the different parts of a
magnificent front, fitted together upon the ground,
stretched out its nearly hundred feet Of length to the
wonder of citizens, who remarked that reared per.
pendcularly, its elabOratcly ornamental archtrave
and Cornice would tower far above every building in
Canal street. few months passed, and the front
was in its place, the admiration of all who saw it
and could appreciate its Chaste perfection of design
and elegance Of workmanship for it is now the point
of note, the architectural lion Of Canal street. the
monument OF the enterprise Of the proprietor Mr.. G.
H. SlOcomb, and of the professional and cultivated
skill and taste Of Mr.. VIM. A. Freret the architect
and assisting supervisor Of construction the front
was cast at the foundry Of Fl. G. Dram & Co., Pha.
delphia the builders were Messrs Crozer & Wing,
and the result is that the store of G. H. Slocomb &
Co., No. 67 Canal street, ia of nnryalled beauty ex.
ternaly, and Of marvellous excellence of internal ar
rangement
Entering the lofty arched doors which open upon
Canal street. the visitor walk through depth of
207 feet to Common street, upon which the ware
house and packing rooms for heavy goods front los
feet. We took this little promenade the other day,
in fact walked all over the establishment and found
itqute as much exercise at one time as we considered
good for our health Passing from the Canal street
front through, we found the right hand side of the
vast apartment walled in, from floor TO ceiling, with
an immense stock of cutlery while the left hand side
displayed an equal and as densely packed amount of
assorted hardware. Reaching the middle of the room
we were introduced t0the most marked feature which
the design of this model store presents and which
was the resulting consequence of the projectors soli-
| citude to engage the services of as much of the
blessed light Of day could be induced to enter the
| building His object is beautifully accomplished for
the interior OF the store is always light as out OF
! DOORS that commodity pouring down in a cheerful
food through the skyigh in the fiat roof and still
down and down through the wide eliptical openings
in the six floors beneath until it reaches the lowest
eightytco feet below its place of admission Aside
from its practical commentators, the ornamental
effect Of this expedent is very ne and it is really
pleasing experience to gaze way up or down through
the narrowing perspective of the baustraded openings
in the many floors.
In the back part Of the lower store the Office fitted
up in manner worthy the extensive concern, is stu
ated, backed by vault strong and capacious enough
for the treasury of German principaty Its roof
is four feet thick solid brick work and it contains one
Of those Valentine & Butler Alum Patent Safes .
which laugh fire and burglars to scorn. In the pas
sage adjacent to the office brilliant display Of
sample edge tools of the celebrated Slocomb brand
got up by the house, decorates the walls
Passing up the wide staircase to the second floor,
we find that apartment too, filed to overowng with
various goods. In the back part is the sample room,
stationery and fancy articesare on the one side and
the other is warike with an immense stock of guns,
pistols, ETC., which occupy and thus constitute a
whole broadside OF the wall, The fire arms range
from the gold mounted aminated steel barrel fowling
pieces Of the most celebrated English manufacturers
down to whatever is at once good and cheap. The
fancy goods constitute comprehensive assortment
of everything in the way of soaps, combs, brushes,
etc, etc.
The third floor is piled with great stores of timers
and carpenters TOOLS the smaller implements of agri-
culture and farmers use, brushes rope wire circular
saws great quantities of every article kept being
feature Of the business Of the house, and enabling
the propretors to fill every order without going out
Of their own premises and subjecting customers to
the liability Of heavier price than that at which
they could furnish when selling whole and large bill
The fourth story room is devoted to cooking uten.
sis and contains enough to boil bake or fry the vic.
tuals of States populstion at moderate estimate
to tin.ware to cotton, wool and hOrse.cards curry.
combs. etc. ETC. Still ascending, we find the fifth
story literally filed with goods which we cannot un-
derake to refer to with particularity than to
club them under one head" miscellaneous pack
ages-for 50 they are characterized by the proprie.
tors themselves. Higher still we CO. and find sixth
story adapted to storehouse purposes And then ac-
cOmplshing the last stage of our skyward progres
sion, we climb one more flight, and gaining the
metallic roof are rewarded for our labor by view OF
New Orleans which can't be beat by the prospect af.
forded by any lookout point We have essayed else
where in the city. From our castellated height we
look down upon the pigmy buildings of four or five
stories which were {" some until this last giant
reared its proud form among them; men, diminished
by distance, crawl the earth below like vermn a
slated field of roofs, stumpd with chmnies, spreads
out around while the Mississippi winds its turbid
food apparently almost at the base of our high emf
nence
Descending to the fifth floor NE give legs fur
Tough Of further toll in that direction by stepping
the patent windass, and down we go, our party low
ering themselves with agreeable velocity through tht
space of the four stories. This patent windlass de
serves more extended notice than a mere reference
it is distinguished stranger among us, being, W.
are told, the only in the city. 1t operates witt
balance weights on the dumb.waiter principle, ant
enables one man to do the work of we don't know
how many 1t is calculated to elevate weight o
! five thousand pounds to the fifth story. Having
safely reached terra fraa, excursion to the ware
t house, packing and iron rooms on Common street
will complete survey of the premises
In passing, the proprietors called our attention Il
the ingenious arrangement of iron doors and bulk
heads, which would save three compartments of tht
store and warehouses from fire should any one Of tbs
four be burned. The oil room is upon the grount
floor in the rear of the warehouse and entirely Gu
oil from it or the store being considered danger
: ously inhammabe neighbor, whose room is bette
than its company,
In the warehouse, upon the ground floor, is tn
famous iron rack, which its propretoTs can't hell
: Dragging on as being completely unbreakabe, beni
: built all Of iron ITSELF on a foundation solid as
castle. 1t assorts and displays the clumsy commodit
in the most approved and convenient manner for th
: inspection of purchasers The warerooms are bull
with immense solidty, and intended to support an
weight of iron which can be crammed into ther
4 upon any of the foors the sturdy pillars which su!
$ tain these standing upon granite capped bases {
brick,work, nine feet square. These rooms, the es
r tent and number of which we have not at command
: are devoted to castings, sheetcopper, blacksmith
Y bellows anvs, straw.cutters, cOrn.shelers plOW!
and all varieties of the heavy wares of hardwaI
stock bulky agricultural implements and machines.
:. Every part of the premises is characterized by
substantial perfection OF construction and an exec
# lence Of material which indicates that the proiectt
followed out the enlarged design he conceived regart