The Portland daily press., 1867-02-07

The Uedther-Ice-A Bridge 1cross E,o.,
Ri6er-P0titics-Th Neio York Assen,bJ,,
LegisidtiOn-Ihe ChOlerd-Lotfery S,,j,g,
dies.
New YORK, Feb 3, 1867.
Snow, ice and cold have formed the basis of
the great exciting topics of conversation in
new York during the past ten days. In Wall
seeet, OF course, nothing is thought OF but
so'd, stocks and money probably not even an
earthquake that should shake the CITY Hall
70 It's foundation every other day would direct
tne uenlzens OF that metropolitan thorough
'are OIL Mammon from the worship and ado
ration OF its reigning deity.
But all the rest Of New York has been buri-
ed In snow, jostled and tumbled by ice. and
almost frozen by the "cold spell' which TO mi
mated on Saturday night last in terrific Storm
ofthunder and lightning and torrents of rain.
Now more genial atmosphere prevails and
everybody rejoices in the "breaking of VIM
ter"
AS very large portion of the business men
OF New York are .ferried over East and North
rivers twice day, the impediment to navi-
saton by ice has been an unceasing subject
Oh complaint. 1t has been ice, ice, ice; ice
"h East river, ice on North river, ice ON the
ooats' ice on the brain," ice everywhere. For
twenty years such immense fields such pom
uerouS blocks have not been seen. against and
throu"n which the powerful ferry boats have
crushed and cut their way, smashing their
wneeiS ana tearing their copper to an un-
heafu-oi extent. As matter of course. the
little city OF Brooklyn, which is only the adj
Junct or bedroom OF New York. Of only
100000 inhabitants, has been wonderfnIiv
stirred up; and as the citizens could not GET
over to sleep till late at night or early in
the morning, the cry has been "a bridge. a
bridse-my kingdom for bridgem We are
happy to say that the eloquent and iowa
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was the first
Drooklynite that demonstrated the practica-
bfity of the bridge enterprise; for viewing
from the window of his house on Brooklyn
Heights the other morning an immense field
of ice moving slowly into East river, and
finally jammed and holding on against the
piers on both sides, he started for Fulton Fer
ry, and actually crossed on foot on the ice
and scrambled up the pier at Peck slip on the
New York side.
A glorious achievement in American enter
prise has just been witnessed in the compile
tion of the Chicago tunnel Another is in
embryc-sure OF success-and that is the
bridging of East river so as to lie. We naviga-
tion unobstructed. The plan is as follows:
To start from Sands street, Brooklyn, at its
junction with Washington street, and to fol-
low Washington street to the river. On the
New York side it would extend to the Juno
tion OF Henry street with Rutgers street, and
would have grade of five feet in every one
hundred. making its elevation above high
water water mark in the centre of the chan
mel of East rivef one hundred and fortg rect!
Ini the iplan are five arches. The span of
the great arch in the centre is to be 1,O20 feet
The width Of the terrace is to be 100 feet,
sufficient for double car tracks, carriage ways
and sidewalks. The arches are TO be made of
iron formed in cast iron boxes or arch pieces
of oblong shape, banded together with
wrought iron rods and filled with concrete, so
that in fact the arches will be built of stone
encased in cast-iron.
This plan has been carefully studied by prac.
tical men and engineers of high reputation.
and without dissent pronounced feasible and
likely to fulfil every requirement. About half
OF four blocks on both sides OF the river would
have TO be taken for the bridge. 1t is an i'm
mense enterprise, worthy the genius of the
American people, and when completed will be
triumph of art TO which an American may
point with pride and satisfaction the world
over.
do not propose to talk politics; but beg
leave to say that the New York Assembly
"drags its slow length along" You probably
heard the story of the member who got a
newspaper through the mail addressed to him
at the Sass. Chamber, Albany" The gentle
man laid the subject before the Assembly and
asked for a change in his address, on the
ground that if the SASS" applied to the
Chamber, it might be considered a breach of
privilege; and if it applied to himself, he
W0utd rather ID poutda't be knoayn in Albd-
ny! r..
1t is estimated that about one-balf of the
legislation of the Assembly is devoted to the
government Of the city of New York and the
city of Brooklyn, representing some 100000
people. To keep such an immense mass of
the 'sovereigns" of the Empire State
straight" requires constant vigilance on the
part OF the Legislature. We give them credit
by saying that the Excise law" and the
Health law of last session have done an in
conceivable amount of moral and physical
good for the city of New York. The public
morals have been improved, and there is no
doubt the chief obstacle to the spread of chol-
era last summer, and the salvation of heca-
tombs OF victims, were due to the rigorous
enforcement of the Health law.
Immediate and stringent legislation is want
ed to put stop to the lottery swindlts now
aSitating the metropolis under the name of
gilt enterprises" in which all people, the
rich and the poor, the orthodox and the inf
del, are alike interested, and in which there is
not shadow of chance for getting a prize
equal to the legalized lotteries of Kentucky
and Havana. NASSAU.