The New York herald., 1868-04-06
Tho Arcadlans Of Albany.

of this Connecticut election.
The Arcadlans Of Albany.
The philosophers and raiders Of our State
Legislature have now resolved themselves into
company of miners and mineralogists.
Arrayed as Arcadian shepherds in order the
better to disguise themselves, they have pros
pected our chief thoroughfare from end to end |;
and their information is positive, both from
personal observation and the reports of engi-
neers, that deposits of gold, at the rate of two
millions and ninety-seven thousand dollars per
through its entire extent, and may be brought
not only to light, but into their own pockets, by
little scratching. The Arcadian miners of
Albany, therefore, have resolved to ego in
and win," being further induced to this con-
clusion by the sum of one hundred and fifty
dollars, cash in hand, paid to each approach
able Assemblyman for his vote, and the promise
of a further sum Of one hundred and fifty
dollars per voter on the final passage of said
bill by the Senate and its being made law
by the Governors signature. Other induce
ments, it is said, have likewise been held out
for it is not little remarkable that there are
one hundred and twenty-five corporators
named in the bill as it passed the Assem-
bly,, and that exactly the same number of
Assemblymen are recorded as having
voted in its favor. This certainly is
better than anything that Coloradian or Mon
tanese gold, copper or silver mining can offer.
Even the famous Miles O'Reilly Mine in Nevada,
on the line of the Pacific Railroad, cannot begin
to exhibit such inducements. Here we have
three hundred dollars in greenbacks for each
vote, together with a certain stipulated part in
a mining operation which must yield over two
million dollars per mile all the way along from
Castle Garden to Spuyten Duyvil creek 1t is
decidedly the biggest thing we have heard Of
outside the walls of Sing Sing-for many
years and the old Latin phrase arcades an6o,
or "both rascals," must hereafter be made to
read 0rcades om'ses, or they were all Area
dians together, in regard to every member, ex-
cepting two or three, of our present Assembly.
1t is proposed by these Arcadians to scoop
out Broadway between wall and wall, making of
coed ceiling, supported on pillars of gilded iron,
and turning the present cellar fronts and foun-
dation walls into gorgeous line of subterra-
mean store windows, radiant with dry goods,
ablaze with jewelry, luminous with gems of
art, and patronized by myriads of eager pur-
chasers, who are to descend from the
upper regions into this new locomotive
catacomb by means of several thousand
spiral staircases and other hoisting and
lowering inventions too numerous to be
mentioned. The sidewalks overhead-the
present sidewalks-are all to be changed from
fagstones to plate glass, so that light may
thus be furnished to those who would other
wise walk in darkness below stairs-an arrange
ment, we rather fancy, which may compel some
changes in the present style of underclothing
worn by such ladies as will persist in preferring
to walk in the free light and air of heaven on
the plane of the present Broadway. There
will be "high life below stairs, however, and
no mistake about it. There will be no less
tudu blA btptTtLc TdliTOdQ LuCh5, Will SIX
separate sets of locomotives and trains plung-
ing and whirling about in all directions, their
enormous reflector lamps cleaning, their aues
belching out SCOT fakes and black smoke, their
oil cans exuding rare perfume and their fur
naces scattering red hot Goals for the delecta-
ton of such promenaders and storekeepers as
shall prefer the sidewalks and show windows
of sub Broadway to the old fashioned, upper
air Broadway as it now exists
OF course here, as in all other great pro-
posed improvements, there are certain difficult
ties TO be overcome; but of what account are
difficulties" to the Arcadian miners of our
Legislature? In the first place, all the gas and
Croton water mains and pipes and all main
sewers and private sewer pipes along
the backbone Of our extended city
must be interrupted and rendered utterly
useless for some ten or dozen years-the
least time it could possibly take to build such
q road as is proposed. In the second place, all
the front vaults and cellars now in use by present
property holders along Broadway must be con-
fiscated in perpetuity to the use ofthese Albany
miners. In the third place, except the HERALD
Building, whose roots are struck down thirty
six feet into the earth, there is scarce another
edfce along Broadway that must not be under
mined and brought down in crashing ruins by
such an excavation as our Arcadian Legislators
have proposed. Their line, for example, would
go six feet lower than the foundation stones of
Mr.. A. T. Stewards building at the corner of
Chambers street and Broadway; and the
amount Of machinery and tackle il would
require to underpin and prop up that gigantic
marble front is . problem which we gladly
leave for professional engineers to solve. OF
the older and smaller buildings along Broad
way, the foundations of which, as a general
rule vary from twelve To eigbteeu feet in