St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-05-11
Our New York Letter.

TRATED PLOT-THE CHINESE MISSION
ARY-CHEAPER SEWING MACHINES.
NEW YORK, May 4th, 1877.
To the Editor of the CdIedORidn
The annual shadow cast over New
York by the recurrence of May day has
fallen and passed by, leaving behind it
ii broad track of old boots, paper col
lars, superunnua,ed crinoline. broken
furniture aud profanity. ] don't really
suppose that every body moved on Mon
day, Tuesday and Wednesday, bu,
am ready to make affidavit to the fact
that the streets looked like it those
three days. Nor were the removals
from poorer quarters ia better this year,
but on the contrary, quite the reverse.
Ii would be difficult for newcomer to
of brown stones and marble fronts he
could have his pick from one end of
town to the other. The landlords of
the latter are an injured looking set.
They complain that tenants wont pay
them the amount of taxes on the proper
ty, and they are probably correct. The
cry of the tenant is still down with
prices and as he is largely in the ma
jOrity he will continue to carry his
point.
Serio-cOmic May day witnessed "a
tragedy which had none of the ludi-
crous features which relieve the mis-
fortunes OF moving. Early in the after
noon the neighborhOOd of City Hall
Square was startled by a crash in the
costly new Post Office, and the crowd
which quickly gathered about the build
ing became aware that Il section of the
roof had fallen in. The widest rumors
ut once prevailed as to the loss of life
and amount of damage inflicted. These
were speedily corrected, but the truth
was found TO he bad enough, as the
liteless bodies of three poor fellows were
brought out and placed in the ambu-
lances which speedily appeared upon
the scene. Others were injured more
or less severely, but the mortality, by
almost miraculous good fortune, will
=
Dictated.
The disaster was Immediately caused
10y the incautious removal of some sup
ports in the course of some needed re-
pairs. Primarily, however, the fault
lies at the already heavily encountered
door of eX-Architect Mullett of the
Treasury Department, him of the mon
strous designs and fluent profanity. The
roof embodied some patent of his own,
and is so unreasonably heavy that fears
are entertained of similar accidents in
other parts of the building. Vigorous
measures are being taken, however, to
render the remaining portions secure,
as well as to repair the damage already
done. None of the functions of the office
were disturbed by the occurrence.
On the same day the Fulton Ferry
which plies between New York and
Brooklyn, in the shadow of the towers
of the great bridge, had an accident
| This ferry has been the most fortunate
of all the lines leaving the city, having
carried millions upon millions of passen-
gers every year for great many years
with but one accident previous to the
one referred to, when the momentary
carlessness of a pilot aud the swift cur
rent of the river combined to bring
about collision which shattered two
boats and injured lady passenger.
Still another episode of May lst was
the reOpening of the coaching season
which proved so successful last yeal
that its return was made the occasion
of great rejoicing. Col. Kane, with hi.
magnificent four-in-hand started out
from the Brunswick precisely on time
amid the cheers of over two Thousand
people who had assembled to do honor
to the enterprise. Every seat in Col
Kane's coach is engaged for weeks IL
advance. If this young Jehu were poo
and driving coach for living, Ia,
would get little or no patronage ; bu
as he is doing it only for whim, noblS
New York fights for the privilege o
paying to ride in his stylish turnout
Human nature is a very peculiar article
There have been since my last two OF
three of the most notable sales of pic
lures since the Johnston collection wen
off. Really despite the hard times al
has received surprising encouragement
during the past year. Numerous i'm
pOrtant sales of galleries and collections
have been held, at almost all of whicl
there has been such large attendance
and eager buying as would seem to in
dictate that pictures are passing, will
an advancing civilization, from thei
character of luxuries into the list o
necessities. The increase of interest
however, seems TO be too marked an'
general to be accounted for solely as
part of the slow growth of national cul
ture. 1t is, | believe, due in larg
measure to the wider dissemination o
the master works of all ages which ha
followed, and has been rendered posi-
BILE by the HeliOtype process of repro
duction-the most important discover,
of its kind since that of photography
By this process, the patents of whicl
rest with the well known publishers
James R. Osgood & Co., of Boston, su
perb line engravings, to all appearance
of the great paintings of the world, ar
produced at Il cost even below that o
the miserable cheap chremos, which lik
a wave of destruction have flooded thi
country, and which accomplish wonder
in the way of perverting public taste
The day of chromos, however, is hap
PLY drawing to close and under tn
educating influence of the Heliotyp
and such other improved processes a
may yet come up to assist in the goo,
work, it is not too much to hope tina
the appreciation of art, now mostly con
fined to the large cities, will eventuall
become as universal as the ability t
read and write.
The war notes of the week here, ar
, not very imDOrtant The decreaSiu