The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-09-11
New York LIfe Illustrated.
y OUR own CORRESPONDENT.

Before begin / want to make confess
sion. have been asked to'write series
of letters for The Times. My object in
complying, is to put few dollars in my
| purse and to try and please the readers of
this paper. The head-piece, +" New York
Life illustrated" F" Is neither new, novel
or startling. Most everybody has seen
New York, and those who have not
seen must have tired of reading about
this metropolis. For fear you will pass
me by without testing my wares, will
assure you in the outset that none of my
illustrations have ever been exhibited
before. Notwithstanding the title smells
of old books and musty garrets, shall
endeavor to bring you something new
each week.
In the house opposite to where write,
funeral is now taking place. A hearse
stands at the door waiting to bear away
the remains to the city of the dead. In
the adjoining house q fashionable we'd
ding is being held. The gaily dressed
brides maids and groom's men, with
the many invited guests, are ascending
the high steps as the mourners are de-
scending to their carriages from the ad-
joining house of death. One Is blaze
with happiness and and life while the
other casts forth a shadow of sorrow and
gloom darker than night. The sidewalk
under my window is crowded with pc
destrians who have stopped to witness
the ggestivespectacle One door opens
to the wedding feast, the next invites to
the sepulcher of the dead.
Early this morning as was coming
through the produce market, 1 met a
Long Island farmer, "What are you
newspaper folks always writing about
people starving in the city, for ?" began
Uncle Josh, throwing pile of empty
baskets and barrels into his wagon pre-
paratory to start for his home. eff
it's true where are they? I'd like to
find some one who is hungry enough to
give me ten shillin's barrel for potatoes
or If they are starving, they may have
all the truck they want by coming out
on the Island after it.'' Uncle Josh
owns large truck farm twenty-five
miles out back of Brooklyn. He is we'll
known on the market, having carted in
and sold vegetables here rom his wagon
during the past thirty-five years and his
word is never questioned. From him I
learned that in his neighborhood, acres
OF cabbages, tomatoes, peas, beans and
other truck is allowed to go to waste on
the ground, because it will not bring
enough in this city to pay for harvesting
and carting. Uncle Josh said he started
from home yesterday noon loaded with
potatoes and tomatoes. He had been on
the market all night, and when he got
back home with his empty baskets and
barrels, he would have but eight dollars
over expenses to show for his load. That |
is, his two days and one nights labor
with team, and the receipts of his load
only cleared him eight dollars. He said |
when he got home he should do as many
of his neighbors had done, discharge his !
help and let the stuff rot on the ground. |
To-day tomatoes sold for twelve cents |
bushel, and potatoes from seventy-five |
cents to one dollar barrel-the cheapest |
they have been known in this city for |
thirty years. They are SO low that the |
supply will be cut off and ina few weeks |
will doubtless advance to three times the |
present price. The market-farmers of |
New Jersey, Long Island and other sec
tions convenient to the city, are suffer-
ing more from an exuberant yield this |
year, than they ever did by drouth,
grass-hoppers or bugs. Their land, for
once, has been over-productive. This
fact contrasts strangely with the other
well-known fact, that people by the score
are dying daily in this city for the want
of food; but to one who has nothing
with which to pay, meal of victuals at |
five cents is as dear as if it cost dollar.
You know George Francis Train. OF
course you have heard of the Train who
ran for the presidency of the United
States in '72. Everybody has heard of
him, but his true history has never been
told. If you will walk with me over to
Madison Square will introduce him to
you. No, 1 can only point him out, for
he never speaks any more to person
over fourteen years of age. However, L
notice that he occasionally gets deceived
in the age of young ladies, and speaks to
those who are two or three years beyond
the standard. This eccentricity began
three years ago, since which he has oc-
cupied bench under one of the trees in
Madison Square almost constantly, 1a