The daily gazette., 1877-09-18
tcorrespondenoe ofithe GAZETTE a..
Letter from New York
NEW YORK, Sep. 15, 1877

| Mr.. EDITOR When I last met you I
promised to write of New York and some
OF Its surroundings for the GAZETTE, but
time has not permitted me to write as full
ly as desire. will however, put together
some impressions received In perambdTa Ia
ting this, the finest city Of the New World,
and by all odds the most moral socially. !.
and supposed TO be the most wealthy. ~
Had new York not been situated as 1t is
on one of the finest bays and harbors In the
world between two OF the purest and pretti-
est navigable rivers, It would never have
been built at all no costly is the foundation
for every structure Of any. magnitude that
iss reared on this ROCKY site OF the most
magnificent city In America a1 #....i,
No one can enjoy the view from the "Bat.
terry" and not feel eratifiedtbat at he haslived
to enjoy 1t. This delightful point is passed
byhundreds of vesselsevery few hours. The
floating palaces of thejSound, the monster
steamers that ply UP and down the river
and over seas and oceans to all parts OF the
world, and innumerable vessels of smaller
size are constantly moving before you, and
one tires of the panoramic scene, pleasing
| as IL is at first. ~...u'f .... .t
From the Battery" to Harlem river is
about fourteen miles north, and here the
two hundred and fifth street forms the pres
ent boundary Of the city. The avenues run
from the south ferry, near, the Battery ;"
the entire length of the city beyond 59th ST.,
where Central Park com ences until they
| reach 205th street on Harlem river. There
are eleven avenues running thus. First
Avenue runs near the East River fronts.
Second Third and Fourth Avenues are all o
on the east of Broadway, while the remain.
ing seven Avenues are on the west of
Broadway. Some of them are lined with
rows of the most elegant buildings in the
world, and along all of them are such i'm
mense rows of massive residences that one
| wonders how all the brown stone was got
| TO erect them.
The building of house in New York is
no small matter. The entire site and cellar
has TO be quarried out of rock, and the
cost must be greatly enhanced thereby. The
building of great sewers and laying of the
Immense water and gas mains have also to
be put down through the rocky beds of
streets land not unfrequently men are killed
on their own premises by the flying rocks
forced high In the air and for many squares
by the blasts that are necessary to open The
trenches. sr -.I.Y.
\ On the eminence adjoining Central PARK
are two reservoirs, one of 36 acres and the
other of 96 acres, in which the Croton
water is stored, and from which 1t is led to
every part of the city. This water was in
troduced into the city through an acQue-
dpct forty miles long about 1872 and up to
that time the great city had to get its sup
ply OF water from pumps and by the aid of
cisterns. In 1910 / Iremem Der that frequent.
ly was SO disguised with the taste and
smell of the water at the hotels and board
ing houses that substituted soda water ,
"cobblers," lem onade, and anything rather
than take the water. The supply OF the
delicious Croton to New York was almost
a renewal of life to It's denizens. Now, by
the help of this magnificent improvement
New York is one of the cleanest cities In the
world and ought to be the most healthy.
1t is abused and vilified and kindly takes
all that is said of 1t. But its magnificent
charities and It's beauteous specimens of
art, and the refinement OF its ladies and
gentlemen In every pursuit of life, and ex-
cellence of its native literature and promi.
nence of its learned men, to say nothing of
Its elegant architecture, all tend to make
1t by all odds the finest city in America. as
Its morality is attested by its great hari-
iJies, its hospitals for every class of unfor-
tunates; by its innumerable churches by
its magnificent cemeteries and the gran
deur of its parks and great public high
ways. None but a truly christian and plous
people would ever build, adorn and beauti-
fy such place as Greenmount cemetery,
from one eminence OF which view may be
had of The homes of almost million and
half of people.
But its morality is observable in many
ways, and may add that IN riding through
the most of its streets for two whole days
have not seen single person that was un-
der the influence of liquor. Civilty form
ed one of the greatest features we obser-
we'd. Rough many of the people were
and uncoutn of tongue; butthey were civil
to each other, and kindness and attention
to each other was one of the most marked
characteristics. / mention this because
expected to witness the reverse OF it and
Invent where of all other places expected
to witness rudeness and, to an extent, ruth
less savagery. 1 need hardly add that l
was disap bointed, and fully convinced that
New York was the best abused city in the
world, by her own kindred who know her