St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-07-18
Our New York Letter.

L
ABOUT THE DS-MONEY-M MAX
ING ROADs-PLANs FOR THEIR Elk
TENsION-PENNILEs VANDERBILT
A HANDSOME sALARY-COMMERCIA
PROSPECTS.
New YORK, July IL, 1879.
To the Editor of the CaledOnidn
The immense success of the two ele-
waited roads now in operation, which
newspaper reports credit with having
already cleared $2,OOO,OOO, has very
naturally led to a laundering on the
part of capitalists not fortunate enough
to have secured stock in the Manhattan
Company for new roads and new
chances of profit. Mr.. w. H. Wander
bilt, the unfortunate pauper, who this
year returned his tax notice with the
startling assertion that he had no tax
able property above his debts, wants a
line of his own from the 42d street de-
pot to the City Hall, and has had a
route laid out for him by the Rapid
Transit Commissioners. He is having
rather a squally time of it, though,
despite this first success, for the Com
mon Council, which has a voice in the
matter, has prnOunced strongly against
giving away another valuable franchise,
even to aid this worthy and struggling
young man who has no property to pay
taxes on.
Little by little the elevated roads are
increasing their facilities. On the east
side of town transit may be had from
the Battery to the Harlem River, and
on the west side, the Metropolitan road
takes passengers from Trinity Church
to about 10th street. The east side
branch of the Metropolitan road is well
under way, and will probably be COM
pleted by fall. On Sunday last the
Metropolitan road began to run trains
as on week days, though starting late
in the day, at half-past twelve, when
most of the churches have dismissed
their congregations. Travel on the
Sunday trains was large, and the public
seemed pleased that they can at last
rest in measure, as far as walking is
concerned, on the first day of the
week.
In spite of the opposition of few
reverend gentleman, whose churches
are on the line of travel, rapid transit
on Sunday is an accomplished fact. As
far as disturbing the congregations as
sembled for public worship goes, the
elevated roads can do very little harm
their noise would hardly be noticed
and as they can so quickly transport
passengers from long distances, many
churches might be benefited if the roads
should begin travel on Sundays before
church hours.
Other railroading than the elevated
variety must be tolerably profitable
business-fOr the officers at least. A
Legislative committee now in session
here for the purpose of investigating
the Erie Railroads management, has
brought out among other points the
fact that Mr.. Jewett, receiver of the old
and president of the new company, as
sumed his position in 1874, at salary
OF $1,000 year, guaranteed for ten
years, and eked out by bonus of $15,-
OOO year additional, or in all S400, 900
salary for the ten years of his engage
ment, which l presume he is still draw
ing with commendable prOmptness and
regularity.
1t seems as though a man with that
amount of wages might manage to
make both ends meet, and perhaps save
up enough to enable him to Join the
throng at Long Branch or Manhattan
Beach for awhile, in the heated term
which is now driving everybody who
can possibly afford it, to the mountains
or the salt water. The change, by the
way which has been wrought in Co.
tham's habits by the springing up of
these gigantic Coney Island resorts is
very noticeable this season. Before
their establishment summer recreation,
in most cases, meant an elaborate pack
ing up and total forsaking of the city
for some comparatively distant point.
But now large proportion of pleasure
seekers embrace the opportunity pre-
sented by these handy resorts, to take
their vacations by piecemeal, sleep in
thelr own beds and keep one eye on
business even during the season of re-
cuperation.
The revival of business about which
everybody has been talking and hoping
ior the last five years, seems to have
become a reality. Hardly since war
times has New York city looked, felt and
oeen so active. Even the croakers have
to recognize the new order of things to
the existence OF which all indications
point. The July edition of Bradstreet's
mercantile agency book, which is in
i Il authority in such matters, justi-
mes the cheering outlook by showing a
large net increase of firms in business
since the publication of the April edi-
ton, which could not have taken place
out for the ''rising tiden in the affairs
Oh men. There is wonderful little in
slrument known to modern medical
science as the sphygmograph, which
vlslbly indicates the exact movements
and character ola patients pulse and
think Bradstreet's may be called the