Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-05-16

our New iOTh Letitr.
MAY uoyINUs- -FIEvATEu RAILRoAbEES-THl
t pIrFERFNoE BETwEEN RICH AND ryoE-
r. AMUSEMENT NOTES.
/ Nkw YosS, May 9Th. la7e
: To the Editor ,! the Free Press AMI LINES.
r MAY, thus far this year, has been not much
given over to yernal warmth and seas0nablC
flowers. In la,t it may be said to have been
iavcrnaliy cold and clustering. 1t was there
fore marked by a good deal Of 800 horse power
language from those young parties who had
prematurely pawned their ulstCra, as well as
from the numerous heads Of families who
spent their waking hours in loading and ur-
loading their household effects, and follow
ing the latter dinneress through the streets.
Those coldblooded wretches who deal in sta
tiStirS inform us that there was less moving
in the CITY, this year, than for several years
previous, hut there was certainly enough Of
it visible to satisfy the most cynical hater of
his species. 1t was sad occasion. 1t al
ways Is a sad occasion No man likes, in
the first place, to have to turn the whole
contents OF his house into the street for pub
lie inspection. Almost everybody has some
desire to keep up appcaraEceT, and to ie-itly
ignore, in the presence OF strangers or even
of friends, the existence os many indispen-
sible adiuncts of housekeeping. To feel,
therefore, that YOU are watched by your
neighbors and the general public while yon
drag down the front steps and up into the
express wagon the rag carpet from the ser
wants room a lot of dilapidated old bedding,
a small carload OF rubbish from the attic, all
the pots AMI kettles from the kitchen, and
terribly miscellaneous assortment of cr0ekery
in various states of repair-constitutes an
ordeal which will almost start the cold per
spiration on book agent.
OF course, in as big town as this, people
are too busy to pay much attention 10 such
scenes; but il is useless to urge this upon
the sensitive householder. lie feels that the
! eyes OF the world are upon him and his crock
! cry, and he suffers accordingly. And then,
this Is only the beginning OF trouble. The
| same anguish of spirit Is repeated at the
other end Of the route, its pOignancY in
creased by the threc-leggedness Of furniture
and the fragmcntary condition of glassware
which usually insinuate themselves into
n load during even the briefest journey.
! Then comes the soothing process OF settling
with two or three husky and snrituous
truckmcn, whose memory totally fails them
as to any previous bargain, and who sturdily
demand from $40 to S2j per load for smash
ing your chattels. But why pursue this
painful subject further
Thursday, however, was dedicated not
alone to the slow transit above referred to,
but to rapid transit as well. On the even
ing of that day Mr.. Cyrus W. Field, Presi-
dent OF the y. Y. Elevated Road, gave an
elaborate banquet at Delmonico's to the
directors and officers of that institution and
of the rival Metropolitan Road. The dinner
was prepared ON scale worthy of some
great iestiyity. The bills of fare were on
Gorgeous pieces of silk, and the wines were
rare and costly. The occasion of this grand
spread was twoioli. 1t was intended first to
symbol, the general rejoicing over the
long expected compromise OF the difficulties
between the two companies arising ont of
the interference OF their east side
lines, and secondly, tn celebrate the
payment Of the first dividend ever dc
clared by the. New York Elevated Road.
The general W ini0u being that the company
has been coming money ever since its estab-
lishment, it is somewhat surprising to learn
from Mr.. Fields speech delivered Al this
dinner that the company has been in exis-
tence for thirteen years, and only now de-
clares it7 first dividend. There is every pros
pect now. however. that dividends will fol-
low each other hereafter in satisfactory sue
cession. Last week the two roads carried
an average of nearly $1,000 passengers
day, or at the rate OF about fifty-six millions
year, and their patronage steadily increases.
The Metropolitan Road is now pushing the
work OF extending its lines with great yigOr,
employing seine 1000 lahorrers. Two
thirds of this formidable army struck
for higher wages one morning
this week, but a. the company already had
a payroll of some six or seven thousand
dollars a day, they declined to accede to the
demand. The laborers stood out for about
half day, and then, wisely concluding that
nine ,onths Of loaf was better than no
bread, returned to work.
Another strike is in progress while write.
The longshoremen Of the North River, who
load and unload most Of the steamers and
sailing vessels plying from this port, came
to the conclusion that they ought to have
five cents an hours more for work than the
steamship companies are willing to give,
struck work on Thursday, and to the num-
bcr of 1000 have been standing about the
docks idle bnt pclceable ever since. Neither
side seems inclined to yield.
one Of the mo!ning papers very Justly re-
marked the other day that II costs money to
come into collision with some people. When
recently William H. Vanderbilt ran over
man ON the avenue, the court took no notice
Of il and the man went of to work again,
feeling rather chagrined at hayin. been in
the way. 1t should be added that Mr. Van
deIblt did not appear 10 have been To blame.
When d poor man ran against the vehicle
containing the person ot August Belmont.
which occurrence | mentioned in my last,
the man was arrested and wa yesterday
fined !. 100 and sent 10 Iail Tor ten day,
although it was proved that the collision
was simple accident which this driver did
all in hi' power to prevent 1t certainly
makes difference who is who
Current amusement are sufficiently numer
Gus. Aimee and her troupe are a6Olt to
commence season of scintillatiun at the
Park Theatre. Nine. MOdjeska draws cul-
turei crowds to the Grand Opera House /,
81 'A~sommoir, translation ol low
lived French play, the latest Parisian scn>a-
non nous ,,' 'he poatu' III 'he 'iyuip!t' inc
standard theatre mas entered upon ITS hit,
month oi inc lihulottai ih''iore' "hich
opera Is about to push its cOnquests even to
the elegant and exclusive stage of Wallack' :
in miniature shape. \ company of children
from four 10 fourteen wears of age, who
have been giving the opera with great sue
cess in Philadelphia, have been engaged by
r "A tnr nt III
mencin, an the -tb Tho cxtent T., which This