Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-06-13
OUR GOTHAM LETTER.
From our Regular cOrrsspondsnt.
THE EXHIBITION SITE.

THE EXHIBITION sITEs
Where the Worlds Fair of 1888 shall be
located is a question Of no mean proper
tions, especially when the peculiar shape
of New York city is considered. 1t is not
as though an inland city, capable of eX-
pansion in any direction, were locating a
fair ground. New York is the longest
and the narrowest city in the New World,
and no vacant ground is to be had except
at the upper part OF the Island: At best,
the great bulk of visitors must ride a long
distance, and every half mile added to
such a trip means, for many million peo-
Die, an aggregation Of human discomfort
which should not be thoughtlessly or need
lessly inflicted. The Committee have
named Port Morris, point on the Saund,
above the Harlem river, out of the way and
accessible only after a long and tedious
ride. If it is seriously proposed to locate
there can promise the Committee more
attention from their fellowscitizens than
private citizens usually obtain. The Her
aid proposes Harlem Flats, few, lily
drained, malarial region, whose deniEens
shake with fever and ague the year round.
Others urge Central Park itself, but
storm of opposition rises at the bare men
ton, West and northwest Of the Park
lies what is becoming known as the West
End Plateau, high, rocky ridge, over
looking the Park on one side, and obtain
ing fine view OF the Hudson on the 9TH
er. An elevation of so or 90 feet gives
view Of the Sound, the whole city and the
Bay. This spot Is, without controversy
the most eligible on the Island. The open
lots begin almost opposite the lower end
of Central Park, and extend two miles or
more in length by almost mile in width.
There is ample space. perfect drainage, the
Park in front for foreground and sddi-
tional attraction, and this spot is preemi-
nently the most easy Of access and nearest
to the heart Of the city Of any open space
within its limits. Two elevated roads
traverse it, seven lines of horse cars run
almost to it, the Hudson River Railroad is
within oHe-quarter mile and the river but
little further. That this ought to be the
location is clear to every impartial exami-
ner, and as it is yet comparatively unen-
numbered with buildings, it seems quite
certain to be finally selected, unless pri-
Yate interests are to be paramount to pub
lie convenience.
DECORATION DAY IN NEW YORK.
A procession over four miles long marched
our streets to decorate the soldiers monu-
ments and scatter flowers upon the sold
iers' graves. Business stood still; New
York forgot her manufacturers, her COM
merce, her politics; even Wall street ceased
its wild scramble after the almighty dol
lar while the tramp Of armed men, snd the
less elastic tread of unarmed veterans,
went by our doors. The broad ranks, the
brilliant uniforms, the glistening steel and
martial music of citizen soldiery forced
our admiration; the thinner ranks Of the
Grand Army, with here and there the
empty sleeve, or halting gait, and every
where the age marks of service, called
out our warmest sympathies; but the sight
that stirred our blood the deepest that day
was the tattered battle-hagS. Oh how
eloquently those riddled ensigns told Of
the lurId glare Of battle, Of manly breasts
barred to the iron hail Of death: of natriot-
ie endurance on march and siege and
charge, OF heroic yielding up Of life that
heritage of our fathers might be trans
mitted unimpaired to our children. We
vainly try to choke back the tears that
dim our eyes rs those silken rags go fut-
tering by; their mute appeals sink deeper
in our souls than sll the sIlver-tongued or
atory OF the honr, for those OF US who
know what battle is cannot forget how the
death-angels cluster about the regimentsl
colors. and brood beneath their rustliHg
folds. War IS an awful thing. God spare
our land another like the last-but spare
us first the crime Of forgetting what we
owe our Nations dead; spare US alike
from sectional animosities, on the one
hand, and from any degree of tolerance
with spirit OF disnnion on the other.