The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-05-08
Our BrOadbriln Letters.
The Madison Square Calamity -Troub-
lous Times among the 0hristians-A
Tailors Fall from Grace-Suicides,
Summer Weather, Business, etc.

Summer Weather, Business, etc.
NEW YORK, May l, 1880.
EDITOR CHIEF:
He is said to be worth one hundre,
millions of dollars. Certain it is tha
over fifty millions of United State
bonds stand registered in his name
Besides vast income from his in
terest in his present net work Of rail
roads, which cover the land like
spiders web, he has other sources o
investment, which make him to-da,
one of the richest, if not the richest
man on the face of the earth. VIM
H. Vanderbilt is the owner of til,
Madison Square Garden, the onl,
place on the Island of Manhattan
where any thing like a multitude o1
people can be conglegated; if, in.
deed, we except the American Insti
tute building, which is in the uppe,
portion of the city. The Madison
Square Garden has witnessed many
changes within the last few years.
1t was here that Moody and Sankey
held forth for many weeks, bringing
down Pentecostal shower of blessing
gu this wicked and God -forsakeD city.
And here, Il few weeks later, the great
Barnnm, with his own greatest and
only show on the face of the earth,
improved our knowledge Of natural
history with the only living Feejee
mermaid, and the wonderful ten tailed
kangaroo. Later still, the temple
which had been rocked from turret to
foundation stone with the inspired
strains Of "Hold the Fortn and
"Ninety aud Nine, "l,ecame the abode
of the vilest of the vile, and the most
shocking blasphemy drowned the last
echoes of the prayers for sinners,
which the departing evangelists sent
up to the throne of grace. 1t is only
I. few months ago since a score of un-
sexe1 women, miserable creatures
who had been abandoned by their
il'egitimate profession, tramped for
six long and weary days and nights,
some of them dropping BY the way.
side, never to rise again. During the
term of this disgracefnl exhibition,
lawyers, merchants and even clergy
men, amid the fumes Of tobacco smoke
and gin, lisfeued to curses and oaths,
while the abandoned creatures, who
were the principal feature Of the show,
wele tramping onward to their eter-
nal ruin. Mingled with this carnival
Of crime and sin comes the sweet
saver Of precious and holy deeds.
When the cry of woe and want came
up from starving 1leland, it was here
that thousands upon thousands poured
out those generous gifts, which car
ried a thrill of joy into the mud cabins
Of Wicklow and the bogs of Gonna
mara. The latest assemblage that
ever grace0 its walls was one of the
noblest and the best. The patrons of
the Hahnemann Hospital fund are
among the wealthiest and most es.
teemed portion of our citizens. When
ever an announcement has been made
for the benefit of this noble charity,
they had but to open the doors to en-
sure the liberal offerings of the very
best citizens of New York. AS an
evidence of this, priceless art treas
ures were loaned to the Exhibition,
on which no money value could be
placed, for many of them were in the
possession of wealthy families, and
not to he purchased at any price. 1t
was here, only few nights ago, that
the beauty and chivalry of New York
were gathered. A new addition had
been made to its already ample area,
by the owner, Mr.. w. H. Vanderbilt ::
the plans for the improvement were
said to have been furnished by him,
and on the score Of economy, l pre-
sumo, an 8-incb wall was run up, to |
sustain a roof weighing many tons.
The possibility of the approaching
calamity was known many hours in |
advance of the catastrophe; and, not
withstanding the knowledge whicl,
the managers had Of the danger, and |
of which the public were ignorant,
they wilfully led thousands upon |
into the death-trap, where
some were crushed to death, and |
others manned and disfgured for life, !
filing this great city with such cry
Of agony as We have not had since ;,
the Brooklyn FIRE. We have in this |
city a Building Department, whose
duty it is to supervise the erection |
and alteration Of every building in
the city this service costs us nearly /
a quarter of million dollars. The /
superintendent, who examined this /
death trap, pronounced it safe the /
called in a few hours be-
fore the calamity, to give his profess ,