Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-11-21
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Especial Correspondence ofthe Monitor.

NEW YORK, Nov, IA, 1881.
Talk of earthquakes, what should we
do with our skyepiercing houses and
stores should such tremble of even the
faintest variety occur? We may form
some idea from the way our houses fall
to pieces from their own weight after a
longer or shorter existence A peculiar
ly distressing case in point happened
this week. A large tenement house in
South Fifth avenue fell like house of
cards without the slightest immediate
warning though of course cracks in the
walls had been noticed for some time,
and should have been accepted as signs
of disaster, and crushed some thirty
people, nine of whom were killed out
right. The house was an old one, and
the scoundrel who built it, and the
scoundrel who inherited it. and the 9TH
er scoundrels who had finger in the
pie, are probably gone where such peo-
pie are provided for, on the other side
of Jordan. 1t was the merest she'll, and
the last strand that shattered it was
probably nothing more than the rumble
of some truck in the street Heroism
foated out nobly on the occasion. In
full view Of 10000 spectators, who
crowded every possible point of sight,
the fremen and others burrowed at i'm
minent risk of their own lives for hours
under the lettering fragments of walls.
One poor woman was reached after
seven hours of much labor. A dead
child was in her arms. Three others
had been found dead. In physical ago
ny she forgot herself in solicltude for
her family and lived so long in hopes
of meeting them, for the fremen, with
merciful intent, deliberately lied to her
about their safety. She died few
hours after extrication, and her husband
a shattered cripple. is now the sole sur
vivor of happy family.
They say now that the Croton Aque-
duct is in danger, being overdriven, as
it were, with an enormous pressure in
the immense pipes, which are kept con-
stantly full instead of somewhere about
half way up. as intended by the design
ers. 1t certainly is leaking in dozens
of places, and leaks may expand to
breaks some day. It has been serious
| ly proposed to fill up the nearer reser-
voirs at once, put every one on short
supply, and 60 to work at repairs al
once. Meantime, another one has been
suggested for the AID street reservoir
to have the Hudson River water pump
ed into it by means of hydraulic rams
operated by the force of the tide, anG
kept for putting out fires and flushing
: sewers. etc. The only opposition to The
use of salt water seems to come from
the insurance companies, who revolt a
: the idea Of paying for the extra loss By
. salt water over that occasioned by fresh
3 but it is pointed out, think reasonably
that the Hudson River water isn't s.
J very salt after all, especially at ebl
, tide, and then if you put out fire il
e five minutes, the damages by water o
fire is apt to be less than if it burns 70
t fifty minutes. But, of, course, all thi
4 is matter for figuring, and as Asto
: and other adjacent property owner
: want to make park out of the demo-
: ished reservoir and get bigger rept 70
e their houses, there is another elemen
o in the problem to be considered.
i But | mustn't get on my anti-mont
Y poly hobby, 1t makes me cross an
Y that isn't fit or pleasant frame {
mind for your RADIx. A great ant
g monopoly man gave me great treat th
is other day and took me all over the stor'
,e the grocery store of the Thurber's. 1t
l. wonderful place, literally as busy 3
lie any hive. with labor-saving and cons
Is quently money-saving devices in pr
II fusion. One machine in particuls
d seemed to discount the famous primal
e ing and envelope machines, and ";