The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-09
THE WEEK IN NEW YORK.
Preparations for Enduring the Sultry
Summer Season.


winter moorings and now are ready for the
summer excursion season. They always re-
mind me of "whited sepulchres," these old
steamboats,. Without they are smart and
bright in new white paint. But within, the
bones, the timbers, are rotten, and boilers
and engines are corroded with rust
Here are superannuated canal boats
transformed into threestory barges; here are
antique ferryboats remodeled into dane
ing barges. Here are river boats that were
old when we were young, running still with
the old machinery, at high pressure and
overcrowded. Every now and then one
blows up, or burns or collapses like an egg
shell. Ten, twenty, fifty lives lost, and mo
body to blame" On any pleasant summer
Sunday at least fifty of these boats are busy
in New York waters, and not one-third of
them are fit to trust dogs life in.
One of the first excursions of the season,
however was given in half a dozen fairly
good boats. 1t was the annual excursion
give by the Hon. John H. Starin to the
Union veterans of the war and their families.
I suppose as many as nearly 1000 availed
themselves of his hospitality, and had a
grand days sail, music and plenty to eat
and drink. Later, Mr.. Starin will give
excursions successfully to the police force,
and to the working women and girls, and to
destitute and sick children. He gives these
excursions every year, at great expense to
himself, and they do a great deal of good
Some who never would be able to go at all are
thus enabled to have a day of rare pleasure
Rnf all
purely business speculation. 1t pays him as
an advertisement Otherwise I don't think
he would do it. For at heart he tso par
ticularly benevolent. He keeps big store
of dry goods, groceries, and general supplies
and makes all his employees buy everything
they want there, and charges them 10 per
cent. more than they would have to pay else
where. Still, his free excursions are bless
ing; all the same.
And excursions are blessing. For some
days past the weather has been terribly hot
On Tuesday the thermometer registered nine
ty-four in the shade and there were numer-
GUS sunstrokes. The free baths were crowded.
Several dogs went mad. And Coney Island
was so well patronized as to wear almost its
summer aspect.
Meanwhile the ice companies are not idle
They have an enormous stock of ice on hand
so that prices ought to be low this summer
But they have formed pool to put up
prices, and the other night one of their stables
was burned; and Virgins says the outlook is
for poor crop of ice next winter. So up
prices must go. 1 don't care though. I am
going to make Montague treat me to creams
and ices just the same.
Straw hats and linen busters and sun-um-
brellas blossomed out everywhere this week
Its hot.
SUMMER WANDERERS.
Everybody is leavingtown. All the out
going European steamships have full COM
plements of cabin passengers and the agents
of the Cunard, Anchor, White Star and In
man lines tell me that almost every birth is
engaged ahead up to July 1. Mr.. and Mrs
Cornelius Vanderbilt sailed this week, and
will be back about the LIST of September
and their beautiful marble castle on Fifth
avenue is closed. I hear, in confidence,
which l won't keep, that they profess to
have found out from some old Dutch rec
ords that their ancestors were a very great
and noble family in Holland few centuries
ago. They were the Van der Bldts-and
the New York family is about to adopt that
style of spelling and writing it-and were
related closely to the famous Admiral Van
Tromp, who so valiantly disputed the power
of England on the sea. Another detach-
ment of the Vanderbilt family, DR.. and
Mrs Seward Webb, are on their way to
spend the summer at Burlington, VT, where
they have rented a villa adjoining that of
Mr.. Legrand Cannon. DR.. Webb takes
with him from this city no less than twelve
horses and seventeen carriages of various
styles
Saratoga has, up to the present, been given
up to various religious conventions. But
now the gay guests of the summer are
crowding in rapidly, At Long Branch all
the hotels are open, and many of the cottage
residents have moved down for the summer
General Grant is expected to go there as soon
as he gets back from his Western trip An
unusual amount of building has been going
on and every indication points to brilliant
season.
METROPOLITAN TAXES.
Having some curiosity to know how the
city's revenue is raised, went yesterday to
call upon the Commissioners of Taxes and
Assessments who are now busy making up
the lists of assessments for the various wards
The assessed value of the real estate of this
city at the opening of this year was 81, $780,
1888, 1888, or $45, $685. 489 more than it was last
year. OF course some reductions are made
from these igures-perhaps in about 500
cases. and to the extent of five or six mil
lions Not the least important items of real
estate are the properties of the various street
railroads. The elevated roads are assessed
for nearly $1S,O00,O0O. Vanderbilts various
steam lines and depots pay taxes on nearly
six millions, and the eighteen horse-car lines
on two-and-a-half millions The ten gas COM
panies are assessed for an average of one m il
lion each. The Western Union Teleg ranh