Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-12-31
NEW YORK.
Our Cowboy Friend Peeps Into the
Stock Exchange--Lost In a Fog
on East River--Uniqnciy
Dressed Windows.

To the Gazette.
In my last letter l promised to say
something about the stock exchange,
but mnst acknowledge my inability to
give graphic description OF 1t, for IL
deiics the descriptive powers OF anyone
have met One thing impressed me
when ] first entered the building,
which is one and half blocks east OF
Broadway on Wall street. and that was
that most of the men in 1t were young
fellows under thirty-five years of age.
| suppose this may he accounted for
by the fact that most men get swal-
lowed up after being there several
years, and retire TO make room for
Younger men and newer inheritances.
AT any rate the vast majority are
Young men, ond their youthfulness Is
the most notable thing 10 stranger
ON entering the galleries
4 seat II believe they call it seat
though why ] know not, for everyone
is standing all the time except the
president in the stock exchange IS
worth from $685. COO TO 10000, and one
black bali will defeat any aspirant for
n seat The number of members in
the association is limited, and the po-
sition of a member of the stock eS-
change is Il valuable and enviable one.
Visitors are not admitted on the eX-
change floor unless accompanied by
member or having special pass, but
they are permitted 10 go up flight OF
steps to the galleries over the stock
exchange room which run around in
sections of circle. The average man
placed in one of these galleries with
out knowing where he was would
swear the yelling mob of men beneath
him were lunatics. If he wouldn't, he
ought to so to an asylum himself. The
last time was in there about seventy
five men were in the exchange buying
and selling stocks. This is copject-
urai on my part, for their actions and
language were Chinese to me-
They rear about like Indians in q war
dance with their hats for tomahawks.
Suddenly some fellow would yell out
something about "split" and imme-
diately he would be surrounded by
dozen or more of the dancers, each
seemingly anxious for his scalp. Then
some other fellow would yell in an
other part of the room and the crowd
would go for him, and at times the
noise OF their voices would equal the
lowing of a herd of Texas shorthorns.
A stranger remarked to me the other
day rs | stood looking down on the
lunatics, about the only thing those
fellows seem TO be doing is smashing
hats The remark was very dpropOS
for it was the only thing | saw them
do which | comprehended. One fell
low would Il suppose sell some stock,
and about the time he got his faber
and notebook ready TO make an entry
smash" would 20 his hat over his
eyes, then "smnshn ne would take the
nearest mans tile, who in turn
handed the compliment around.
No matter ut what time you 20 into
these galleries during business hours"
this little game of smashing hats was
going on. ] counted nearly dozen
hats flying about al one time during
one of NY visits. About seventeen
men have tried to tell me how stock
sales are made and explain the modas
ODcrcat1i of these men, yet still know
nothing about it it, but hope. before
come home, to be able to go into the
galleries and look inteligehtly on
what now seems the extreme OF luna
cy and discover the affinity between
a game OF Knocking ifhats and selling
stocks.
In crossing Fulton Ferry the other
morning the boat | was on got lost in
the fog. Talk about being lost on the
prairie, why the sensation is u pleas
ure 10 that experienced by me
while on this ferry boat,
which was being whirled into
an impenetrable wall of vapor.
The boat was crowded to OVERLOOKING,
there must have been 1000 persons
on board-and the other passengers
seemed to take il so easily that / soon
became ashamed OF my fears. We
started from Fulton street. Brooklyn,
to land at Fulton street, New York,
but the idle was so suong that we
eventually landed ia the Roosevelt
street ferry dock, three blocks above.
The fog was so dense / could scarcely
see the pilot house on our boat and
several times we ran chillingly close
To other vessels lost in the fog. The
hoarse voice OF fog horns, or whistles,
seemed all around, above and below
us. 1t may seem strange, but when
lost in these iogs, so bewildered are
the senses and so heavy the vibrations
of the noise in the murky atmosphere,
that only experienced men or those
long accustomed to the fogs can tell
the direction of Il sound.
The next time have to cross East
River in n fog shall go via the East
River bridge. / would call l.. the
Brooklyn bridge but fear some New
Yorker would see IL and kick
This Is the season of the year when
all New York looks in the store
windows. Theart of window dressing
has become Il profession and there are
men here who do nothing else. Great
crowds gather about the windows
around Union Square and Fourteenth
street each day to look Mt the magni-
iicent displays. In one window / saw
miniature wedding party of the
Revolutio nary era. The little wax
figures, clothed in their quaint COS.
tunes, looked very natural and the
arrangement of everything was done
with an artists eye and hand. The
bridal couple Were represented as
coming through an aisle formed by the
bridesmaids and graomsmen towards
the minister with the guests on each
side and the negro slaves peeping in at
the doors and windows. This display
Is attracting immense crowds aud Is
one OF The most unique displays in the
city