Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-20
III SAW TWO CITIES GROW.

the Hudson.
seated in coy armchair in one Of the
upper rooms Of the Grand Union hotel sat
an elderly man the other evening, SAYS the
New York World, his white locks and
Blended frame showing how he tottered
beneath the weight Of four score years.
1t was Mai John Bates, the first Mayor Of
Chicago, and resident Of New York in its
earlier DAYS The old gentleman has seen
the Garden CITY Of the West grow from
frontier settlement of few hundred souls
into thriving city Of half a million peo-
Die. and now returns to New York to visit
some of the few remaining companions of
his youth and revisit the scenes Of his
earlier life. When asked to refresh his
recollection and recount some of the men
and events of early New York, the ewes Of
Mai. Bates kindled with fresh fire, and he
exclaimed:
II was born in 1903, and was therefore
only years Of age when the war Of 1872
broke out. / recollect how strangely the
peope dressed in those days Boss
Suydam, as he was called, wore a white
powdered wig. and looked very grand in
his lGng trousers and blue sWallOW-tail
coat. with solid gold buttons down the
front. I resided at No. "a Beaver street,
then fashionable quarter. The 'Five
Points was the center of all the scrubs
in the world. I went down there the
other day and l recognized some Of the
old landmarks. went down the BOwery
last night and the Five Points resem-
bled il in its dives eighty years ago.
We used to pay policeman 81 to take
four of us around.
Where We're the fashionable balls
neld27
AT Washington Hall, which was on the
site now occupied by Stewards downtown
store. We used to pay 81 80 for admis-
sion and supper couple. Eve met Aaron
Burr many time at Shaw's wine store, at
" all and Broad streets, where the sub
treasury building now stands. In 1924,
when Lafayette arrived here, we were all
drawn up in line and be shook hands with
each citizen. The first steamboat l re-
member was the Fireny, and the second
regular packet 10 Albany was the James
Kent. She went to Albany in fifteen
hours b0astingly asserted the OCtOgena-
rian, .but they mad to keep two men con-
tinually at each wheel 20 keep the engines
from stopping on the center. When some
crank suggested that one shaft turned by
two engines would Obviate the difficulty,
the newspapers thought he was crazy.
They tried the experiment, however, and
il proved successful. l think this is the
first time the word crank was applied to
?
has crank. When this experiment was
tried there was a large meeting of sea
captains, who declared that il was impOs-
sibe TO build a boat which could make
more than nine miles an hour. and they
tried to boot down the steam engine
There was great excitement at the time,
the Captains asserting that with their
sailing vessels they could beat any steam
boat. A large bet was made for a race to
come OH on the Fourth of July, 1923, pay
or play. and to be ten miles up the Hud-
son and back. Every one in town went
down 10 see the fun, but a strong wind
blew directly down the river and the
schooner could not start, SO the steam
boats captain won the bet.'
When was the first street car intro
ducedT"
"Street car" exclaimed the Major in
surprise. s'Wby, we had none Canal
street was out of town then. We walked
when we wanted to 90 anywhere. Why
at the corner Of BrOOme and Broadway
was a summer garden that was consid-
cred out OF town, at least out of the juris-
dictiOn Of the police. I never heard OF a
street being called an avenue then. The
fashionable streets were CORTLAND,
Greenwich, state, and Bowling Green.
The Bulls Head was at the head of
Chatham street and was kept by Daniel
Drew. who moved to Twenty-seventh
later. l was down to that spot to-day and
thought of the many happy times ! had
had there when I was a young man."
What about YOrkyille:"
oh, 1Orkyilia was little village, with
e wagon shop kept by Min Parker and a
grocery and tavern by Joe Tucker"
Did YOU know John Jacob Astor,"
II knew him when he carried around
oranges in basket and sold them at so
much apiece. What do the people of New
York think Of his first good start in life :
King George IN. sold, through agents, the
whole of Westchester county to John
JacOb Ast0T for a mere song in 1896. and
I'M 1924 the State was compelled to pay Mr..
AStor S25o,UUo for the property. and at
that time If man had $1,000 he was a
n35ob. Astor then bought little piece
of property of about three acres opposite
Hurl Gate lane. and 1 remember that he
used TO ride down to his business every
morning followed by his French valet.
He would sit in front of his store every
iua day and have his valet bring him
news Of the tea market. fla merchant in
those days sold ten chests of tea at one
sale he was supposed to have done an i'm
mense business
DID you know the first DelmOnicO.'
Yes; he opened a place at the head OF
Beaver street in a store which is near the
present locality Of one of the present es-
ADJUSTMENTS
We only mad one theatre in those days,
and every man was expected to be either
d mIlitiamau or a fireman. LAFAYETTE ar
rived IN 1924, and the ball in his honor aI
Washington hall was a grand affair.
Tickets were - per couple. including sun
per. and we considered it almost an out
rage To pay it. The Board of Trade had
DIS origin by the meeting of eight mer-
chants at the Tontine Coffee house every
night. Here they talked trade, and finally
organized kind of club and put in ST.
GOO each and bought piece Of property
at the corner of Water and Wall streets.
HE last Of the eight was to become the
sole pOssessOr of it. y lawyer told them
that the title thus obtained would not be
good, and these eight men had a law
passed at Albany with a prOvisO that
each man name an executor. Only two
of them are now alive
" hat about the police in 1922"
We'll, we had about seventy-tiye in all,
and the old man used to ascend to the top
Of the dome Of the court house every hour
and call the time, adding ALPS well.'V
ANY racesf"
The race. between Sir Henry and
Eclipse was for $4,000. Sir Henry was a
southern horse and Eclipse a Long IS
lander. | forget which won, but l do re-
member that all the city was at the track"
Did you know Commodore Wander
bntp'
Yes. { knew him when he ran his boat
from Whitehall street 10 Staten Island,
andI knew young Bill. | believe YOU
u0W cali aim William II. Wen. he used to
bail ont the boat. The price was 1917
cents from here to staten Island. Wall
street was hlled with tailOrs, and had but
four banks, the Mechanics. Union, Mer-
chants and one other"
What WAS the price of drinks in those
days" asked the reporter as the Major
asked him what he would have.
The very best brandy was ) cents
glass or 81 30 per gallon, and it was put
on the table the same as bread is. 4 bot
tle was on every table, and it was useless
for saloons to keep open on Sundays, for
all had brandy in their houses, even the
ministers. The cOmmOnest boarding
mouse furnished brandy at dinner.
Tom Paine lived on Spring street, near
aaron burr's house, and where the Coop
gr institute now stands was a large pow
Ger house which was considered to be in
the country.
Willard, Of Washington Hotel notOrie-
,y- vas little shaver and messenger at
me city Hotel, which was north of Trini-
church. President Adams came from
asnlngton one day, and, looking shah
~, me clerk refused him a room. Little
" lAdrd heard the conversation, and. run
F4ga Fhrsoa