Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-05-26
THE PRESENT TIMES BUILDING
[Seen from the bridget

II Is the Office Of Tho New York Times.
which is being rapidly demolished to make
room for splendid new structure to be
erected as soon as the crumbling ruins Of
the cd building are carted away. While
all this noisy wrecking is going on--while
the heavy planks are being wrenched from
the rotten old frame by the industrious
laborers, The Times is being issued reau.
larly every morning from the old build
ing, just as 1t has been for the past thirty
years. and the editors. reporters and other
employees are working away with as much
nonchalsnce as though the work Of de-
struction going on about them were the
most ordinary thing In the world. The
statue OF Benjamin Franklin which stands
on the corner, though covered with an ac-
emulation of plaster and dust, has most
nnconcerned appearance, and the signs
mo Laborers Wanted" which are tackled
on the scaffoldings all over the building,
do not prevent the gathering of . large
number Of idle nondescripts Of all degrees
of alcoholism and low -downism to stretch
themselves on the park benches across the
way. smoke short clay pipes and talk
gloomily Of "hard times"
The work of demolition Of the old build
Ing is very systematic and well arranged.
The walls are completely torn away, dis
closing to view temporary walls of wood,
covered by building felt, and the numerous
floors are braced and held in position by
heavy scaffoldings under each. which viii
be gradually taken away as the new walls
make them unnecessary. When these
walls are finished the new floors will be
put In. starting from the top and going
downwards, thus enabling tho Office to
continue its business without interrup-
tion.
The block now occupied by The Times
and Potter buildings and bounded BY
Park row on the west, Printing house
square on the north, Nassau street on the
east and Beekman street on the south was
from 1903 until nearly two generations
ago occupied by the Old Brick church and
its cemetery, but long before 1857 it be-
came apparent that graveyards were not
In their proper element amid such unre-
poseful and rushing surroundings. 1t
was q matter of some difficulty, however,
to pers' Ia every member Of the Brick
church cSngregation that this was the
case, and the consent Of every pew owner
was necessary in order to obtain the trans
fer Of the property. The transfer was
finally made, however. and the ground for
the buildings now being torn down was
broken with more than the usual care. for
UtncdtH tue suTIbCe were IuaIly V2ulbb,
and in each vault were the remains Of one
or more of New Yorks long dead pio-
neers.
Many in the vast crowds which contin-
ually stream past the present ruin will
recall some of the exciting scenes which
they have witnessed and In which it
formed q prominent factor. The senti-
mentalists among them will no doubt feel
sorry to see the passing away Of so old
friend. To such the noble edifice which
will be reared in place Of the old building
will be lacking in the chief interest pos
sessed for them by the latter. They re-
member it as it stood in the stormy days
Of the civil war, when it was many times
Threatened by the adherents Of one of the
great contending factions. During the