Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-07-21
THE TALK OF NEW YORK.
Summer Life and Summer Gossip In
the Metropolis.

i
| HOW RESIDENTS OF THE BIG CITY GET COMFORT OUT
| OF THE DoG-DAYs-THE TENEMENT POPULATION
SLEEPING ON ROOFS AND sIDEwALKs-How TWO
| NEWSPAPER MEN LIvE-THE DISCOVERY" OF
| MARGARET MATHER
| Correspondence Of The EVENING STAR
| NEW YORK, July 90
| All New York Is living on the roofs these hot
! summer nights That is, all New York that can't
| get away to the seaside or the mountains Pass
| over Brooklyn bridge at O'Clock in the morning,
or travel the elevated at the same hour through
portions OF the town where the structure is above
the level OF the housetops, and you'll see curious
sights. ON nearly every roof curled up In corners
next 10 chimneys close along the rain cutters are
men, women and children. Some are all dressed,
some are all undressed, few have blankets and
| pillows ana occasionally you will see bedstead
| ana mattress or cot bed The sleepers lie In all
sorts OF attitudes, picturesque and otherwise and
with which tM tenement-house denizens 90 TO bed
ana sleep In peace with one another In one public
bedroom open to all the world that has mind TO
LOOK On the roofs OF crowded tenements families
get almost tnextricabiy mixed up o'nights, and
the nrst duty or the fathers and mothers on awak-
| sleepers TO ind out whether little PatSey and
Katy have fallen on the roof during the night,
whether they are only mixed up with Fritz
| and Gretchen on the wrong side OF the scuttle.
And some OF the mischievouS young fellows get on
| the wrong side OF the scuttle almost every night,
| somehow and there's an awful fuss getting fami-
| time.
In the Italian and Chinese quarters in Mulberry
anu Mott Streets and In the downtown tenement
districts generally IL Is a common thing for the
inhabitants TO sleep on the sidewalks at night. In
the jewellers In the hot stuffy and foul tenement
| houses have OF breathing the open air, and the
| walks
On the west side Of town in the neghborhood OF
| Canai street, where most OF the city's truckmen
i've. these strapping big fellows, after caring Tor
| LEANS a n 81 nd Crla n
so OF beer simply turn in on the trucks with pair
OF morse blankets or some "buIaps'for mattress,
and sleep undlsJurbed by the hundreds Of rafting
| milk wagons that go Gathering through this
neighoorhood from Jersey at and O'Clock In the
| A newspaper Bohemian, whom the boys call
| Herr Mos," on account or his fierce beard and
German ancestry, thinks he has discovered The
secret OF living in New York and in Elysium at the
| same time during the summer. "Herr Most" Is
nowadays seen about the newspaper offices only
| one or TWO nights In the week, when he comes
proving around dressed In q Solled flannel shirt
ara soiied clothes generally, with anarchiStical
osard unkempt and long tangled hair. He prob
ABLY mas Two or three specials TO sell, and when
ne has found market Ior them he disappears
again until payday. Nobody knew where he went
or now he lived until happened TO meet him and
tod him what a good time had enjoyed living
ABOARD Il oOat down at Sandy Hook. Then "Herr
| MOST unDoSomed himself.
ZACH, boy, that's what would like ;" said he, 'if
| l only bad the boat and knew how TO slil and to
| cooS. But don't. i live, though. as happy as a
clam, as the boys say, rgnt here in the 4ity Last
H.,
River but tonight it looks like rain, s& shall
| take a bench on the 10th street station Nor the
Second Sec Avenue Elevated That's the darke sta
ing they run no trains, so shall sleep soundly."
"How about your mealo?"
ION, don't eat much III the summer. It debili-
tateS me. l drink lot OF beer, and there's al
ways crackers and cheese free ia the beer shops.
don't require solid food in summer
You haven't a room, them"
Room? No. When haven't any more money
Tor car fare md beer sit at table in u beer gar
Den and write story or two to sell TO the news
papers. l can't worK hard in the summer. It's
700 facilitating. Five dollars week is more than
require For The most OF the time simply loaf.
quiet nook In upper Central PARK. d shady
place on the docks, with my pipe, and beer sa-
loon not too far away, suit me In summer can't
sleep In the parA nights, not because the police
men bother me, but because can't stand mOsuui-
toes. had Charming berth in discarded Hous-
ton street car that lay on the COCK back OF the
stables at the foot OF 9Th street for nearly fort
night, but some tramps found The place, and
cant sleep with tramps III summer It's debinta-
ting"
But how do you manage about changes of
underclothiDg?"
"Oh, that's easy enough. 1 throw away my
/ flannel shirt and my stockings when I've worn
| them long enough and buy new. | can't bother
with laundries and valises in summer. Bauhe?
| on, yes In the river occasionally. But the boys
steal your Clothes you know, and don't believe
Ia 100 frequent bathing in summer. It's debll -"
'IIerr Most" istoo easily debilltated and too lazy
| to live In the fashion l am following Just at
|
hs.as free from restraint, and little more Clearly.
Herr Most" Is dirty all the Jime while am dirty
| only fifteen hours out OF the twenty-four. have
| sailed the "Seneca" from the Shrewsbury up into
! the Hudson. AT night sleep at anchor In little
cove on the jersey shore, just beneath the brow
OF the Palisades AT g In the morning am cook.
ing breakfast on board, over Oil stove and at
weigh anchor, hoist sail. and ferry my lodging
| house across the river TO the foot OF west J0th
out for the aseneca during ''' the iS Gay'
| After Office hours In the afternoon the ele-
waited takes me within short walk OF
| its canvas cabin at ) In the afternoon am re-
| spectable-appearing citizen. From the time l
emerge again, at 5:15, until return to the New
| York shore at O'Clock the next morning I am as
diSreputable in general appearance as a tramp or
as my debilltated friend, !Herr Most" l lunch In
| town In all the pomp Of store clothes and the
glory OF Riccadonna's snowy tablecloths and
| swalowtall-coated walters 1 breakfast and dine
on board the seneca In the primitive garb OF fian-
| mel shirt and canvas trousers, and not only wait
| on myself but cook my own fare and wash my own
dishes. l am too busy indeed, when afioat to be
| lonely, and by the time dinner dishes cleared
| away and have smoked post prandial and ante
clinical pipe ON deck l am sleepy enough to turn
| in, II It's earlier even than O'clock
| What do do when 1t rains?
! Why, let IL rain. waterproof suit OF oilskins
| keeps the wet out when have to be on deck, and
| the canvas cabin OF the ''Seneca" doesn't admit
| a drop OF leakage when the screw" is below
| There are three Jolly fellows anchored aboard a
| only ''hello" acquaintance with them. want
TO get lois OF sleep and grow fat this summer and
couldn't II were 1unketlng with my jolly neigh
! b0rS every night
Meantime l am acquiring a good mahogany
| complexion, ravenGuS and OmniverOuS appetite
and a freedom from bile and dyspepsia and hypo.
| choudriosis that mean an addition OF decade to
life.
But am still anxiously awaiting the fat
There is big pleasure and little cost in this sort
OF an outing right within gunshot OF business and
II Westinghouse wish TO try 1t let them Join the
Washington Canoe Association and learn how
know OF several members of that club who take
their wives and babies out for Just such health
ful and free-and-eaSy life every summer. Talk TO
them about 1t ana follow their example and you'll
live to do 1t many more summers than are allotted
to life shut up in the four walls OF brick house.
/ have hitherto refrained from writing a word
| about the Hill-Margareu Mather imbroglio.
| although am probably better posted concerning
the matter than most OF the writer's who have
been keeping the case in the newspapers for weeks
after It's news interest has ceased all for the sake
OF reviving some alleged circumstances in the early
| life OF Margaret Mather that make sensational
reading for the lovers OF scandal Every newspaper
article have thus far encountered has taken the
| side OF Manager Hill, and most OF them have
abused Miss Mather and commented on her early
private life In way that Is all the more contempt
be because the object OF these attacks is too FAR
| away at present TO respond, even II she chose to-
Nobody regrets more than Margaret Mather the
msfortunes OF her childhood and the domestic
breeding-or rather lack OF breeding-that made
her youth q mistake. And no woman ever atOned
l pO fhop