Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-12-06
NEW YORK LETTER.
Irregular Correspondence.

tions. For this purpose a mass-meet-
ing will be held tonight in Brooks
Assembly Rooms, when, no doubt
there will be much music in the air.
The number of people who gain live
lihood by this means must be very
large, as they can be seen on almost
every block, with a crowd of children
waltzing about them, which crowd va
ries in size according as they can be
seen on almost every block, with a
crowd of children waltzing about
them, which crowd varies in size ac-
cording as the music is furnished by a
regularly uniformed German "mud-
gutter" band, or by an ordinary Itali-
an hand-organ. In either case the
children are vastly interested and,
whether the tune is Where Did You
Get that HIATT" or "Home Sweet
Home" the performers are always
sure of an audience of little ones who
appreciate their efforts.
A PAYING INVESTMENT.
On the heels of the report that the
Broadway Railroad Company had
made application for permission to
change its motor power from horses to
cable, comes the announcement that
the elevated railroads carried during
the past year nearly $50 million pas
sengers; this is an average of half a
million a day, or in other words, the
Ieceipts were more than a thousand
dollars an hour, night and day. Iu
return for all this money, the COM
pany gives very poor accommodations /;
one is very lucky if he can get seat
in the morning or evening, and if he
does he is not sure whether he will be
roasted or frozen to death before he
arrives at the end of his journey. Of
ten ON the coolest Gays in winter there
is not vestige OF heat in the cars,
while on a mild day the heat is some
times suffocating; besides this, the
speed is little better than that of the
horse cars, being less than ten miles
an hour at best. "Rapid transit" so
long talked of, and which we thought
we had, is still in the future.
REMARKABLE STAGE MACHINERY.
The mechanical arrangement for
reproducing horse race ON the stage,
which is done in the County Fail" !"
now running at the Union Square
Theatre, is o remarkable piece OF stage
machinery. It is not brand new
device, but the proprietor and chief
actor, Neil Burgess, has greatly i'm
proved on it since it was seen here last
Spring. The effect of the horses run
ming at full speed and yet not getting
ahead, is produced by the revolving
stage" which the horses keep pushing
from under them. The moving pano-
rama at the back has been rearranged,
and the Encouragement is go clever and
artistic that it gives the impression of
the landscape flying back from the
heels of the horses precisely as in q
genuine equine contest. The front
panorama, which used to be the pic
ture of fence, has been transformed
into a practical fence and greatly as
sists the illusion. Altogether it is an
ingenious arrangement, and should
serve to stimulate other inventions OF
. similar nature.
A HISTORICAL EPOCH.
One hundred and six years ago to-
day, November 25, 1873, the last of the
British troops formally and finally
evacuated New York City, and George
Washington made his triumphal en-
try. Our city has grown somewhat
ciuno thon and xx,hak woo lsftlo x,,Oro
than q seaport town of a few thousand
inhabitants, has become one of the
important cities of the globe. 1t is
singular that the anniversary of such
an important event is allowed to pass
by without receiving more attention,
for by this evacuation of the British,
our country was left in undisputed
possession Of the people. The centen-
NAL of the event was marked by a
magnificent celebration which will
long be remembered, but the usual
celebration is confined to the hoisting
of the flag ON the Battery at daylight.
This is done by David Van Arsdale, a
grandson OF the boy, Van Arsdale, who
climbed the pole at the same spot and
there nailed the Stars and Stripes, LOG
years ago.
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS RAISED.
By the time this letter reaches the
eyes of its readers, the $5,O0O,OOO
Guarantee Fund for the Worlds Fair
in this city will no doubt, have been
subscribed, and the project will be in
shape for presentation to Congress
next week. No question about it,
we have been very slow in raising such
a comparatively small sum for so large
an undertaking and benefit. Our very
rich men have, as a rule, woefully fall
len beneath the standard of what was
expected, but our middle class" has
been generous. The fact that Jay
Gould, with his fortune of 100000, 900
and upwards, subscribed at the last
moment the modest sum of $25, 600 is
commented upon in a way that is ex-
tremely uncomplimentary to the do
nor. To be sure, his "interests," the
Western Union Telegraph Co., and the
elevated railroads have Clipped in a
like amount each, but it is safe to say
that if the fair is held here, they will
receive the amount OF their subscrip-
tions back in less than one weeks
time. Our people are far from elated
at the niggardliness of those who will
most benefit financially by the fair.
THE volcano at Colima, Mexico, is
in active eruption. Many buildings in