, 1889-05-30
NEW YORK LETTER.
Entertaining Comments en- Topics Of
Interest.


/ t~ncCl;,! TO the AE"US-
| The subscriptions to the Washington
Memorial Arch. to tie erected across FiftI
avenue at Washington square, hav,
reached the sum of I'll $500.
The temporary wooden arch whicE
was built for the Washington CenteuEia
proved to be such an artistic sUsceEs tba
the proposition to turn it iato enduring
marble has met with spontaneous anG
substani iial approval from all sides. Tht
arch as 1t stands now is certainly a mos
| beautiful sight. One cannot help 10 ad
mire It's perfect proportions aud magnifi
cent appearance, and when we add tt
these the hundreds of Electric lights wifi
which it is Illuminated at night the srec
tacle is really grand.
The selection Of Washington square a:
the site for the arch is very appropriate
and serves to once more bring into prom.
ineuc0 an almost forgotten portion Of the
city. Washington square, once the cen
ter CT wealth and fashion, is now desert
ed by most CT its prominent families oi
by-gone days who have gradually moved
up town until they threaten to cross the
Harlem river and invade The quiet ness
OF Westchester. Tue delightful walks
and trees are left, however, and contrib
ute to make Washington square one of
the most pleasant spots in the city.
When the great memorial arch is perma-
neDtly erected at this historic spot, which
is the very commencement of our finest
avenue, it will be a monument worthy to
mark the epoch and prove an exceeding
attraction The arch 10 TO be surmount
ed by Il statue OF cur beloved Washing
ton, and is to cost $4,000 to be raised
by popular subscription.
The plan of establishing flower mar
ket in New York IS icing revived. The
idea, which is taken from Europeaa cit
les, is to have the sale of flowers and
plants restricted to the Grand PlHzI at
Union Square every mnEuiDR from to
10 o'clock. The people engaged in the
culture of flowers e3u!d make the Piazs
the market for the sale Of their goods rs
the farmers and truck gardueEs do at
Washington Sud other markets.
The foreign exodus has already begun.
The prospect is that an unusually large
number Of Americans will go to Europe
this summer. and ii is estimated that at
least ons hundred thousand will visit
Paris and London.
The remarkably quick time made by
the steamer City of Paris, on it's trip
from Qaecnstewn to New York last
week, is causing n great deal Of comment
and speculation. The time made by this
steamer was 5 days, % hours and min
utes, The fastest ever made. The ad'
vAncemeut thai has been made in
ocean navigation is seen By compag-
lag this time with that of the first
steamer that crossed the Atlantic
sixty years ago. This was the steamer
Savannah, which sailed from Savannah,
Ga, May 25th, 1919. and arrived in LjY
eTpcUl JuDe 20th-twenty- six days !uter.
The effect OF this quickening OF time for
crossing the Atlantic. will, in my opin-
ioD, be to decrease 10 the near future
the cost OF passage. 1t must be- remem-
bered that such, magnificent floating
palaces as the Etruria, Alaska, Baltic
and others are not built for day, but
Will very likely be able to do service for
years to come, while al the sumo time
the newer ''greyhounds OF the ocean"
will continue to rob them of their
laurels, and their custom, by lowering
the record. The inevitable effect of this
competition, therefore. will be to make
the fare cheaper, a. the quicker steam
eFs can make more trips in given time
than their older slsteEs. T.e day may
Lot lie far distant when a trip to Lon
don will be as cheap and convenient TO
New Workers as q ride tc Chicago.
EDWIN ARLINGTON.