The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-30
TAXING N The BIG town.
A Bird's-Eye View Of New York
City Had for Ten
Cents.
A Street Oar the Best Point of
Vantage and Safest
Conveyance.
From Central Station to weehawken Ferry
Over the Belt Lines, the L.,
Back Again.

Over the BELT Lines, the L.,
Back Again.
Especial Correspondence OF The INDEPENDENT
New York, July 26.-If our country
cousin wants to take in a birds-eye view
and a Just conception OF the big metropo
lis, he can easily do both in an easy days
tour. The street car is the best point of
vantage. You enjoy the luxury of a drive
in your pair-horse carriage without the
risks and worries of so dangerous urney
as we are now going to take. It's hundred
to one against any private carriage getting
through without what are called accidents.
but which in reality are traps set by the
mismanagers of the city street paving
work. We shall travel along miles of
streets full of pitfalls for any dainty
vehicle that cannot run on the car rails.
And those that enjoy temporary smooth
passage on them are pretty sure to screw
wheel or two off in trying to make way for
the cars. You see, on an average, two
wheel-smashed vehicles in each hour OF
car travel in New York. ALI good for trade,
anyway.
Now, suppose we start from the Central
short car ride to the Weehawken ferry at
its west end. Here we board the west side
belt line car, and our sightseeing begins
with view of the densely populated reg
ion around the gas-works near Tenth ave-
nue.. Miles of houses towering towards the
thunder-iaden clouds. Every house bar
racks and every room nursery for the
propagation of the Gothamite species.
Here are breweries, factories, foundries,
lumber yards and industries innumerable,
chief among them being, apparently, the
consumption Of beer in the swarming SAL
oons. Hank! The fire bell! Quick as a
fash the face of the broad avenue changes.
A moment ago you saw house-frOnts, now
you can't see the windows and doors for
the folks that poke through them, Draining
whole bodies will come out too. You
can't see the sidewalks for bulky
matrons and squallinR babies, nor much
Of the roadway for the myriad imps that
mob the cars, all reckless of life and limb.
in their enthusiasm to race alongside the
tearing engine as it strewS its trail of fire
among the crowd. This is the height of
bliss for young America up Tenth avenue
way. If you want to know this sport on
wet evenings, take the same line after dark
and count how many dabs of mud you get
in your eye in short mile.
When we have duly admired the array of
big ocean greyhounds, such as the Majestic,
City of New York, and City of Paris, which
all stand in row to be gazed at like ballet
beauties at the Casino, we are whirled past
sail the Sound. This is the Puritan, and
that the Pilgrim, each carrying pas
sengers numbering up in the thou
sands. A charming panorama is
this of the great North river, with it's ka-
leidoscopic display Of every, sort of craft
the Battery, with its matchless water-pic-
ture and exquisite bit of park scenery.
The wonder is that the Knickerbockers of
old--who generally stuck to good things
when they had them-ever gave up this
noble corner of Manhattan to the base pur-
poses of trade. The spirit of democratic
progress was too strong for them, and never
again will an exclusive aristocracy be able
to occupy the busy thoroughfares around
the Battery park with their mansions and
most breezy bit Of New York forevermore
belongs to the people-perhaps chiefly to
the foreign pauper immigrant, you may
think, as you ramble around.
Here we board our East side belt car and
scud Raily alongside the endless lines of
their cargoes. High over the tallest masts
hangs the spider web known as the Brook
lvn bridge, thing of beauty from below
and marvellous substantially when you
tread its aisles. A little further We come
to the dry docks, where several huge ves-
cells are stilted up on high, We can see the
bottom of their keels and watch the work
ers riveting the copper plates on them. We
thread our way through strange, old-time
town that lies between old Madison street
trates except the 'longshoremen and others
who get their livings here. Quaint old
brick cottages, few pretentious mansions,
all now fallen from their once high es-
tate to the level of tenements and lodging
houses.
have a character all their own. Anything
but English. Perhaps German names most
abound, yet the general effect is that of
some European port where sailors do their
marketing. Babies everywhere. always
Unless this blessed Manhattan isle can ex
next quarter century, Manhattan isle must
burst. The people overflow already. We
are now at the imaginary gates of Central
Park into whose tempting glades we will
wander SO far as to glance at the statues in
the Mall and the cooling FLASHING of the
great fountain. An hour in the art museum
to see the all-but price pictures given by
our big millionaires, will but whet the APP
petite to come again for a whole day among
these treasures of all the arts of all the
ages.
Now we step across to the Seventy-sixth
street station of the Third Avenue Ele-
waited railroad, partly for the sensation of
being whisked along an interminable row
OF bedrooms nice and nasty, and partly to
get quickly to as curious a bit of ciyiliza-
ton as can be found in any city in the
world. We will gladly part company with the
risky railway at Chatham Square, and take
q short walk up Baxter street among the old
clo' Jews, returning down Mott street
among the still shrewder- witted Chinese
No need to attempt description of these
our best known Worlds Fairs. See them
and you want no pen-pictures.
Pass we now across the Bowery. if we
don't lose our legs among the wheels of the
four-fold line of vehicles, and let us bravel,
diveinto the unknown country which we
shall soon see includes Judea, Russia
Syria. Italy, France. Bohemia, Poland and
Arabia in its confines. Here dwell the
dusky tribes who sew your ready-made
suits, peddle laces, jewelry, melons, ices ani
neckwear, who glue together the easy-tc
smash furniture, who fake the gaudy MILL
merry of the streets. who stitch shirts, make
suspenders, translate old shoes into new
ones. and do all the rubbishly work man
kind is fool enough to buy because suppo
sedly cheap. The air is oppressive, its
odors are nasty. let's get out. We've haG
enough. Here's a car that will take us te
our starting point at Central Station. w,
have surveyed the round world, and the cos
can be told in cents.
Copyright.
G. A. B., Attention.
For the Gath annual encampment Gran