Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-19
NEW YORK NOTES
Things and People occspyiag Gotham
Atfeutiou

NARROW ESCAPE FROM ANorHrR PARK PLACE
pIsAsrER-rHk POLITICAL sTRraaLE-BEArrfr
AND THE NEW TORE srREErs-AS uScHARi-
TABLE, crrr--So PLACE ron HOME LIrr-
Special Correspondents Of The Evening Star.
Nrw YoRK. September IL, 1891.
IT WAS GODS OWN MERCY THAT We
- did not have on Tuesday . repetition Of the
terrible tragedy of Park place. On that morn
ing the unexpected for once happened. that ID.
the old finder box on the corner of Nassau and
Fulton. first built before the revolutionary war
and subsequently added to o. our architecture
went more and more into the air, went up in =
puff, and how IL happened that scores Of men
Who were gathered there for their daily WORK
were not burned to ashes In the Ore IL a
miracle The building is a historical one. IL
was for many years in the middle OF the news
paper district, and formed in succession the
home Of two Of the oldest New York papers
1t was the birthplace OF the New York sun. and
here for many years was located the CONNER
cal Advertiser. Only after Col. Cockerill and
his friends bought the paper was il removed
around the corner, few months age, 20 Park
place. Owing to this removal the top floor
WIS vacant
Had this not been the care there must inevi-
tably have been frightfui loss Of life. For three
years my newspaper work called me TO spend
the greater part of the day on that top floor.
ana suppose that none Of us were ever quite
free from the feeling that each day might be
our last. 1t was q thoroughly abominable gar
ret. Just that kind OF a stuffy, dismal, vermin-
ridden hole that newspapers formerly seemed
to take sort Of morbid delight in, and which
happily they have now exchanged for such
newspaper palaces as we find in every city OF
Importance. As in the case OF the Park place
bniidinS there was q constant vibra-
ton from the heavy presses in Q
large printing establishment two or
three floors below, and il would not have
surprised anybody who had ever become famil-
lar with the building to have found that it had
fallen Ia heap from its own weakness. The
noors and partitions were saturated with cen-
turys deposit of oils. though one might have
held that they were SO thiekly enerustel with
a century dirt TO be non-combustible. Now
that the old hulk is gone every one breathes
freer and Is in a mood 20 congratulate his
neiShbor. Bat what criminal chances Of
human life greed will take The event shows
that the worst fears OF everybody who ever
worked in the building were entirely reason
able. IL needed but the most trifiing accident
TO set the whole structure IN sheet of flame.
Yet year after year it is supposed to be safe
proper abode for men and women to do their
work In. How many other old death traps Of
the sort are there IN the city?
THE PARTIES LocK HORNS.
The democratic state ticket has been decided
upon and the campaign has opened, like most
battles, with a furious cannonade on both sides
making o huge amount of noise without any
particular damage The lines OF the campaign
VIII be rather curious. Evidently the repubh-
cans will do their best to get votes by girding
at "Hiinsm. though the democratic nomina-
lions were distinct snub TO the governor as a
party boss. The democrats apparently, will
try to appeal to the shifting vote by insisting
on the responsibility of the republicans for
sending the world fair 10 Chicago. A year
ago neither party would have Laid stress on
this point, as everybody was then saying
Good radiance" TO the fai-, but New Yorkers
are beginning TO see that they were very short
sighted IN taking that position of Indifference,
and they are casting about now for victim.
In general 1t may be said that both tickets are
unusually strong and personally very respect
able. Both parties are in the tight 10 win and
no doubt, some extremely large barrels will be
tapped before the votes are counted.
TEE FIGHT FOR LIFE.
New Workers will have to admit, suppose.
that the metropolis is pretty hsrd-faced and
hard-fisted place. Men come here to do their
lighting and are pretty apt to retire to quieter
scenes to indulge the gentler and sweeter
emotions. had very interesting talk last
famous workers in religious and moral reform
In New York, a man whose name il / gave il
would be familiar to your readers and to millions
throughout the country; a man OF very wide
acquaintance and one who has q rare faculty of
friendship and an extraordinary power Of lead
ership.
SAID he: Il have spent the best Of my life in
New York and been concerned with many en-
terprises OF the sort that knit men together,
and yet can say that have scarcely friend,
and at times feel very lonely. New York is,
to be sure, very generous and noble place in
a way, but its spirit is distinctly materialistic
Men go elsewhere for their homes and TO Guilt
waite the home nature The genius of the place
is very different from that OF other cities-of
such places, for example, as Boston or Phila-
deiphia 1t Is distinct atmosphere. and il is
not loveable one" He went on TO say that
that nucleus Of public spirited men and women
which goes by the name Of charitable New
York is even smaller than 10 generally sup
posed; that If we were to take out even twenty
hve individuals there would be a startling
and to substantiate this view he named q few
OF the New York charities that are supposed to
be Of popular character, which, as q matter
OF fact. are kept alive by the princely and per-
eevering bensractions OF . very few really lib
eral men
GOOD MIGHT TO BIArrM.
As the late Isaac Watts pithily remarked,
1t II O poor relief we
To change the place but keep the pain"
Hitherto each change in the holder Of the
ONCE Of street commissioner has plunged us q
little deeper In the naire. When Mr. Beattie
succeeded Mr.. LOOMS alluring promises Of q
glittering cleanliness that would put the prem
Uses Of the most fastidious house wife 70 the
blush were held out to US, and by some mysteri-
Gus mental process Mr.. Beattie seems to have
convinced himself that he has kept his prom
ises and to be in a perpetual condition of
pointing with pride" to tnoroughfares beside
which the slough of despond was a carefully
macadamized road. When his attention Z
called by the health board to the fact that Il ID
comparatively useless to have mud, dust and
street sweepings generally collected in small
piles, as no matter bow neatly and symmetri.
cally these are arranged they are soon scattered
again by wind and wheels unless gathered up
and carried away, and also to the fact that dust
ashes, garbage and decomposing articles of va.
rious descriptions choking the cutters in the
tenement house districts under . hot summer
sun do not make salrbrious atmosphere, and the
81, 600 sick children found by them in their in
spection prove this assertion, Mr.. BeaStie
makes the conclusive reply that he twill pre-
pare q statement" When confronted by the
mayor with the more startling assertion that his
resignation Is desired he firmly decliuee to ten
der it, and in q long and elaborate but vague
communication skillfully avoids any allusion to
tho state Of the streets. but plaintively asserts
that he has been ''misrepresented." But the
authorities are unyielding. However Mr.. Beattie