The herald., 1893-10-17
IMPRESSIONS OF NEW YORK,
What a Southern Californian
There Observed.
A Magnificent System of Street
Transportation in Operation.
Which Havc Occurred In the
City of Late Yenrs-The Tail
Buiidings-Palatial Hotels.
Financial Matters.
special corretpondepce to the HnnALD.


New York, Oct. 6.-I had not been in
New York since the year Of the centen-
nial. and, of course, was prepared to see
many changes. One of the most mo-
ticeable is the facility with which the
inhabitants OF New York are taken
from one part OF the city to the other, so
that the distant parts OF New York in
the northern part of the island, known
as Yorkville and Harlem, are as accessi-
BILE as Twentieth and Thrtieth streets
formerly were. There are three lines OF
elevated road running the length OF the
with trains OF cars carrying about 800
people on each train. and these trains
run every two minutes. At the time j
was here before, on Broadway from
Canal street down there was nearly
always jam OF carriages and wagons in
the street sometimes lasting for hours,
and policemen on every corner to assist
passengers to cross the street. There
was formerly bridge over the street
near Wall street. Since the elevated
trains have been running they have
taken down the bridge, and there seems
to be no unusual humber OF vehicles on
Broadway. 1t was formerly supposed
that it would be impossible to have a
street car line on Broadway, but there
is now double-track cable line running
at speed of about eight miles an hour,
with cars, carrying about so passengers;
then there is car about every block
The blocks up and down Broadway are
not over 800 feet in length. Across
town, from one avenue TO another. the
blocks are about 900 feet in length. The
effect of rapid transit is also noticeable
IN the fact that one can walk ON Broad.
way down town with perfect ease.
There are no longer the crowds there
that there were in former times. 1t is
said that one OF the marks of civiliza-
tion now is convenient transportation in
large cities. and certainly if this is the
case, New York should rank as a civil
lied city.
In addition to the elevated railways
there are lines of horse cars up and
down most of the avenues, and at con-
venient distances up and down the city
are cross-town railways, beginning at
Canal street, and every three or four
blocks up as far as the park.
The od-fashioned stage still runs on
Fifth avenue-that is, during week days
until 10 O'Clock, and on Sundays it does
not run at all. The consequence is that
on Sunday afternoon Fifth avenue from
Central park to Madison square, dis
tance of about one and half miles. is
filled with promenaders going to and
from church. So that during that day
the styles and fashions are we'll ex-
hibited on that street. OF course the
Brooklyn bridge is too well known TO
need much description, and also the
numerous ferry lines over the river, but
none OF the ferry lines compare with the
! line from San Francisco to Oakland,
either in the boats or in the means OF
access to the ferry. All the ferries that
! found here are only accessible by lines
cars, and sometimes by walking several
blocks, while I'D San Francisco nearly
every railway terminates at the ferry.
In addition to the elevated railway
there is also one Of the street car lines
that runs about mile in tunnel.
The New York Central railway is the
only line of railroad that comes directly
into the city, crossing on bridges and
coming to Fortieth street. With all of
the other railways it 10 necessary to
take tedious trip by cars and ferries to
reach depots. 1t is said, however, that
there has been a deal lately by which
the New England roads will come into
! New York over the elevated railway. II
| this ia so, it will be great thing for the
city, and add another laurel to the
| Gould syndicate of railways. All the
elevated railways are owned by this syn
dicate. They are bonded for one hun
| dred million, pay the interest on these
/ bonds, and very large dividend to the
| stock kholders besides. While they are a
/ great convenience to the city, they are
great detriment to the property on the
line of the avenues where they run, as
| there is continuous rattle and roar as
| the trains pass the building, and the
second and third stories of these build
| ings, that are on level with the track
! OF the railway, are as open to the public
gaze as store window. In one place |
eaw little balcony about eix feet in
length and two feet in width which |
suppose was intended for fire escape
utilized as play ground for some SIX or
] eeven children from two to five years Of
/ age, and the seemed to be as happy and
contented up in the third-story window
as if they were on the solid ground.
CLIMATE.
When l arrived in New York, at the
|
end of September, cold wave was
passing over the northern part of the
| United States and down the seaboard.
1t ran down to about 30 degrees above
zero IN the evening and early morn
ing, and this weather continued nearly
week, then it gradually became
warmer, and terminated in a days
rain. The cold weather, however, was
not 30 noticeable, as during the day the
sun shone brightly, and there WAS very
little breeze.
There was also clearness in the air
at all times which. to me, seemed re-
marx able. as all the city that have
been in go far, especially Chicago, have
very smoky atmosphere; whether it is
owing to anything in the climate, or to
the absence of factories in New York
proper, it is impossible to say, but
| probably both of these things have
their influence. The weather while
was there was about as cold as the cold
est days that we have in LoE Angeles,
but the natives did not seem to mind IT
very much, many of them not even
wearing overcoats in the coldest
weather.
TALL BUILDINGS.
was not favorably impressed with
buildings of unusual height until came
to New York. Here they seem to be