The morning news., 1894-11-11
THE GOSSIP OF GOTHAM.
The Little Var Over Miss VandeTbiIt'S
Coming Out.
Curious Taste for Costly Purchases.
(Copvright

The Worship OF a Back-Mr. Cleveland's
Curious Taste for Costly Purchases.
Copyright
New York. Nov. 1O.-Socially the New
York season is suffering through the alb
senee Of Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt. one of
the large balls Of the winter was to have
been graced by her presence, for although
the 'Vanderbilts are in mourning, or more
accurately. emerging from it, they have
begun to he socially gay. AS it is. soci-
ety--the term Four Hundred is now mere
tabooed than ever-awaits with eager in
terest the night upon which Miss Consuelo
Vanderbilt will be introduced to the
world. The heart burnings and the in
/ trigue due to this impending event really
/ baf1e all efforts to portray them. Those
/ politicians whose wire-pulling proclivities
/ have been the foundation of their for
/ tunes might learn valuable lessons from
/ the proceedings of not few of the soci-
! ally ambitious, who are now doing their
/ best to become the recipients Of an initi-
/ alton to this function. Everybody who is
/ anybody will be asked of course, but
the unhappy inference, in the case of all
unlimited, will be that they are nobody.
Hence the present scramble.
Miss Consuelo herself is described as
being in a very natural condition of ap-
prehension in view of the approaching or
deal. Her dress passed through the New
York custom house very recently and was
consigned to a noted local man milliner
to avoid attracting attention. The young
/ ladW will wear thAusauds q dOlla Tg worth
| of gems it gees without saying; but 1t
| has aroused much criticism among many
! members of the swell set that the Wander
| bilts should not have taken more care
to avoid making this really historic COM
ing out n sort of social battle ground. An
immense sum of money will be spent upon
the affar-thousands Of dollars for dow-
ers alone; and the midnight menu will
outdo Lueullus.
The Vanderbuts, by the way. have again
been at pains to deny the story that Miss
Consuelo is to wed the young Duke of
Marlborough, but the story still finds
credence among many who have no faith
in denials of rumored engagements. At
any rate, the young lady will unquestion-
ably be one of the social powers of the
metropolis, beginning with this winter. No
| sooner Will her coming out be an accom-
pHshed fact, than a round of amuse-
ments unparalleled in New York's So
cial annals, viii be inaugurated. Miss
Vanderbilt is particularly fond of affairs
such as masked balls, which allow of eX-
travagancies in costume. She has ideas
of her own in this matter of dress and
that is one reason why private the
atricals have always delighted her. The
Empire city is on the eve of a Veritable
fancy dress carnival, and the bellies and
beaux of society will, during the coming
season, be seen in all kinds of dOminos,
masks and wigs. Everything in the
eLo Of a avtTaVa finds IA
vor in New York now.
The trade in wild beasts has assumed
such proportions in New York that some
sort of official regulation of it has at
last became necessary. There are now
two of three large rival concerns in the
metropolis dealing in Bengal tigers, gor-
illas. hippopotami, lions and other inter-
esting creatures. These beasts are housed
in great ware houses and upon arriving
here from abroad are carted through the
streets in vans. Occasionally they roar
| aloud while in transit to the wonder Of all
who chance to hear them, but the real
danger arises from the carelessness dis
nlaved by employees of the dealers in
handling these animated consignmepts.
Once in awhile an animal escapes al
though care is usually taken to conceal
Il all such episodes But the board of al-
dernen viii undoubtedly be called upon
to take some actien in the premises soon
If the city is to escape a shocking tragedy.
The river front Of the east side is where
this trade centers. The gorillas are the
most dsnderous Of all living freight, and
besides the most costly are the least
profitable.
Some quotations upon the stock give a
verv noteworthy idea of the profits some-
times reached through trading in wild
ouadrupeds. Thus in New York per-
forming elephant costs 5000. A young
rbinoceros fetches $1,000 while lions are
7 - F- The hfpnnnofa q in "A
healthy condition is quoted at 5000 and
the zebra a S700 The wart hog commands
500 with bidding pretty lively, and the
polar bear $3.50. Camels are 800 each. Wild
birds are much cheaper than quadrupeds.
Black swans are 500 for the pair, and cas-
sowans $50 each
Altogether some interesting revelations
are likely soon to be made in connection
with an industry altogether unique.
Not a word has hitherto been whispered
. I'm New York concerning combination OF
. the Metropolitan cabmen, which promises
to seriously affect many persons Of wealth
. . and inheritance. II has been suspected for
some time that the hack drivers OF
. Gotham have been IN league with the po-
lice 70 put to confusion all patrons OF a
parslmonious tendency The arrangement
was that troublesome customers. pecuul-
, ariiv and otherwise, should be driven not
, . 10 thcir homes, but 10 the nearest police
station. There, Of courEe, their mshaps
or dlsagreemcnts with cabby would bo
publicly exploited and Themselves put u
confusion. The threat sf a cabman r.
; drive his complaining patron 20 the police
station was almost always effective with
70 young club swell. For nearly all these
youths owe money 10 their cabby and
cabby would of course reveal that CIR
curnstance 20 the police captain and the
( Meter thcreupon become public property
But the police. ~ seems. determined "a
lnfy tribute upon the cahbies because theJ
. grant them faVors in the way Of permit
UuF them 10 f1ou0U0iige favorable street
c0rrfra ald the like. E1f The cabbIri
would not qeiiyeF an1 fhf blue coats im
ne1lately began t0 drridr go 1'HDuteF if
favor of fhn eatbirT patrons. 80 s00nsi
bod ffr young riuh men fgf wind ~ h0N
matters stood Than fhfy Inrag ~ defy NJ