The sun., 1896-02-03
LIYE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.
For the last three years the Metropolitan Tel.
crhone Company has had trouble with hand
full OF It's old subscribers, who hnvc declined to
take the improved service or to allow the com.
rany to remove the old instruments and put In
metallic circuit telephones. These people have
been asked to relnqush the service entirely.
and the fact that their old Instruments are a
detrment to the service has been laid before
them. but they have remained fast in their dc-
termination to hold to the old-fashioncd instru-
ments and have refused also to pay the in
| creased subscription rate charged since the i'm
| proved service was put in operation. Having
failed in every other way to make the improved
| service complete, the telephone company has
| begun proceedings against one of these sub
scribers. n we'll known downtown lawyer. with
| the idea OF making n test case. The suit is to
| compel the lawyer to pay the present subscrip-
tion rate for the old-fashioncd service. and in
the first move the telephone people have been
victorious. The lawyer, fearing that pending
| the trial of the suit an attcmpt would be made
| to remove his telephone, got out an injunction
restraining tho company from interfering with
his instrument. The company tried to have the
Injunction dissolved. hut qnsuccessfuily. IN
Continnng the Injunction; however. the court
decided that whether he changed his Telephone
or rot the lawyer would lie Obliged. in the
| event that the trial showed him not to be en-
titled to the re ief of an injunction. to take the
metallic circuit service with which the com.
pany desire 10 supply him and to .pny the full
rate with II tcrest. together with damages. A
| further clause of the order allows the company
sym nr all %" wch Se IS bund to- e
| telephone people nre much elated over their
partial victory, and think 1t will ol On the way
to forcing other Subscribers to give up their old
| instruments and take the metallic circuit SER
vice, or give up the service entirely.
| In some respects the business aspect OF the b.
| cycle trade has changed largely within the last
| year. Formerly womcn's wheels and the fancy
| bikes, the tnndems were denominated by
dealers. regarded as side issues to the main
| business Of selling mems wheels. Now it Is
very different. The women are tho backbone
| of the trade in wheels, and it is to catch their
eye that the efforts of the sharp dealers were
| cxcr:Gd throughout the big bicycle show of last
week Artistic effects were attc mptcd on all
| sides, fancy buttons flags, and badges were
gven to the women visitors. and the Sex
had everything its own way How greatly the
trade in women's wheels has increased was
| ndicatedby the remark big Western dealer
and agent made at the nclusion of the show.
The women havc swent the deck" said he.
''Thet control the field. The future Of the bus.
ness lies in improvements for womcn's Wheels.
! tel you II were going to start up n bicycle
like e'tG s in hs s src% Ea I'D Sts "c to ,4 in
with: of those 100 would he tandems. 200 mems
wheels. and the rest would be women,'s wheels
wheels for men for fully half the tandcms and
probably more arc bought for the benefit OF the
the end of the century wouldn't lie surprised
II the new woman had raised that ratio to to
In her favor"
Competition In advertising runs high in Har-
lem. Every available bit of spacc on fences
and walls is brilliant with the designs Of shops
Even the goat haunted rocks and cliffs have
served canvas for the cntcrprising advertis-
ing artist, who is the real landscape painter
The best piece Of work done in the line of out
door advertising is that of a clothing store man
in one OF the principal Harlem thoroughfares,
and his rivals themselves have to own up that he
has outdonc them al; The aaggpg in front
this he has painted several footprints in dull
with wet or muddy shoes. Wherever the foot
or down the street or from the gut er, every
line leads directly to the Clothier'S door
NJ LEGENDS spoil ,he effect; the inventor OF the
there is to it is the footprints in their heauti-
full simplicity. and the impulse to follow them
Near by the clothier is a hat dealer, who { lso
has ideas OF his own. 1ie has rented the cell
vicinity and has decorated them with tho
creatures OF his brain. The result is that any
s1s S INTO Back IN ds n 10
face with n man on the ceiling, who. with up
lifted hat, attracts his attention to the Legend
AFTER n haircut go to Topper's for hat" All
Harlem Is talking about these two advertising
sci.en!eS.
Within the city limits and near them there
is in use II method of heating street cars which
would be appropriate in Wayback, but seems
somewhat out OF place in the metropolis. II is
used on the stree. car route connecting City
Island with Bal. Ow, rOl.to very much over
crowded in summer and very little used in
winter. The cars have to be run all the year
round or the company would lose its charter.
No provision wns made in the building Of the
cars they nrc gems of antiquity for the intro
duction OF stoves or any other means or keep
ing the passengers from freezing: so the com.
Into the vehicles. Encn cnr has It's own little
stove set down in the middle of the floor.
Around me s,ovs ,hs raiSseTHers EAthGr and
needed. Sometimes II happens that there are
no passengers, in which case the driver; who is
also conductor takes the stove out on the plat
form and sits on II for warmth one cold day
recently party Of three men were the sole o..
and they disembarkcd quietly; SO quietly that
the conductor didn't notice, their departure.
terminus tlat the oil stove was missing, and
he concluded that he would have 10 settle Tor
IT, mT on te eo retTTn a ,rir T. hs n found the sov"
cross road, and on II piece of paper, held
down with stone. The writing on tho paper
"licng obliged to wait here for delayed
conveyance, we t1ok the liberty of borrowing
the coinpaLy's oil stove. Enclosed find balm
for the wear and tear upon your anxiety"
The paper contained n half dollar.
When tho patients were moved from the old
iuildji Z of ST. Luke's Hospital to the new one
last week there gathered to watch the removal
as many as twenty or twcnty.iv persons who
had been patients in the hospital, and when
the moving was done they went into tho build
ing and wandered about there telling one an
other what their particular wards numbers,
and illnesses were, and recognizing with delight
the familiar features of the place. St. Lukc's IL
peculiar among hospitals in this respect that
the patients who go out from its doors carry with
them n feeling for the in titution not unlike
the loyalty that the alumnus feels tor his col
lege. Every sunday there is sure to be good
representation OF them in the chapel, and on
visiting days there are always II few who so
through the wards where they used 10 be. greet
ing the nurses or ordcrlies whom they know,
Some few pay Off their debt of gratitude to tho
hospital by Keeping constant lookout for par
ticularly unfortunate patients whose hours of