The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-26
THE GREATER NEW YORK.
WONDERFUL THINos ABoUr 7HE
SECOND CIT OF THE WORLD.

tAhA VI Ihh WOhBDs
Tive Eosths RsspirsA 20 Espiore en-,
Greater New TeFh hts Railroads wouit
Stretch BeyoHs ,Chseags-Its Three sal,
iieus OF Popuistios, Rinioss OF wealth
sad Eneorrsrabis Aeeomnedstio.s 10,
che Co-usres OF the wsria-E.sineer
ing we.aers wlthi. Etc Rorder--Ari
Literatare, snd Eduesuen-Its Varied
Attractions for tire stuae.t, tho Artist
che s~portsnsn, the Farrer-soms OF chs
Thi.es .. which II IL Pre-em,n.at.
sauce and vain glory. the citizens OF the Amer
ican metropolis may now set out upon q Jour
ney Of exploration in search OF peculiar and in
t~eresttng features Of the new domain Of the
Mayor. Aldermen, and commonalty Of the city
Of New York. And this article 10 to call at
tsntion to q few OF the features Of the new city
which make such an exploration we'll worth
the Rroat expense of time and money needed
for tan expense 30 Rroat that an economical
traveller could do the most noted parts Of
Europe for less.
As to whether an exploration Of Europe or OF
che Greater New York would prove the moro in
tereating, must depend on the taste of tho trav-
eller, but bere 10:
The second city In area.
The second city In population.
The city with the greatest length Of railroads.
The city with tho greatest number OF ferries.
The city with the greatest extent OF wharfage for
commerce.
TIE city with the greatest warehouse capacity.
The greatest manufacturing city. %
The city with the greatest number Of once buildings
and OMEGA
The citywith the greatest area Of public parka
The city with the greatest area Of primitive forests
Thu attw Nth fhA hAaf N N II, Fpa0Ffl .
The city with the greatest length OF cobblestone
pavementa
The city with the greatest length of dirt rosds
The city with the nnest fishing grounds
The city with the greatest variety OF wild animals
AND birds living In their natural state.
Tho city with the nnest and greatest extent Of oyster
bsds-not 70 mention many other features OF pre-
emlnenoe.
Perhaps Il will be best to begin, as . prudent
traveller should do, by considering what q jour
ney OF exploration would involved. For In
stance, there is the'matter OF railroad mileage.
II all of the surface and elevated roads within
the limits of tho Greater Now York were
stretched out In . single line they would reach
Q long way beyond Chicago. tho actual length
Of track. as taken from Poor's Manual, being no
less than 1.10o.5s miles. or elevated roads
alone the mileage is sufficient to run q line be-
yond Albany and almost to the foothills Of the
Adirondacks, for the distance to Albany Is but
143 miles. while tho length Of tho elevated
tracks Is 165.O9 miles. Nor Is the length of tho
East River Bridge tracks included in this esti-
mate.
No exact calculation has been made Of tho
length of time needed TO travel over all of these
lines of railroad, but since they include cross
town horse cars as we'll as electric and steam
roads o speed Of ak miles an hour Is all that
could be hoped for on the average. the legal
limit on most of tho lines oven In suburban re-
gions being eight miles an hour; 30. II the trav-
eller put in ton hours q day on the rail he would
require . few hours over eighteen days to cover
tho routes.
Tho expense of such O journey would DO COM
paratively small, and here We come to one of the
almost unique features Of the city. The Greater
New York has extraordinarily cheap rates of
transportation. There are routes In Brooklyn
fifteen miles long which may be covered
for ave cents. There arc routes In New York
from ten to thirteen miles long at the same
price. On the other hand. the Conoy Island pas
sengers have to pay by some routes q price that
Is extremely high. considering tho service
rendered. but after all this is considered q cent
. mile on the railroads will pay the bill.
The next interesting feature of this journey Of
exploration Ia to be found In the variety of
methods of transportation. Railroads are so
common that the traveller is not likely to con-
0lQor the variety IOunu IN tnom-tnhtn Orbebs
steam motors, cables, and electricity are all
used. and that the varieties in the steam and
electric motors would alone furnish an interest
ing course of study lasting several months. But
20 the railroads must be added sidewheel and
screw ferryboats and ocean-goinga and smooth
water steamers. while O visit TO two interesting
~seotions of the city-the Gowanus Canal and the
Erie Basin-can DO best made by chartering q
tugboat.
But neither steam nor electricity can take the
traveller to all parts of Greater New York worth
seeing. The vast areas thousands Of acres de-
voted to parks need horses and carriages or b.
cycles for transportation. For the lagoons and
smaller water courses about the Long Island
and westchester part of the city (Rockaway
and Flushing for instance) nothing better than
n cruising canoe could be desired. while the
traveller who would sec all the beauties of
Staten Island can do no better than take the
burro and q tent, the frying pan, and bacon and
beans of the hardy Rocky Mountain prospec-
tor.
The moment one leaves the railroads tho ex-
pense OF the journey increases. A public oar
riage costs 81 an hour. perhaps IS for a day of
ten hours would serve. The ferries are cheap
enough at from / cent to o cents q trip. but 1t
costs 10 cents to go to Staten Island and 25
cents for the outside passage TO Conoy Island.
and more yet to Rockaway Beach, while any
ordinary traveller would have to put up at least
S25 for a tug which would enable him to eE-
More the mysteries OF the Erie Basin and tho
Gowanus Canal.
The length of time required on the various
expeditions outside of the railroads would vary
with the ability and experience of the traveller.
but It would be an able-bodied man who could
get through with the parks of old New York
and Brooklyn. the lagoons, bays. and inlets of
the Lone Island and Westchester parts of tho
city, and the Harlem River and He'll Gate re-
gions in Q month. On the whole. II Is not I'M
likely that q mere geographical exploration of
the city, a journey that would exhibit tho out
Of door features Of 1t In q fully satisfactory
manner. would require nearly two months. and
would cost for travelling expenses alone not far
from 500.
In return for so much time and money. what
can u mar see2
In geographical extent the Greater Now York
from Mount st. Vincent to Tottenville Is not
far from thirty-ive miles long as the crow flies.
IA. v,idth from tha North River at Weat Enur.