The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-27
PLACES IN NEW YORK
a MONSTER BUILDING THAT IS A
} TOWN IN ITSELF.

The Dtvcrsifed Industries That Are Shell.
tsreA BY Its Roof-A Great Safe Deposit
Vault and Its Impregnahls Dsfenses--A
Wonan's Interesting Story.
Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer, con-
tributes TO the February Century a pa
per ON places In New York." in the
course Of which she says: If You enter
one of the largest Office buildings and 90
mp and down and around in it, You will
see that'it is not mere house. but al
most town in itself 1t nearly covers
the space Of an entire city bbck. Thir-
ty-two elevators serve the persons and
the wants of its denizens and their Wis
itors, and they carry some 20, 900 pas
sengers each day. The great business
concern which owns it fills whole
floor, with halls as big as churches and
regiments of clerks On the other floors
live many another big company and
many an individual doing q big business
Of this sort or of that, and their number
will not amaze you as much as the lux
ury with which prosaic tastes Of money
making now surround themselves. /
wonder sometimes what my grandfather
would have thought Of it. No one in
New York did business in bigger way
than he, sending his famous clipper
ships to encircle the world and traffic in
q score Of ports. Yet, when my father
began to "clerk" for him, the first of
his duties was to sand his Office floor,
and can remember how small and plain
was this Office even at q much later
day, with the bowsprits Of vessels al
most poking themselves in at the win
dows as they lay along the border of
South street.
The people who dwell in the typical
Office building Of today walk about ON
polished marble floors; the government
has given them postoffice just for
themselves; big library and o restau-
rant exclusively serve the lawyers
among them; another restaurant gener-
ously serves wh0msoever may wish to
eat; there are rows Of shops in the huge,
barrel vaulted main hall; there are bar
bers' rooms and bootblacks rooms, and
SO forth and SO on. You can almost be-
ieve that a man might live in this build
ing, going forth only to sleep, and be
supplied with pretty much everything
he need desire, except the domestic af-
fections, a church and theater. It
seems rather surprising indeed that a
missionary chapel has not been started
In one Of its corners, roof garden for
daytime performances up on the hilltop
called its roof. But up on this roof you
may find the bureau which breeds our
weather for us, and down in it's under |
ground stories, in the very entrails of |
earth, you may confidently leave it your
wealth to guard.
Truly the steel clad burrows of q
great safe deposit company look capa-
cious enough to contain all the wealth
Of New York, aud whether your share
of it be large or small your needs can
be exactly met. You may hire a safe so
little that u diamond necklace would
almost fill it or so big that it is good
sized room, and its rent means the in
come of good sized fortune-$7, 900 or
so per annum. Narrow lane after lane
is walled by tiers of these safes, as
streets are walled by house fronts; there
there are other places where other things
than gold and silver, precious papers
and jewels may be stored. There are
rooms full Of trunks, and l remember a
big one with the sweat of steam glisten-
ing on its walls and ceilings, which was
filled full and heaped and piled with
bales Of a shining cream colored stuff
raw silk, costly and also perishable,
needing to be kept perpetually moist
lest it lose its pliability.
When in this treasure house of un-
countable riches we see marble floors
which can be lifted by levers SO that
they lie against the bases Of doors i'm
pregnable without them and vents
which can throw curtains Of scalding
steam down upon the head Of any one
who may try to tamper with them, it
seems as though the days Of oriental
magicians had returned, with conspicu-
ous modern improvements. on course
there are rows and rows Of little cabi-
nets, where Cr9sus may handle his
wealth very privately, and fine large
waiting rooms, too, all shut in by gates
and bars and passwords. 1.-THE ladies'
waiting room is great convenience. !"
said the gray coated guardian one day.
When gentlemen bring THAR wives
down town and have business 70 do else
where, it's a nioe plaoe % lesve them
in" So it is, but il It II much used for
this purpose I hope ths4 its nicenesA
not its terrific security. determines the
fact 10 4
Admiral Dot Has q Zen.