Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-03-20
TYPICAL NEW YORK PLACES,
A Monster Building that L. a Village
In Itself

a Monster Building that Ii a Village
In Itself.
Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer, con.
tributes to the Century paper on
"Places in New York." in the course Of
which she says: II you enter one of
the largest office buildings and go up
and down and around in II. you will see
that IL Is not a mere house. but almost
n town in itself. 1t nearly covers the
space of an entire city block. Thirty
two elevators serve the persons and the
wants Of Its denlzens and their visitors.
and they carry some forty thousand
passengers each day. The great bust.
ness concern which owns 1t fills whole
floor, with halls as big as churches. and
reglmnets Of clerks. On the other
iioors live many another big company,
and many an individual doing big
business Of this sort or Of chat: and
their number will not amaze you rs
much rs the luxury with which prosaic
tasks Of money-making now surround
themselves. wonder sometimes what
my grandfather would have thought Of
1t. No one in New York did business in
n bigger way than he. sending his IA
nous clipper ships to encirclc the
world and traffic In n 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 remem.
Der how small and plain was this office,
even at much later day, with the bow.
SPIRITS Of vessels almost poklng them.
selves In at the window as they lay
along the border Of South street.
The people who dwell In the typical
office building Of to-day walk about on
polished marble floors; the Government
has given them postofiice just for
themselves; big library and restau-
rant exclusively serve the lawyers
among them; another restaurant gener-
ously serves whomsoever may wish to
eat; there are rows OF shops In the
huge, barrel-vaulted main hall there
are BARRIERS rooms and bootblacks'
rooms; and so forth and SO on. You can
almost believe that a man might live In
this building, going forth only to sleep,
and being supplied With pretty much
everything he need desire. except the
domestic affections. o church and
theater. II seems rather surprising,
indeed, that a missionary chapel has
not been started In one Of It's corners
and roof-garden for daytime perform.
ances up on the hilltop called its roof.
But mp ea this roof You may find the
bureau which breeds our weather for
us, and down In It's underground sto-
ries, In the very entralls of earth, you
may confidently leave It your wealth TO
guard.
Truly, the steel-clad burrows OF
great safe deposit company look capa.
clous enough 10 contain all the wealth
Of New York, and whether your share
Of IL be large or small your needs can
be exactly met. You may hire safe so
little that a diamond necklace would al.
most Ill it. or so big that It Is a good.
sized room. and It's rent means the IN
come Of gOOd-slzed fortune-seven
thousand dollars or so per annum. Mar
row lane after lane Is walled by tiers Of
these safes, as streets are walled by
hOuscfrOnts; there Is second story be-
low the first, and there are other places
where other things than gold and sill !
yer, precious papers and jewels may be |
stored. There are rooms full OF trunks, |
and remember a big one with the |
sweat Of steam glIsteuing on It's walls .
and ceilings, which was filled full and |
heaped and piled with bales OF a shin.
ing crcam-cOlored stuff-raw silk, cost
~ and also pcrishablc, needing 10 be
kept perpetua!ly moist lest it lose its
pliabl!ty.
When In this treasure-house OF un.
countable riches we see marble floors
which can be lifted by levers so that
they he against the bases Of doors i'm.
prcgnable without them and vents