The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02

VI pANNeN@
| miles, including sldlngs-tho exact figures n
year ago were 155.0g miles, but several miles
have been built since. Tho elevated tracks
would stretch almost to the Adirondacks tAl-
bany is 143 miles away and IL to tho elevated
tracks were added the lines directly connected
| with the elevated tracks-the Brooklyn borough
| lines to tho sea and the Manhattan borough
lines to the north-tho tracks would reach out
to the widest spot in tho Northern wilderness.
n spot which every lover OF nature wishes to
preserve from any such dissertation.
Visitors In the city not infrequently under
take a general survey Of its features by riding
over some of its principal routes. II is not a
bad plan where only n cursory examination Is
to be made, but II ono wero to travel over all
tho tracks in the city he would find his journey
stretching out In astonishing fashion. For q
speed OF six miles per hour is about tho average
to DO obtained, when horse cars and busy traffic
hours are considered, so that a day OF ten hours
would carry q man over sixty miles OF track. He
would need twenty days to cover all the tracks
more than enough time to go to Europe and
back again. He could go to San Francisco more
quickly than he could cover all the routes once.
In connection with this subject of railroads is
tho matter of fare. There are u number of
routes more than ten miles In length that can
be covered for Ave cents. In Brooklyn the sys.
tenn of transfers will enable q man to ride moro
than twenty miles for five cents. But when al
lowanco is made for the higher priced routes to
Conoy Island and tho crosstown lines on Man.
haitian Island, it appears that ono can travel
anywhere within the city Mt loss than ono cont
n mile on tho average. In short, tho city of
New York has railroads that, on tho whole.
serve the people better and for n less price than
those in any other city in tho world.
THE FLEET OF ~FERRyBoATs.
-, - r--,s "a
the means of transportation within the city
limits. There are no less than fortv-tour forty
routes. not counting the steamer lines that in
summer time carry passengers from various
points within the busy water fronts to Concy
Island. to Rockawny, and around Staten Island.
Tho ferries charge from a cent to five cents fare,
The common price is two cents across the East
River, and three cents on the North River, and
If there is another water route in the world that
gives ms picturesque n ride for these prices
that gives such good value-tho writer hereof
has not heard of it.
Nor arc the transportation routes of New York
city used for business purposes only; there are,
with few exceptions, pleasure routes for tons of
thousands Of p~cople-even for tens of thousands
of c~itizens-every year. Nor does this apply
only to the routes leading to the sea. Tho ferries
on both the East end the North rivers are
patronized in summer by people who are seeking
the cool mir over the water, and the Brooklyn
trolley lines have found their excursion travel
so profitable that many cars have been built
expressly to pleasure-seekers. 1t
is not unlikely that half q million of tho readers
Of this article can recall trips made for pleasure
only on the cars or ferryboats OF New York city.
This is not to say that the existing systems of
transportation are all that is to be desired. The
light in all conveyances at night may yet be I'M
proved, while that in the cars and boats not
lighted by electricity is simply disgraceful. The
point to DO emphasized is that the transporta-
tion system, as a whole. is far and away better
than that of any other city.
sIX MONTHS OF SIGHTS TO SEE.
To a visitor who comes TO SEQ New York, 1t
must DO said of all regular transportation lines
that they will give him but cursory views of
the sights the town affords, and the parts they
| traverse would not BIO the most interesting to
all minds. Nor is this to call attention to such
resorts as the Museum of Natural History.
the art galleries, or any place where
ono must stop 10 examine stored treas
ures of any kind. There are the parks.
for instance, where no railroad is allowed, and
there are the out-of-the-way bodies of water
the sunken meadows. the bays and natura
| bitches. Ruskin and Thoreau have written con.
vincingly of the advantages of travelling afoot.
When one is to SEQ whatever hes by the way
side and afoot one must go to see the beauties of
| the parks OF New York. although a slow carriage
or n bicycle will serve well in journeys about
the town-journcys that will stretch out to q
length of several hundred miles before all the
routes worth seeing have been covered. 1t is no
exaggeration to say that there are great breadths
on Staten Island and others on Long Island and
in what was Wcstchester county that could be
explored in no way more successfully than afoot
with a camp outfit on u burro such as q Rocky
Mountain prosDector uses.
And rs for the water front-let It be consid.
cred that New York has 353 miles of water
front, of which nearly all is available for the
use of shipping of one kind and another. and
this does not include the Jersey side of the
water, either, but only that under the jprisdic
ton of the new Dock Department. To visit this
in a mall tug, which can be hired at say $25 oil
$50 a day. would require nearly a week. A bet
ter way to examine the front would DO to &c
cruising in a canoe. though that would take
time and not a little nerve when the harboI
trafticwas busy.
Considering the town as n whole, it Is safe tc
say that even an active traveller could not cover
its outside snows-its interesting features. to be
seen afloat and ashore by him who within less
than six months.
Gov. J. w. Leedy of Kansas came to town &
few months ago determined. as he said after
ward, 10 sec HnaG NcW lorR was ike. III
remained hero incog. for one week. during
which time he twice visited Wall street as the
point of chief interest for a Kansas statesman
At tho end of the week his curiosity was salts
fled, and he returned home to tell his people
that New York is Just like any other town.
THE VARIED TOPOGRAPHY.
A paragraph must be given to the Topographic
cal aspects of the city. for tho topography of the
town affects its interests profoundly. A levc
surface low down near the water is of un
doubted advantage in Transporting merchandise
about u city, for trucks have to be loaded nc
cording to the grade of tho streets they mus
travel. On the other hand, IL level surface inter
feres with drainage and consequently with
health. AS it was when Hudson first saw it; tn,
territory now included in this city was SO beau
tiful as to enchant the eyes of the explorers
Gently rolling hills and green valleys, will
springs and trout streams. ubounded. Ont