The sun., 1898-12-18

or, IL they have a. running account in the
store, have them charged. Then, peace
fully and without further thought, they re-
turn to their homes, often finding their
purchases waiting there to meet them. 1t
seems simple, but it is amazingly complex.
Between the time when they make the Sc
lection, the time when their doorbell rings
and the parcel is handed to the servant
who opens it, q host OF employees Of the
big store have had share in the transac-
tion and in keeping record of 1t so per-
feet that weeks later its smallest details
may be easily traced. This machinery OF a
great dry goods store Is the part Of the
business that the customer seldom, or
never, becomes familiar with, and like that
mysterious region "behind the scenes in
theatre, 1t has wonderful fascination
and interest for the favored ones who
are permitted to penetrate its intricacies.
Among the great stores In the city of
Greater New York there is one whore the
where the perfection Of detail permitting
the transaction of business with the swift
ness with the least confusion and with
minimum OF complexity seems to have
reached the highest, point of human in
Abraham q Straus on Fulton street, in
Brooklyn. With miles of aisles lined with
every. conceivable ware known to the trade
OF q department store with thousands of
patrons every day, with store extending
from Fulton street to Livingston street,
under that street and again to Schermer-
horn street. nothing is lost; nothing goes
destination at the residence In South Brook
lyn as surely and as promptly as does the
set OF parlor furniture the home in the
Bedford district.
Abraham : straus are just complet-
ing the additions to and improvements in
their establishment, which have been pro-
jected for nearly two years and which
have occupied the best thought and care
full energy Of skilled professional men dur
public a complete department. store in
the widest sense In which that term has
ever been used. 1t was, therefore, with
alacrity that a representative Of the
Abraham the other day to visit the store
and inspect 1t from top to bottom, to view
It's inner workings, to get behind the
scenes" as 1t We're. In order to appre-
SON Of It's Storm former size % With With its 'Hss present
dimensions is necessary. What Is known
as the old building has frontage of 125
feet on Fulton street and runs through to
Livingston street. 31o feet, having.
and being seven stories high. To this has
been added wing 80 by 100 feet on
Siallatln place and the Livingston street
frontage has been carried out to 225 feet.
stories high, two floors being below the
sidewalk. Another new building stands
directly opposite the main store, running
through from Livingston street to Scher-
by 200 feet. four stories and basement, and
has features which will be spoken of
later. In the main building between Full
ton and Livingston streets there are 81 900
rough idea Of tho general magnitude Of
the store, but no notion OF what goes on
In the first place. the department store is,
except where 1t does its own manufacture
ing. as Abraham d Straus do In many cases,
the point Of focus where the manufactures
OF the world and the consumers OF the world
meet. In order TO bring the best Of these
manufactured articles into contact with the
public, 1t Is necessary that the statesmen
from the various wholesale houses meet
the men who buy for tho big store and SO
these statesmen visit Abraham Il Strauss es-
tablishment every day In numbers. They
are the few who come to sell among the
conducted to place especially set apart, the
sample room, it Is called. This room is ON the
NTH 1oor OF the main building and to its ar
rangement much thought has been devoted,
SO that 1t is now generally considered one OF
the best, IL not the very best sample room
In the country. The statesmen visit the store
in the mornings between o and / o'clock
and are carried TO the sample room inn
mediately by special elevator. There
they hand their cards to an attendant, who
slips them into pneumatic carrier that
into pneumatic tube, and In the twinkling
OF an eye, almost the card Is laid before the
particular buyer whom the salesman wishes
TO see, no matter In what portion OF the
great store no may be- Then, II the buyer
wishes to see the salesman, he goes up to
inc sample room and enters the one Of Q
long line OF compartments that Is marked
with his name. There Is broad table. an