The age-herald., 1899-04-09

used as monster subway for all manner of purposes and that the franchise was worth so much money no man could really calculate the ultimate value. Presto change! In forty-eght hours public opinion was so aroused against the offer of the Metropolitan company that q grant of the franchise now would likely result in riot.
 Some interesting facts about how the other half live and correspond have been brought out this week by an order of Post master Van Cott stopping the delivery of mail to private letter boxes. More than 300 places where these private letter boxes were provided for hire have been located and the postoffiee authorities estimate that fully lO,OOO persons, ma iOrlty of them wo- men, made use, more or less, of this method of clandestine correspondence. The order of the postmaster was sweeping one and all the mail directed to priate let ter boxes since last Monday has been turn ed in at the general postofIice and the pat rons of the boxes have been invited to come forward, identify themselves and get their letters Very few of them have done so but scores of romances in real life have been unearthed. In one case a boy of IS and a girl of r had been secretly married for six months and corresponded through the medium of letter box in order to keep the secret from their parents.
 The Private Letter Boxes
 These private letter boxes are found in small cigar and stationary stores as a rule They are small wooden boxes cheapIy made and rent for $l to S2 a month. Some of the older establishments in the business derived a large revenue from the rent of these boxes. The system was pretty thor oughly exposed in connection with the Adams poisoning case and that publicity resulted in the attempt of Postmaster Van Gott to stop the business The owners ana patrons or letter boxes are going to make a fight for what they deem their rights These boxes are rarely used for any good purpose perhaps, but many people who are wicked evidently enjoy their wrong doing all the more when it is done in secret. Clandest1ne correspondence will not be stopped by the order of the postmaster.
 The daily consumption of water in Great CT New York has reached the enormous total of 420 ,000 900 gallons and the commis- siener or water supply reports to the may or that something must be done at once to Increase the supply. He says that the vis- lple supply In the present water sheds will ne inadequate in less than ten years and that the city must go to the Catskills or the Adlrondacks for d permanent supply for the future. The daily use of water on Man- hattan Island increased 1OD 900 600 in les. than three years and for the same period the death rate went down from an average of Fl per 1000 of popula jion to IS per 10Go something of an argument in favor of wa ter ana cleanliness. The rapid increase is credited to the building of a better class oI tenement and fiat houses. The cheapest tenements now have bath tubs and tine moderate priced flats butt during the past three or four years are all supplied with hot water at all hours of the day and night without extra charge. It is so easy to take a bath when the hot water is ready in the pipes at all times that the habit is growing al rate that threatens to overtax the vls- ibie supply of water before a new aquiduct can be built.
 WALTER L. HAWLEY.