The age-herald., 1901-12-27
Washington Day by Day

You may as readily dig a ditch hun dred miles long as dig one mile long, 1t Is merely matter of men," said Mayor Van wyck who received me in his office in New York yesterday.
 The Mayors remark was called forth by an expression of astonishment on my part at his declaration that New York's underground rapid transit system would be completed at least seven months be- fore the expiration of the contract time, May, 1904 and probably by August, 1903.
 Contractor Mcdonald must be a most remarkable business man." ventured to say.
 'He has the capacity for organiza- tion-he has the necessary men employ ed" the Mayor made answer.
 Mayor Van Wyck then proceeded to re- fer with evident pleasure to the great good nature of the New Workers as mani- fested in the patience with which they endured the dislocation of street traffic and general inconvenience caused by the construction of the vast system of tun- nels under the city. And so he talked on most amiably, asking me, by the way, various personal questions, which sur prised me little, as a friend had warn- ed me that the outgoing Mayor was not in very gracious mood since the Novem- Der election.
 Not being a lion-hunter in any degree, my reception by the Mayor of New York as more accidental than otherwise. His prv vate secretary. MT. Downes, had met before, and had the sosial claim upon him of being friend of his brother, the Rev Father Edward Downes of Hart ford. whom knew well as an American consul in Europe. After Consul Downes quilted the foreign service of the govern ment he went to Rome and there in good time qualified for the priesthood. From the consulate to the confessional is as- suredly a happy fate for Edward Downes, one of the brightest, best and most ad mirable of all the young men whom President Cleveland commissioned to rep resent him in foreign lands!
 When Private Secretary Downes re- ceived me in the Mayors office he went into an adjoining apartment and brought out Mayor Van Wyck. to whom he presented me; and I am glad he did so, for Mayor Van Wyck was charming in mood and manner. There was about him nothing of the brusqueness and roughness of demeanor about which one has read so much in the opposition news papers; and he no more resembles the familiar newspaper pictures purporting to represent his features. than a lamb looks like a lion. He is not fat, not beefy, and is neither long-haired, nor long-mustached. On the contrary, he is of medium height, well proportioned, has short iron-gray mustache and hair, and was perfectly dressed and perfectly graceful. Positively it is a comfort to read about the first Mayor of Greater New York, and 1t seems almost pity that all the public can't know them
 'It is merely a matter of men to build New York City" took the liberty of paraphrasing Mayor Van Wyck.
 "1t is a great and beautiful city," he said, "but there are always so many vast Improvements being made that we some- times fall to fully appreciate the city's beauty"
 How amazing is this New York, and how amazingly busy and prosperous it isi
 At this moment five and twenty enor- nous new hotels, ranging in cost from sSO0,o0O to $4,0Oo0Oo each, are in course of construction or provided for on Man hattan Island. One of these, to be built by John Jacob Astor, at Forty-second street and Broadway. work on which has already been begun, will be twenty stories high and will surpass the Wal dorf-Astoria in magnifcence. These two Astor hotels will be within half mile of each other.
 My chief enjoyment of my brief holiday in New York was in mingling with the shopping millions and lingering at the shop windows. as might be expected of a person from the provinces. That was great fun.
 It was declared that the crowds in the streets were never before so great and trade never so heavy. Prosperity, peace, plenty, these were writ large everywhere.
 
 scenes enchanting On Saturday morning, when mercury registered five degrees above zero fin Birmingham 1t was seven teen above In New York, and there was no snow and no rain. For the first time in somewhat varied experience of New York l found the great city fascinating, and departed from 1t with regret.
 What wonderful city It is and how wonderfully it grows! Coming down the North river on ferryboat I counted thirty-one of those gigantic "skyscrap- ers' below Tenth street the least tall of them being of some twenty stories and the tallest of about thirty!
 Coming from the Christm crowds in New York to join the Christmas crowds in Washington was much like going from Birmingham to Pratt City. Yet the crowds here were great and prosperous and happy. Two hours of Christmas Eve spent lettering In street, now the fashionable shopping street of Washing ton. The atmosphere was as balmy as that of a day in early May and the sun shine as brilliant. and 1t seemed to me I never saw before such throngs of happy people in this town as those that blocked the wide pavements of street Fashion was there, and with it the spirit of fun and frolic. Growing fatigued with it all. I strolled on out to Seventh street, and