Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-26

Dolted into the joints. There is also an L
In the rear, which adds rigidity to the slim
structure.
At first sight the spectator thinks that
there must be a skyscraper feud. The
razor building has been erected alongside
of the Decker building, another thin struc-
ture, which until recently was the highest
skyscraper in Union Square. The razor"
building has surpassed it, however. 1t will
cost, complete, sSOO.O 900.
Within a week or ten days the erection Of
Illuminated street signs will be begun. and
New Workers and others will be enabled to
do what is now far from possible, to find
their way about the city by means Of street
signs.
The method Of illumination will depend
upon existing conditions. Those posts which
are now fitted with gas will probably have
the directly illuminated kind, surrounding
their burners. The electric posts will sf-
ford emplacement for the reflector signs, in
which the light, caught from above, is
thrown by an oblique reflector through the
lettered glass.
A dark blue glass with a white frosted
glass letter is to be used and, in a general
way, the dimensions of the illuminated sur
face bearing the street and avenue name
are 5x12 inches for the small reflector signs,
6x15 for the larger size and sx10 for the d.
rectly illuminated ones. The signs cost SO
cents each.
One rather heavy expense the borough has
to face in the matter of street lamps Is
the recommissioning Of dead lamp posts.
There are several hundred Of them through
out the city and the estimated cost of fitting
them for service is from $3.50 to IS apiece,
many Of them having been broken and 9TH
ers entirely disconnected from the gas
mains.
New York City has turned itself seriously
TO the pleasant task Of making itself beau
tiful. The one unforgiveable crime that
was committed years ago upon the lower
portion Of this park can never be reme-
died or condoned. That was in permitting
the United States government to erect a
semi-angular and altogether ugly cheese
box, called a postofice, upon a strip Of land
that should have been preserved forever
as a frontage to the city hall and a mu-
nicipal beauty spot. The society can only
set itself to the improvement of that por-
ton of land which remains.
The Municipal Art society proposes that
all buildings now upon the park, with the
exception Of the city hall and the county
court house, shall be removed, and that
the block on Chambers street, north OF
the park, shall be condemned and used for
the erection Of needed public buildings.
In the crowd that watched the fireworks
display in Madison Square park on the
night of election day, relates the Evening
Post, was a man of so, a draughtsman, en-
ployed by a contracting company of this
city. He was near the men who were set
ting off the pieces, and when the explosion
occurred a big piece of one of the iron
mortars tore off one OF his legs. Panic
and confusion followed the disaster. There
was no immediate aid for him, nor for a
small boy lying near by. The man called
for aid for the child, but, though using four
languages, he could not make himself
heard or understood. He lay there until a
dying man called for a priest. No one else
responded, the injured man dragged him
self over the intervening distance and man
aged to raise the poor fellow in his arms,
while a priest, OPPORTUNITY arrived, admin
istered the last rites. Then the unnamed
hero patiently lay, waiting for assistance,
meanwhile pressing his thumb on. the
severed artery. After a half hours delay
he reached the hospital. There the sur
geons said that his life was saved only
by his cool precaution.
At the hospital the patient was cheerful,
even joking over his MANNED condition.
Only one thing worried him; he feared he
would lose his situation. Learning of this,
his employers promptly sent him word
that his place would be kept open. Now,
the only trouble they have on his account
is because of his constant requests that
some of the Offices work be brought him
at the hospital. He had been engaged on an
important set Of drawings, and to pacify
him, he has been allowed to work at a few
of the plans while lying on his cot.
In order to prevent the disappointment
Of palatial home builders when their castles,
completed, do not satisfy their ideals, a
New York firm of architects build minia-
ture models in wax or plaster to show the
owner what the actual house will be. The
architect, after the owner signifies his
acceptance Of the plans, turns them over
to a sculptor. A miniature is then made.
Cornices, balustrades, porticos, corbels,
gargoyles and all the other kind Of orna>
mentation that are employed in the en-
bellishment Of the building are all repro-
duced, although some are so small as to
require a needle with which to chisel them.
An illustration of this method is to be
found in the plaster model Of the house
which is to be built in New York for Cap
tan ]. R. De la Mar, who made a fortune
in western mines. The miniature has a
height Of three feet, is three feet wide
and two feet deep. Every detail Of the
house is deliberately brought into relief in
the plaster, from the American basement
entrance to the French roof. The cost of
the plaster model, it is estimated, would
build an ordinary frame house, such as
many a New York commuter is proud to
dwell in. h house itself will cost over
$500, 900.