The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-31
NEW YORK CITY GOSSIP
NEW CATHEDRAL BUILT ovER
OLD STRUCTURE
Central Park Has Sample Automo.
bile Catcher That Works Wonders
Steel Road to Be Laid in New York
Excite General Interest.

NEW YORK, July 30.-In a fraiI
planked shanty, built within the wreck
ed walls of the old parish church Of
st. James, the present Pro- Cathedral
or Brooklyn, religious services are be-
Ing held which carry peculiar signi-
f1cance. st. James is the oldest Roman
Catholic church on Long Island. 1t is
being torn down to give place to a
splendid edifice, the walls of which are
already rapidly towering above the
crumbling little brick church which has
stood for so many years as one of the
landmarks of the Oldest district OF
Brooklyn, at the corner Of Jay and
Chapel streets.
The Rev. Father Peter Donohue and
his vast following in this quaint parish
house for sentimental reasons were I'M
willing to allow a single mass to lapse
in the old church, pending the con-
struction of the splendid new st.
James. At great expense and much
inconvenience to the carpenters and
contractors in charge of the work the
rector demanded that the old church
should not be completely demolished
until the new structure had enveloped
1t and offered place to conduct the
services, thus affording a continuous
opportunity for worship on the site of
the first Roman Catholic church built
on Long Island.
So deep-rooted was this sentiment
throughout the parish that it was en-
forced to the letter, and the carpenters
who were busy all last week tearing
away the roof and steeple of the old
church also an n -,
up the walls of the new church. When
1T was found that the bare walls Of the
little parish church would offer poor
shelter to the congregation at the sun
day services in the event of continued
thunder showers, Father Donohue ask
ed that shanty be hastily built within
the wrecked walls, and in this impro-
vised church he conducted the mass
yesterday.
Hundreds of his flock were unable to
find a place in the limited Enclosure
thus constructed, and stood with bow
ed heads in the little graveyard around
the sides Of the church and even in
the streets. Others crowded into the
Sunday school building on the prem
ises, where services were also held.
Similar arrangements will be made
for each Sunday until the new church
is sufficiently advanced in construction
to offer shelter. When the old church
is finally completely surrounded by the
new and larger one there will be great
rejoicing among the congregation, and
the splendid new church of St James
will be dedicated by Bishop Mcdonnell.
1T would never do to allow the old
est Catholic church on Long Island to
be torn down without keeping up or
regular worship on it's site" said one
of the assistants to Father Donohue.
1--WE will, indeed, be glad to get int1
oHr new place of worship, but certain it
Is that the old brick church was very
DEAR to the hearts of all the parishion-
ers and landmark besides"
Just eighty years ago the movement
was started looking to the building o.
a Catholic church in Brooklyn. In
those days the Roman Catholics of
Brooklyn had to cross the primitive
ferry to New York to worship. A letter
was written by one tradesman to an
other Jan. 1, 1922, suggesting that a
meeting of Catholics in Brooklyn be
called. When once started the move
ment grew rapidly. In April of the
same year land was purchased at the
corner of Jay and Chapel streets for
the church ana on June % Of the same
year the cornerstone was laid.
Auto Catcher Works Well.
Central park has an automobile
catcher that beats District Attorney
Nienann'S Nassau County speed dis
colrager past comparison.
The Central park continuance looks
easy. That's what the chauffeur of
six-ton Panhard thought recently
when he tackled it. He turned into the
Fifth avenue entrance and had trav-
ersed : about two blocks when what
was apparently a short stretch of new
ly made road appeared ahead.
Easy money" he laughed scorn-
fully, and gave the lever Iwitch
which shot the Panhard right into the
catcher" The machine waded into the
foot-deep bed of gravel a distance OF
it's length and brought up short.
The chauffeur let his lever out
notch. The wheels raced" at a speed
which threatened mot box" and flung
out shower of gravel behind. Then
he reversed until the auto snorted like
a coal train on an up grade.
The catcher had him hook, lir
and sinker, and he gave up. A park
stage hauled him out. Every auto
and there were many Of them-which
Oucheu the catcher was put on OF
business.
Steel Roads to Be Laid.
The Automobile Club of America has
steel roads committee, which has
been laboring unostentatiously and
earnestly to perfect plans for building
sections Of highway with which city
authorities are expected to be impress.
ed. Gen. LIE Roy Stone, IN a lecture at
the club last spring, pointed out to
road drivers, automobiles and cyclists
the advantages of steel roads. Auto
club members were impressed with
the statistics and figures and at once
appointed a committee, with Jefferson
Seligman at its head.
Subscriptions were secured and ef-
forts made to secure the steel with
which to build sample sections of road.
To his surprise, Mr. SeIigman found
that no mill would furnish the steel.
Then he saw Charles M. Schwab, pres
ident of the steel trust, who is a men,
Der of the club. Mr.. ScnwaD not only
became interested, but personally do
mated enough steel for a mile of road.
Within six weeks the material will
be delivered. President Cantor, of the
borough of Manhattan, has his chief
engineer, Olney. looking the ground
over to locate sections of the city
where the steel road can best be laid.
In the heavy trucking district down
town the track plates, which will be
twelve inches wide, will cover a Few
blocks. Out in the country another
section will be built
Promoters Of good roads are looking
forward with considerable interest to
the completion of the experiments.
This road has great advantages over
macadam highways, it IS claimed. The
seasons in no way affect it.
For sixteen years at Valencia, in
Spain. steel road has interested foreign
engineers, who have studied and pro-