The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-23
NEW YORK C|TYS
LATEST CURIOSITY
Crowds Collect Every Day TO Look
Up at Fla! Iron Building.
BEATS THE DEWEY ARCH
Building Cranks and Sidewalks Wit
Hold Forth to Anyone Who Will
Listen to Them-Better Look
ing Than Pickle Sign.


Not so very long ago tens of thous-
aids of resident New workers. and thou
sands of visitors to the city were flock
ing to Madison Square to see the Dewey
Arch. OF course, the Dewey arch
was not the correct name for the me
mortal, but 1t was the name which most
commended itself to the majority OIL
Americans, and so it was never other-
wise referred to, save in the circulars
of the committee which sought to make
1t. permanent feature of city acorn
ment
So it is with the Flat Iron building.
It has another name, no doubt, but few
New Workers know what that name may
be. and fewer care. To the knots OF
people who stand in front of the Fifth
Avenue Hotel or on the edge OF the
square and strain their neckS as they
gaze upward at the latest addition to
New York's collection of tall buildings,
it is 1.-The Flat Iron" and it is safe to
say that within the next few years "the
Cook excurtionst as the leaning tower
of Pisa or Cleopatras Needle.
The peculiar office structure appears
to exercise a strange fascination over
some minds, for not only do hundreds of
people stand for five and ton minutes
at time looking up at it. but many OF
those who have detached themselves from
the groups are obliged to return IN a
minute or two to examine the structure
from another point of view.
COMMENTS MANY.
The comments which are made are gen
orally interesting, and sometimes anus
ing, and they are to be heard from as
far north as Fifth Avenue and Thirty
fourth Street, where guests of the Wal
dorf-Astoria seldom turn into the ave-
Tue without Immediately making some
remark concerning the original design Of
the architects.
on Thursday evening. when the band
concert in Madison Square had attracted
an exceptionally large crowd it was no
ticeG that no sooner had the last notes
of any one Of the selections been played
than nearly every one present old and
youlg. turned to q discussion of the
merits Of the skyscraper. Across the
street fully 200 people were blocking the
sidewalk in front of the Fifth Avenue
Hotel pointing and discussing, as though
they were watching a fire. A baggage
porter came out CT the hotel and looked
from. the spectators to the spectacle.
Not SO many here tonight he re-
marked. Must be getting ready to go
out of town for the Fourth"
'YCu don't mean to say that there are
more people than this watching that
building every EVENING"" queried the re-
porter.
A COMPARISON.
Every evening, and all day long.
Why. the Dewey Arch wasn't a marker
to that there Flat Iron. There's some
guys gets right off their trolley hggcring
on ii Tries to reckon how many feet of
steel there is III it if the front is only so
vide and the end SO much wider. Gets
qrarreling about it sometimes. Only this
r,el ming there came near TO being a live
IL scrap right here in front Of the house,
.'How was that?''
big. smooth-faced chap, looked like
an actor and talked loud, like he wanted
to make every one believe him. whether
he really knew 1t all or whether he
didn't. Had got quite a little crowd
aroi nd him, and was delivering quite a
lecture. 1 don't know just what particu-
lar point it was all about, and don't
think he did But he appeared to he
quite happy-was enjoying himself i'm
mel,sely I should think, when a little
thick set man elbowed his way to the
front.
Call that there one of the earth's
wonders2' he says.
certainly do, my good man" saws
the other, patronizing like.
Dim not your good man. saws the
other. and I seen taller buildings nor
that in the City of Limerick before I left
it forty years ago..
1.-THE big chap laughed.
Its laughing you'd beg says the
little fellow. Faith, if you'd travel
you'd learn something he says
Il don't have to travel to know that
you're the biggest liar I've seen to-day
says the other.
A BUSY TIME.
Then for half a minute no one looked
at the Flat IRON But some one in the
crowd grappled the little fellow and there
was nothing doing except in the Ian
guage line and there was no stint OF
that WE'LL it'll be fine day for the
holiday, I'm thinking" And he went
back to his work.
The reporter turned and almost bump
ed into a young man who was himself
delivering a short lecture on the strength
and durability of the Flat Iron to an
audience of one.
and what do you think of it, Lena p
he concluded
Il think answered the pretty girl
with the wide blue sash, that it's more
attractive than the pickle sign that used
to be there. But then, | Con care Tor
pickles, and I just love strawberry short
sShortcakes? Why, what has short
cake got to do with the fiat iron? . he
"Oh. George. how stupid YOU are some
times, Can't YOU see. it's just like a
great wedge of it, with the windows for
berries
and sensible. comments frivolous. loudly
voiced admiration admiration that Is eN-
pressed in one long-drawn-out exclama<
ton.
third Street to go down town AS he pre-
he conductor leaned across to him.
Watch EN- rubberneck.", he said.
Surely enough every head ;n was e efa ned
G.t iron, even a glimpse of second
from most uncomfortable, position,
must not be missed-New York Times.
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