davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15

THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF WEST BROADWAY
CURIOSITY AROUSED By GIVING TENEMENT HOUSE
DWELLERS Il BIG And COSTLY PLAYGROUND

the face of efforts TO fathom II. A few days
ago a sign painters wagon, with ladders, men.
paint brushes and swinging scanolds. appeared
on the scene. and when they went away the
red h,icl; wall behind the iron picket fence bore
in white letters. nearly a yard high. the warn
ing. Post no bills, under penalty of the law"
1t was generally agreed that such n warning
behind 4 tall iron fence was a touching tribute
70 the enterprise and ingenuity OF the bill
posting fraternity but that as far as any
body got toward a solution of the mystery. The
Tribune was then appealed to by one OF the
anxious and worried wonderers. and one of its
Oldest reporters was detailed to investigate.
lie asked the caretaker Of the big double
tenement for the address of the agent. After
half a dozen schoolgirls from the various
apartments had been summoned to interpret
the question the old woman to whom 1t had
originally been put answered it volubly in
Italian, and all the girls at once told the re-
porter in English that he was ]. A o. Diaz.
a real estate agent in Grand-st., Just off Cen
tre-st. Mr.. Diaz said the wall inclosed a new
Is made playground for the model tenement at
Nos % and % Thompson-st.. which he also
in the strictest confidence informed the re-
porter was the finest and best tenement house
in New-York When asked the name of the
owner Mr. Diaz baked. Some people" he
said sagely ARE doing a great deal of good
without making any noise about it, II the
newspapers get hold Of it and have much to
say about IT, such people sometimes get dis
gusted and stop doing good.
We'll" said the reporter, John Wendell
wouldn't stop his great tenement house expert
rnent on that account. would he?" Mr.. Daz
looked greatly surprised at the name of John
Wendell. and slowly and guardedly replied:
Il can't tell you anything more to-day. could
give YOU the name of the-the estate, but l
shall have TO talk to Mr. Say, 5ust call
me I'D on the phone tomorrow, and I'll tell
YOU all Mr-that is, if the estate is willing to
have it published"
The reporter asked Mr.. Diaz II IL wasn't rather
q costly experiment to make for double ten
ement house fronting in Thompson-st- play
ground with four times the frontage IN west
broadway where the price Of real estate is con-
siderabIv higher He replied in substance that
the estate had temporarily made the play
ground for the benefit Of the children OF the one
tenement house, but that 1t might change the
plan II the newspapers had too much to say
about It, But" he added, call me up to-mor-
row. and maybe 1 can tell you more. Maybe 1
can't" he added the reporter left. but call
me up anyway" The reporter called him up,
but could secure no further information.
A crafty individual in the neighborhood de-
clared his belief that the alleged playground was
only a blind: that the owner desired to secure
large frontage in West Broadway for the pur-
pose Of erecting huge building, and that he
feared adjoining property owners would raise
prices if the plan became known.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15

the undergraduates take their turn at being
''feeced" by shorty with good grace. Shorty
has a particularly good game which he plays and
in which the flip Of a coin settles who shall pay
for the clothes. He has been known to get man
interested in this novel business deal that he
will hand over the clothes and his money too.
before the interview ends. shorty" is being
initiated by a score of lesser lights in the old
clothes armament, but he still holds his
the great original
Murray and Kirk. the hackmen, are two moro
names that familiar to the students, though
Kirk now rules the cabmen's rest alone at Chapel
and College SITS He is always on hand to carry
undergraduates to the games and stations and has
an unlimited amount of badinage with which TO
answer all Corners. But he Is intimate with
the undergraduates are the two campus police
men, Donnelly and Wiser. These two robust Off
Of the peace first. last and always in the
hearts Of the students. Wiser is just inter
ested in training himself the ministry but Don
nelly will for a generation of undergraduates TO
come rule the precincts of the campus with firm
but friendly hand. In this he is a genius of the
first water. When he detailed from the city
police force several years ago. to do campus duty
at the request of the university officials he faced
about the hardest Job that any policeman ever had
to face. For years there had been natural antip-
athy on the part of the undergraduates for the city
police. This had been in part due to the natural
dislike of the half grown college world to have
any interference with its freedom and partly due
to tradition. Some of the few CORY incidents Of
Yale campus history built around the Interior
ence of the cops" with the college boys Pre-
vious to Donnelly's advent the sight OF con on
the campus the signal for rush from all the
buildings and a merry horse at the expense or
the policeman. II bluecoat passed beneath the
dOrmitory windows he was instantly the target Tor
all kinds of crOckery and other missiles. But Don
nelly was wise. From the moment that he entered
the campus as a university policeman he was n
success. There none of the high and mighty
about him that boys delighted to horse in the
average street policeman. He became at once
friendly with the boys and they took to him. In
% inc
eted them He always turned his back II anything
warrantng arrest happened. and TINS always re-
shifted i'm the Immediate cessation of the trouble.
He has never arrested college man. nor will The
few undergraduates addicted to late nights VINO
return and make the campus noisy find DOnnely
at their heels Immediately. He shows them their
rooms and has been said to put them to bed. \
story has 1t that he has on occasion said their
prayers for them.
undergraduates when their spirits have been too
much for them. If bonfire is kindled he doesn't
nut IL out or send the men to their rooms. he
stands round the outside and merely stops the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15

Several months ago a brick wall along the
west side Of West Broadway. Just above Grand
ST. was begun. The buildings for a distance Of
about a third OF block had previously been de-
molished. and the persons living and transact
ing business in the vicinity began asking one an
other. tho worzmen who were building the WALL
the teamsters who carted The necessary ma
terials 70 the place and everybody else who. ac-
oording 10 their way Of thinking. ought 20 have
been able 10 supply Information on the subject
the nature OF the Improvement. The wall grad
TALLY grew 10 a height Of nearly twenty feet
and was finished with an ornamental tile coping
There was no opening whatever in the barrier
and curiosity rose to the boiling point. hut still
nobody could or world take the public iuto his
confidence in regard 10 the mystery. 10 sooner
was the wall completed than another set OF
worknen constructed a concrete gutter along
the outside and a concrete coping outside the
gutter. flush with the building line. Still no
answer TO the continuous FIRE Of questions was
vouchsafed.
one morning stfn another set Of workmen ar
rived on the scene. and by night a tall iron
fence had risen on the concrete coping. That
was enough TO set even strangers TO asking
questions The wall seemed high enough and
thick enough 10 protect anything that 1t might
fnclose, SC what on earth could be the purpose
.u erecting an iron fence 10 protect the wall?
Everybody asked everybody else that question.
but nobody able TO give anybody an intelh-
gent answer Passengers on the elevated trains
got interested. and the people living near the
Grand-st. station saw them leaning out Of the
windows on the downtown trains and peering
into the Enclosure behind the wall. They were
not slow 20 comprehend the advantage Of that
elevation Those who had access to roofs in the
reighborhood sought 20 solve the mystery from
those points Of vantage. and others, by the
dozens ascerded the stairs to the station and
paid q nickel each TO look over the wall
The downtown ticket agent at Grand-st. isn't
habstuaIly an especially busy man. He is
usually a ticket seller from one Of the buster
uutow-n stations on the downtown side one
OF the downtown agents the uptown side
Incorporating from overwork. For few hours,
however, he thought the centre Of population
and the direction OF travel had suddenly
shifted. All the buyers OF tickets out OF
their investment was a view Of large yard in
the rear Of a row Of tenement houses fronting
on r-hompson-st. The court was paved with
concrete. but there was nothing doing and
nobody IN sight. The curious. however. saw
that there was a single entrance TO the in
closure directly IL the rear Of big double
tenement house frlltinE on Thompson-st. and
nbutting at the rear upon the mysterious court
near the south end OF its west wall. That was
al. Inquiries at the tenement house disclosed
the interesting fact that scarcely anybody living
there could speak English, and that those who
could knew no more about the court than the
inquirers. and the mystery only deepened in
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15
eERMANYs PROBLEM.

From GUnt0n's Magazine
The r.sarzeslOiie rrOcress 81 Germany during the
,-e+ Quarter century rests mainly upon the devel-
oDment which has made her leading factor IN
fftr efrucgie for the market 81 the world during
fhts hripf ueriod fun many German Town mas
been transformed from "a hamlet of a mere HANDFUL
OF 1feogle 10 n thriving centre or INDUSTRY lAe
productive rover Of the empire has more thAn
doubled During this period also her artisans have
leen fed from tie prauaries OF the United States.
u no reflection upon the German people 10 say
that this supply % cheap food has been aEd sti Is
q factor u paramount Importance IN her Indus
triai development. German soil. which Is rot es-
peciaiiy fertile ls unable 70 furnish food Tor the
rapidly increasing population Of Germany. When
two decades acO Bismarck advocated high tarin
upou f0Odstufs Germanys home supply Of food
was more nearly equal 10 the demand than IL is
to-day will be tomorrow. the fact Is that tho
expansion 81 German industries has been accom-
panied by a growth in her population thai has out
Tun thc Increase in The productive power Of her
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15

ripping down OF buildings. And he is usually con-
venently absent when traditions call for nights OF
than ordinary amusement. He Is a large
and athletic and takes an immense interest
in the sports OF the boys His campus room is
mecca for undergraduates. The walls hung
with pictures and gifts from students who have left
New-Haven and written to him, and he has a
good collection OF Yale curiosites. His popularity
the campus provoked some time ago good deal
account OF his refusal to arrest the students who
last fall robbed ticket spectators on the campus
of their tickets the big football game he was
ordered transferred. The students rose in body
and Donnelly resigned from the force, accepting
instead a regular position as campus policeman
for the university
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15
UNCLE SANS FLAG SHOP
Where Bunting Is Put in Shape
for the VesselS of the Navy.

In a recent report OF the commandant of the
Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Navy Department at
Washington. he dwelt at length on the necessity
of increasing his working forces in every branch
of service under his supervision in order to enable
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15
IMPOSSIBLE SHAKESPEARE.
From Tit Bits.

From Ttt-Bits
Crfic-Marvellous drama OF yours. sir. There's a
scene In that play that Shakespeare himself could
not have written.
Author-Indeed; you are too rattering
Crttc-I WAS referring to that railway smash IN
Che third
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-15
Foreign Resorts.

For the convenience Of Tribune reader,
abroad arrangements have been mad. 70
keep TIE Daily Tribune on file in tn. read.
ing rooms Of the hotels named below:
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15
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The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-08-15

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Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-04

own the river bottom as well as the
dam. Certainly, they contend, men can
do as they see fit with their own prop
erty.
When, in 1893, the water power
was found to be unsatisfactory and
could not be depended upon at all
times, the Meeks, then the three
brothers, sons of the late Isaiah
Meek, evinced willingness to sell
the dam to the state to be disposed
OF as the legislature should see fit.
However, they were not especially
anxious to do SO unless they should
secure a good price for it. One
year a petition bearing hundreds of
names was presented to the state
legislature asking that body to buy
the dam for the benefit of the states
sportsmen, for $4,000. This petit
ton was turned down, and the next
year a similar one, with the price
changed to 100000, was also refused.
However, at that time the legislature
appropriated $4,000 to construct a
fishway through the structure.
Object to Fishway.
However, the Meeks take the stand
that flshway would be of as much
injury to their business as would be
| the total destruction of the dam, and
they objected to the establishment
of one. A sheriff's jury was empan-
elled and assessed the damage to the
Meeks from the establishment of a
fishway at $4,000. This the governor
of the state refused to pay and the
case has been in court ever since
that time. Meanwhile the forces of
nature have come along and estab-
lished a fishway of their own.
This is the situation as it now is
with regard to the dam. Just now
| it is of especial interest because of
the damage which has been done by
| the ice and high water and because
Of the proposition for building high
er dam and establishing an electric
power house for the use of the inter-
urban line.
The Inter.Urban Scheme.
The inter-urban line, according to
| the reports which are current all
along the proposed route. is to be
financed by Burlington capitalists. 1t
starts at Burlington, going thence to
West Point and from there to La
/ Crew. From LaCrew the road is sur
veyed to Bonaparte. entering the
town over grade which was built
several years ago for narrow guage
i railroad which never materialized.
A Pioneer in Forestry.
In connection with the history of
the Meek family it is of interest to
add that William Meek, Jr, one of
the sons of William Meek, ST., and a
| brother of Isaiah Meek, left the fam
| lily home during the days of the grist
mill and journeyed westward. He ar
rived in California in time to plant
| the first orchard ever seen in that
state and later performed the same
feat in Oregon.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-04

building of the dam could be stopped
by an Injunction"
j. w. Garner.
During the larger portion of the
year the fish can not get up the river
at all so long as the dam remains.
There is no reason why with the dam
removed the fishing should not be as
good as ever. There is no reason,
either, why the people who live on the
Des Moines river above Bonaparte
should be deprived of the pleasure of
good fishing when it could be so easily
accomplished by the state buying the
dam. stand ready to give 800
toward the purchase at any time"
A. G. Cook.
IT know it would benefit the fish
ing. More different kinds of fish have
been caught since the last high water
and the partial breaking away of the
dam than ever before, which shows
positively that the dam is a detriment
to the fishing. The fish that we have
been catching in years past are those
that have been raised from stock that
has been put in the river above the
dam. According to the statement Of
State Fish Commissioner George A.
Lincoln the Des Moines. with it's rocky
bottom is one of the most natural
breeding places for fish in the world
and it is only due to this fact and the
further fact that we have kept the
nets pretty well out of the river that
We have had the fishing that we have
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-04
FIFTY-THlRD WINS SHOOT.
Carries Off Trophy in Regimental
Shoot At State Range.

Cedar Rapids, Aug. 3.-The Fifty
third regiment won the trophy in the )
regimental shooting Saturday Follow
ing are the scores: Fifty-third, 1,4s0;
Fifty-fourth, 1869; Fifty-fifth, 1863;
Fffty-sixth 1859. The trophy is a
magnificent silver cup presented by
the Iowa Rifle association valued at
$3.50. Besides the trophy each of the
twelve members of the team received
bronze medal.
The twelve members of the winning
team are: Major Fisher, Capt. Thrift,
Co. A; Sergt. Diltz, Co. F.; Lieut.. Geist
Co. B; Priv. Knoll Co. A; Corp. Hird,
Co. A; Sergts. Earl and Fred Fischer,
Co. B; Liuet. Reichman. Co. K; Capt.
Cotton, Co. b; Sergt Major Brown and
Priv Reisman Co. L.
The team was eleven points ahead
in skirmish firing at known distances
UP to 500 yards.
The Shaw individual skirmish trophy
was won by Corp. Hildeman, Co. "a;
Fifty-sixth regiment with score of 80.
Corp. Hird. Co. A. Fifty-third regiment
was second with 80. The names of
those selected to go to Minnesota to
compete for the Washburn trophy will
not be announced for some days.
The Iowa State Rifle association was
organized this morning Capt. Thos.
F. Cooke is president. Col w. z. H.
Morse, first vice president, Gen. Byers,
second vice president, Major John T.
Hume secretary-treasur It will
meet annually at the time of the state
shoot.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-04
A COMPARISON.
The Relative Conditions Of the ottum
wa and Bonaparte Dams.

In order that the condition Of the
Bonaparte dam may be more accurate
ly realized by Ottumwa people COM
parison between it and the second dam
near this city will be of value. The OF
tumwa dam, which is considerably
shorter than that at Bonaparte, has a
hole near the center which is estimat-
ed at from rs to 80 feet in length.
Through this the water rushes in a tor
rent, but fishermen who have been
making study of the finny tribe all
their lives say that it is no trouble at
all for a fish to go through such a
break and if this is the case they can
travel through the break in the Bona
parte dam with ease also. The current
at both places is about the same, but
the Bonparte dam has more breaks in
it and the longest one is about fifty
feet longer than the one in the Ottum-
wa dam. Besides there are four other
and smaller breaks in the Meek dam,
through which the water pours in large
streams.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-04
Gives up Commission.

H. IT. Kennedy, of Newton, captain
of company L, and senior captain of
the Fifty-fourth regiment has resigned
his commission. The resignation is
to take effect at once. Captain Ken
nedy was one of the candidates in the
recent election for major of the regi-
ment in which Captain F. E. Wetherell
of Oskaloosa was chosen. 4.