New-York tribune., 1903-06-21
GOSSIP OF THE BOROUGH.


the War Department for So so. The statement
from r E. Ritman. auditor of the department
showing in detail the indebtedness which has lust
been Iquidated after nearly forty years is an in
teresting document. Sergeant Metcalf IS going TO
have Il framed. 1t reads in part as follows:
In the case Of henry Metcalf. private, Company
United States Veteran Volunteer Hancock Regi-
and certifcafe No 90 has Seen fiS foTwar6sd siS
solder. -''N2'-
The following is statement of the account:
Pay from Nay / TO June Ie 1861 sl7 81
Pay fTo Juy to July g 1864 and short clothing 90
Total So 20
Sergeant Metcalf enlisted in the s7th New-York
Infantry May !, 1861. for a of three years.
Al the battle Of SpottSylvan5a Courthouse he saw
his brother killed BY his side and wounded
himself. At the expiration of HIS enlistment in
1855 he returned home but q few months later
went 10 Washington and enlisted in the 5th United
States Veteran Volunteer Hancock Regiment.
which OF those organized for the purpose
Of driving Maxinilian cut Of Mexico. The regiment
never got any further than Virginia however and
ington after The assnation of President Lincoln,
IN April is8 Sergeant MetoaIf was mustered out
Of the service: In looking over his old record not
long ago he discovered that he had not been paid
for the time he served from May / 1851 when he
-el.s5 rim u1v he did ,of rI- in claim for II now
and he and other who were present secuted the
sortS yesTs ago The friend declared that it was
1oecsbie and IA settle the case the claim was
placed il the hands of pension lawyers This claim
1s Nefcaif the soidiers account with the govern
ment in the Var DepartInsnt ana II. II 1oanq M , me
in the statement. Sergeant Metcaf explained that
+o oIrchase sts'- Himself which should have been
psrt OF the equipment as furnished by ihe govern &
.nent Sergeant Metcalf is quite well pleased with
The way Re has been treated ana cans ca st ms Friends
ne L
the money.
Mrs Margaret Jones. who died last week at the
Family homestead in South Jamaica at the age OF
1o4 years according 10 her own calculations)' was
for nearly half q century a familiar hgure at u
old tollsa1e on the Merrick Road. which was the
f-sr one hevond Jamaica This gate was kept by
herself and her husband. who died six or seven
years ago his ninety-eighth year up TO the time
the road was made free highway. when was
more than dozen years ago. The Merrick ROAD
s IS well shown is the main artery OF travel along
the south shore Of Long Island. and Mother
Jones ana her husband were personally aequat3Ifa S t3
W-ay When the aged couple retired from the gate
soY;tf Ja-nsica' Until her husband died the OLD
woman was bright and lively and retained pos
foT one Of her years Since his death. however. she
seemed have lost al interest III IN ne an6 Ma % is
now QGeens County and was said TO be the Oldest
Who is ninety-nine years old
There are new fashions and up-to-Oale WiiiifAee
among the street pedlers. just as in more pfe1eh-
-fo-,s businesses AS in the latter. these fnnoVa-
rions are forced BY the eXigencies Of strenuous
ccrnpetition The latest move OF the ltinerant ice
cream vendor. who for penny cools the parcheu
rross Of the children Of the street seems to nave
,o-,r+ Rack TO him the supremacy that last year
was H-rested from him by the hokey pokey man
srd the vendor the attractive and toothsoIae ice
cream sandwich The children deserted the old
fashioned dealer VINO served dabs Of ice cream III
dirty little glasses that received cleansing except
a careless dipping in pail Of stale water ana IN
vested al their pennies with the artist VINO tash-
toned his cream into thin layers hiding oet"ee"
TWO crisp and appetizng waters and the hokey z
,oLev merchant with his chunks OF congeeIeo ram
%5 enS5 with coppers were what The ordinary ice
cream nan took home night after nght IasJ sH Ma
-ne~ This year ne has something new. Whlcn bIos
fair 70 hasten the tine when he can return 70 the
I'D honSsead in Italy Greece With his P9ckSSfis Sis
rdVg and hoeE BGsy eea S2pfti5omhS @ m ttie 1t i pastry
shells Ike punch glasses. which are crisp ana ana
lsgsoT nav @ obtain one of these attractive creations
f1e5 the brm with coong cream; am is @ consrned ms
11nT1 the last crisp flake and drop OF moist cream
Ieasant sensations that cry out for more unit! its
Sgsiens fe invest it with the pastry cup
There &c scarcely ever an accident reported IN
she 7,arers that one does not hear somebody in the
rtreercars or some other public place declaring what
he would have done had he been there The TWO
accidents On Thursday, when persons were burned
one fatally. bv coming in contact with the th.ro
ran brings 10 mind the case Of j J. Chase. Inc
accountant who was slowly roasted TO death Wnen
he was pinned on the third rail between car ana
7he platform d Of the stations on the tlilh-
ave elevated line Il day or two atterward
when q man Of the trains suddenly began
10 talk TO a stranger. The speaker was dressed
IN the garb OF q mechanic. and seemed TO know
what he was talking about.
SAY" he calculated. that was horrible thing
that roasting alive Of Chase. They say that If
the current in the third rail could have been turned
of At once mis- life would have been saved. whereas
he was sortured for more than half an hour Now
electricity you know is queer thing. strange
force Persons who have studied il all their lives
admit that they know nothing about it. It acts IN
strange and unexpected ways at times But there
are few things that everybody ought TO know.
20 be told about II you want to break current
il is the easiest thing IN the world to 90 II by
making short circuit. Now. II ] had been there
when Chase got pinned against that third ran
would have got q crowbar-a car gate or any piece
Of metal that long enough would have an
swered-and ] would have laid II from the tliro
rail the tracks This would have formed snort
circuit that would have put the current OUT OF
business in short order. As il was, half an hour
,lapsed before the current was turned on thase' s
life might ha been saved. tell you But II is the
The stranger listened attentively 10 the remarks
his new friend. and then admitted that II was a
pity that the mechanic had not been on hand Wien
Ehe D Chase occurred