New-York tribune., 1905-01-29
GOSSIP OF THE BOROUGH.
Tammany Police Indifferent to
'Saoscg WaIkS-PLdyilg Sub1ray.

If there's anything hate TO see fits a snow
storm" said a Fulton-st. shoe dealer. when the |
last storm started the other day Every time IL |
SHOWS Il costs 81 I've got corner house. and |
its simply impossible to get anybody TO clean the
walks for less than 81 bill It's not so bad under
the present administration because the police do
not give any trouble but. OF course. want
the walks cleared anyway. When Greene was
Police Commissioner the members of the force
were active. and made all clear their walks
al once. and had to pay the first snow shoveller
who came along any price he wanted TO ask
Now the police apparently pay no attention 20 the
walks. In former years it wasn't so hard to get
somebody 10 shovel your walks but since the
Street Cleaning Department in Brooklyn has been
removing the snow from the streets and giving
the men 25 cents hour it is almost impossible
10 get anybody 20 do private work. You would
think that men out Of work and suffering for food
tEg walks One DAY after a storm tramp came
What will you do it forT said
HE looked the walks over and said he would do
5hem for s. cents; ! could scarcely keep from
t IST vo st I o es ssiS On IF Ie vo a gs
work well. III give you 70 cents.
oTE % 5 for ss S9gs b sns an 90a went to
and got It. I heard nothing OF him for half an
hour Then he came to the door and said:
axe and broom Give me the price of a ball and
7 gave him 50 cents. and he hurried down the
street as If fearing would catch him and make
one may judge fairly well of what is holding the
popular interest any particular time by observing
the boys at play. in the summer II the ambi-
ton Of every boy 10 have an automobile" a wagon
fitted with some sort of steering gear. While Cassie
Chadwick was in the limelight the Juvenile popuIa-
tiOn amused itself by playing bank The recent
heavy snowfall has given resourceful young minds
the opportunity to play the subway game" It
was pecuiarity Of the storm on the Prospect Park
Slope that most Of the snow in particular street
the walks were cleared there were huge drifts run
ming down along the curb. 1t didn't take the
md tunnel them lengthwise. sometimes for a dis
-anae of block. without a single break Here
md there openings TO the sidewalk have been cut
nd properly designated stations, with crude
ltgns Many of these subways are high enough for
sSlan boys TO walk through without STOPPING and
tNgular lines Of trains or sleds, locals and ex-
presses have been established earning, at penny
ride good dividends for the youthful tunnel
BY some OF the boys indicates considerable aptitude
coward engineering.
John Pope Hodnett. the eccentric lawyer ana
poet, who says he is a direct descendant OF the
early English kings. and who has written odes on
President Roosevelt, Senator Depew and other well
known public men. recently wrote a poerf~on the
death OF Hugh Mclaughlin which is said to have
pleased Mrs Mclaughlin exceedingly. The veteran
political leader much interested in the lawyer
and had frequently been Of hiza in small
ways Mr.. Hodnett occasionally dropC TO the old
auction room, and never fails TO make some peril
nent remark The other day he handed 70 a friend
account OF of these visits. which he had
written out himself 1t headed 'Hodnstt's
Wit" and read follows:
John Pope Hodnett called over at the Democratic
headquarters, in Wiiloughby-st-, a few days ago
When he saw the lonesome, hungry looks OF All
present looking at the vacant chair Of his friend
Hugh McL4aushn, he turned to the men and said;
<ae ae men won't haze as soft a snap here In the
No" said they. 'the blizzard has already sur
rounded us"
At the Union League Club they tell story on
Clarence W. Seaman, the well known typewr,te-
manufacturer, whose handsome home in ST Marlx,s
ave. is one OF the show places in BROOKLYN II "a
paatal in its proportions and 1t has been said n
have cost IN the neighborhood OF $4,000 II "a
related that when Mr. Seaman was standing IN
aront Of the building, the finishing touches were
beng put on II, a stranger, who from his annear
ance was from the country, came I'D and his ava.
began TO bulge when he saw the Seaman mansion
After looking at IL tn silent amazeneut ana ad
miration for few minutes the stranger addressed
Mr. Seaman. saying:
lis that public building?"
NO." replied the owner
tWell. ! guess its hOtel?" said the oountryrnau.
No" answered Mr.. Seaman. 'it is q nr,1s,.
so;1i sssto;n1ishment that must be for mighty large
The owner has only wife and daughter" the
co1HntryTnan was informed
stranger after a pause. ~ Ae-u Pie
I've about reached that conclusion mvsef" ss,d
Mr, Seaman, with smile. as he moved awav -u
When the widow OF J. S. T. Stranahan .ErooL
iyh s hrst cltzen diec last week. many anecdotes
Of her distinguished husband were recalled A.
the prime mover in the establishment OF pro,nec,
Park and the head Of the commission which Iahorad
for twenty years 10 acquire and improve that ,na0
nihcent pleasure ground. Mr. Stranahan was the
object OF much severe criticism and bitter sttacL
This largely account OF the heavy hurda,
put upon the taxpayers by the cost OF the mark
But 81 later years his most hostile critics united to
DO him honor, IL is related that day MT SIN
man q prominent resident met Mr.. Stranshan on
the street and laughingly said TO him: va
''Stranahan, when ] used 10 get my tag hills and
noted their size account OF Prospect Park 7
was OF the opinion that you ought 10 be strung up
20 every lamppost IN town Now, when go out 10
the park and observe its beauties believe that ali
the iamppOsts ought 10 be melted 20 make statue
OF you"
That the latter opinion in a slightly modified
fern held by others. developed later when
statue OF the founder OF Prospect Park was places
sust inside the main entrance OF the park II came
10 pass that Mr. Stranahan was the first Brooklyn
its 10 have statue OF himself put up IN a public
place before his death