The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-24
LIVE TOPICS AMOUR TOWN.

The flag on the Yorkyille court building
was at half mast for more than week up
to Tuesday afternoon and the janitor ana
the court policeman were kept busy answer
ing foolish questions about IT,
the Gag was hoisted on Iincoin's Birthday,
but that night when the junitor tried to
lower H. the halliards damned at tho TRICK
and the flag would neither come down
nor 60 up.
On Tuesday afternoon the janitor again
made frantic efforts TO get IL down 80 thhV
it could be hoisted all the way up on wash
ington's Birthday; but still it stuck
man had to climb the pole 10 fix II.
I'd have bad that right for the 2?d II ia
had 10 cut down the pole. remarked the
janitor. lie is civil war veteran
The custom OF observing Washingtons
Birthday had its origin in New York, ac-
oording to the local histories. Mary Sifnp-
son was a negro slave, once owned by Wash
ington, who ultimately freed her. she
lived at John and Clih streets. near the OLD
Fly Market, and sold butter, milk, eggs,
and cookies. She never forgot WHshhg,
toms birthday and tried 10 see that none Oh
her patrons should forget 1t either.
Regularly on Feb % Mary baked huge
cake OF kind especially liked by the Cen
eral, and put the cake on taoie WIN
bowl OF punch and pot OF steamlng conee
-
picture Of Warrington, and beneath 1t she
put small leather bound trunk, dispiayiug
the Initials G. W. in brass nails BoLl tne
picture and the trunk we're gifts Geu Wash
ington had made TO her 1t,
Ii became a custom 10 pay old Mary q WISH
ON these OCCASION, partake Of her hospi-
tality and talk OF Washingtons ueels'
The custom spread and by and by the lam
many Society voted 10 celebrate tne Guy.
1t was the first organization TO hold puoho
celebrations in honor of the anniversary
teacher In West Side school tells this
She REID The Old oaken Bucket" to her
class and then directed the pupils to make
drawings Of objects suggested by the poem.
She identified several moss covered puckels
and one or two attempts to portray ""
wide spreading stream, and the nilll tiiat
stood by it," But there was one ara Wig
she couldn't puzzle out IL consisted OF
cluster of small lopeided circles. she
asked the ambitious artist what the picture
Represented, IL. M ho p,tla hoy .them's
the loved spots that my infancy kne"
The Scranton. the largest ferryboat on
the two rivers, barely escaped bad acct
dent when she went into commission on
the Hoboken ferry recently. The ferry
house at the foot OF Barclay street EXTENDS
out over the slim so that when BOAT COCKS
the forward deck is protected from the
weather by the ferryhouse roof
Apparently no one remembered that
the cabin of the Scranton was so hlRh thht
il couldn't pass under this roof On the
boats first trip her pilot found 1t out JUST
in time to stop the boats way and prevent
I the cabin from smashing into the ferry
house,
A gang Of carpenters were quickly set
at work and a great Jagged hole big
( enough to admit the big boats pilot house.
was hastily cut ont. To cut through the
/ roof truss had TO be removed, ana TINS
/ so weakened the roof that temporary
/ wooden truss had to be built in another
place There is nothing pretty about me
| new truss or the hole bat they had 20 be
made and made quickly
This was overheard after the table d'htte:
Well now what do you think Of what
New York czn do in the way of 30 cent
dinner
-Fine Let's have another
One Magistrate has habit Of calculating
the amount Of money lost in wages by the
hangers on in the police courts when the
I bridge policeman sings out
-All persons having no business IN couri
may retire. perhaps twenty able oooieo
men will file out,
Two dollars and half day-twenty
times two and half--fifty dolhsi Nha'
waste of money! says the Magistrate