The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-11
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

for each of its members. The syndicate Ia
composed Of few conductors on tho b.
K. r., few inspectors Of that services and
some Of the McAdoo Dragons.
Tho conductors on tho race trains have
the opportunity to hear about the good
things. and each IL sure to meet somebody
on the train with whom he can discuss the
chances. When the inspector comes aboard
to count up the train the tip is passed to him.
In his case also duty chains him to the wrong
track. Here is where the mounted cop
comes in: his beat Is locomotory one and
he can carry the tip at lest as far az the
track gates and from that point there In
no difficulty in getting the money down.
The syndicate did 40 we'll at the opening
OF Gravessnd "a to run up a shoestring into
a bundle big enough to stand its few re-
verses.
"Yep, the subs pretty hot" groaned the
Harlem passenger. Il can't see why they
don't run more open cars down here.
What? Never saw an open subway car?
Why, l strike one almost once a week,
and say, they're all right if you can get a
| corner seat.
u call them open cars, because thcre are
no sliding doors or glass partitions at the
ends OF the car. The ends are Open with
a brass grill, and if you get up against that
| grill you feel a breeze that has an office
fan zephyr skinned by miles.
| "They run them mostly on local trains,
and whenever l get chance to cop cor
ner in one l don't bother changing for an
express. The breeze is too fine ! can't
| see why they don't run all open In the
summer, aud we wouldn't have so much
complaint about the stufy cars"
Gates avenue car crossing the bridge
during the rush period. crowded as usual,
carried among others an elderly man seated
and naughty beauty Of uncertain age
standing. After the car had slowly and
laboriously traversed the first stage Of its
Brooklynward journey the elderly man
arose and said:
sWell, I've had a seat over the bridge and
now I'll give it to you for the rest of the
trip
the response, which startled those within
hearing.
The old man was equal to the occasion.
He had not stepped aside, and he sat down
quickly saying In a perfect audible tone:
I'm damned il do"
The woman left The car at the next stop
while the remainder Of the passengers went
their way rejoicing.
The assistant in branch of the Public
Library opened the book just turned in
and found letter which she smilingly
handed back to the borrower. Observing
his confusion she remarked:
"Oh, that's nothing; letters Of all kinds,
even love letters, are among the commonest
finds In our books. We could fill a small
store with what we come across, and few
Of the things are ever claimed. Bills. espe-
oialy grocery and gas bills, are frequently
met, and among the other things | might
mention hairpins, locks of hair, book mark
ers of course some of them really valuable
bits Of lace, dress samples, sketches, dried
lea YES and insects, photographs. and once
in while insurance policies and even drafts
Of wills.
Real money we rarely find, though once
came across brand new five spot. The
owner called the next clay on the bare
chance of finding it. She was poor wash
the bill for book mark. She said St. An
thony sent her to the library for 1t, and went
out with tears of gratitude in her. eyes.
Postage stamps and imitation bills we
meet regularly. But our. greatest trouble
ia with advertising circulars, which seem
to find their way into the books either ac-
cidcntally or deliberately or both"
New York is behind the rest Of the country
in the matter OF trolley signs. Time
was when the cars carried different colored
lights at night and were painted different
colors for recognition by day, but these have
been done away with and one must wait
until the car comes close to knew whether
a lower Broadway car is bound for Le1ing-
ton avenue. the Fort Lee Ferry, Seventh
avenue and Fifty-ninth street. Columbus
avenue and llOth street or the LenoG ave-
nue. terminal
In the smaller towns various eXpedients
are used. but none is more simple than the
plan of the Conestoga Company OF Lancaster,
Pa. There the dashboard carries a huge
sign with two letters twenty inches high.
A Rocky Springs car is labeled "R. s. and
so on, and one may tell couple Of blocks
away which car is approaching, though all
the cars are painted alike.
sThe practise of hiring cameras for a day
or week is growing" said the dealer
~There are many persons who know enough
to press button, but whose knowledge OF
photography stops there. They like to
preserve a record of their summer vaca-
lions and to do so hire camera. This
costs anywhere from so cents day to $40
for a week. according 10 the soTt OF ma
chine they want.
aThey buy supplies and have their mega
tives developed and prints made. SO that it
Is a good proposition all round, The vaca-
tionist gets the use Of a good camera for
short time for small sum, and the dealer
in the course Of the year takes in many
times the value of the camera"
The facsimile Of the first city directory,
dated l7se, which a real estate firm has pre-
sented to its fellow brokers, is an interest
ing document. but it's successor. the di-
rectory for 11ss-9o. contains historical
information Of an even more absorbing
character.
In it we learn, for instance, that WASH
ington after his first election to the Presi-
dency took up his residence at Cherry
street corner of Dover, now covered by
the Brooklyn Bridge. There were many
complaints, history records, from his fell
low citizens because the President had
fixed his homo 90 far out Of town on the
road to Rutgers farm.