Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-11
RouND AMOUR NEW YORK.
RippIes on the Current of Life In the
Metropolis.


RippIes on the Current of Life In the
Metropolis.
The old Hoffman house on Broadway.
facing Madison square. which rivalled the
Fifth Avenue hotel as a political and
sporting headquarters Is to be torn down
to make way for a fire proof hotel building
fourteen stories high. With the going Of
the old walls will pass much history. The
original house was opened in 1864 and Gem
eral Winfield Scott used to stop there, and
later General Butler, Roscoe Conkling
Grover Cleveland. David b. Hill and others
patronized the Hoffman, together with men
who cared more for their eating and val
ued It as a resort for epicures. In 1882
the late Edward S. Stokes became pro-
prietor OF the house and spent hundreds
OF thousands Of dollars in beautifying its
cafe end. The famous paintings and stat
uary and gorgeous bar drew many visitors
to behold one of the sights Of New York
So the old order changes.
II is now quite the correct thing among
the gilded young people OF New York City
to have gray or almost white hair. SO
much admired have these ''prematurely
gray" young folk become of late that
hair blanching is now nearly as commonly
resorted to as manicuring. Canites, poll
oss or hoariness may be either physologic
or pathologic, gradual or rapid, general
or confined to localized patches A dis
tinguished captain in the British army, re-
Gently In New York, had a patch of white
about the size OF silver half dollar just
above his right ear and all the women he
met fell in love with 1t. They jumped to
the conclusion that he had been shot there,
but he said it was due to an absence OF
pigment,
The six largest gas holders in the world,
now being constructed in Astoria l.. l.,
to supply Greater New York, are each
1880 feet, or a little more than a quarter
Of a mile, in diameter, and when inflated
stand go feet high. As to the ground
covered the immense tank would extend
from Twenty-fourth street south across
Twenty-third street taking in the building
on the southwest corner of Fifth avenue
and Twenty-third street and extending
back to within about 100 feet Of Sixth ave-
nue.. Each Of these large steel structures
when completed will hold 100000 cubic
feet of gas, the total capacity of the six
holders being 100000 cubic feet.
That the travelling habit continues to in
crease in New York City is shown by the
figures just published by the State Board Of
Railroad Commissioners relative to the
operation of the passenger transportation
lines of New York City. During 1906 the
paying passengers of the surface elevated
and underground transit lines Of New
York numbered lii ISL, sos, an increase Of
| SO, 49,, 451 or s.25 per cent, over 1904 The
total traffic per day in 1905 was thus 100000
Reckoning on the population at 100000,
/ he ~ no
per head of population was approximately
go Thus while an s25 per cent increase
| in the number OF passengers is shown the
increase in population was only per cent.
| The effect OF the subway on the elevated
| railways is shown by a falling off Of
! 42,6S1 sos passengers on the latter system,
| the total having dropped from 292, 646,64
| in 1904 to 249, 1885, 166 in 1864 decrease of IL
per cent. That the efforts OF the traction
| companies to discourage requests for trans
| fers have been effective is shown by the
| comparatively small increase in the num-
| Der of transfers issued. The total for the
year Is 272,oOo.OO0 against 2710Co,0Oo in 1904.
In Manhattan there was an actual decrease.
An expert in statistics has figured out
that Greater New York has now 4,14O,622
people, which is an increase of 7O3, 40 over
]
In Ave years past this city has added
many residents as are to be found in San
| Francisco and Buffalo combined, and in
seven cities the size OF Albany.
Figuring on the cost of living he places
the cost at wholesale for one individual
of years supplies OF necessities, such as
meats breadstuffs, food of all kinds, cloth
ing, etc, at $s7. He adds to this the profit
OF the retailer which will bring the cost
of living for each citizen to $125.
! High above the street, on an unfinished
building, at One Hundred and Twenty-fifth
street and Broadway, two men fought
desperate duel with an axe and hammer,
and when a policeman finally climbed up
| and separated them one of them was al
most dead. His head was cut in FIVE places
and his skull fractured. He is now in the
/ hospital in a dying condition. The fight
was witnessed by a large crowd. They
I watched the two men strike, then grapple
and struggle silently close to the edge of
the floor Momentarily they expected to
see the men tumble headlong to the pave
ment.
Isaac Belson, a lather, and Samuel Pell-
! man, a carpenter were the men who
fought. They have long been friends.
When they were working on the eighth
II
struction, Pellman wanted to use Belson's
small axe Belson objected and blows were
struck. Beson grabbed his axe from Pell-
man and started for him. Pellman reached
down after a hammer and returned the
blows Back and forth they fought upon
the nrrow beams Other worImen were
afraid to interfere and called down to the
street for help.
An instance of New York's extravagant
ways and how easily the city is mulcted
may be found in the plans that are under
way to improve Bronx park. In order
20 make the park more symmetrical on the
map, apparently, and to save lot of fine
old trees, the village of Bronxdale is TO be
annihilated and many acres Of forest land
acquired at large cost to the city. A few
hundred thousand dollars would seem 10 be
ample value for the entire ninety-two acres
contained in the addition, but the taxpay-
ers will be mulcted OF at least 81 100000.
Since the official proceedings of condem-
nation began, some months ago, a syndicate
NJ mysterious identity has been busily buy