The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-30
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

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New steel framed and aluminium lined
cars have been put on the Broa dtNay line
during the last few days. They are closed
cars and are being tried out for use In tho
cold weather. The seats are Of metal with
q heavy brussels covering. Whoever de-
| signed the seats must have bad queer ideas
as to what New Workers. consider COM
Portable. The bottoms Of the seats run ont
from the side Of the car At q raised angle
| Of about five degrees, while the backs are
pointed toward the centre Of the car at an
angle even more pronounced. sitting In
the now CARA gives one a sensation luxe
that Of sitting In the top Of "A headleAs
barrel.
what becomes Of all the false Haoss7'
asked the city salenmnn- Who wears
them? A trip on The elevated road gives
peeps into floors where dozens OF workmen
do nothing year In and year out but make
false faces. The output must be sufficient
to enable the entire population to 20 o
dressed for a continuous carnival I'm
Thanksgiving and a few other fete days
masks are In demand, but the rest OF the
| time most Of US are content to show our
natural ~oountenances- That comparatively
light local trade, even when swelled BY
the year round trade OF small shops In
| populous districts, leaves a tremendous
number Of false faces to be accounted for
For. tina second time since a Rialto has
existed in New York its ate has been shifted
to the west side of Broadway. II summer
gathering Of the actors on Broadway began
on the east side OF that ~thoroughfare when
Union Square was the theatrical centre OF
the town Subsequent progress northward
always found the SUMMER ron on the
east side until they be gan to assemble az
Twenty-eighth street The next jump took
them to the sidewalk in front OF the KniokTZ-
booker Theatre, and again TO the east side.
Now they have crossed over to the west.
The block in front OF tho metropolitan
Opera House has this year been selected
for the daily meetings that last from tho
morning early until dark
The country life commuters AVE a now
game now and few there are who do not
show its signs A dull red splash OIL Cort-
landt street serge does not mean sloveniy
habits, nor is a deep russell stain on the
right thumb eyidential of cigarettes. 1t
simply means that Mr.. Commuter has been
busy doping his lawn with the hypodermio.
For all the ages Of committing the dandelion
has meant an endless fight, lawns pitted in
ghastly polka dot effects, backs of amateur
gardeners creaktng and sore. This season
the fight Is waged with all the resources Of
chemistry. Whenever the jagged leaves
appear on the turf the gardener gets out his
flask of nitric acid and a pipette, although
a fountain pen filler will serve on a pinch.
A drop Of the caustio acid In the dandelion
crown and chemistry does the rest. Taraxa-
cum nitrate is formed down to the last rami-
fication Of the roots and the lawn is kept
up to the standard of Brick Church and all
the Oranges.
The dome of the Federal Building Is a
genuine old curiosity shop such as 1t would
delight h heart OF any thoroughgoing
antiquarian to rummage in. Around the
walls Of the dusty old room under the curved
roof are heaped records Of the Federal
courts running away back to the year 1889,
the year when the Federal Government
was set a-going. Even more interesting
than these, with their reminiscences of
legal battles once famous, now almost for
gotten, are the ranks and piles and heaped
shelves OF patent exhibits. Here are du-
plicates Of every invention of note made
during the nineteenth century. Howe's
Sc ewing machine, the Edison incandescent
light, baby carriages, nail making machines
these and nearly every other mechanical
invention Of Importance have been the
subject Of litigation in the local Federal
courts until the patent rights of one or
the other claimant IA We been established.
AS the suits were brought exhibits, copies
of the original inventions, were filed with the
court and ended here, contributing to one
of the most varied, extensive and interesting
collections of antique objects in New York
city.
did you know that there is an annual
epidemic Of thieving from the mails which
ra ges among post office clerks?"i said 9,
postal inspector. There is, and it comes
as regularly as the flowers in May. on
course, we arrest a clerk now and then all
through the year for stealing, but these
arrests and the complaints that lead to EN-
are fairly few and far between. In May
and June, however, they come all in a
bunch. We've received complaints in a
single week Of those months that have
made us put ten stations on the bla cklist to
be tested.
Il suppose the reason is that any clerk
who has it in him to rife letters Is going to
fall at this time. The temptations seem to
be greater and the will to resist distinctly
weaker; for the opportunity to steal is OBJ
viously never absent.
-Of course, the spring and early summer
is the most expensive season Of the year
for the post Office cler The doctor bills
for the ucual spring illnesses Of his children
are due. Summer clothes must be bought
for them and his wife, and she is tagged out
and would be better for a couple of weeks
at the seashore. Oh, there are plenty of
reas ms for the epidemic, and it comes as
regularly as the season. We have to get
to work, fix up our tests and send them
through until the whole thirteen or fourteen
men doing the stealing, for that is about the
usual number every year, are caught with
the goods on. Caught they are sure TO be
in the end, just as surely as they attempt to