Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-12

Ripples ON the current Of Life in the
Metropolis

Metropolis.
over 10000 children trooped into New
York's vacation schools. which opened for
the summer season last Tuesday. The
attendance last year passed The half mill
lion mark and a much larger number will
be given instruction this year. Accommo-
dations are provided for $4,000 children.
School hours are much shorter than lr-
ing the regular sessions and play Is gwen
a larger share OF the days duties. Studies
include sewing and domestic science for
the girls industrial work for the boys,
basketry and city historical excursions and
kindergarten and connecting classes for
the younger children. At the Fairgrounds
there are gymnastics, athletics and kin
dergarten work. and libraries and game
rooms are also features
A supplementary feature Of the vacation
school system-one that commands vastly
greater attendance-are the vacation play
grounds, which were opened on the same
day. The latter include roof garden where
band concerts are giveE in the evening
and where dancing is allowed, rooted piers
on East and North rivers, reserved sec
tions Of the parks and many school
grounds. All these places are In charge
OF men who preserve order and give all
children opportunities to participate In the
various games provided. Three million
people. young and old. enjoyed the public
Fairgrounds last year.
Two men, dressed in the uniforms OF
jack tars, one wearing a cap with Glouces-
ter inscribed thereon, while that of his
mate indicated that he was a MILDLY on
the Manhattan. rolled up Broadway and
stopped in front Of a fashionable cafe.
They both had considerable grog aboard
and began to spin navy yarns fore and aft
to crowd OF men. Before they left the
uniformed men collected almost IS from
the crowd. Their hard luck stories reached
the purses OF their listeners. one man
who loosened up laughed and said he
would not feel uncomfortable were the big
Gloucester to have thirteen-inch gun
sighted upon him. The crowd bit hard.
The uniforms OF the sailors" came from
Baxter street and they covered two pro-
fessional yeggs. Those fellows were
crooks" said the cafe detective as they
were disappearing. zone of the men. the
big fellow, was injured in the subway two
weeks ago and was sent to a doctors
ONCE. After he was patched UP the police
wanted to send him to his vessel. At that
time he said he belonged to government
revenue cutter He demonstrated and after
some little investigation II was learned
that the pseudo sailor, never did stunt on
salt water boat in his life" The officer
explained that any kind Of a uniform. can
be purchased in Baxter street, the pawn
brokers and second hand dealers charging
high price for "stage" goods.
Completed plans have been filed in the
building department for the new Singer
building with its forty-one- story tower"
reports the New York World. THE locA-
ton is to be the site OF the present Singer
building, enlarged by adjacent property.
1.-THE tower will be 625 feet high. the
highest commercial building ever known
and higher than any church spire in the
United States. Its construction will present
no novel problem, except in the engineers
| calculations for resistance TO wind pres
sure. The erection OF the walls, the pro.
! visions for their lateral strain and the
foundation can all be readily planned.
| with the limited area of the financial
and business center of New York and the
high cost of land 1t will become more and
more necessary to build very tall Office
| buildings to secure adequate returns on in
vestment. II a 100000 building will give
twice the floor area of $3OO0.OOO building,
and the land in either case costs 5000, oo0
! It is obvious that an additional investment
Of 50 per cent will double the rental in
come. This financial argument makes the
new Singer building only the pioneer OF
taller Office buildings"
An interesting compilation of figures has
been made to show how great an army Of
commuters" invades New York City from
New Jersey every day. There are about
nnn of in ha
swarm back across the Hudson river again,
so that their time is fairly divided between
the two neighboring states. To the stran-
ger in New York one of the sights Of the
| city is the rush-hour crowds that stream
| every evening down the streets that lead 20
the North river ferries. For more than two
hours this great throng, pouring steadily
westward, resembles great army march
ing upon Jersey in various divisions.
on the Jersey side, the transportation %
the army TO hundreds OF towns and villages
is a dlficut problem in transportation.
| Five railroad systems. each with many
branches, and scores of trolley lines arc
needed for the work. During the crowded
afternoon hours trains leave the railroad
| terminals under an average Roadway Of
| between two and three minutes. This is q
thorny period of the day for the train dis
patchers in their rooms where the tele-
graph never ceases its insistent clacking,
for the switchmen in their lofty towers in
the terminal yards, for the yardmasters
and for the legion Of assistants. each a
necessary cog in the machinery of the ter
minals. II is estimated that In the neigh
borhood Of eighty trains an hour. during
the rush, bear the Jerseymen homeward
across the meadows
New York City, at cost Of several mil.
lion of dollars, is soon to have a parental
school that will be a model for all the
world The plans have the enthusiastic
endorsement Of City superintendent Max
well, the members OF the Board Of Edu.
cation and OF Mayor Mcclellan and Tho