New-York tribune., 1906-12-22
SANTA'S LIVELY FINISH
PACK IS NEARLY FILLED.
Shopping Districts damned to OUer-
forcing 5Cith Emissaries.

Thousands OF Christmas shoppers took at-
vantage OF one Of the few fair days Of the week
yesterday to make their holiday purchases
The old shopping districts. at Sth street and
Broadway, 18th street and Sixth avenue, and
I'D street and Broadway. and the new ones at
54th street and Broadway and 34th street and
Fifth avenue, were equally favored
The crowds seemed 70 come from everywhere.
Ttey jammed the ferryboats from New Jersey
and Long Island. they filed the Grand Central
Station and the new Lexington avenue terminal
to the maximum of their capacities. and they
congested the subway. elevated and streetcar
lines as never before.
But all were imbued with the Christmas
spirit. and. though there was much crowding
and pushing and jostling. every one took 1t
good naturedly, and there were no cross words
or ugly looks exchanged. Even the conductors
and guards and station men appeared less gruT
than usual. and their "Step lively, there had
q cheerful ring to IT,
The transit companies said they were run
ming all the cars and trains the roads would
accommodate. and that they would keep them
running as late into the night as the traffic
lasted The stations. particularly in the shop
ping centres. were greatly congested. but the
crowds were fairly well handled
The avenues and side streets were filed with
merous, in fact that they caused serious con-
geStlon 10 traffic. particularly at 23d street and
FHth avenue and S4th street and Fifth avenue
Where the police of the traffic squad had a hard
time keeping things moving
Christmas trees are abundant. and the price
ranges all the way from % cents 10 S25. Christ
mas greens. wreaths. holly and rnstletoe are
plentiful and cheap. The wreaths are from Is
cents up, and sprigs of mistIetoe and holly can
be bought for 10 cents.
1t is impossible to estimate the number or
people who were shopping in New York yester-
day, poor and rich mingled together. The happy
cIlId OF the wealthy home and the usually sad
raced child OF the tenement wore the same joy
Gus look Of expectancy.
Not the least busy place these davs fs the
postotfice, where the clerks are working night
and day handling the Christmas mail Fifty
clerks nave been added TO the money order de-
part1nent and the amount Of money orders re-
ce1ved and paid out since December / amounts
TO more than S3OOOOO an increase of 10 per
cent over last year. In the registered letter de-
partInent there has been an increase Of u per
cent over last year nearly two million regis
tered letters having been received and issued
ter is expected TO break all records on Christ
mas Day, and the letter carriers will have 10
make drayhOrseS Of themselves on Christmas
morning. Many people are sending money
$46OOOOO in foreign money orders having
passed through the New York Postofice this
month
Only two shopping days remain, and the store
will be record breakers. All they ask is that the
crowds come early, and the clerks and sales
girls echo a hearty Amen" to this The New
York Central officials say they are prepared TO
handle the crowds who will be going out of
town 10 spend Christmas Day at family re-
unions. They estimate the number at anywhere
from three hundred and fifty thousand to four
hundred thousand