Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-03
ROUND ABOUT NEW York.
RippIes on the Current OF Life IN the
Metropolis.


RippIes ON the Current of Life IN the
Metropolis.
THE Bridge Crush" is one Of the sights
OF Greater New York. also one OF the
denominations. During the evening hours.
say from to O'Clock. view of the jam
on Brooklyn bridge is much pleasanter than
an experience in II. Although facilities OF
travel between the two boroughs have been
provided. the pressure on the old bridge
is unrelieved. In fact the crush steadily
grows worse One OF tile tubes has been
Joined under the East river. In a year
trains may be carrying passengers
through II. Yet that tunnel connection will
in no way relieve the bridge brushes. This
lack of relief is easily explained. Each new
avenue Of connection opened up between
Manhattan and Brooklyn runs in direct OPP
position to certain ferry connection.
When a new line is opened trafflc deserts
the ferries In addition, each new connec-
ton develops in Brooklyn a greater growth,
and soon II is crowded to its capacity.
The lines of the Union company are rum
ming empty. The lines Of the Brooklyn and
New York Ferry company. at the foot of
Broadway are also deserted. Their service
has diminished to a minimum. The VIII
liamsburg bridge completes with the latter
One OF New York's gigantic failures. the
Williamsburg bridge. in which the city in
vested s25.OOoOOO, celebrated the third an
niversary of its opening last week. When
II was thrown open for traffic in 1903 II was
expected that within year the new bridge
would be in full operation. Not a single
elevated train has gone over the bridge,
though the tracks OF the Brooklyn Broad
way elevated run alongside the plaza at
she Brooklyn end. Nothing has been done
to arouse the hope that the elevated tracks
on the bridge will ever do anything but
rust.
The World prints statistics showing that
the total Indebtedness OF New York street
railway companies to the city is S23, S75 2sS.
Everybody knew that the debt was we'll
up in the millions, but just how many
millions none of the city's thousands Of
employees could tell offhand. The city's
claims were a mass of dust and aging
paper; some of them were found dumped
In big heap in a corner Of a room" They
are Of air sorts-clalms of taxes, street
car licenses requirement. charges. percen-
tages on gross earnings due under the
franchise. The city has received very lit
tle according to the World. from the street
on earnings have not been paid in some
cases for a decade, and no city official
seems to know why. There are claims dat
ing back to 1886 Street repaving claims
aggregate nearly $4,000 in Manhattan
alone. The records of these cases have been
so badly kept that their legal proof in court
Is doubtful.
TITS an Ill wind that blows nobody good"
remarked a police captain the other after
noon while he was discussing the many
recent gambling raids. There is one man
in Manhattan who will net almost $4,000
out of the raids and he is now hoping
the raids will be continued until after he
has cashed in himself. The men most
pleased with these raids are those closest
to the proprietors of gaming houses The
more numerous and successful the raids
the more delighted are these friends of the
gamblers. why? Wen. the men who
manufacturer the gambling paraphernalia
are keeping their shops working night and
day That stuff. such as roulette tables
poker chips and all the other devices used
in a first class gambling house, you know,
isn't cheap, and there's big profit In It,
The more smashing and burning the police
do, SO much better for the trade. which
Is in few hands.
The famous Martha Washington hotel on
East Twenty-pinth. built by women, for
women and managed by women, has
succuu.hed 20 the blight of warning fac
tons in the management and is to be
leased on terms to be determined later.
This was the conclusion of a meeting Of
stockholders. A discussion Of the cost OF
living at the hotel disclosed the fact that
prices had gone up all along the line since
the hotel first was opened in 1903. In the
course OF the discussion DIR. Huntington or
Grace church declared 1t must be confessed
that the original plan of the hotel-a place
for professional women of moderate means,
and for transients unattended by their men
folk-had failed, since, in order to run the
hotel without loss it had been necessary TO
raise the prices beyond the means OF the
class it sought to provide for.
Many persons widely known In New York
City Joined together to establish this hotel
for women. The idea was philanthropic
in that 1t was planned to give a pleasant
home and a chance for social intercourse
at moderate cost to women who worked
for a livelihood, who. because they have
no relatives or come from afar, are COM
pelled TO live in boarding houses. There
was no idea of making the hotel charity,
and when the project was again preached
at the meeting 1t was bitterly fought.
Since the property was bought 1t has
doubled in value, and the Martha Wash
ington is now said to be worth about $1,000
GOO, this fact alone making it impracticable
TO run the hotel according to the original
design. The economies practiced by some
of the patrons, who ordered half portions
and carried food to their rooms, besides
having stoves there for light cooking re-
Gently caused the closing of the American
plan restaurant.
James ]. Hill, upon his return to New
York City after the holidays, will take up
his residence in the house which he re-
Gently acquired there. His friends doubt
~ having a house of his own here VIII,
se5 some time to come at all events, tempt
him TO spend more time here than he had
in the past, but eventually he is expected
TO make New York his home. Mr.. Hill Is
beginning TO point to his IS years and says
that he is entitled to rest from the man
agement OF the properties with the devel-
opment of which he has been so Ions
identified The fact seems to be that prop