Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-12
NEW YORK LETTER,
Continued From Page Eleven)

tres and transportation lines preferable
to Fifth Avenue, which is dim and
comparatively deserted after nightfalI
and from which it is more inconyenienr
to reach either the business or amuse.
ment centers. Students of the citv,c
history point out that Fifth Avenua
has just about completed what seems
to be the allotted span of any fashion.
able residence section in New York.
which is confined to q single genera.
tion.
Having acquired the record for skv-
scraping construction. New York is
now after one of exactly the opposite
sort. Not content with having build
ings which reach further above the
earth's surface than any others, the
city now proposes to have one which
goes further below the surface line
than any now existing. New York. in
word, is after the ground-scraping
record and plans are already completed
for 4 building which in addition to
having 43 stories above ground will
also have six underground stories all
devoted TO business 1t will reach 53S
feet above ground ana IS feet below it.
This means that this record breaking
ground scraper will be a water scraper
too. since it will go far below the wa
ter line. Its underground construction
will much resemble that of steamship,
since should it spring a leak it might
quickly fill with water. For this rea-
son the walls will be made of steel to
prevent the driving of nails on which
to hang pictures. Another strange fea-
ture of this ground d-scraper will be the
placing of the boiler room and heating
plant on the third and fourth floors in
stead of below ground. as has hereto-
fore been the practice. 1t will be
rather a new sensation, even for New
York. when this building is completed,
to take an elevator down to an office
instead of up All six floors below the
street level will be devoted to business
offices, aggregating nearly two acres
in space, There l=not~ be sufficient
wood in this 5remarka BILE sbuilding to
make even a toothpick.
Within a single week New York has
lost two of it's most famous marine
possessions, each of which has been
talked of in every country in which
| English is spoken. After so years Of
continuous service the Sandy Hook
! Iightship has extinguished forever the
| light which for half a century has been
| the guiding mark for incoming mar
iners. The retiring vessel is the third
| to mark this spot, having been in SER
vice FOR 1G years. Lightship number
| two served only eight years, while the
| ,IIN fr,,, 1,pra
| than Il quarter of a century. With the
! passing of the Sandy Hook Llghtshp
vessels will now take their bearings
| from the new Ambrose Channel Light
ship which marks the entrance of the
| 1000-foot wide channel from river TO
| sea. Tho other famous marine struc-
| tUre to disappear was the American
| cup defender Constitution built to race
| the Shamrock H. The yacht which has
| been lying high and dry for a long
| time has lust been sold for Junk, OF
| which it contains $4,000 worth made up
| of such items as 100 tons of lead, 81
| tons of bronze. % tons Of steel, 20 tons
| of sails and 20 tons of chains ana an-
| chors. The Constitution was built III
| the same year as the Independence'
| Thomas W. LawSonS boat, both III
| tended to defend the cup. Neither OIL
| them did so. as the Columbia winch
defeated the Shamrock | was hnany
| selected to meet the Shamrock Ill III
| preference to cithcr of the new boals'
The Independence was sold for Juhh
some years ago and the disposal OF lne
Constitution in the same manner MARKS
the conclusion of the almost ldentlcai
history of these two boats.
| The recent troubles Of the BrohA