Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-08-04
New York Office
BEN BEAR
cor


- July 81. 1909
Mr.. Dear Editor:
Not to 'deviate from my usual
custom when coming to New York
and having a few spare moments.
due to the half holiday on Saturday
in this city, will give myself the
pleasure to chat with you and your
readers as to what appears of in
terest to me.
l have just returned from the
American League base ball park,
after witnessing "double-header"
of the Detroit and New York teams,
in which they broke even. New
York won the first game by the nice
margin of to 2, while Detroit walk
ed away with the second game, due
TO the wonderful playing of "Ty
Cobb" This player surely deserves
the wonderful reputation he has
earned in base bali, for at critical
upon to relieve the situation in ia
vor of his team. His remarkable
running ability produced a home
run on what one would ordinarily
call fair single He certainly
was the star of the game today.
The best way to get to the ball
park is by the Subway to 16Sth
street, thereby arriving directly in
front of the park. At 16Sth street
the Subway runs 1875 feet below the
surface of the streets, and to come
to the pavement one must either
take the immense elevators, each
accommodating over fifty persons, or
climb up the iron steps. Arriving at
time when the crowd was most
dense, and not being able to get in
to the elevator, my friend and /
thought it best to take the stairway.
and after climbing half way up /
concluded | was climbing the Eiffel
Tower and not Subway steps. Ad-
uniting that | am base ball fan,
no such task ever again for me, as
the climb is so strenuous that one
is quite out of breath by the time he
reaches the top. / suppose it is
safe to say that 10000 people atten-
ded the games, and it is wonderful
indeed how all these people got back
to their homes in so comparatively
short time.
What struck me most forcibly as
to the effect of the summer heat on
the city, is that the New Workers
who possibly can do so, like to get
away from the Borough of Manha,-
tan and go to the seaside, to inhale
the cool ocean breezes.
Since l came here my business
affairs have made is necessary for
me to pass through the congested
districts, and the masses of human
ity gathered in these sections were
so amazing that / decided to view
this sight with my own eyes, as
have read so much about it. This
congested section is found east of
the Bowery, principally on Orchard
Allen and Hexter streets. In this
part OF the city, during both winter
and summer. the masses are equally
thick, and you may not think it
possible when / tell you that / have
seen men, women and children. law
ing on the sidewalks and in the
streets, since have been here, try
Ing to get breath of fresh air.
During the summer months the city
opens the parks for sleeping pur-
poses at night, to those who have
undesirable homes, where It is i'm
possible to sleep. during this scor-
ching heat, and the parks in these
sections are crowded with families
VINO lay down in the grass, trying to |
get a fair nights rest. You can pass
any OF these streets have mention
ed and see children two to five wears
OF age roaming around, trying as
best they can to protect themselves.
decided to go through one of
these tenement houses, in which
there We're no less than SO families
living, that's what they call it, for we
at home would say that 1t was exist
ing, and it didn't take me very long
to investigate, as the appearance of
everything was too horrifying and
the air is so bad that it was sickening
to stay any length of time. / sup
pose, in each Of the rooms of the
building was at least one family,
most OF them following the 'Roose-
welt theory" judging from the num-
Der OF little ones saw about there.
The building going on In the city