Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-02-16
LETTERFR0M new YORK
BEN BEAR WRITES INTEREST
INGLY FROM THE METRO
POLLS.
Letter Tells of the Great Building
Projects, the Changes Noted by
the Writer, and Other
Things That Will be
Read WITH Much
Interest.

JnlS CITY OueTS every lluuCeuleul W
forget about small place, yet / al
ways think of DEBORAH and my many
friends, and like to keep in COM
munication with DEBORAH, and give
you just a little idea of what's
doing" in this great city. The first
! few days / arrived here taught me
that, although on the map DEBORAH
is a great deal further north than
this city, still in degrees of tempera-
ture and GOODNESS it cannot be COM
pared. The weather stood at and
below zero and in my heavy coat
which keeps me comfortable at home
it comes far from filling the bill
here. The cold penetrates right
through as it is damp cold; while
at home ours is a clear, dry cold,
and one doesn't feel it nearly as
much.
| Aside from my interest in the
clothing line and business coDdi
tions, whenever l come here en-
deavor to get about, and concern
myself with the general improve
ment of things here, so as tn keep
alive with the times; and in so do
ing / came across a few matters that
may be of some little interest to you
and your readers. The building OPP
erations have not ceased in New
! York by any means, and it's only q
! question Of how many stories to be
added above 20.
find even hotels arc assuming
! the height OF Office buildings, and
the fear that formerly came to Wis
itors of occupying rooms high. 4 is
being entirely overlooked by a de-
sire of a great many TO take the
upper story rooms to get away from
the noise of the traffic below. Build
! ings now being constructed are
becoming so complete that one will
notice in every building of good
size that the flooring is entirely con-
crete, and the walls and ceilings al
most without wood, and even the
doors are being constructed of light
steel plate, so as to make them as
near absolutely fireproof as possible.
These surely are advanced ideas and
person cannot help but feel safe
in the 18th Or 18th floor of one of
these fine hotels. The "Ansonia,"
where l am stopping, is % stories
high and the two small towers of
this hotel are used for wireless tele-
graphy purposes. l am told there
are $500 people stopping here, and
ii seems almost impossible that half
as many people as live in DEBORAH
can be housed here.
Down in the commercial and fin
u ancial districts new buildings from
i 20 stories up are being erected, and
l wonder how they all keep filled
/ h01 of 4
lot complain about vacancies, and
they all get fabulous prices for
small space, especially around the
Wall Street district. Where my
nephew is located, No. l Nassau St.,
across from the Stock Exchange,
this particular building, a 19-story
structure, is to be torn down, and
a new 32-story fireproof building
erected in its place. Property down
town, near Wall Street, has advanc-
ed terrihcally in value within the
last 5 years. Being in the great
singer building the other afternoon,
noted for its tower, | decided to get
a panoramic view" of Manhattan
from the highest point of the build
ing, which is the AND story, and it
certainly was one great sight to look
about from that view point and see
the small specks below, rushing
about. The specks, of course, were
human beings and 1t seems wonder
ful to think that such small objects
can accomplish such great feats. /
would suggest that anyone from
home visiting here should not fail
TO take in this scene, on the tower
of the Singer building.
A few weeks ago the new Manhat-
tan bridge was opened for traffic,
which is one OF the finest pieces of
construction in this country, and
while the regular formatlities of the
bridge took place, no special cele-
bration was given; it doesn't seem
TO be great feat any more, in this
advanced age, to construct a bridge
two miles long, for when the Brook
Ign bridge was opened some years
ago, an entire week was devoted for
its celebration, while now things of
that kind seem to be an ordinary
event. Now the difficult feat is not
building above the water, but rather
in and under the water, and the
tubes" running from Brooklyn and
New Jersey into this city are works
hardly conceivable. l am told that
persons living in New Jersey, who
formerly required / " hours to come
to New York, can now, through the
underwater tunnels, get to their
places of business in 40 minutes
such is the development of this CEN
tury-and great many people who
have lived in the crowded tenements
are now going to the outskirts and
nearby places, where they can get
plenty of air and thus obtain a new
lease of life.
! have attended few good thea
trical performances and find New
York affords an unlimited supply"
OF the very best attractions. The
opera houses are in full swing and
it's almost impossible to get a ticket
no matter what you are willing to
pay, as the 'house" is "sold out"
for every night. This is the greatest
city in the world, think, as no mat
ter what your vocation may be,
there is always something doing,
and you have the entire country to
draw from. j am free to make the
prediction that within the next 10
years, New York will count 5,OOO,-
600 OF people. Everything Is done
on big scale, and you cannot help
but fall in line If you brush up
alongside of these people. / have
done great deal of work and our