Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-23

III ~ 1een IN the GREAT AmeEloan
Metropolis from Nay to nay.
There is something funny and fakerish
about the way apartments are rented in
New York In nearly all instances when
an applicant asks what the price Of an
apartment is, he is told that # Is 80 much
month, with one month free" OcCa-
sionally two months free are allowed. and
this cuts the rent materially. The reason
for this is because the owner Of the house
who may want to sell, likes to show that
the monthly rent roll is certain sum-the
larger the better. That is all very fine. but
the investor who is thinking about buying
a house knows that the tenants have had
their apartments one or two months rent
free, and he figures accordingly. No one
is deceived and no great harm is done,
except such harm as follows a deception
as transparent a glass trust.
I'm Ioo1in' for some of NAH folk to
come to the front and fight for me-" said
an aged negro as he walked into the cor
oner's office in the Criminal Courts build
ing. NAH boy Ed is charged with killing
a man"
"who are your folk?" asked Coroner
Winterbottom.
Mr.. Jimmy Osborne. replied the old
fellow.
you don't mean James w. osborne?"
asked the coroner.
''Yessah; that's Mistsh Jimmy Osborne"
was the reply. "Ten him old Uncle Peter
is we're and needs him"
A clerk was instructed to communicate
with James W. Osborne, former assistant
district attorney, over the telephone.
Uncle Peterl" came back the response
Tell him either I or a man from my Of
flee will be with him in a minute"
Ina few minutes James w. Osborne,
nephew of the former member Of the dis
triot attorneys staff, reached the coroner's
office to look after the interests of Uncle
Peters boy Ed" 1t was learned that
the old negro had been a slave on the
plantation Of Osbornes father near Char
lotte, n. c., before the civil war
For more than a quarter OF a century the
bridge commissioners OF New York City
and New Jersey have been considering
plans for a bridge across the Hudson river
For a time Fifty-ninth street was consid-
cred as a favorable point from which to
start the structure, but on account of the
high cost Of land in Manhattan needed
for the approach that had to be abandoned
After many conferences one Hundredth
and One Hundred and Seventy ninth
streets were selected as favorable points
Of departure, the choice between them TO
be determined by minor conditions. On the
basis of recent tests Of the river bed, how
ever. DIR. Kunz, chairman Of the geological
section Of the New York Academy OF Sci
ences and also the president of the Scenic
and Historic Preservation society, delivers
the expert opinion that nowhere below
Storm King Is there a bedrock accessible
to support the piers Of bridge. The dis
lance between shores, starting at the two
points designated, are $500 and 400 feet
respectively. and a middle pier would be
essential TO the support OF the proposed
structure. No single span for such a dis
lance would be safe or feasible,
In the opinion Of DR.. Kunz this part Of
the river was in prehistoric times a deep
arm OF the sea and its depth in preglacial
times must have been about 400 feet. The
borings recently made at various points
went down far as $50 feet without find
ing anything more solid than silt and sand
mud, and this, II is claimed, must disspate
the hopes and dreams Of all those who have
wished and expected to see In the not dis
tant future a splendid structure spanning
the noble river
Plans for underground connection OF To-
cal transportation systems with the new
Grand Central station provide for four
sUpeTimDos3d subways beneath FOrty-sec-
ond street. OF these the uppeTmost will be
conoOurse, from which access may be had
TO any Of the three levels below It, which
will no doubt be extended east to LeXing-
ton avenue, connecting there with the
proposed tri-borough route Below this
point cOncourse is the level OF the present
inter-borough subway.
The floor OF this tunnel will become the
roof OF the station OF the McAdoo tubes
at the Grand Central, and below that will
be the Belmont tunnel 10 Long Island
City, the operation Of which seems 70 be
getting within the range OF probability as
the result OF the lnterborough company's
latest proposals.
Taken as a whole, the new plans af-
ford most striking illustration OF New
Yorks underground development The
new terminals will provide facilities for
handling 100000 passengers a year
mere than five times its present capacity
but with the arrangements which have
been made for reaching and leaving the
station without coming to the street the
immediate neighborhood around the Grand
Central viii give only slight indication Of
this great increase In traffic