Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-08-21
Ben Bear Describes Interesting Feat
ures of Big City.
THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
Steady Increase i'm Population Re-
quires Addition Facilities. New
Buildings, Stock Exchange, Etc.
New York, August 10, 1912.

lOr edoH nOur, IL extra Iare QOn
bring you here on schedule time.
There is the same life and hustle
as always. It's simply wonderful
and the general belief is, that New
York has only commenced to grow. Ii
is predicted that two to three mill
lions of people will be added to it's
population in the next quarter of
century. People come here from all
over the world, some stay here and
others seek ether places, but the gen.
eral belief is that New York will
be the most wonderful city in the
world, and | believe it. You will re-
member some few years ago / wrote
you about a subway, and at that time
everyone thought this new way of
carrying people from home to BUSH
ness, and business to home, was suf-
ficient for many, many years, but
that thought was all mistake. Since
then more subways have been built,
and even now streets on Broadway
and other centers of the city, are
torn up, as the new Lexington ave-
nue. subway on the East Side is being
built, which when completed, will
practically carry as many people as
all the subways put together, because
it will be double decker" On the
level the fast trains will run, and or
the other level will be the local
trains. In this way four tracks are
built, two running north and two
south. Other subways are being talk
ed of which will extend under the
East river as far as Coney Island,
and Others will be on the West
Side at 18th avenue. In all about
four hundred million dollars will be
spent for new subways and elevated
lines in the near future. The pres
ent subway carries an average of a
million and half passengers per
day, and was originally built to ac-
comodate about three or four humid
red thousand only. This shows how
the population of the city and the
strangers who come here for business
and pleasure have increased in the
past ten years. The surface and ele-
waited lines are also doing their pro-
portion of business, as these lines are
used mostly for shorter distances. In
order to improve the service of the
street cars, the company is now in
stalling a new steplesS car. The
AACOh vi thiO al why lCA lHCHCo
from the ground, which as you will
see does away with the high steps
of the old fashioned car. The en-
trance is in the center only, and not
at either end as heretofore. The
conductor stands inside of the car,
opposite the door, and has a sort of
cashiers desk. 1t is quite novel and
believe an improvement over the
other style of cars. Last week a new
double deck street car was put in
operation, as trial, to see if travel
couldn't be facilitated, and if sue
ceSsful more of these cars will be
built. This car will seat SO people
instead of As as heretofore and the
floor of the upper deck is only seven
feet above the street. The roof, how
ever, is so rounded, as to give ample
head room for tall people. The up.
per deck will be open on the sides
and may be used by smokers in the
summer time.
The newspapers all had interest
ing articles about a son who was born
to Mrs. John Jacob Aston this week.
You will no doubt remember that
Colonel Aston lost his life in the Ti-
tdllC uiSdoICl Hlo llttlC lCllOW hdo
already three million dollars in his
own right, which will bring interest
enough, by the time he is of age,
so he will have no occasion to worry
about money matters. We can truth
fully say, this baby was born with a
golden spoon in his mouth.
The Woolworth building which
have written you about, SO stories
high, is under roof, beautiful struc-
ture and the highest in the world.
Another large building is about to be
erected in the square block which
was formely occupied by the Equit-
able life. A good many banks a2d
trust companies, instead of putting
up sky scrapers, are building small
Ter buildings for their own use only.
The latest among these being the
Guarantee Trust company. This
structure will only be eight stories
high and the main banking room
will be about three stories high in
side, which will give them splen-
did, fine and airy Office.
A year or SO ago / mentioned in
one of my letters that many streets
were being widened to make room
for the increased traffic. This rule
or order is now being put in force
on Broadway. All the large build
ings and hotels, which have project
ed entrances are compelled to remove
them, so that the lower floor and en-
trance will not extend out on the
sidewalk. This is an enormous ex-
pense to the property owners, but
will greatly relieve the crowded side
walks. These projections were an
infringement on city property, and
should not have been built in the
first place.
/ had occasion to be in Wall street
and at the same time visited the
New York stock exchange, very in
teresting sight, and from the visitors
gallery, the brokers on the floor look
like a lot of mad people, the way
they rush around and yell in buying
and selling stock. To a stranger it
is all Greek. The building is COM
paratively new, and is used only by
the stock exchange, with the excep-
ton of the basement, which is filled
with telegraph Offices, so that mes
sages may be sent from the floor
of the exchange to all parts of the
world without any delay. A cable
message can be sent to London and
an answer received back in New
York in less than two minutes, and