Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-02-16
Well Known ClOthier Who is Now on
s SOth Trip to the Metropolis
T~ us About Many Interesting
Things.
NEW Yt9z SHOWS
EvnW TE OF PROSPERITY
People Spend = " Easily, Stores
Are Crowded, us at First
Glass Hotels n. .rd to get.
Manufacturers Enjoying
Big Domestic
Trade.
Hotel Knickerbocker,
New York, Feb. IA, 1916.

My Dear Editor:
My visit to this city each season
for my semi-annual purchases, and
which now numbers my S0th trip,
seems to make it just little more
difficult for me to write a line on sub
jects which ] find of Interest. True
enough in every business field there
is Improvement going on constantly,
and the way find the streets of New
York torn up it does not seem as if
they will ever complete the place to
satisfaction. Even 2 and Is story
buildings are being torn down and
replaced by structures twice as high
and more. Subways are being eX-
tended, so that today one can ride
from 242d street in the Bronx of New
York to Coney Island, distance Of
more than 25 miles, all for five cent
fare.
Elevated lines have added ex-
press stations, and regulated trains,
so that during rush hours the people
can enter a train at 14th street and
be taken without stop to 116th street,
covering a distance of six to eight
miles, in less than thirty minutes. In
this way the working people find rea-
sonable homes they can rent, which
gets them to business in short time.
The tubes or underwater tunnels
from New York City to New Jersey,
under the Hudson river, also serve "A
big outlet for the working classes.
Formerly to live in New Jersey and
come to New York to work, such had
to be done by taking the slow ferry
boat, which consumed at least one
half hour, and which during foggy
weather and winter season could not
be relied upon. Whereas, now by the
tube the distance is covered in five
minutes, and in 80 to 40 minutes a
person living in Jersey, eight to ten
the distance in such reasonable time,
as 10 jus ify living in such sections.
In fact the business sections of New
York have moved up from down
town, to between the Pennsylvania
railroad at 34th street and there
abouts to the New York Central at
42d street and above. This has pro-
duced great change, as in former
years all my purchasing was done
between Canal and 14th street, while
now ] rarely get to that part of the
city, while on the other hand | at
tend to my work between 23d streel
and AID street. Rents in these dis
tricts are enormous, and one can
hardly believe that business men can
l'ay so much. l am acquainted with a
business man on AID street, near the
Grand Central depot, who runs a
gents furnishing store, small place,
for which he pays $500 rent per
month. The size of the store is about
15x25 feet.
The Grand Central Terminal, OF
which l have written you year or
so ago, is entirely completed and rep
resents the masterwork of construc-
Jion. Thousands upon thousands oil
people pass in and out of this depot
every day, and with all it is so simple
in arrangement that a little child
can find its way about. Two sets OF
tracks are built In the Terminal, thl
upper level, as it is called, for those
going to the far south and west
while the lower level is for those
who live nearby or the suburbs OF
New York Baggage is taken from
trains on motor trucks, so that in this
depot you find trunks transported by
electric power instead of the slow
way Of handling. All trains leaving
this depot are pulled by immense
electric engines, which takes them
out 3S miles from New York, there to
be attached to the regular engines
In this way smoke and cinders are
not found in about New York City.
Adjoining this depot is the new
hotel Biltmore, which is one of the
finest hotels in the city, Everything
that means convenience and comfort
has been installed in this hotel, Will
its Haytian gardens, Cascade restaur
ant on the 22d floor, as beautiful II
design as the finest palace, and ont
can enjoy a meal with music, canary