The Green Forest tribune., 1917-08-24
NORTH BOUND TRAINS
J. |, RUSSELL ON WALL
 STREET NEW YORK
Finds to His Surprise it Quiet Place Visits Battery Park and Surveys the
 Statute of Liberty

"You would make very poor detect i've, remarked my companion as he halted us on Broadway, as we strolled late in the afternoon toward Battery Park, to rest at the ocean front. 1 sur veyed the surroundings but was not wiser until my attention was directed to a small sign on an iron post few feet away which read Wall Street. y
 I looked in the direction he pointed with amazement It was the most nearly deserted spot had seen in the city. There were no skyscrapers in that vicinity. No surface or elevated cars were numbering that way, few automobiles were passing through its narrow limits, while only a struggling pedestrian was to be seen on the walks.
 There was nothing to distinguish Wall Street from any part of the busi- ness part of the city, except conditions exactly opposite to what 1 expected to see in the worlds center of finance.
 I had a vague notion that somehow Wall Street was the axis around which all New York City revolved, but it isn :.
 At least it is far from having that distinction after business hours. Thus another piece of faulty imagination has been eliminated by actual observation.
 It beats all how ones preconceiyed ideas about things he has never seen have to be upset and made over again after having taken little first-hand observation.
 Few parks l visited in any eastern city would be less attractive in itself than Battery Park, New York. It con- sists chiefly of a few monuments of ancient origin, some scrubby looking trees, a large number of seats and scattering drinking fountains. Its pop ularity centers upon the fact that it lies up against the waters edge where one can sit as long as he chooses and view the ever-changing scenes of ves- sels of every kind and character, as they ply up and down and move in and out of the harbor It is one of the most interesting sights have ever seen.
 In full view of Battery Park though, two miles out on Liberty Island stands the now-more- than-ever famous Statue of Liberty, since the features of this goddess were so firmly fixed in every American mind by the window hangers used in the campaign for the sale of Liberty Bonds.
 The Statue of Liberty is plainly vis- ible by day or night and in all kinds of weather. It was erected during the years that lapsed between 1879 and '83 and was formally dedicated, as history tells US in 1886 It stands fully 25G feet above the water level, the statue itself being III 1-2 feet above that portion of the monument that rises above the base to the pedestal upon which the feet of the goodness rests. The head from chin to skull measures F 1-4 feet; width from ear to ear is 10 feet; length of index finger feet; width of mouth feet, length of nose 1-2 feet and width of statue at waist 8 feet. Visi- tors to Liberty Island are permitted to go up into the statue and view the ocean scenes; excursion boats are constantly carrying visitors out to this point.
 The object of the erection of this gigantic monument was to impress foreigners arriving at our principal port with the freedom enjoyed by the people of the new word-th very free dom that this country is fighting to maintain at this moment. It cost $250, 900, which was raised by popular sub scription in q movement fostered by the World, New York newspaper.
 Speaking of the war again, it does not seem that New York is greatly disturbed over prevailing or even prospective conditions. Improvements are going forward and being planned that reach far into future years. Broadway is torn up from end to end for the building of an under the surface railway, while by the side of Grand Central Station is under construction what purports, according to the sign posted in front, to be the largest and finest hotel in the world Hotel Com modore. with 2,000 rooms and 2 ,000 baths. This is almost twice the capacity