The Washington herald., 1918-10-10
BY O. o. Mcintyre.

New York. oct. s.LColurnbia street
In Brooklyn is the sailors highway.
one Of the most grotesaue and inter
eating streets In the world. II runs
from Erie Basin toward Brooklyn
bridze and Is peopled by men Of roll
ING gait roiiicking dogs OF the sea.
men with hair on their chest who
nave gone around the Horn on wind
TANNERS and know the feel Of q be-
laying pin. The tang OF salt air
sweeps the thorouehfsre.
Dom Byrne, who knows Brooklyn
like o. Henry knew New York, has
recently tmmortalized Columbia street
In hction. II is an unkernpt highway,
dotted with queer shops, ourftters
for mariners. with windows piled h,fh
with rubber boots and coats and
sheath knives.
There are odd little delicates.en
stores with unheard-of eatables; dried
hsh from Iceland, sticky Turkish
candy, onions on bead strinss. cigar
stores that do not sell cissrs-oniy
pipes and estin' tobacco for sailors.
Then there are many cheap photo
graph shops, tin type places. The
sailor likes his photo taken many
times while ashore Perhaps he likes
them for the reputed sweethesrts In
every port
The motley population sweeps up
and down the thoroushfsre from
early morning until late at niGht-it
is the population of the ships: the
blond. hulking Norwegisns; tanned,
suspicious Lascars jabberins in weird
tongues; small. timid Portuguese;
laughing negroes from Norfolk
schooners always grooming songs OF
the levee; Cinnamon with slant eyes
and long foul Cnellins pipes. AL de-
pict a scene both drab and gay.
Grafters abound on Columbia street
Their prey is fhs sailor man. When
they can get him drunk. II is easy for
sdroit pickpockets to be called in and
finish the job. II Is no street for the
timid. 1t is red-blooded street
where two fists must be used in
emergency. .
Sand-bagging is still in vogue and
Knockout drops in the saw-dust car
peted wine stores are as common as
autos on Fifth avenue. Theft is dis
cussed openly. The sin is being cap
tured. The street invites the rtr-rar
OF the underworld. Chinatown gun
men, who aided by an automatic, a
taXicsb and a sniT OF cocaine, will
kill a man for so generally spend the
fruits Of their labor on Columbia
street
He has been invaded hone-this
husky young doughboy. lust now he
lie in q hospital ward in Harlem, and
the thought Of what he is missing
on the other side. coupled with in
cesssnt questions of thrill-seeking
visitors. has soured his disposition
Just a trife.
"oh. what q lovely csne," gushed
! one visitor as he hnped acros. the
ward. What is IT made off,
Wood, mR'am." he replied briefly
but courteoRsly.
And the notches on it," she er-
claimed. not damPened In the least
Tn just sure that they are for the
| Germans you've KILLED."
Not Germans. ma'am." he replied
grinlly. ''cooties"
He 10 young up-standing fellow
and every noon lunch hour he may
be seen near the Public Bibsry. He
has a slight limp-a football scrim-
| mage. His job seems to be TO spread
cheer among soldiers. He always has
a smile for them, or q cigarette. or a
CHEEKY word He Is very earnest
about his work. One OF his brothers
was lost in the blood-stained. glory
swept fields Of Flanders. Another Is
| ready to give up his glorious young
life at the front. The cripple has been
| rejected in every branch Of the serv-
ice. So he does his bit by being kind
and friendly 10 soldiers
A group Of school boys ip the Bronx
got up a petition asking their teacher
TO go TO France and be a Red Cross
nurse. "Dop't be Stacker" they
wrote. Later they apologized and
| said they saw in the idea a plan TO
shut up their school