The Washington herald., 1922-02-16
'1' TRAINS GIVE
M'lgTYRE PEEP AT
SUBMERGED TENTH
Elevated Passengers
Gaze Into Open Win
dows of Tenements.
By o. o. MCINTYRE.

NEW YORK. Feb. 15.-Life. be-
hind the scenes, In Manhattan may be
seen for Ave cents. The uncurtained
tenement homes OF the slums are
unabashed at countless loads Of curl
Gus passengers flashing by on the
high spun elevated railroad. In the
fght to live. modesty is forgot.
Curtains must be washed and wash
ing means more drudgery. So the
tenement housewife bares her squalid
three room nat to those who care to
gaze. Away up around 110th street
where the elevated reaches its high
est point-a drink-crazed husband
was garroting his wife few years
ago.
An elevated train slowed down on
curve. A detective saw the real life
drama, jumped OF at the next sta
ton, raced back to the house and was
In time to save the woman. II was
later made the theme Of a successful
Broadway crook drama mystery.
That. however. was an unusual
high light In elevated railroad gaz-
ing. More often one sees the stark
tragedy of poverty. Old men In in
valid chairs, women pathetically in
duiging their vanity-and at every
tew windows potted geranium
beauty.
Then there are the. candy factories
and sweat shops with rows and rows
OF girls IN bent up toll over dizzily
wnrrins machines. They never look
up ABOUT the rooms are the spot
ters who subtract the idle moments
from the meagre pay envelopes.
In many OF the fats are a bed.
single chair and washstand-nothing
else. In some an advertising poster
or SO grace the walls. The fire
escapes are weighty with III assorted
JUNK and through the nebulous haze
OF the feeble gas light passengers get
a hideous peep at New York's droop-
ing squalor.
"hen the hour OF sleep mercifully
comes, figures asprawl on beds and
on the hoors may be seen. The harsh
Jars from the street. the screech of
the trains do not distrub them. Their
greatest annoyance is the coming of
dawn-the beginning of just another
day.
There Is a frank telescope man on
Forty second street. The other night
a httie group paid him visit to scan
tne heavens. One inquired II the
blotches on the moon might be rivers
and mountains.
Dunno" said the telescope man
with yawn. "Mebbe they are
freckles on the face of the old
codger in the moon"
The business of collecting takes
some curious turns. One OF the hest
dressed clubmen in New York has a
coIection OF shaving soaps. He had
a white enameled cabinet mad. for
them and only his intimates are
privileged to behold.
raul Whiteman Is the highest priced
orchestra leader In New York. He
comes from Colorado ond was rsIscd
In luxury. He Drought =, orchestra
from San Francisco here several
years ago and the.r established a
chain OF them which play in nearly
all OF the + gh priced supper clubs.
Recently Whiteman took Karsakufr's
Song Of India and fashioned It into a
FOX trot theme called "PIay That
Song OF India Again" Because It
gives the saxaphones a chance to be
mysterious and creepy II has struck
the chords of popular fancy for there
is barbaric note in the dansant
music this season that will not be
denied.
They had been travelling on the same
subway for ten years and most of the
time In the same train. The other
morning they spoke to each other. 1t
developed that they were lawyers and
lived in the same block on 147th
street.
over on Blackwells Island
youth who is known as "The Baby
Burglar" because he cracks a silent
crib. was visited by a doctor in the
hospital ward.
What are you taking for your
cold?" asked the doctor.
What are you ofering?" VEN
tured the youth.
He was one of those bright young
men studying the menu with his
fair companion. Dish after dish
| was discarded as unworthy. Final
ly the waiter ventured: Pardon,
but may I make a suggestion"
Go ahead" said the young man,
I'm broad minded"
William A. Brady, after Offering
ton Of money for match be-
tween Dempsey and Wills. makes a
graceful exit after learning that no
| sector Of this broad land is anxious
to stage the bout. The giant col
ored boxer may be the logical OPP
ponent for the worlds champion.
but there's no demand above a whis-
per for the battle.