The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-04-25
In New York
Rx PAuL HARRISON

New York-If the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce had q spark of Barnumesque enterprise. 1t would advertise among it's scenic wonders-such as peaks and can- yons and 75 miles of man-made caverns--a heated river.
 That's right; the East River is artificially heated. Ifs from five to ten degrees warmer than the Hudson River, the Bay, or Long Island Sound. Small boys swim in 1t weeks before hey'd dare venture anywhere else. In fact, It was a small boy, sitting on a ramp at the waters edge, who gave me most. of the facts.
 He dipped q dirty finger in the dirtier water and decided 1t was still pretty cold for swimming. There's places, though, where it's warm right now" he said. Pressed for details. he explained that along the shore are ten huge power houses which keep sucking in ordinary water and expeIling it at almost boiling temperature. The peak of the citys electric out put, "IbiI tOiiltS III liip N"'' 'y ming, makes the power houses work harder than ever.
 
 Lobbying
 One of the towns showplaces is the lobby of the News Building. An East 42nd Street. In the middle fig twclvc-foot globe revolving with all the solemnity of a full-fledged planet. Around the lobby walls arc all the impressive dials and weather maps and re- cordinG machines of a meteorolog- ical observatory. One day the wind guage was still and sign athwart it's face read. wind Out of Order"
 Set in the floor are bronze ar rows showing the general direc- tions and distances of various cities. Some of these markers were wocfully inaccurate at first. but were corrected when visitors from Buffalo, Tulsa and other points began calling attention to discrepancies The globe itself is an almost flawless job. Many people, though, ask why the towns of New Canaan, Conn, Ithaca, N. r., and Laguna Beach, Cal. ap- pear on the map when many much larger cities have been ignored. The reason is that those arc the birthplaces of the three people who painted the globe.
 Another little joke appears in the southern hemisphere where, in the midst of great expanse of water, appears an island un- charted on any other map in the world. Hugh Troy Island. it's called. Hugh Troy was one of tho terrestrial artists, and put on the island as n sort of signature.
 The huge granite slab over the entrance is quite puzzle. Carv- cd into it are the outlines of sun shining through some clouds, couple of people on horseback, tennis player. several workmen. woman tying her shoe, a surveyor and some other figures, Below these is an inscriptions: "He Made So Many of Them" .. The cryp- tic words are part of a quotation attributed to Lincoln: "The Lord must love the common people. He made so many of them." There wasn't room for the whole quota ton, so the architects inscribed only the latter part, with no thought for the headaches of pass ersby, most of whom long since have given up trying to make anything out of 1t.
 
 A tree standing in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was cut down the other afternoon. During the event eight policemen and several employees of the park department were required to han de the crowd and do the chop- ping. "
 It was just scrawney, discour- aged looking tree, some forty feet high and eight inches thick at the base. But q tree-cutting is n rare sight in Manhattan. Nursemaids detained their charges at lenst half block away. Other people stood as close as the wary cops would permit, but plainly were prepared to flee at an jnstant's warning.
 A couple of dignified old gem tlemen offered advice to the men who were hacking at the trunk. Every few minutes work would be halted for consultation and a few tentative pushes in the direction in which the tree was supposed to fall. Ropes that looked strong enough to pull over the Museum were attached to guide the tree inI its crash. Long before 1t showed any signs of weakening. traffic. was stopped on Fifth Avenue and the spectators circle was enlarg < ed. Finally, while several hus1 kies tugged on the ropes, the tre9 tumbicd over with . scarcely au dIble crackle. Police whistie4 shrilIed. traffic was resumed of the Avenue, and the throng dis persed.