Smyrna times., 1936-08-20
SIDE LIGHTS OF
NEW YORK CITY
Told By L. l.. Stevenson in
His Own Immical Way
of DOings in City
INTERESTING SKETCHES

1t was SIS years ago. William
Steinway, founder of the piano
house that bears his name, had
just been elected first president of
the Liederkranz society, an or
ganization of music-loving Ger
mans that has sung its way down
to the present day. On him fell
the duty of selecting site for the
home of the society. Two proper
ties were available at exactly the
same price. one at Park avenue
and Fifty-ninth street and the
other adjoining it on Ffity-ninth
street. MIR. Steinway gave due
consideration to the advantages
and disadvantages of both. In the
end, he decided that the inside
plot was more desirable. His rea-
soning was simple and direct. A
building on corner necessarily
would have more windows than
one on an inside plot. In those
days, windows had to be washed
just as they do now. So, with an
inside building. the upkeep would
be less.
Other singing societies, includ-
ing the Arion and Fidelio, came
into existence and Park avenue
frontage was acquired. Thus, the
start Of Harmony Row." the
name by which the properties are
still known. Also, later, a Is
story apartment house was built
on the corner. The other societies
gave up and for some time the
Liederkranz has been seeking
other quarters. Recently, the Co
hlmbia Broadcasting company ac-
quired Harmony Row. and will
build a new home on it. Thus,
in a way, Harmony Row win be
preserved. The new building will
have frontage on both Park ave-
nue. and Fifty-ninth street and will
be L-shaped. And the thrift of the
first Liederkranz president is the
reason.
Encountered an old friend out
at Coney island-Rosy. She was
the star of Billy Roses jumbo
but when he took the show down to
Fort Worth, he left Rosy behind.
For some time, she was lonely
prisoner in the basement of the old
Hippodrome. Now she's billed as
''the sacred white elephant" I
first met Rosy years ago. The
school children of Detroit con-
tributed their pennies to buy an
elephant for Belle Isle and ! was
commissioned TO make the pur-
chase. That necessitated visits to
the Hagenbeck depot over in Ho-
boken where Rosy was on sale.
But the decision was in favor of
young elephant that would grow up
with the children, hence Sheba
But / got so friendly with Rosy
that she ate my straw hat. I guess
an elephant never does forget At
any rate. the instant she saw me
out at Coney, Rosy reached for
my Virgin islands panama.
Always learning something
through conversing with taxicab
drivers. For instance. whenever
taxi driver leaves his cab to eat
a bite, do an errand or anything
else. he takes out his card bearing
his picture and number and places
If carefully in his pocket A po-
lice regulation is the cause. The
license might be stolen and put to
some improper use. So. if a cop
comes along and finds it unguard-
ed. he confscates it. In order to
get it back. the driver has to go to
the hacking bureau. There it is
either returned or a duplicate is
issued. But-and hence all the
care-the driver is barred from
driving his cab for the next three
days.
Still another bit of knowledge
was that drivers Tor some COM
panies must show fixed amount
on the meter when they turn in
their cabs. If they don't, they are
not allowed to take out cab the
next day. So. the driver, seeing
he hasn't reached the minimum,
pulls down his flag and drives un-
til he makes it up, the difference
coming out Of his own pocket.
That practice is known as riding
the ghost"
Leave il to a New York young
ster to spot a chance to pick UP
bit of change. Daily, bunch
gathers at Canal street where au-
tomobiles line up waiting to enter
the Holland tunnel. They sing to
car occupants who toss them small
f, change either as encouragement
or to induce them to stop. But no
matter the reason, on busy days,
some are fortunate enough to go to