Sydney, Commercial Metropolis of New Commonwealth
(Copyright, i'j), by Kmnk Carpuntcr.)
C
SYDNEY, Australia, April 29. Keep
your eye on Sydney! It Is tho
growing city of New AuBtrnlln,
(IcHtlllCd to llU till! commer
cial ini'tri polls of thts part of tho
world. It Iisih now uliout 150,000 pnpulntlon
nml almost twice nH much business ns
any town of tin same size In tliu United
States. Situated In about the hmimo lati
tude 11 h Louisiana, It IIch In t'liu center of
tin; most popiiliiiiH part of tlio continent,
Just whoru goods ran most easily coniu In
fur illHtrllititlon over tin' vast territory. It
Ih I lit) capital of New Hoilth Wnles, a statu
an 111 n (ib Texas ami Inillana combined,
which Iiiih sheep and pasture lands an large
as Now York. Now South Wnles has a
population of 1. 200,000, and Sydney sup
plle them. TheHe 1,200,000 nro among tho
richest peoplu of thlH continent, who aro
I lui richest people of tliu globe.
U'o prldo ourselves on Imvlng money to
liiirn. The Australians make morn on the
nverngo than we do, ami their living ex
penses nru higher than otirH. They arc by
far tho richest people of the world, ac
cording to Mulhall'H statistics. About ton
yearn ngo their average wcnlth was cstl
mnted at $1,020 per pcrHon, or, at II vo to
the family, at fK. 100 per family.
Many of them aro very rich. I know ono
man who Iiiih a million ncrcH In laud and
you etui hardly throw a Htone In the busi
ness part of Sydney without striking one
who dots not own 0,000 acres and up
ward. Thero aru men heru who own a
million Hlieep, ami many who have flocks
of teiiH of thouHauda.
You hod the signs of wealth on tho
SYDNEY TOWN HALL TUB
HliculH. Thero uru no patched clothes and
no uunbunnutfl. Thu avoragu worklnguian
Is butter chid than his brother of tho
Unltod States. Many of tho women woar
tnllor-mado gowns and tho clerks all huvo
creased pantaloons.
lllK CI I Ion li.-lou in Mil-.
1 havo been In all tlio big cities south of
thu oiiuator anil 1 like Sydney best. Uuu-
nos Ayrea Is thu largest; it has 800,000
peuplo, but it is a succotash of Italian,
1'orluguesu and Spanish lugredlunts, with a
mixture of Indian, English, German nnd
French. Ulo do Janeiro has COO.OOO luhab-
Hants, so much sprinkled with African
blood that you can't loll whuro thu white
cuds and tho black begins. Tho other cities
of South America aro streaked with In-
illaii blood and tho majority of thu peoplu
aro very, very poor.
Tho Australians aru Anglo-Saxons of tho
Anglo-Saxuns. Thu crowds on n Sydney
Btruet aro llku those of Chicago or Now
York sau that tho Gurman, Swedish and
ltallau rates aro abaunt. lluru thu fuces
u re all English, Irish nnd Scotch, or, what
Is butter, pure Australian. Tho AuHtra-
Mans are finer looking than thu puoplu of
(Jreat llntalu. Thuy aro tailor, strulghtur
and bolter formed. Six feot Is not nn un-
coimuoii height for either men or women.
Tho latter aro Amazons, and owing to the
climate and their sedentary llfo they aro
raw-boned nnd ungainly. Many of thorn
are Blonder, and thuy tower above you llku
so many giantesses. Thuy nro called "corn
stalks." because they spring up so rapidly
and grow so tall.
This population nnd Sydney's magullluunt
harbor has made It thu Now York of Aus
tralln. The city does business
world. It Ib tho terminus of
steamship Hues connecting tho continent
with Luropo, Asia, Africa and North and
South America. There nro ships In thu
harbor from Capo lown. ships from ( hlrni
nari.or irom uapo uiwii. snips .rom v uiiia
and Japan, big 10.000-ton steamers from
Germany, fast vessels from Franco, and a
halt dozen lines from England. Thero aro
consttng ships which call at tho different
cities of this continent and which connect
It with all tho Islands of the south sens
Commerce here Is enormous, The wool
Hhlpmeuts alouo havo a value something
llko $10,000,000 n year, and there ls a largo
export of grain, coal nnd manufactured
goods. The Imports nro very heavy, con-
slderlng tho population. Now South Wnlos,
nil told, has not more people than I'hlla-
dolphin, but It buys 150,000,000 worth of
goods onnunlly from foreign countries, and
this comes In through Sydney.
I with I could show you tho Sydney har-
LARGEST IN THE WOULD.
bor. Thoro Is nothing like It In thu world
In beauty and commercial advantages. Us
entrance is not over a mile wide, with
great redo rising up on each side of It to
about tlneu-Hfths -the height of thu Wash-
ltiKtuii monument, forming a natural gato-
way. No matter how stormy tho ocean la
outside, when you pass through this gato
you find unlet waters. You enter a wind-
lug Inko or stream, with hundreds of bays,
Inlots or crueks, with Islands which seem
to float, and with wooded hills which In
places risu straight up from tho shore. Tho
wnter Is so deup that tho biggest ocean
steamers can sail right up to tho land, and
tho const lino Is so great that all the ships
of all tho world could anchor hero and
huvo room to spare. Thu harbor proper
has an area of nine square miles. Ono of
Its arms contains three square miles, whllo
the good nnchorages within ten miles of
tho city postofficti nro numbered by so
"nny hundred miles that I do not daro to
mention tho exact figures. Sydney lies on
noth "h'ts of this harbor. Thu ships come
rlK"t l,,t() the town, ho that you can step
,,rf. walk three minutes nnd bo In the chief
business sectlun.
1,10 natural beauty of tho harbor Is as
Krcnt as that of any harbor of the world,
11 ls ns beautiful as tho bay of Naples, as
1,10 llarl)or ' Nlo 1,0 Janolro or ns tho fa-
mous waters about Constantinople on tho
"08Pnoruu. At ono sldo of It nro the bo-
iiuucai Kiimeiin, n ium iiuuii mi un suns
of Australian and semi-tropical trees. Tho
Kovi'rnijr'. palace, a cnstlo-llko structure of
roso-colorcd stucco, Is on ono edgo of tho
garden, nnd further back is another great
park, known nB tho Domain, tho play-
...i.i. ni (h Kround of Sydney, corresponding to Central wall thorn. Thoy nro also delightful quar
win nn mo Imrk ln N,pw Yor) or j,y(,0 Jmr, ,n j Qn (ora ,n wnt,n t0 B,(Jp ,iurnR ttio heat of the
a dozen great doIli , (,
During my stay In Sydney I havo
0utubed to tho top of tho public works
bllltnK for ft blrd's-oyo view of tho city,
Thls l)UiuiluK Is right on the harbor, In
Thls ,mlllUl,K ls rlRUt on tnc nnril0,
I(,mogt Uu, t.ontor of tll0 t0WIli gtnniing
upon lt you cnn 8eo Uu, Kront occa 8lenm.
ora lnmUB Kmia t lll0 ,llmy8 tho ,,
coming ln and stnrtlng out to various
portS( nml tno lit tl3 tugs and ferries dart-
, tlltg wny nnd ,,, Yoll enn look ovor
tho clty. ,t8 buildings nro ns ragged as
those of tho United Statct In cities of
glmllar size. They cut tho skyline llko
tho teeth of a broken bow, ono now nnd
then running up for many stories nbovo
the otherB, although thoro nro no sky-
scrapers with framoworks of steel. Tho
most of the buildings nre of less than bIx
stories. Nearly all nro built of yellow
snndstono taken out from tho quarries be-
noath the city Itself. In the business
IN THE WONDERFUL HARBOR OF SYDNEY
streets you sco many awnings of galvanized
iron and glass extending out over the
aide" allts to simile them.
Mlto Wood I'm ciiii'IiIm,
Sydney covers a vast area. Its streets
wind about like those of Boston, and It Is
faietloiiHly tald that tho place was orlg- ,
inally laid out by a bullock driver with a
boomerang. Sydney Is noted for Its excel
lent wooden pavements. Consul Dell, who
has made a study of the subject, says the
pavements arc better than thoio of any
other city and that they are bo well con
structed that they last for ten years with
out need of repair. George street, upon
which some of thu chief huslness3 houses
aro located, recently took up n part of Its
pavements nfter eleven years' rough usage.
Tho blocks were ns good as when laid, Save
that they had been worn down about one
fourth of an loch. These blocks aro of
eucalyptus wood dipped In boiling tar and
laid on a foundation of cement. They aro
fitted as closely as wood carpeting and they
aru so smooth that three tons can be
hauled over them by ono horse, and loads
of six tons for two horses and ten tons
for four horses nro not uncommon. I am
told that 10,000.000 pounds of wool go over
this street every year. It has HO large
llU8S,s- l'acU carrying from sixteen to
f",ty I,orso',s'. which nro always traveling
unou 1,1 nml' notwithstanding this, the
wearing down Is liss than ono-lhlrttoth of
1111 ,,lcn ')er 'onr- Tho wood 1,113 ProVtn
8", 00(1 tllat similar blocks are being
8"PPed to London and other English cities
for luo B'''L'e'8 there,
Wntk Tlirnimh the Cliy.
Let us tako a walk through Sydney. Tho
sun Is hot, but tho iron nnd glass awnings
furnish protection, and wo stroll by great
stores with well displayed windows. You
enu buy almost anything hero you can buy
in New York, and tho prices are equally
low. The goods arc marked In pounds,
shillings nnd penco, tho snilllng and penny
taking tho placo of tho dollar and cent,
Thero are flno Jewelry stores, photograph
shops and art stores.
Sydney has big Insurance buildings, bank
buildings, excellent clubs and many hotels.
The two largest hotels aro tho Australia
and the Metropolo, which are a cross be-
tweeu the good American nnd good Euro-
pean hotels. Tho prices aro about tho samo
as in tho United Stntos, though at first thoy
seem cheaper, tho extras maklig up tho dlf-
forcnee. There aru small hotels In every
block, but the most of theso nro more sn-
loons or public houses, with a room or so
for rent to conform with the law providing
that liquor shall bo Bold only nt hotels,
One feature of tho city Is tho numerous
nicniicH wnicn are cut inrougu ironi one
street to another. Theso nro colled with
glass, paved witht lies and decorated wl
th
tropical plants nnd flowers. They are
lighted at night with grent arc lights,
which hang down from tho stores which
Rvilnnv lini 1nrcn ilnnnrtmnnt a t rrra
some of which do n business of several
million dollars annunlly nnd employ from
f.OO to 1.000 clerks. Such stores send out
f.OO to 1.000 clerk
quantities of m
mucU of tho ,,,,
WnPS lives on (
merchandise by mail, for
pulntlnu of Now South
tho sheen stntlons or on
farms away from tho railroad,
.mc I'ulillo lliilldlnK.
j hftvo wrUton of (ho wo ,,, ot
Victoria. Sydney has some equally fine
and ln some respects finer. Tnke tho Syd-
noy town hnll, which Is said to bo tho big-
goat building of Its klud In tho world, tho
next largest being thnt of I'reston. Eng-
land It is n magnificent stone structure,
situated In tho heart of tho city, contnln-
Ing nn amusement hnll which will sent
.1,000 pcoplo nnd nn orgnn which surpasses
that of Melbourne Until this was bought
tho Molbourno organ was the biggest of the
SCENE ON GEORGE
world. Sydney was, of course, bound to
beat Molbourno, nnd lt has now tho largest
organ over made. It ls eighty feet wldo
and thirty feet deep nnd cost $85,000. It
has 8,700 pipes. Some nro of wood sixty
four feot long and others vary ln length
from the height of a three-story house to
that of a pin.
Associated with the town hall Is the Cen
tennial hall. Other magnificent structures
aro tho public works office, the offices of the
secretaries of the colony and the markets.
Tho Sydney markets cover several acres
and they nre very complete ln their ar
rangement. Connected with them ls a hotol,
n concert ball and n photograph gallery.
They cost altogether $3,000,000.
Tho Sydney postolllce was built of the
freestono from uuder the city. It covers
half a square and has a ground floor ot
about two acres. It contains the postoffico,
the postal savings bank and the general
telegraph and telephone offices, all of which
nro run by tho government. Tho mall clerks
woar uniforms of bright red nnd you see
red-coated men delivering letters and driv
ing tho mail wagons to tho trains.
Sydney ls noted for its extensive pnrk
system. It has as good lungs as any city
of Europe. Moore park contains 500 acres,
Centcnnlnl park 7C8 acres and thero nre
nlso cricket grounds, the racecourses and
the fair grounds. Quito n spaco ls given
up to the zoological gardens, to the botan
ical gardens nnd there are many little
pleasure grounds on the Islands.
The most Interesting pnrk In Australia Ib
the Domain In Sydney. This contains more
than 100 acres nnd It ls right In the heart
of tho city. It has magnificent trees, vel
vety lawns nnd walks and drives of every
description. The Domain is accessible to
nil, there are no signs to keep off tho
grass and Uttlo ones and grown-ups roll
nnd stroll upon lt.
Fret- Speech for Hveryoiic,
Every Sunday afternoon tho Domain Is
crowded nnd lt then becomes tho parlia
ment of tho people. Anyone who wishes
to prench or pray has n right to erect his
pulpit on the grass and toot for hearers,
No ono questions his doctrines nnd ho says
what he pleases. Thero are at least a
score or more of such speakers on the Do.
main every Sunday, each with his own
crowd nbout him. There are lightning cal
culators, labor agitators and socialists,
preachers of every doctrlno nnd every creed,
phrenologists nnd beggars, faith healer and
all other cranks.
Tho crowd Is n good-natured ono, made
up of all classes, with working people In
the majority. There were, I Judge, at least
25,000 persons ln the Domain when I visited
It the other Sundaj. Thoro were husbands
and wives taking their little ones out for
an airing, young fellows with their sweet
hearts, old men with tholr daughters and
hoys and girls walking to and fro or listen
ing to tho preachers nnd healers.
I stopped for a tlmo In each crowd. Tho
first was gathered about a lightning cal
culator, who talked a hluo streak as his
hand danced over a blackboard, stopping
only at Intorvnls to soli hooks showing you
how to learn tho higher mathematics In
threo lessons,
Tho next speaker was a tempcranco ora
tor; ho was denouncing the rich men nnd
officials of the city nnd giving sldo slaps nt
tho saloons, nnd the next was a socialist,
who advocated taxing the rich and a gen
eral division of property.
Ono of the best drawing cards was n
negro, who was preaching the end of tho
world in a marked Yankco accent, and an
other was a Salvation Army band, led by
a swcct-slnglng woman with n skin like a
baby.
Sect (lie ;miiI SaiiiiirKiin.
About fifty feet from this crowd I saw a
walking hospital, overseen by a woman
called "tho Good Samaritan." The old
woman had thirteen Invalids, each of whom
was nflllrtpd with sonic terrible disease.
They were of all ages, fiotn babies to three
score and ton some lame, some halt nnd
some blind. They sat about In chairs on
tho grass uhilo the flood Samaritan In tholr
midst showed their sores nnd diseases to
tho crowd and begged money for their sup
port. She had a carpet laid at her feet
and upon this thu charitably Inclined cast
their pennies and sixpences from time to
time.
STREET, SYDNEY.
Nearby was a blind man with a cracked
voice and a fiddle, who sung and sawed for
money, nnd further over an orator who was
denouncing tho trusts of America, which
were, ho said, enslaving tho Yankee labor
ing men and which would ln tlmo probably
come over to Australia to place tho yoke
of bondage on them.
Leaving tho Domain I walked back to my
hotel, noticing tho queer signs by the way.
One was "Lollies." It was over tho door
of a confectioner's store nnd ns I looked
ln I saw nil sorts of candles displayed.
"Lollies' Is tho popular word hero for
candles, nnd between the acts at tho tho
atcrs boys go about through the audience,
calling out, "Lollies, ladles! Lollies, gents!
Does anyone want n box of flue fresh
lollies? '
Another sign, ot which 1 saw a half dozen
ln ono block, was "Artificial teeth for sale."
Tho Australians nro noted for their bad
teeth and the dentists do a thriving busi
ness. It seems that buying or pawning
teeth Is common and that second-hand teeth
are sold llko second-hand books.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
THE
MAKER
to WEARER
" Inspect them
'YL?Xln U. ,ou dn't find the famous
REGENT SHOES the equal of any nhoea
sold by others for $.1.0ii nnd JC.00, Thoy
eointi In nil styles and leathers, Including
the new patent viel kid, and the prices are
2.G0 and M.L0, Wo guarantee n tit when
ordered by mall.
Regent Shoe Co,
U1B SOUTH lfiTII STIIUET.
Send for Illustrated Catalogue. I
3'
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