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A-GREAT STIttJCTORE.
It Span3 the Hnrlora Rivor at Now
York Oity.
-Completion of (he New York Con-
trnl'M Four-Truck DriMv-llrltlUu
mill an Ininiciino Steel
Vlatliict.
One of tho most remarkable feats of
engineering on record Is just com
pleted, and the passenger entering
New York from the north now rides
over one of the grandest examples of
eteel railway construction 3et accom
plished in this age of marvelous results
in that direction.
Going south, at Ono Hundred nnd
Forty.-ninth street, the tracks of the
New York Central begin to rise gradu
ally, and at One Hundred and Thirty
Fifth street they cross the Harlem rivor
on the new four-track steel draw
bridge, at an elevation of 24 feet above
high tide.
This massive structure is remarkable
In being the first four-track drnw
bridge ever constructed, and is the
END VIEW OF THE NEW YORK CENTRAL'S NEW FOUR-TRACK STEEL
DRAW-BRIDGE OVER THE HARLEM RIVER AT ONE HUNDRED
AND THIRTY-FIFTH STREET. GREATER NEW YORK. THE
LARGEST STRUCTURE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.
largest bridge of the kind In the world.
It is 400 feet long and weighs 2,500 tons.
The draw-bridge is 58 feet G inches wide,
from center to center of outside trusses,
nnd is carried on three very heavy
trusses. Between the central and each
of the two side trusses is a clear space of
20 feet, which permits the passage of
two sets of double tracks. The floor is
corrugated, and the rails are bolted to it
on steel tie plates. The trusses of the
draw-bridge span nre C4 feet high in
the center and 25 feet high at each end.
At the highest part of these trusses is
situated the engine house, which con
tains two oscillating double-cylinder
engines, which turn the draw and can
be worked together or separately, so
that if one should break down at any
time, the other can do the work.
From One Hundred and Thirty
eighth stroet south the four new tracks
run over the steel viaduct to One Hun
dred and Tenth street, and thence by
the stone viaduct to One Hundred nnd
Sixth street, where they strike the level
of the present four-trnck line.
The work of building this massive
structure, which is here illustrated,
SIDE VIEW OF
THE NEW
THE HARLHM RIVER.
began September 1, 1S93, and hns con
tinued without cesoation until now, nnd
will cost when completed considerably
more than $3,000,000. The completion
of the new work will permit the open
ing of all cross streets under the rail
way and so permit a perfectly free
passage for street traffic.
One Hundred and Thirty-eighth
street, which lias become n great thor
oughfare, will be entirely frei as the
trains which heretofore crossed It at
grade will pass over it at an elevation
that will allow street cars and nil traf
fic perfect froedom. At One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth street the tracks will
cross the street 14 feet above the level
of the street, and nt this point a mag
nificent passenger station is to be built,
extending from Ono Hundred and
Twenty-fifth to One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth street, under the four
trnck viaduct.
This improvement will be of immense
value to the entire state In fact, to the
whole country ns the bridge, being so
high nbove the water, will never have to
be opeued except when lnrge steamers
or vessels with masts are to pass
through: nil tugs, canal boats, barges,
etc., will have ample room to go under
the bridge while it is closed.
The Harlem river, having been de
clared by congress a ship cannl, the sec
retary of war hns Issued orders that all
tugs and barges shnll joint their smoke
stacks and flag-poles, to enable them
to poss under tho bridge while It is
closed. He hns also ordered that tho
bridge shall not be opened between the
hours of seven and ten o'clock in tho
morning, and four and seven In tho
afternoon, except for police, lire or gov
ernment vessels, the hours named cov
ering the great business traffic In and
out of the city, the iinportnnt through
trains as well as the principal suburban
trains arriving nnd departing during
those hours. This will avoid delays,
which have been, at times, vrj nnnoy
Ing, and permit of much tester eervico
than could have been maintained under
the old arrangements; and, ns speed is
one of the principal factors in travel in
this nge, this featuro will prove an im
portant one.
Quite a number of the great improve
ments which have recently been mndo
in the northern part of the city can bo
seen from the trains as they pass over
the new viaduct. Among them nre
Grant's tomb, St. Luke's hospital and
the buildings of Barnard college and
CoJumbia college, on Morningsido
Heights, and very soon the grand struc
ture of the Cathedral of St. John the Di
vine will be observed. Further north,
and on the west side of the Harlem
river, the now famous speedway is un
der construction and approaching
completion; the magnificent High
bridge, Washington bridge, McComb's
dam bridge and the viaduct leading to
it from the north arc works of art, ns
well as of great utility, under which the
trains pass, and on the right may bo
seen the buildings of the University of
the City of New York. Webb's Sailors'
home, nnd hundreds of other new build
ings of less importance. North of the
Harlem river, on the Harlem division, is
Bronx park, which Is to contain the
great botanical gardens and zoological
gardens of Greater New York, and with
in a few years this portion of the city I
will olier attractions which will oe un
surpassed in their character by any
city in the world.
Greater New York, which is 19 miles
FOUR-TRACK STEEL. DRAW-BRIDGE OVER
wide by 35 miles long, certainly offers to
t)'e tourist and seeker after knowledge
or pleasure more inducements than any
other Amerlwn city, and few cities in
Europe can equal it.
' ADIRONDACK.
A Safe Jtnlc
Bad Boy What ye talkin' 'bout me
poin' to the bad place fer? Our preach
er says there is one, but Johnny Stngg's
preacher an' lots of other preachers
says there ain't. Guess they know
'bout as well ns our preacher does.
His Mother (with decision) My son,
whenever a preacher says anything that
bad boy& like to hear, you can jest make
up your mind it ain't true. N. Y,
Weekly.
KxplulncU.
"Why did that rude-looking train boy
bite the quarter I gave hlmV"
"He's an ex-cowboy from Texas,
ma'am, and they frequently bite"tho
dust out there." Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
More than one-third of the people
in this country live in cities, and more
tliau half the doctors are there, too.
TENNESSEE CENTENNIAL
Exhibitors Will Not Bo Charged
for Spaoo or Powor.
The Nnnltvllle lSxnonltlon Will Coin-
pure Very Knvornlily with tlieOlil-
caeu Worlil'N Knlr The JS'utloii-
n 1 ISreitt of 1S07.
Tho Tennessee Centennial and Inter
national exposition, which will open at
Nashville on tho 1st day of May and
continue for six months, closing Octo
ber 30, was originated purely from pa
triotic motives, and not for the purpose
of making money for its projectors,
nnd, therefore, exhibitors will not be
charged for spaco or power. All of the
principal buildings, magnificent in
architecture nnd ample in dimensions,
are now ready for occupancy, and more
thanthrec-fourthsof the space original
ly allotted to exhibitors has already been
taken, and in order to accommodate the
growing demand for spnee, several of
the large buildings have already been
extended, and that others will now have
to be extended or additional buildings
erected is quite certain.
In almost every respect tho Tennessee
exposition will surpass the Philadelphia
centennial and all other expositions
that have been held in this country ex
cept the world's fair at Chicago. Over
half a million dollars has been expend
ed on the ground and buildings up to
tho 1st day of February, and the com
pany does not owo a dollar. More than
as much more will be required for build
ings and promotion, and this amount
will be furnished without calling for
assistance outside of the city of Nash
ville und the state of Tennessee. The
Atlanta cxpositior. of 181)3 had raised
only $209,000 in money, nnd was in
debt to tho amount of $500,000 before
the gales were opened. The malingers
of the Nashville exposition have not
only kept clear of debt, but they have
profited in many other respects by the
experience of other expositions, and no
THE TENNESSEE CENTENNlALr-CHILDREN'3 BUILDINO
enterprise hns ever approached the
opening dny under more favorable cir
cumstances. The Tennessee exposition will com
pare favorably with tho world's fair,
but will not be too large to be thorough
ly comprehended, while the grouping
of the buildings and the general view of
tho grounds and buildings affords a
view of charming beauty. It will be
Bulliciently attractive to bring millions
of visitors, and will provide n means
or advertising the business of exhib
itors in a most effective manner.
The railroads have subscribed liber
a'ly towards the erection of the build
ings, nnd offer great inducements in
the wny of transportation of exhibits
and for visitors. There arc 10,000,000
people living within a night's ride of
Nashville, and the railroads will see
that a large percentage of that popula
tion is brought to Nashville besides the
many who will come from more remote
portions of the United States und from
loreign lands. The officers will give
careful attention to the interests of the
exhibitors. Special provision is mndo
for showing inventions and improve
ments, and, for the benefit of smaller
exhibitors who may be unable to attend
in person, the services of reliable men,
experienced in their respective depart
ments, can be relied upon. Although
not ofllciully connected with the ex
position they are indorsed by the au
thorities and will bo under bond for the
faithful discharge of their duties.
These men will contract to receive, in
stall, care for and return exhibits, and
when requested will secure such at
tendants as may be required. In this
wny mnny valuable exhibits have al
ready been entered, nnd this nrrunge
ment will secure hundreds of others
that have not previously been seen in
any exposition.
While space is free (if the exhibit
shall bo in place on opening day) the
director general reserves the right to
decline exhibits of any class which may
be already fully represented. Other
things being equal the first applicants
will bo given the preference. Those
who nre contemplating an exhibit
should npply at once, especially if a
large or prominent space is wanted.
The governors of more than 30 states
and the mayors of ncnrly all the prin
cipal cities in the United States have
appointed commlbsloucrs, und many of
these hnvc already arranged for public
and prlvato exhibits, and there Is a
spirit of rivalry In the greater cities of
the west and south, each city striving
to out-do its business rivals of other
cltico. Thcgrcntcstcnthusinsmhasbcen
aroused in Cincinnati, Chicago, Louis
ville and St. Louis, and these cities nnd
their merchants will not only seek to
advertise their goods, bo thnt they may
secure tho trade of the south, but they
will contribute In many- ways to tho
success of the exposition.
Tills being the only national attrac
tion of the year, and there beluga pros
pect of n business revival everywhere,
there is every indication that the expo
sition at Nashville will be highly suc
cessful. Manufacturers should not
neglect this opportunity of making
their business known through this
medium of advertising. For full par
ticulars they tuny address Mnj. H. C.
Lewis, director genernl, or Herman
Justi, chief of bureau of promotion and
publicity, Nashville, Tcnn.
Tho Nashville centennial will bo a
great factor in the restoration of confi
dence and in tho revival of industry In
tho United States, and in fact it has al
ready bad a beneficial effect in Bouie
quarters, and as its scope and purpose
become more and more widely known
Its influence will bo very greatly felt.
All that we need in this country is that
wo get out of the rut in which we havo
been languishing for several years, and
a good running start, such as tho Ten
nessee Centennial exposition will give
us, should place us on higher nnd firmer
ground. Then we shall movo along
steadily to ever increasing prosperity
until we ngain forget the dearly-bought
lessons of the last decado.
IN A JOSS HOUSE.
Tho CIiIiicbo Celebration of Now Year's In
Sim jrriiuctHco.
The Interior of tho joss-house was
but dimly lighted; and when the cyoa
once became used to the mysterious
and smoky atmosphere that filled tho
place, strange and weird faces of gods
und demons showed through the durk-
ness nnd gazed solemnly down from
rich altars upon the visitors. A priest,
Boated lit the entrance, had a supply of
painted caudles, sticks of incense mndo
of sandalwood, nnd packets of papers
containing printed prayers.
Having brought a supply of these
helps to worship, Ah Gau and his fam
ily had entered the inner room of tho
pagan gods. In the presence of these
unngou, with hideous, painted fa ecu,
dimly looming out of the darkness and
mystery of the inceusc-luden atmos
phere, most American boys of Ah Uau's
ago would havo been terror-stricken.
He, on the contrary, seemed to bo quite
at euso among these strange things and
went near to the uncanny idols with nn
air of familiarity. He boldly walked
up to a large drum standing in one cor
ner, and, seizing a drumstick, pounded
on it with all his might, for the pur
pose of drawing the attention of tho
gods to tho worshipers.
lie then joined with tho family in
placing a large number of lighted
candles and smoking incense sticks
upon tho altar; uftcr which they
bent themselves in prayer before tho
principal image in tho temple. A num
ber of offerings cakes, fruits and va
rious articles of food, as well as rice
wine were next piled up before this
deity. The devotions ended with tho
burning of a lot of printed pruyurs in
a little brick furnace erected in a cor
ner of the Jobs-house for that purpose.
As Ihey left, n pack of firecrackers
was set olY, and then, thoroughly sat
isfied witli themselves, and with
minds at rest, they had gone home
ward. Theodore Worcs, in St. Nicho
las. A Compliment.
"Yes," bald the onugulist to tho
young sport who had just come under
conviction, "you nre plucked as a brand
from the burning."
"Well, 1 suppose l wns pretty hot
stulf," responded the youth, with a cer
tain air of gratification. Chicago Jour
ual. The discovery in Java of the fossil
remains of a l'ithecanthropos n form
intermediate between man and tho
higher apes was regarded as a matter
of the first importance In the scientific
world. Tho remains belong to tho
Pliocene age in geological history.
AMERICAN RAILWAYS.
Some lntere(lntr Fitetw no to Their
I'rcHent Condition.
The following Interesting cxtrnctit
nre from nn article by Mr. Ilobert 1.
Porter on the "Condition of American
Unllwnys," published in a recent num
ber of the New York Sun:
Tho latest general balance Bhcct of tho
railways of tho United States gives tin n
total valuation of railway proporty clone
to $1,200,000,000, nnd over 1S0.OCO miles of
road. Next to our farms, which aggregate
$1, 300,000,000, theflo Brent properties will
form, at tho closo of tho century, tho moat
vnluablo assets of tho republic. Tho con
struction of tho Broat Bystems of trann
portatlon hns played an Important, If not
tho most Important, part In tho progress!
of tho naton during the Inst half century.
Within tho last few weeks, tho ways nnd
means committee of congress havo granted
hearings nt Washington to those repreflont
liiB our scvcrnl Industries. In reading the
published testimony, ono is struck with the
deplorable accounts given of the condition
of many branches of manufacture. Whllo
not occupying tho public mind to anything
like tho extent of tho manufacturer, tho
American railroad Is In as bad, If not In
a worse plight. If congress would only ox
tend Its hcnrlngs to railways, the stories
of tho recent tariff hearings would bo re
peated with emphasis on n Inrger and ovon
moro ImprcBslvo Bcnlo. Loss of earnings,
reductions of rates bolow tho pnylng point,
actual loss in passenger tnifllc, deteriora
tion of roadbed, reduction In tho number
of employes, others working half-time, re
ceiverships, fore.closuro salon, practically
half of tlv'H enormous investment bringing
no roturnH, and tho blight of Insolvency
Btendlly Bottling down upon our entire, oye
tem. Tho losses nnd dlsnstors arising from
theso conditions havo been widespread and
far-reaching. In the llrat place, it In un
doubtedly truo that In no other industry
Is bo largo a business carried on upon no
smnll a banking account. A railway com
pany Is a great distributor, not only of
passenger and freight, but of money. As
fast as Its earnings come In, they go out
again. First, wo havo tho army of direct
employes, which reached nearly STfi.OCO a
fow years ago, but which has been reduced
fully 100,000. With continued prosperity.
our railway Bystem would havo to-uay
furnished direct employment to at least
1,000,000 employes. This, however, gives but
an Imperfect Idea ot tho number employed
'Indirectly, that Is, In car nhopB and loco
motive works, and equipment shopB of all
kinds, blunt furnaces, rail mllla and a
myriad Industries dependent upon tho rail
ways for tholr prosperity. As tho pcrcont
ago of Increase in equipment has been re
duced from ton per cent. In 18S0, to an
actual docrcaso In 1895, it may bo safely
assumed that thousands Indirectly engaged
havo been thrown out of employment. A,
perusal of tho statistics of railways as
compiled by tho United StatcB govern
ment bIiowb conclusively that undor ex
isting conditions most of our railways are
running behind, and tho fow that nro ap
parently holding tholr own nro far from
hopoful for tho future. Economical man
agement Ih ono thing, but forced economies
can only result in a deterioration of tho
property. For a few years aoino of our
older railways can thus economize, but It
Is only by continued and liberal expendi
ture of money that track, rondbed, bridges,
equipment and rolling stock cun bo kopt
up-to-dnto and In good running ordor. Tho
loss to labor litis been enormous, nnd It 1b
Important that railway employes of all
grades should study this nldo of tho ques
tion. With freight and passenger rates
less than thoso of European countries,
where labor is paid about half tho Ameri
can rates, how long will our railways tm
ablo to tldo along with reduced forces and
throo-qunrtcr tlmo? Unless tho decline tu
receipts la stopped, wages must bo re
duced, nnd then tho troublo will bogln.
Taking an army of 200,000 men out of active
employment In ono occupation 1b a pretty
serious buslncHS. That means an annual
Iobs In wages of not less than $150,000,000,
Hero wo havo tho direct loss. Tho Indirect
loss comoB from tho Irreparable Injury to
tho properties by reason of not keeping,
them up, ultimately entailing additional
losses.
With tho exception of 1894, passengel'
rates reached tholr lowest In 1895, whllo
freight rates, save a Bmall rally In 1F92,
nro steadily coming down. When compared
with foreign countries, aro rates nro In
deed low. It Is Bald that If tho Pennsyl
vania Railroad company could secure tho
Bumo rates as tho London & Northwestern
company, tho annual earning!! would bo
lncrenscd $1?,000,OGO. Mr. George R. Blnnch
ard, In his recent testimony beforo tho In
terstate commerce committee of tho sen
ate, said that had our railways collected the
lowest of tho European charges, wo
would havo received $370,000,000 more than
wo did receive. This calculation was based
on tho llgures of 1892. Tho figures of 1890,
which aro lower for tho United States,
would mako a greater difference.
Tho Impartial Bliulcnt of these data must
be struck with tho necessity of commer
cial as well as Industrial reconstruction.
Tho census reports of 1880 and 1890 and tho
statistics of the Interstate commoroo com
mission, nil of which are uniform, together
with tho valuablo reports of H. V. Poor,
glvo us material on which to baso a thor
ough Inquiry. Tho presidents nnd other
officers who havo charge of theso great
properties Hhould bo accorded tho samo
opportunity to bo heard as tho manufactur
ing Industries. So far aB I can learn, thero
Is no desire on Iho part of railway man
agers to generally raise rates. Thero is.
however, a widespread belief that rock
bottom prleoH havo been reached, and
that anything, even tho merest shade lower,
will bo absolutely ruinous.
Tho enso against the railways Is a fa
miliar one. Those who realize theso new
conditions havo no excuses or apologies
for past mismanagement, nor for tho
methods by which some of theso roads
wero built. Whatever may bo said of thoso
who built railways far In advanco of popu
lation, or for purposes other than legiti
mate trade, wo have, on tho other hand,
equally to blamo, tho cities and towns
and counties and Individuals who wore
ready to mortgage tho futuro to help along
tho work. In a largo measuro the wind
and the water and tho fraud havo been
squeezed out of theso properties. In their
place new and honestly-acquired capital
In tho shapo of enforced loans from bond
holders and forced assessment of stock
holders has been Invested. Foreclosures,
tho Bherlff and tho courtB havo wiped out
much of tho inflated values and now capi
tal with reorganization for business pur
poses has followed. Surely no ono will
deny that tho consolidation and chnngeo,
puy of tho last decade, havo been bene
ficial. Thero Is moro uniform action than
over beforo. Better business principles pro
vall. Tho public havo never been so well
and so cheaply served as now. Consider
ing the hard times, tho discharges, the
reduced tlmo, there has nevor existed bet
ter feeling between tho railway employe
and tho olllcers than at presont. Tho loss
of $100,000,000 Income In five years must
havo been a staggering blow. A continu
ation of this sort of thing would simply
destroy much of our wealth und arrest tbt
progress of the republic. j