The World's Worst Crowded Streets
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A STREET THAT IS CONSTANTLY BLOCKED ' . WEST BTRKKT ALONG TUB HUDSON AT A Hl'SY HOUR,
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(Copyright, 1904, by E. D. Warner.)
NGLAND'S metropolis has always
been held up as the city of the
most crowded streets. But It
cannot begin to compete with
New York. That is the testimony
of everybody who Is familiar with the two
places.
The lcrg, narrow Island of Manhattan
the smallest area upon which a great city
Is builtbears a far larger volume of traffic
than any other area of equal size in the
world. There is a greater congestion of
vehicles In New York's streets than In the
streets of any other great city.
The far-famed congestion of London traf
fic, about which American tourists have to
much to say when they return to this coun
try, is confined to about half a dozen com
paratively short thoroughfares, suh as
Fleet street, part of the Strand and Lud
gate Hill. There is in London no long
thoroughfares so constantly packed with
traffic as Is Broadway, from Bowling Green
to Herald Square.
The available figures give but a poor idea
of the number of vehicles plying to and
fro on New York's streets. According to
the bureau of licenses, 22.300 are licensed.
They are subdivided, in round figures, into
10,000 public trucks, 1.000 dirt carts (carry
ing ashes and other refuse), 1,700 express
wagons. 700 peddling wagons, 5.000 push
carts, 60 of the antiquated Fifth avenue
stages, 800 Junk carts and 3,000 coaches and
cabs.
It is surprising to find that there are only
sixty-five hand-organs, operated In almost
every case by Italian In London there
must be literally thousands, for one Is to
bo found at almost every street corner, and
certainly In every Blum quarter, where the
children dance merrily to its strains the
sole pleasure, in many cases, of their gray
lives.
But the figures of the bureau of licenses
enly represent that portion of New York
vehicles which operate, for public hire.
Only those vehicles require licenses. Trol
ley cars, tradesmen's wagons and carts,
contractors' stock, private carriages and
vehicles owned by the street cleaning de
partment and other city departments all
these require no licenses.
On a conservative estimate made by a
man who has for years studied the traffic
conditions obtaining in the metropolis
they are at leftst five times as numerous
as the public conveyances.
This gives a grand total of over 133,000
vehicles rolling perpetually over the streets
of Manhattan. It is possible that there '
are two or three times as many. If a pro
cession of them were formed, allowing
thirty feet ' for each horse and vehicle. It
would be 755 miles long.
One department store In New York keeps
756 wagons, push carts and other vehicles
to carry goods to its customers, and it Is
not one of the three of four largest stores,
either.
"The largest stores," said the head of
the stable of the store In question, "keep
anywhere from 1.000 to 1.500 vehicles each.
If the stable of all the department stores
of New York were lumped together, I be
lieve they would make a good-sized town,
even though a great economy of spare has
been effected in recent years by replacing
many thousands of horses with automo
biles. "Through the department stores of New
York alone you have a greater volume of
traffic than that of many towns which con
sider themselves Important places. And
the curious thing about It Is that there
Is hardly ever an accident of any descrip
tion through this traffic. Not one of the
vehicles under my charge has had a mishap
during the past four months, and I be
lieve the other stores have equally clean
Sheets."
Besides the department stores, there are
thousands of smaller retail establishments
keeping anywhere from one to a hundred
vehicles. Then there Is the vast social
ised traffic of the dry goods district, tha
1
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7
'THE JAM IN. THTE WHOLESALK GROCERY DISTRICT.
wholesale grocery district, and the iron
and steel wholesale district and many other
wholesale centers. In each of those dis
tricts, street after street may be seen
chock full of wagons and carts bearing tha
products of the particular line of Industry
with which the district deals. That Is a
sight which cannot be equaled In London
or any other city of the old world.
"Taking It all round," said a veteran po
lice captain, who has rcrved in nearly
every part of New York. "I think It I sife
to say that somewhere between a half mil
lion and a million wheels revolve over the
streets of Manhattan every day.
"It is marvelous that there are not more
accidents, for New Yorkers are fonder than
any other people I know of taking chances
in the midst of the whirl of traffic. It is
Impossible to control them as pidc:r.'ans
are controlled in London, when cros Ing
the street. The Iondoner is meek and well
disciplined In the presence of authority,
but the New Yorker delights In d-fylng-it
on general principles. If a policeman ho'ds
up his hand to warn him that it Is danger
ous to cross the stree t at the moment, that
Is an excellent reason to a New Yrrker for
Immediate crossing. There is the same
trouble with th drivers of vehicles, but
in a les.-ier degree, for we hold the wh'p
bund of the law over them as we cannot
hold It ovci the pedestrians."
Asked whether he thought that New
Favors for Valentine's Day
HE custom of sending valentines
ha3 developed from a laced-edged
card, lacrlbed with a tender
sentiment, to the elaborate floral
designs made up by florists, the
expensive candy boxes with valentine de
signs and sentiments, and the giving of
other dainty favors with beautiful works of
art In hand painting and lithograph,
"Violets are the flowers for St. Valen
tine's day," say all the florists. "Deep
purple violets made up into immense hearts,
a foot and wider across, and packed In a
pretty wicker or grass basket decorated
with violet ribbons and violets. These large
boxes and baskets are always accompanied
by a valentine inscribed with a sentiment
suitable to the degree of friendship existing
between the giver and the recipient of the
violets.
"We also pack up In the same dalny
manner smaller hearts of violets and two
hearts together, pierced by a golden arrow.
These ore arranged with ribbon loops and
decorations, so that they may be hung up."
Last year was the first time that florists
were called upon to make up violet hearts,
but this year the demand for these Is so
great that orders have had to be placed
weeks In advance of the day.
In accordance with an old poetical Idea,
small wreaths of flowers valentine flowers
are put up in dainty baskets of sweet
grass, broad Swedish woven baskets, little
wicker baskets and satin boxes, decorated
with ribbons and a spray of Batin flowers
In the corner, or perhaps an orchid.
.Violets are favorites because, In the lan
guage of flowers, the violet signifies faith
fulness. Next in point of popularity Is
the red rose, signifying love, and the forget-
me-not, whose name speaks of remem
brance. The orchid, which signifies refinement.
Is not so popular as other flowers for St.
Valentine's day, but a great many orchids
aro being ordered to accompany handsome
satin find cardboard valentines.
Some of the florists have prepared fancy
baskets and boxes decorated with ribbons
and flowers and Interwoven with ribbons,
as well as hand-painted affairs. Theo
sometimes have little cupids. In bisque,
among the decorations.
Candy Is a favorite gift for St. Valen
tine's day. The young man whose fate is
undetermined is more apt to send flowers
which breathe his sentiments for it Is all
the fashion now to send flowers with their
sentiments but the young man whoso
future Is settled by a solitaire diamond
ring will send his fiancee one of the boxes
of candy especially got up for the day.
These boxes come In many sizes, from
a foot and a half across to a tiny red
heart with a cupid perched upon the top
beside a spray of orange blossoms or
lilies of the valley. Valentine candy boxes
are all In heart shape. In satin or brocaded
silk, and are hand-painted on the top with
spring blossoms, or aro embroidered In
small wreaths and sprays. In fine ribbon
embroidery, with fancy embroidered ribbon
borders. These boxes are made inside
into the handsomest of work boxes, glovt
boxes. Jewel cases and the like, while
satin and lace and hand-painted mouchoir
cases have a box of candy of any size
tucked between the folds. All these to
kens are accompanied by suitable verses
and sent! meats upon dainty lithographed
valentine.
York's strwts were more crowded with
traffic than thohe of London, the pollc-.- e ap
tuin ri piled:
"I'ndoubteelly ttiey are. I know London
well, and there ate only a few streets th re)
which are as much erowdi'd, ntul as con
stantly crowded, as practically the whole
of the business section of Manhattan.
There Is one conclusive proof of the truth
nf this assertion. Thousands of cyclists
are to be seen all over London. Kvm In
the busiest thoroughfares, such as Klert
etrtH't. they ride about by scores In tho
thick of the traffic. A cyclist in the b 1; 1
ne'cs part of Manhattan Is as lint inimtin
ns nn hemest man In politics. The danger
to life and limb Is too irreat."
Another prominent eifllclal of the New
York police force said that what struck
him most forcibly about the street traffio
was the cool courage of the drivers of
vehicles.
"Give tho devil bis duo," he said. "I
know many elrlvi-rs are reckless and ap
parently thoughtless of human life, but
on tho whole they nre the bravest men I
know. A dozen times a day, at tho least,
their nerve has to stand a supreme test,
and failures to meet that test are rare,
Indttcd. U may be another vehicle durting
across tlie-lr bows at right nngles from a
side street, a horse slipping oil on Ice
covered hill, or a little child standing
dazed in the middle of tho road right
under tho hoofs of the horses; but what
ever It is, the drive never seems to be
at a lof-8.
"Tho bravest deed I ever saw was at
Herald Squure about a year ago. An
ambulance automobile wus hurrying to a
call along Sixth avenue. A little girl ran
across the street and stopped, bewildered,
in front of the uutomobile. One side of the
thoroughfare was blocked by trolley cars
and other vehicles; on the other side, una
of tho pillars of tho elevated railway
blocked the way. The driver of tha
automobile grasped tho situation in a flaBh.
It was Impossible to stop. Kither he must
run over the child or he must swerve full
tilt Into the big Iron pilar, wreck his
automobile, and probably lose his life.
Without hesitating a second, lie chose tha
latter alternative. The child escaped un
hurt, but he hud his arm broken and sus
tained several other Injuries, as did also the
doctor riding 011 the ambulance. If ever a
man deliberately chose death rather than
fall In his duty, that driver did so, and he
Is only a type of the drivers of New York
City. Ninety per cent of them would
have acted in the same way If they had
be-on In his place."
To tho Londoner In New York a mark
edly noticeable feature of the traffic of
the busiest of all cities Is the genial good
humor with which It is conducted by pe
destrians and drivers alike. This Is In de
cided contract to the spirit which prevails
in his own town.
The cockney cabby Is famous for bis
mastery of sarcastic profanity, but he is
quite tho best-tempered pe-rson you are
likely to meet with on Indon's streets.
The common remark of the pedestrian Is:
"Oo tho 'ell are yer a-shovln' of?"
The driver pursues his way along a sul
phurous Btreak of profanity, which he di
rects ut the heads of the Innumerable
people who get In his way. Generally
Beaklng, he Is swearing from morning till
night in the regular course of his business.
It Is vicious swearing, too tho kind that
frequently ends in a fight and call for tha
hospital ambulance.
Even the most genial-tempered Iondonera
seem to catch the Infection of ill-humor in
the street. They may be as patient as Job
at home, but they snarl like Jackals over
a bone if somebody pushes against them
In the crowd at the railway station. "It
Londoners had to crowd together as people
do in New York," said an English visitor
not long ago, "they would probably begin
to naussacTtt one another." ,
DOUGLAS KENNEDY.