SIGHT-SEEING IN NEW YORK
"Well, as long as we can't visit the Stock Exchange, we may as well stop
at Wall Street and see the Subtreasury and Old Custom House."
Mr. Parke's suggestion met with approval, so they all followed him up
the wide street known as Broad, passing the curb brokers, as they stood
screaming and gesturing at each other.
"Oh, don't go so close to that street fight, uncle!" called Anne Davis,
tugging at Mr. Parke's sleeve.
"What's the matter there, father? Is some one killed?" worried George,
watching the mob anxiously.
"No, they are merely shouting out prices, or dealing in stocks. These
are called curb brokers, because they have no 'seats' in the Exchange
and cannot deal in there," said Mr. Parke.
"Do any of you children know why Wall Street has its name?" asked Mrs.
Davis.
"I suppose because it does a wall of money business every day," ventured
Jack, trying to be wise.
"No, it was Wall Street long before any stock market was founded in New
York. It had a high, long wall crossing here from the East River to West
Street, and back of this wall stood an old Dutch Colonial house, with
fine orchards about it. So solid was this wall that the conflicting
armies of the British and American sides found it very convenient for a
refuge and protection. Then, too, when some old Dutchman or alien of New
Amsterdam--for it was so called by the discoverer of the island, Hendrik
Hudson, in 1609--wanted to designate a certain district of the town, he
would say 'in front of the wall', or 'so-and-so distant from the wall,'
until it began to be known as 'The Wall.' Then the lane that ran in
front of it was becoming quite a thoroughfare, as so many people had to
go about the area of land enclosed by the wall, that it gradually became
known as 'Wall Street.'"
This information was very interesting to the children, and Mrs. Parke
said: "Tell them about the purchase of this island."
"The land on which New York stands to-day was secured from the Indians
for $24.00 worth of beads and trinkets in 1626, although the island was
found by Hudson in 1609 on his voyage of discovery along the bay and up
the Hudson River.
"In 1664 the English took it from the Dutch and changed the name to New
York after the English nobleman. When Howe took it from Washington's
army, his men were so reckless in their merry-making that fire broke out
in a tavern down here and soon the wooden houses, with their
dried-shingle roofs, were blazing. In that fire more than a thousand
buildings were destroyed, and the fine old mansions of lower New York,
then the fashionable section of Dutch and English wealth, were razed to
the ground. The few places escaping the conflagration were those below
this fire-line, or the homes better protected by owners, who kept a
bucket-brigade at work to thoroughly soak the outside of the buildings."
"Now that we have seen the sights on Wall Street, what else can we see
downtown?" asked Jack.
"Well, we can visit the old church here at the head of Wall Street, and
then we can also visit the graveyard of the old church standing on the
corner of Fulton and Broadway. Here we will find old flat stones marking
graves made before the days of the Revolution; and some of the famous
men we read about are buried in this busy section of lower New York.
That will fill in our time until we start back uptown to the hotel,"
said Mr. Parke.
So the children wandered about the grass-covered burial spot, where
centuries ago funerals of great men were held, and now old stones still
showed the spots where they had been laid to rest.
So completely worn out were they from that well-filled day of
sight-seeing, that all were ready for bed soon after dinner that
evening. When Mr. Davis came in from a late business conference, no one
felt like talking of the day's exploits.
Mr. Parke was to attend to his business the following day, and Mr. Davis
offered to act as official guide to the party. John was sent uptown to
his great-aunt in a taxicab and told to be sure and be on hand by ten
the next day.
"What shall we visit to-day?" asked Mr. Davis, when all the travellers
had gathered about the breakfast table in the morning.
"You know best--we want to see the forts and the places where they show
things left by Washington," said George.
"I have been thinking that we may as well keep right on visiting from
downtown up, taking in important points of interest on the way,"
suggested Mrs. Parke.
"We can. Then we ought to go down to City Hall Park and take in the
sights from there on," replied Mrs. Davis.
The moment John arrived--which was fifteen minutes before the time
set--they started out on their second day's trip.
At Old City Hall, with its park of ten acres, they saw the county court
house, the Old Post Office and the famous Woolworth building, said to be
the tallest in the world. Finding they could visit the tower, they all
went up in an elevator and had a bird's-eye view of the great city, with
its great ribbons of river winding along on two sides of it, forming the
island of Manhattan, where East and North rivers met.
They saw the buildings where the New York _World_, _The Tribune_, _The
Sun_, _The Mail_, and other papers were printed, and Mr. Davis secured
permission for them to visit the plant in the Tribune building, so the
children could watch the interesting process of turning out a daily
newspaper.
After this, they went to the Hudson Tubes Terminal building and had
luncheon at the restaurant before walking down the incline of Fulton
entrance to the concourse underground. The very fact that so much
business went on continually underground, while other business continued
above on the streets, filled the children with amazement.
They saw the trains of the New York terminal come in and go out again,
and were told how the tubes under the Hudson River had been built and
were now conducted.
As a crowded train left the platform, Jack sighed: "The same old thing
as in the subway. Not half enough seats for the crowds of people that
travel. When we run _our_ line we will see that every one who pays full
price has a seat, or they won't have to pay but half fare."
"Your plan is most sensible, but no monopoly will ever consent to lose
half a nickel that way while it can get full fare out of the travelling
public that must reach certain destinations in a given time," replied
Mr. Davis.
From the Hudson Tubes the visitors followed their guide crosstown again,
and after walking a few blocks they again crossed City Hall Park. Here
they entered the large Municipal building that stands near the entrance
to Brooklyn Bridge.
"I think it would be a treat to take you over the bridge on a trolley
car. As we cross I can explain all about the great cables that suspend
this tremendous structure."
The children eagerly consenting, they were soon seated in a Flatbush
trolley, Mr. Davis explaining during the ride the many interesting facts
of the old Brooklyn Bridge structure.
In Brooklyn, Mr. Davis showed them in passing, the City Hall, and as
they passed down the streets so similar to the busy thoroughfares of New
York, Anne said:
"I don't see why they changed the name of these two towns; they are
just alike and ought to be called by the same name."
"They tried that some years ago," replied Mrs. Parke. "This is all known
now as Greater New York, but we are now on the Brooklyn section of it,
while on the other side of the river it is known as Manhattan. Then
there is the Bronx section, and the Washington Heights or Van Courtlandt
sections."
On the way through Flatbush the children saw a number of genuine old
houses, still standing since the time of the occupation of Long Island
by the British.
"It is no wonder the American army was overpowered here by General
Howe," remarked Mrs. Davis. "The British had more than 30,000 men in its
army and navy--all well-trained soldiers, with plenty of food, clothing,
and camp equipment to keep them in good trim. Poor Washington had only a
scattered force of less than 11,000 men, with scant rations, ragged
clothes, no beds or tents for half of them, and constantly having to go
from one spot to the other to defend that point."
"Yes, and when we remember how badgered the Americans were, by not being
sure where the English would strike first--landing on Staten Island as
they did, and swarming in their fleet of battleships, transports,
sloops-of-war and floating batteries of guns up the East River, along
the Hudson and about the bay so that it would have taken a dozen armies
to keep watch of their many maneuvers," added Mrs. Parke.
"Then when Howe so arranged his army that one regiment threatened from
one side, another from another side, and the main army from the rear,
what were the Americans to do but fight or give up?" said Mr. Davis,
while the children listened eagerly to this history, which was very real
when on the ground of the scenes.
"Had it not been for that master-stroke of Washington's, when he had but
one tiny hope left to save his men--retreat and move over the East
River during the heavy fog, what might have been the final result of
that war? When we think of the way he handled that great army of sick,
hungry, weary and wounded men, discouraged and broken-spirited as each
one was, and inspired them with enough will-power and patriotism to
brace up and start in absolute silence and under cover of the fog, to
cross the deep and dangerous current of the river on flat-bottomed
boats, we, at this late day, but faintly feel the great praise due him;
and to think that not one man was lost or injured in that transport
work!"
"It must have been a terrible blow to Howe, when he discovered his birds
all flown in the morning and no one knew how or when!" Jack chuckled in
hearty enjoyment.
"I wish I had been there to laugh in his face!" declared George.
"Huh! You wouldn't have laughed long or very loud--he would have clapped
you in irons and thrown you into one of those wet, filthy, dark holes
he used for the American prisoners!" said John.
"Well, even if I wasn't at the battle scene of Long Island, I would have
loved to stand in front of the Old City Hall on Wall Street on that
Fourth of July, 1776, and listen to Washington read from the balcony the
Declaration of Independence to his army. How that must have cheered them
up and made them willing to fight all England!" said George, with
emphasis.
Mr. Davis hired an automobile when the party reached the end of the
Flatbush ride, and took the children to Gowan's Cove, to Wallabout
Market, which used to be called "Walla Bouche" by the Walloons, who
settled this section of Brooklyn. They also passed the Gowanus Canal of
historic fame, and many other places, stopping at Fort Hamilton to be
able to see Governor's Island at close range, as no visitors were
admitted on the Island since the declaration of war on Germany.
On the way back from Fort Hamilton, the sight-seeing party visited the
Throgg's Neck, Red Hook, and other districts where battles had occurred;
but so modernized were these spots, that no one would have dreamed that
any disastrous battle had ever taken place there.
The next day, both gentlemen being free to escort the party about the
city, they started at nine o'clock to get in a full day. John was on
hand right on the minute, and they started out by visiting Central Park
first. The great Egyptian obelisk, brought across seas from Alexandria
in 1880, was studied, but no one could decipher the strange symbols
carved on its surface.
"It is called 'Cleopatra's Needle,' and is said to be the finest
specimen of old Egyptian monuments in existence," said Mr. Parke,
focussing a camera to take a picture of it.
Then they visited the Museum of Art, where treasures of all kinds are to
be found: paintings, statuary, collections of stones, jewels, antiques
of all kinds, and a famous collection of tapestries.
The zoo proved to be a diversion from the other sights, and could the
children have remained long enough, it is quite certain that the monkeys
would have been made ill by all the peanuts fed them.
From the museum and zoo, the children were taken to the Museum of
Natural History, on the Park Annex grounds, located on 77th Street and
Central Park West. Here, too, they found interesting things: all sorts
of stuffed birds, animals and American relics. Of all the animals, the
dinosaur interested them the most, for its great size and queer snout.
"Now we'll cross to Riverside Park and visit the Sailors' Monument,
which is considered one of the finest erected to our marines," said Mr.
Davis.
"And when we finish that, we will get on a bus and ride up to Grant's
Tomb and let the kiddies see the great monument raised by a grateful
people to the general of the Civil War," added Mr. Parke.
"We haven't seen Washington's Arch down at Washington Square yet,"
reminded George, fearful of missing something.
"I know, but I thought it would be fine to get on a Fifth Avenue bus
when we finish Columbia University on the Heights, and complete our
college tour with the City College on 137th Street and Amsterdam Avenue,
and ride all the way downtown along Riverside Park to 72nd Street,
thence to Fifth Avenue. Down that famous avenue we can see many
interesting buildings and sights, and at last we will jump off at
Washington Square," promised Mr. Parke.
So the time flew rapidly by while the different places were visited, and
finally the tired group almost rolled from the bus when it reached
Washington Square. Here they took but half interest in the great arch
erected to the memory of Washington, and all were thankful enough to get
on another bus to ride uptown to the hotel.
"Oh, I'm glad we haven't all Europe to see like this!" sighed Martha,
throwing herself on a couch the moment they entered the parlor of the
suite.
"Poor John! I think I will telephone his mother and ask her to allow him
to remain with us for to-night," said Mrs. Parke, when she saw the
drooping eyelids of the weary boy.
"Oh do, please, and then I won't have to get up so awfully early in the
morning. Why, Great-aunt Belinda makes every one in her household rise
at six o'clock, and we breakfast at seven," said John, revealing the
cause of his prompt arrival each morning at the hotel.
John was given permission to remain that night, and Mrs. Graham added
that she would be down herself at nine in the morning to accompany her
friends to Washington's Headquarters, where they proposed to visit the
next day.