New-York tribune. [volume], June 30, 1901, Image 29

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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Mtm -|lo£f{ .git ibim*.
m;aij\:<; in fiiikwukks.
-\" CHKAT RISK IN THAT r.I'SINKSS NOW
ADAYS— T. E PRECAUTIONS TAKEN.
"Firecracker Lane." as some people have
I Park Place between Broadway and
Church me >f the most populous thor-
Carai in lower New-York. Sim c the explo
sion In a fireworks establishment j,, Pat. rson
;.eopl,. whose business takes them through
' • :>«id others who go that way to and
from the elevated railway Station have gone
l>y other streets, or if they went their usual way
have walked more
rapidly and were not
ashamed to say t'.lut
they feared they
might be there when
a similar accident
took place in one of
the four establish
1111 nts from which the
block takes its nick
name. There are two
f: reworks stores o n
each side of the street,
and at this time of
>•;'!. when people all
over the country are
making arrangements
to — Wily the coming
:r.a:i and his father
with material for cel
ebrating the Fourth
of July. these stores
are usually filled with
merchandise, and the
sidewalks in front of
them are often blocked
with cases and boxes.
The fireworks estab
lishments are as likely
to take fire as any
other stores in the
neighlKjrhood, but the
proprietors laugh at
the idea of avoiding
them for fear of an
explosion.
"Fireworks are not
made now as they
were years ago," one
dealer said, "and for that reason there Is
little danger. They are manufactured to
day on scientific principles which preclude
spontaneous combustion. Formerly, sulphur
entered largely into the manufacture of the
goods, and then there was danger, not only in
making, but in storing the stock. The sulphur
that is used now has been made harmless by tht
elimination of i .ids. A fire in a fireworks store
when once started will make good headway in
short order, but there will be no great explosion,
no blowing down of walls, nor wiping out of
buildings, unless, besides fireworks, the people
have powder or dynamite in the place. The fire
would set the p hj4> off. there would be lots of
sizzling and si>u«fc.ihig and volumes of emoke
and sparks, but <fl this would take place only
after the flames ha* reached the fireworks them
selves. If the stock can be 'wet down' in time
th.i.- will be no fire, and that is more than you
can say of a stock of furniture, or lots of other
goods looked upon by the public as harmless,
innocent stuff in comparison with fireworks.
There are certain kinds of torpedoes, which are
not generally carried in stock by the large con
cerns, that are dangerous because they will
ignite from concussion. Hut the rockets, candles,
crackers, wheels and all the other popular orna
mental fireworks require a live llame to set
them off."
It was explained by —other concern that the
insurance companies do not take a dismal view
of "Firecracker Lane" as a risk. They write
policies on the combustible stocks at from 1 1 /-.
to 3 per cent, according to the lime of the year;
but they insist on the concerns taking certain
precautionary measures.
"We do nothing." said one dealer, "beyond be
ing exceedingly careful. We alii no smoking
on the premises, keep a fireman at the door who
is a member of the department, but paid by us.
whose business it is *—i that the smoking reg
ulation is not ov~-*~P+*i and that nothing of a
......... character is brought into the place."
It .-.,- suggested that somebody might come in
and while looking at the merchandise, take a
match out of his pocket and light some " : the
samples display.-d on the long counter. "That
would do no harm." said the fireworks mer
chant, "because the samples on the * Vr
from which we sell are all dummies, and the
stock proper is kept far away from the reach
of any crank customer who might come in for
the nurpose of doing damage. To illustrate the
theory that fireworks will not burn until a flame
reaches them, we h-ve the experience of a cus
tomer in .Savannah. He kept a large general
More in KtlCk he had a case of fireworks from
our house on the night I hen * fire broke out in
bis establishment. The case stood in the back
part of tne store, and was thoroughly drenched
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
SUNDAY. JUNE :!<>. 1!M>1.
by water. The fire destroyed nearly everything
on the ground rloor of the large establishment
except the Ire works, and nobody knew that
there were ;I ny such in the place until the water
soaked case was spelled OU the rubbish heap.
\\ c feel perfectly safe, and deem our business
BOt an extra hazardous one. because we cany no
explosiws."
Ovri /'i Im\ g OF I 111 ! \ //.' 1/ \ED
oosmxuju. BHtPTixa roan trade to trade
RESULTS IX Tin-: i:\KMN.; OF A PITTANCE.
In iking out a subsistence the wits of un
trained workers among the poor are often tested
to their utmost, and. while the trades at their
command art seldom more than a trick of the
hand, when all is said and done, he or she who
aims to become "a steady worker" often finds
it necessary to become familiar with from four
to six available avocations, in order to keep
busy during the year. Activity in such light
trades as flower or feather manufacture, the
making oMaces, of fringes, of fancy braids, but
tons, ties or hats, the sewing of turs. etc., sel
dom lasts longer than from live weeks to two
months. At the end of such a period another
shift must be made and a new occupation found.
In passing among the tenements of the East
and West sides one finds the fur sewers of
July and August reappearing in October and
November as the makers of Christmas novelties
and toys: in December and January, as the straw
hat "hands, 11 and again in March and April
engaged in the manufacture of ties, or as pasters
and ivcrers of baseballs.
The aristocrats among such workers are those
who succeed in becoming salesmen or sales
women in the sin til shops, and those who have
regular trades, such as that of the . barber or
baker, with the attendant chances of "steady
work ihe year round." The lot of weavers and
makers ol underwear and of outer garments is
also regarded as enviable, since when at all
proficient they may usually count upon from
seven to nine months' work during the year,
i. c., about three and half months' employment
on summer clothing and from three to five
months on winter goods. The rush on the latter
begins lat" In July or early in August, and con
tinues until November, when a slack time en
sues that lasts from four to ten weeks, accord
ing to the advanced or belated condition of the
season.
The wages paid for the less difficult of these
passing occupations are very small, the earn
ings of expert workers seldom amounting to
more than Si a day, unless there be added the
pittance obtained oy extra night work. There
THE II IV POND.
PINEAPPLE Bl Ml ES.
is, therefore, no .serious interest In the work
upon which they are engaged. All tt.at remains
for the untrained worker is a blind drifting from
one vocation to another until such odds and
• •nils of general knowledge have been acquired
as shall insure a few weeks' occupation now and
then in each trade with whnh he has become
familiar. Those engaged in making notions or
novelties an- in worse condition than the work
ers in furs, since time each season must be
spent in learning the knack of manufacturing
articles for which there is but a momentary
market.
SIM Hi. Mr, KEl'l'EL'S I.OSC SERVICE,
From The London Chronicle,
it seems extraordinary thai a man whose
youthful and hereditary passion for the sea
might have been stirred by reading contempo
rary accounts of the famous action between the
Shannon and the Chesapeake is still among US.
Yet it was only a few years after that when Sir
Henry Keppel lust set his foot on the deck of
one of his majesty's ships, When George IV
was still King young Keppel was a lieutenant,
and he became a commander before Queen Vic
toria had left the schoolroom. He did not retire
from the active list until be was seventy, and
yet that event took place twenty-two years ago,
which is quite «l lifetime in the history of ¦
modern navy.
TIIK BOTANICAL GARDEN.
SOME OF THE INTERESTING PLANTS TO
BE SEEN .THERE— THE TROPICAL COL
LECTION IN Till-'. CONSERVATORY.
The New-York Botanical Garden has enjoyed
popularity ever since the grounds were opened
to the public, but the number of visitors has
never been so large as in the last few weeks.
Among the visitors are man/ men and women
who go there to study, bat there are thousands
also who are attracted by the beautiful collec
tion in the great conservatory, by the interest-
ing exhibits at the
museum and by the
rustic beauty of. those
parts of the gardens
which are beautiful
by nature and have
been allowed to re
main as they came
from Nature's work
shop.
The facilities for
reaching the place are
tar better than i:. ..
were in the early
days of the garden-:,
and the Increased at
tendance is largely
due to this cause.
The direct route t*>
the garden is by the
Harlem Railroad to
Bronx Park, the sta
tion formerly known
as Bedford Park, i
walk of five minutes
from the museum an>l
the conservatory. An
other way to the gar
den is by trolley 1: •¦•¦>
Harlem Bridge, on "I »
Williamsbridge lit: \
which lands one ..:
the same place as ' ..•
the Harlem li-ad. c*
by trolley from Har
lem Bridge to \\\: .
Farms, and thence : ..
the Mount Vern .
line to the park.
fourth route Is by the Third-aye. elevale.t >
Tremont and thence by trolley, or by the Sixi :
aye. elevated to < in-'-huinir. -d-and-itft.v -tit "t h
and thence by Jerome-aye. line t.» One-hundr< ;
and-seventy-seventh-st to Tremont-ave. li .
Unless the weather makes walking unpleasant
one should go from the station by the drivewaj
i" the herbaceous grounds. This is an undu
lating plot of ground about nine .ur>-s in area,
¦unrounded by trees, in which three thousand
different plants are arranged in families. Thei ¦
is evidence on all sides ol the work ••! ¦
gardener, but the natural attractions have bei :¦
allowed to remain, and the trees and r... ks .i;;:
I is add beauts 'o the picture. Here one mt>
see many specimens of the lily family. Includ
ing the onion and Spanish bayonet; the butt. ¦:
«up family, of which the peonies, larkspui
columbines and meadow rue are members; •!.
pea family. Including beans, lupins, clovei
vetches; th.- buckwheat family, tvhicb Is i
interesting because of the two giant specimens
of knotv.e..i from k.im Asia In bloom. Thei
are also many varieties of the mint fam
ily. The little pond near one end of the groun a
la covered with water lilies of many col is. and
th'M-. with carnations near by, form one of th«
brightest spots on the grounds.
From the herb%c_H>ua .mounds it Is only i
short walk ;¦• the shrub collection, which ("overs
about fifteen acres. The shrubs are arrang •
In families, of which there are about titty. The
museum, with ita great economic collections
showing th. products derived from the vegeta
ble world, 'uncs next on the visitor's tour <t
inspection. This is ;-s interesting to the small
boy or to the man who wants to kill an hour
as it is to the scientist, and the lofty halls where
the varic us products are exhibited in well ar
ranged cases are always favorite resting place*
for visitors to the garden.
But the main feature of the garden and th
one which appeals to all who visit the place i.
the great conservatory, which when compl led
will be th • largest In this country. Workmen
are now engaged in blasting awaj the rock
which masks the building. When this is done
the large conservatoiy, with its central dome
and two wings, will be seen from the roadway
on a terrace five feet high. Ever since the
doors were opened the greater part of this
building has been occupied, but In its new ar
rangement the conservatory is greatly improved.
it contains now many of th-- specimens which
were brought recently from the Royal Gardens
at Kew by the bead gardener, George v. Nash,
and also many specimens which were recently
acquired by exchange with the National Con
servatory at Washington. In the palm bouse
there are some One specimens of sagu palms,
and in the same building there is a giant c.-n
tury plant from Mexico, the leaves of which
aie Culls six. lei.t lona> The plant i— tmhlci a