Book 9 bought in New York, Nov’r 4/98, 25 c. (Continued from page 50, No. 8).

Strange as it may seem, I could not find a manifold writer similar to what I’ve previously used & in many stationers’ stores they assured me I would not get even this style, & you’ll note, I’ve to use pencil, agate useless, as the tissue is too thick to penetrate.

Well, to the diary, page 50. I enquired daily for letters at Boston, however, Albion explained that the fire coming in the way upset everybody & he did not get written. After leaving Cook’s, 261 Broadway, I took car passing for 26, Gust Heye’s office, which is in a monster pile & a very magnificent building. He manages the Standard Oil Coy’s business here, hence the Andorinha being associated with him. She was to load their oil for Shanghai. When at the ship the previous night, in addition to leaving a letter for Albi, arranging how to meet me, I left a message for Capt. Morgan to say I would meet him at Heye’s at 10:30. I learned it was his custom to be there about that hour daily & as he was going to pay off all the men on Wednesday morning, he was certain to be there. So I met him & we were mutually pleased. He asked had I seen Albi, as he had gone to the hotel soon after 9 from the ship, but it’s a long way & I had left the hotel about 9 o’clock, [9:2] & on my note to Albi I said 1 o’clock, & Capt. Morgan, who had evidently read the note, told him it was one, but Albi thought it was 10, however, Capt. Morgan said if he would come to the Consul General’s office at 11, he would be sure to find me, as I would go with him from Heye’s there, & so I did, but Albi didn’t turn up & had staid [sic] at the hotel, & there I found him at 10 to 1. I saw Storrow at the pay office & the other Welsh youths whom I had seen when at Calcutta. They were getting paid off also, & all going home in the “Etruria” on Saturday. All hands that lived forward & in the midship house, Storrows, Brocketts, Carpenter, lost all they possessed by the fire, & strange to say, it did not reach the apprentices’ house nor the cabin, but during the fire the cabin was plundered of every thing moveable. Well, more about the fire by & bye [sic]. About 12 o’clock, I told Capt. Morgan I should have to leave him & go to hotel where I was certain Albi would be, & as it is nearly an hour’s journey by car – so much congested traffic. I saw today 20 cars all on one line standing crowded with people, & the cars as close up to each other as tho’ they were coupled, this just near the post office on Broadway & all along Broadway, the street between [9:3] the kirb [sic] & nearest track is up. They are adding to the pipes & this causes congestion, & carters don’t heed cars, but aggravatingly keep ahead & on the track till it’s their pleasure to side off, & I must say, it’s difficult to side off, as they can only keep their own side, & with the street up they can’t always get an opening. In some streets there are 4 tracks & on either side the elevated railway above the foot paths, so you see continuously & in one view, 4 cars moving too & fro, & a train fully equipped over head on each track. You see I’m off the bit again, it takes some getting at. I met my dear Albi at last. I saw him before he picked me up. He was sitting in the hall looking at the throng going on, but when he got his eye on me, & I had my knicker suit[1] on with gaiters[2], he up at once & we were very delighted to meet. I took him upstairs, & we had a wash & chat, then had dinner & both went over to Brooklyn to see the Andorinha. It’s a long way to the ship’s position. She lays at Merchants’ Stores, foot of Vandyke St. & in anything but a nice locality. We saw Sutton & Mr. Pye, the 2nd officer, & Capt. Morgan was on board, so I made into the cabin, & we had a chat & view over the charred remains of what was once a magnificient [sic] ship, & as the New York papers had said, when [9:4] recording the fire, that she was the finest ship that had ever entered the harbour of New York. To describe the condition she is in is utterly impossible, & I shall best convey the sight I got when describing it to you at home.

Albion & I came away. I got him to gather up some underwear & linens, & I got them laundried & home to night (Friday). He was run down to what he stood in, I suppose expecting we would be going straight home. Short we saw, tho’ only by chance, as he was going across to Bristol in a “tramp”, & was to have sailed that day at night, however, something had come in the way & he had come down to Andorinha for a walk. Smart too, who is night watchman, wasn’t on board. Sutton is day watchman. I shall see Smart sure before we or they get away. On our return we had a rest, wash, & tea, & after had a walk up 42nd Street. The hotel is in this street & just opposite Grand Central Depot[3] (station) where I arrived: Grand Union Hotel, a monster building & a great number of rooms, ours are 321 & 322, & on the 2nd floor. We saw in Broadway the new & magnificient [sic] New York Herald offices with the printing machines in great numbers down in the basement, & scores of people looking down over the railings seeing the men preparing for [9:5] printing the morning papers. The building is a magnificient [sic] structure, its dimensions enormous, & occupies an open site, entrances all around & the public are admitted & invited to move where they will, as are all the news paper offices here. We viewed the street traffic with its cable, electric, horse & elevated railways, Hansoms,[4] motor cabs, & every imaginable veichle [sic] you know of, then we returned to hotel, where we again read letters & opened out one bundle of papers, & after satisfying our selves we each retired to a well earned rest & we got it.

On Thursday morning, Nov. 3rd, we got up at 8. Albi took some knocking – same old boy – however, I was successful. We breakfasted.[5] It was a very fine morning & we were ready to move about at 9:30. I was anxious now to see about my 4 packages which were checked on under bond from Vancouver, so our first call was the White Star baggage department, No. 45 pier, & I was surprised to find all had gone on to Liverpool in the “Teutonic” on Sep. 28th. Well, well, here was a fine how-do-you-do, as the Ingleby Station master would have said, just looking forward [9:6] to fresh rig all round on homeward passage, tho’ I’m glad to say I have & has [sic] had abundance with me. In point of fact, I could almost have come round the world with what I have, only to have bought here & there as required, but there are lots of good & nice things I’ve never yet had on, & I could have sported them. However, I shall arrange to do without. I could buy here but I shall not be under that necessity. Willie said in his letter, received at Cook’s here, that the White Star people had written about 4 packages unclaimed, but it did not strike me that it was Liverpool who wrote. I thought from here they had written, & had his letter in my pocket for reference had they referred to it. They explained that being under bond, the Customs here would not let baggage remain over & they had thought it best to send it on in the steamer which it was addressed for. Of course it was addressed for “Teutonic”, 28th Sept. & probably, but for the incident of Albion coming to N. York, I might have hastened my visit & got that steamer. CP Ry. at Winnipeg undertook to tell the Coy. to hold my baggage at Montreal all going via their line to Montreal, & then on to N. York. So at Montreal they said it had gone right on to New York on 15th Septr. [9:7] I was now very anxious to be absolutely assured it had gone on to Liverpool, & after being satisfied that it had gone, they shewed me my “check numbers” which corresponded with the original I hold & let them see, & felt some relief that so far as these 4 packages were concerned, I would be free from anxiety this side of the “pond”. Nothing has been an anxiety to speak of but baggage, & it’s “common experience”. You’ve to look after it yourself or it will not look after itself, nor will any other person for you.

Where these steamers berth is a very busy center. You’ve no idea what it is like & every body concerned with their own affairs. Hundreds of waggoners going too & fro. It is a fair pandemonium. I saw the SS “Namodic” [sic],[6] one of the White Star freight steamers, loading at their wharf & the great “Cymric” is due in late tonight (Friday) & sails next Wednesday, but she is a cattle steamer as well as passenger & a 9 day boat, Harland & Wolfe, Belfast, built her last year. We will go down to 38 pier & see her before she sails. We next made our way to the aquarium. Albi had previously been doing the city. He ceased work the day succeeding his freedom. I did enjoy the sights in the aquarium, much that is novel is to be seen here & the wonders of the deep far exceeding [9:8] my imagination or any person like me. Oh, the wonder & the beauty, some fish, “Angel”, “Moon Lady”, & such like (swimming in large wells with glass fronts & lighted from above) exhibit colours – the “Parrot” too – I never before saw in any other breathing animal or bird. Then the monsters of the deep are there also. Some of these in great open circular ponds. I feel grieved I can’t justly describe these living pictures. Of course, all are more or less ugly about the heads, but the bodies of those I’ve named, & each tank has descriptive boards attached to them, are marvellous to look upon & to see each in their natural state lends such a charm of interest. I felt as tho’ I could dwell days looking at them. The sight occupied by this beautiful aquarium is the one which Castle Garden[7] stood on & the emigrants all landed there from England & Europe, & many the sad tale that’s been told by poor emigrants being both shamefully used, robbed, & mauled here by “sharks” on the look out for the “green stuff”, so you will note the site is close to the water. Great numbers of visitors were viewing the sights, aye, & some queer looking characters too. It’s free to all & doubtless many make their “living” at the aquarium. After seeing all, we next made our way to the Produce Exchange building, not 3 minutes from the aquarium, & took the elevator to the 3rd floor, on which is 360, with the intention of visiting Mr. Geo. Wooley, who represents Furness, Withy & Co. here. A fine suit[e] of offices they have, & a large [9:9] staff they have. I enquired if Mr. Wooley was in, but he had just gone out, however, within 2 minutes, & as I was delivering a message, who should slap my shoulder, but Mr. Wooley, & very delighted he was, & made me very welcome. He had been expecting me calling some time since. I told you I had written him asking for information, if any, about the Andorinha, & that was early September. I had a reply, & besides Mr. Hugill, at Montreal, told me Mr. Booth & Mr. Wooley were expected at Montreal in a few days, & they had been, & returned, so Mr. Wooley knew I was about. He would have us to go & lunch with him, & so we did, after which we returned to the office, & he got permission to take us up on to the roof, & there we had the most glorious view of New York & its fine harbours that’s possible. It’s a great high building, 240 feet to roof, & it was just 2 o’clock. It happened too that it was his first mounting this building, or any other, so it was novel for he also, but as he truly says, he & all who are so engaged in N. York, really see & know little of the city beyond a very small sphere in which they daily move. We looked down on the city thronged in the traffic & on the waters surrounding the island on which N. York proper stands (Manhattan Island). The craft below were specks. The “Andorinha” away in the distance with her rigging hanging in tatters, railway ferry steamers with a train of freight cars on board, ferrys [sic] with people & conveyances on board, Brooklyn Bridge closely, Statute [sic] of Liberty just a bit off, Governor’s Island close in, Brooklyn over the water to East & Hoboken & Jersey on the North side.

[9:10]

The day was very clear & suitable for such a fine view. From such heights, in cities like N. York, the area of dimensions it occupies can only be grasped. We went down to his office again. There I saw a good portrait framed of Sir Christopher,[8] a photo of the Hartlepool new graving dock, F.W. & Co. & another of the ship yard with the SS Victoria in course of construction, both photos by Braybrook, the same I saw in their Montreal office. I saw the Victoria launched. I had Charlie that afternoon at Hartlepool, & young Vick, who went over on the car same afternoon, informed me the launch was to take place, the then largest vessel the firm had built. I afterwards, & only a few weeks before I left home, saw through her, when all but completed for sea. Mr. Wooley is anxious I should call & see his mother after I arrive home, & this I shall be pleased to do. He had many enquiries to make & has much news that was interesting to me. He was pleased I had met young Vick & told me he had enjoyed the while he was in N. York. Another little incident I must record: on entering the exchange building, & while in the elevator ascending, I was surprised on hearing Albion & a young man conversing. There were several people going up in the same car (4 cars always going) & who should it be but an old school class mate of Albi‘s, Bertie Berner, & he was as surprised as we were to meet. He is only 19, a man in appearance, earning his living, has a good salary, been out here 5 years, served with F.W. & Co. in same [9:11] building, but now with another firm, & on the same floor as F.W. & Co. We had a few minutes’ conversation & parted. Mr. Wooley took us on to the gallery of the N. York Produce Exchange, & saw the excitement going on below on the floor where hundreds were in the swing of business & the “Grain Pit” of New York in excitement. What a hub-bub going on. One would fancy they were all fighting, the gesticulations giving one that impression. He pointed out several celebrities well known in the grain world. Also pointed out Knott, the great ship owner of Newcastle’s representative, Mr. John C. Seager, & Mr. Spence of Simpson, Spence, & Young of Newcastle.[9]

Then we went into the New York Maritime Exchange in the same building. It’s an enormous size. This Maritime Exchange is like the “Baltic” in London, where the world’s shipping is done, chartering &c. &c. On a large black board for notices, I read that the Majestic had left Queenstown[10] that day at 1 p.m. Of course you are 5 hours before New York & the information would only have been received before noon. Near by here are the principal & highest buildings in N. York, all within a radius of ¼ mile or little more. Bowling Green Offices are 17 stories then the roof – all flat, & 2 substories. This is a grand piece of architecture. The White Star offices are on the first floor, steps up, & Washington building, 13 stories. This was the first high building erected in N. York, brick with stone dressing, but all large buildings are stone or granite, & insurance buildings take the lead, all magnificent structures & [9:12] enormous heights. Then the Empire buildings are a sight, 21 stories & grand architecture, as are also the American Surety buildings, 18 stories, a grand pile, but I like the New York Life Insurance Coy’s building the best of all, 8 beautiful polished marble pillars with capitals & a splendid front, & a great height. Then the highest of all is St. Paul’s building, 27 stories from the street. It occupies the site on which the old N.Y. Herald offices stood. I’m wrong about the highest, as alongside St. Paul’s is the New Syndicate Building,[11] not all occupied yet, 29 stories, 2 domes on top & 3 sub cellars. This is a marvel of builders’ work, & each is beautiful in design. Some have elaborate sculptor work enriching the fronts, some with fine balconies on every alternate, 3rd or 4th stories, & magnificent top moulding edging the flat roofs.

Looking down upon the streets, as I have already said, people & cars & waggons & all else look like specks, & it is interesting to follow the streets & elevated railways, & see the various processions of cars & waggons, here & there congested & at stand still, then moving a space & stop’d again, & so on. You get a grand bird’s eye view, & a great sight such is. The post office occupies a fine sight [sic]. It’s all front, & on what might be called the back is City Hall Park, & this building, City Hall, faces the fine open “lung” for this locality, & here a great traffic goes on. Park is bounded on E. by Park Row, or newspaper row, commonly called, on N. by Chamber St. & on S. by Mail St. It is V shaped, “Pulitzer Buildings”.

[9:13]

Well, now to finish with Mr. Wooley. We parted, as he had to go on the produce exchange, & at his request, I promised to pay him another visit very soon. Harry Owen, who will be home now, he went in the Paris to Southampton, had called on Mr. Wooley. His baggage had not turned up in time to go with him, however, Mr. Wooley saw to it & sent it forward. I told you Mr. Booth said, while at Boston, that he had just left there for N. York to embark. That same afternoon, after leaving Mr. Wooley, we made our way up to City Hall Park, noting the handsome buildings to which I’ve referred & while getting some local information from a policeman, all exceedingly civil & courteous, he suggested we should go to top of the “World” newspaper office buildings, Pulitzer Buildings[12] is the style of it, & is on South side as mentioned on bottom page (12). It has a very magnificient [sic] dome, bright metal like “Muntz” metal[13] & above the dome a grand gallery, railed, which forms a coping for the dome. To here is 375 ½ feet, elevator to 15th floor, & walk up 4 or 5 flights of iron stairs & at 4 p.m., Albi & I stood on the top, & such a view & panorama as I can’t describe. Every where was a sight that captivated the sense of vision overlooking the magnificent & world famed Brooklyn Bridge immediately below, a stone thrown would light on the bridge, & so very clear & suitable was the atmosphere, [9:14] miles could be viewed, & such a body of water all around gave the scene a very Venetian picture, the streets below, car tracks, elevated railway, the horse & pedestrian traffic, & the many & varied architectural buildings, their irregularity lending charm to the scene, & then the “Andorinha” (so conspicuously visible by her foremast being down) in the distance made me feel a regret you were not with us to view these scenes from such a point of vantage, & the delicious rare atmosphere fairly entranced my lungs. The sight alone, looking down on the beautiful & majestic work of man, Brooklyn Bridge with its teeming traffice [sic] of 2 tracks for tram cars, one for elevator cars, 2 for horse traffic, & 2 for pedestrians & cyclists, & all running as methodically as machinery, & each in their order right & left. Below, the river traffic, with its many & varied form of vessel from the little rowboat to the gigantic American 4 decker river passenger boat, & not least to the huge ferrys [sic] that take hundreds of passengers & dozens of waggons, from 1 horse to 4 horse conveyances, but it all spells “American” & it’s only my small contracted mind that’s filled with amusement. It’s nothing new or noticeable to “Uncle Sam”.

[9:15]

Now I’ve not said half enough about this sight, but one thing I resolved, & that was that I would view again from this spot & take Kodak with me, & so I did the following day & under just as favorable conditions, & I could go again & again, so fascinating is it for me. 5 cents up, each person, lots go up. Some ladies were up the 2nd visit & I thought of you. One of them dare not look down & had to retire. I felt sorry because she lost much. All the principal buildings are from here South Ferry wards & where New York commerce is carried on, & let me say, the opposite view coming over from South Ferry landing on the Brooklyn side (I’ve got a map plan) after all these huge buildings are lighted up with electricity – as I’ve said before, America for electricity – it’s a sight never to be forgotten. What a panorama. Mr. Wooley told me to be sure not to miss it, but I had seen it the evening before & remarked on the wonder with which it filled me. The “Tribune” newspaper building is near by this World Building but you look down upon it with its beautiful bronze statue of Horace Greely[14] in front.

Here a note for James. In Worth St. off Broadway is the great soft goods warehouse of Dunham Buckley & Co. Any Connection?

On our way home we took car on Bowery St. & here 4 cars run alongside each other & elevated Ry. on either side. I believe I’ve told this.

[9:16]

Some fine skilled work is to be seen on these street car rails where so many crossings are & curvings off. The numerous cars that you can see at a glance puzzles one how they manage to wriggle off & out of each other’s way, & when they do get a clear run, they go a great rate. I counted 18 all traffic bound, but I’ve since seen that that was common, very common, & especially at & near centers, such as City Hall Park, & these great newspaper offices & busy junctures. We got home and rested.

Friday morning, Nov. 4, was fine. Called to get Kodak put right. Couldn’t get the roll to work after 8th exposure, so had to take it out. Young man did it in dark room for me, I with him, saw defect, bought new spool, had it fixed & set out. Took a bus along 5th Avenue, New York’s most fashionable quarter, passed the great Vanderbuilt house out of which the D. of Marlboro‘[15] was married, & the church close to, wherein the nuptials were tied. Got driver to explain on box seat as we drove along. Some beautiful churches from Synagogue, Catholic, “Heavenly Rest”, Collegiate, Episcopal to Presbyterian, each vieing [sic] with the other for magnificience [sic] in architecture. I say the Catholics have it.

[1] A suit with shortened trousers, baggy at the knees

[2] Gaiters are garments (sometimes leather) worn over the shoe and lower trouser leg

[3] The building was opened in 1871 by Cornelius Vanderbilt.  It was never successful, however, and was demolished in 1910. The site was later used for the current Grand Central Station in 1913.

[4] A Hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage first designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom. Originally known as the Hansom Safety Cab, its purpose was to combine speed with safety, with a low center of gravity that was essential for safe cornering. Cab is a shortening of cabriolet reflecting the design of the carriage. It replaced the hackney carriage as a vehicle for hire; with the introduction of clockwork mechanical taximeters to measure fares, the name became taxicab. Hansom cabs enjoyed immense popularity as they were fast, light enough to be pulled by a single horse, (making the journey cheaper than travelling in a larger four-wheel coach) and were agile enough to steer around horse-drawn vehicles in the notorious traffic jams of nineteenth-century London.  The cab sat two passengers (three if squeezed in) and a driver who sat on a sprung seat behind the vehicle. The passengers were able to give their instructions to the driver through a trap door near the rear of the roof. The passengers were protected from the elements by the cab itself, as well as by folding wooden doors which enclosed their feet and legs, protecting their clothes from splashing mud. Additionally, a curved fender mounted forward of the doors protected passengers from the stones thrown up by the flying hooves of the horse.  The Hansom Cab quickly spread to other. The cab was introduced to the United States during the late 19th century, and was most commonly used in New York City.

[5] Deleted: “then but before I called Albi I had prepared my diary for post”. Inserted: “here I erred. My note book at my side had turned leaf of Wednesday morning & misled”.

[6] SS Nomadic: built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, 1891; scrapped 1926.

[7] In 1855, Castle Garden became America’s first immigrant receiving center, welcoming more than 8 million immigrants before it was closed on April 18, 1890. Castle Garden was succeeded by Ellis Island in 1892.  In 1896 Castle Garden became the site of the New York City Aquarium, a capacity in which it served until 1946 when plans for the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel called for its demolition. The public outcry at the loss of the popular and historic building saved it from destruction.

[8] Sir Christopher Furness began his career in his older brother’s firm. Thomas Furness and Company were wholesale provision merchants, and Christopher worked as a buyer.  In 1882 the business was split into two. Thomas kept the provision merchants, while Christopher took charge of the shipping fleet. This now traded under the name of Christopher Furness and Company. In 1884 he became a partner in the shipbuilding firm of Edward Withy and Company. He merged this with his own company in 1891, to form Furness, Withy and Company. In 1891 Christopher Furness was elected Member of Parliament for the Hartlepools.

[9] In 1880 two shipbrokers, Ernest Louis Simpson, an Englishman, and Lewis H. Spence, an American, founded the firm of Simpson and Spence and set up an office in New York. In 1882 Captain William Young was invited to join the Partnership and open an office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. From then on the firm was known as Simpson Spence & Young.

[10] Today the town is called Cobh (An Cóbh in Irish, pronounced “cove”; derived from English the cove).  It is a seaport on the south coast of Ireland, in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.  The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove (“the Cove of Cork”) in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cove (with Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State

[11] Park Row Building, also known as Ivins Syndicate Building, completed in 1899.

[12] Also known as the New York World Building, after the newspaper based there, owned by Joseph Pulitzer.

[13] A form of brass named after George Fredrick Muntz.

[14] Founder and editor of the NY Tribune.  He popularized the phrase, “Go West, young man!”

[15] Consuelo Vanderbilt was just seventeen when she married the ninth Duke of Marlborough in 1895.