Lights and Shadows of New York Life

J >> James D. McCabe >> Lights and Shadows of New York Life

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Along the Fifth avenue side of the park, near Sixty-fourth street, is a
large and peculiar-looking building, not unlike the cadet barracks at
West Point. This was formerly used by the State as an arsenal, but was
purchased by the city, in 1856, for the sum of $275,000. It has been
recently fitted up as a Museum of Natural History, and the first, second,
and third floors contain the magnificent collection of the American
Museum Association. This collection is in charge of Professor Bickmore,
and includes 12,000 birds, 1000 mammals, 3000 reptiles and fishes, and a
large number of insects and corals. It is the largest and most perfect
collection in the country. The famous collection of the Archduke
Maximilian forms the nucleus of this one.

In the top floor of the Museum building is the Meteorological Observatory
of the Central Park, under charge of Professor Daniel Draper. Here are
ingenious and interesting instruments for measuring the velocity and
direction of the wind, the fall of rain and snow, and for ascertaining
the variation of the temperature, etc. The establishment is very
complete, and a portion of it is open to visitors. The basement floors
of the building are occupied by the offices of the Central Park
authorities, and a police station.

[Picture: THE MARBLE ARCH.]

The open space surrounding the Museum edifice is taken up with buildings
and cages containing the living animals, birds, and reptiles of the
collection. They are admirably arranged, and the occupants are all fine
specimens of their species. These accommodations are only temporary, as
the Commissioners are now engaged in the construction of a Zoological
Garden, on Eighth avenue, between Seventy-seventh and Eighty-first
streets, immediately opposite the park, with which it will be connected
by means of a tunnel under the Eighth avenue.

Just north of the pond, and on the high ground above it, is a pretty
gothic structure of stone, known as _The Dairy_. It is contiguous to the
South Transverse Road, and supplies may be taken to it without using the
park thoroughfares. Pure milk and refreshments, especially such as are
suited to children, may be obtained at a moderate cost.

A short distance from the Dairy is the children's summer house, near
which is a cottage with toilette rooms, closets, etc., for the use of
ladies and children. Near by are a number of self-acting swings, and a
little to the north is the Carrousel, a circular building, containing a
number of hobby-horses, which are made to gallop around in a circle by
the turning of a crank in the centre of the machine. To the west of this
building is the base-ball ground, covering some forty or fifty acres. A
commodious brick cottage has been erected here for the accommodation of
the ball players.

The paths from the Fifty-ninth street gates converge at the Marble Arch,
which lies a little to the northeast of the Dairy. This is one of the
most beautiful and costly structures in the park, and consists entirely
of marble. Its purpose is to carry the main carriage drive over the
foot-path without interrupting the level, and at the same time to furnish
a pleasant access from the lower level of the Southwest Park to the Mall.
A broad double stairway, to the right and left, leads from the Mall to
the interior of the Arch. On either side runs a marble bench, on which,
in the summer, the visitor may sit and enjoy the delightful coolness of
the place; and opposite the upper end of the Arch, beyond the stairway,
is a niche, around which is a marble bench. In the centre is a drinking
fountain.

The Mall extends from the Marble Arch to the Terrace. It constitutes the
grand promenade of the park, and near its upper end is the handsome music
stand, from which concerts are given by the Central Park Band, on
Saturday afternoons during the mild season. The Mall is about 1200 feet
long by 200 feet wide. In the centre is a promenade, thirty-five feet
wide. The remainder is laid out in lawns, and is shaded by four rows of
American elms. The Mall terminates on the north in a spacious square or
plaza, which is ornamented with two pretty revolving fountains, and a
number of bird cages mounted on pedestals. In the spring and summer,
numerous vases of flowers are placed here. On concert days, the upper
part of the Mall is covered with rustic seats shaded by canvass awnings,
where the visitor may sit and listen to the music. At such times, a
large programme of the performance is posted on a movable frame placed
opposite the music stand. These concerts are very good, and draw large
audiences.

To the west of the Mall is a beautiful lawn, called the Green, covering
fifteen acres, and terminated on the northwest by a hill, on the summit
of which is placed a gaudy building in which artificial mineral waters
are sold.

Along the northeastern side of the Mall, and elevated about twenty feet
above it, is a rustic bower of iron trellis work, over which are trained
wisterias, honeysuckle, and rose vines. This is the Vine-covered Walk,
and from it visitors may overlook the Terrace, Lake, Ramble, and Mall.

Adjoining it on the east is an open square, in which carriages only are
allowed. Across this square is the Casino, a handsome brick cottage,
used as a ladies' restaurant. The fare here is good, and the prices are
moderate. The establishment is conducted by private parties under the
supervision of the Commissioners.

In the grounds in the rear of the Casino, is a fine group of figures in
sandstone, called "Auld Lang Syne," the work of Robert Thomson, the
self-taught sculptor, and a little to the southeast of this is a bronze
statue of Professor Morse, erected by the Telegraph Operators'
Association, and executed by Byron M. Pickett.

[Picture: VINE-COVERED WALK, OVERLOOKING THE MALL.]

At the northern end of the Mall is the Terrace, and between the two is a
magnificent screen work of Albert freestone, in which are two openings
whereby persons can leave their carriages and enter the Mall, or from it
can cross the drive and reach the stairs leading to the Lower Terrace. A
flight of massive stairs leads directly from the Mall to the arcade or
hall under the drive, through which the visitor may pass to the Lower
Terrace, which is on the same level. This hall is paved, and the walls
and ceiling are inlaid with beautiful designs in encaustic tiles. It is
now used as a refreshment room. The Terrace is constructed almost
entirely of Albert freestone, and is very massive and beautiful in
design. It is elaborately and exquisitely carved with appropriate
figures and emblems, some of which are very quaint. Our engraving will
give the reader a fair idea of its appearance from the water. In the
summer, the slope adjoining the Terrace is studded with flowers, which
give to the scene a very brilliant effect.

In the centre of the Lower Terrace is a large basin from the midst of
which rises a fine jet of water. This fountain is to be ornamented with
magnificent bronze castings, now on their way from Munich, where they
were made.

The Central Lake washes the northern end of the Lower Terrace, and
stretches away from it to the east and west. It is without doubt the
most beautiful feature of the park. It covers between twenty and thirty
acres, and is as pretty a sheet of water as can be found in the country.
Upon its upper side are the wooded heights of the Ramble, which in some
places slope down gently to the water's edge, and in others jut out into
the lake in bold, rocky headlands. The magnificent Terrace, with its
fountain and flowers, and carvings, adorns the southeastern portion. To
the west of the Terrace the lake narrows very greatly, and is spanned by
a light iron structure, called the Bow Bridge, from its peculiar shape.
It is used for pedestrians only. Heavy vases filled with trailing
flowers adorn its abutments, and from this it is sometimes called the
Flower Bridge. The western part of the lake is a lovely sheet of water,
and comprises more than two-thirds of the whole lake. Its northwestern
end is spanned by a handsome stone bridge, which carries the drive across
that part of the lake, and close by is another, picturesquely constructed
of wood, which conducts a foot-path across the head of the lake.

At the Terrace there is a boat-house, in which is to be found the manager
of the fleet of pleasure boats which dot the surface of the water. The
regular fare around the lake in the omnibus or public boats is ten cents.
Persons may hire a boat for their private use on the payment of a
moderate sum. They may either make the circuit of the lake in these
boats, or may leave them at any of the six pretty boat-houses which are
arranged at convenient points on the shore. The popularity of these
boats may be judged from the fact that in 1869, 126,000 persons used
them.

Whole fleets of snow-white swans are constantly sailing through the
waters. They are among the finest specimens of their species in
existence. At the opening of the park twelve of these birds were
presented to the Commissioners by the city of Hamburg in Germany. Nine
of these died, and twelve more were presented by the same city. Fifty
others were given by some gentlemen in London. Of the original
seventy-four, twenty-eight died, and the remaining forty-six with their
progeny form one of the pleasantest attractions of the lake. A number of
white ducks have been added to the collection. All the birds are quite
tame, and come readily to the call.

On a bright moonlight night in the summer, the scene to be witnessed on
the lake is brilliant. The clear waters gleam like polished steel in the
moonlight, and are dotted in every direction with pleasure boats, each of
which carries a red or blue light; the swans sail majestically up and
down in groups; on every side is heard the dash of oars, and the sound of
laughter and happy voices; and the air is heavily laden with the perfume
of the flowers along the shore. No sight or sound of the great city is
at hand to disturb you, and you may lie back in your boat with half shut
eyes, and think yourself in fairyland.

[Picture: THE TERRACE, AS SEEN FROM THE LAKE.]

In the winter the scene is different. Huge houses are erected on the
shores of all the sheets of water in the park, and are provided with
sitting-rooms, fires, restaurants, and counters at which skates may be
hired for a trifling sum. The water is lowered to a depth sufficient to
prevent the occurrence of any serious accident in case the ice should
break, and the ice itself is carefully watched, and is scraped smooth
after the sports of the day are over. Rotten ice is quickly detected and
marked with a sign bearing the word "Danger." When the ice is in
suitable condition, a red ball is hoisted on the Arsenal, and little
white flags, on which is printed a similar ball, are affixed to the cars
running between the park and the lower part of the city. Then the
pleasure seekers come out in throngs, and soon the ice is crowded. At
night the lakes are lighted by numerous gas jets with powerful
reflectors, placed along the shore. The Central Lake at such times is a
sight worth seeing. The Commissioners prepare a code of liberal rules
for the government of skaters, and post them at conspicuous points. All
persons going on the ice are required to comply with them, on pain of
exclusion from the sport.

To the east of the Central Lake, and along the Fifth avenue side, is a
small pond, on the verge of which a large Conservatory, which is to be
one of the principal ornaments of the park, is now in course of erection.

On the heights to the north of the lake lies the Ramble, which covers an
area of about thirty-six acres, and is a labyrinth of wooded walks,
abounding in the prettiest rustic nooks, with tiny bridges over little
brooks, wild flowers and vines, and bits of lawn, and rock work, all so
naturally and simply arranged that it is hard to believe it is not the
work of nature. It is one of the most beautiful portions of the park.

At the northern end of the Ramble rises a fine gothic stone tower, which
forms a prominent feature in almost any view of the park. This is the
Belvedere, and is intended to serve as an observatory from which the
entire park may be seen at a glance. The rock upon which it stands is
the highest point in the park.

[Picture: VIEW ON THE CENTRAL LAKE.]

At the foot of this tower are the Croton Reservoirs. There are two of
them. The old or lower one is a parallelogram in form, covering an area
of thirty-one acres, and capable of holding 150,000,000 gallons of water.
The new reservoir lies to the north of the old, and is separated from it
by a transverse road. It is a massive structure of granite, irregular in
form, and extends almost entirely across the park. It covers an area of
106 acres, and will hold 1,000,000,000 gallons of water. Thus the two
reservoirs take 136 acres from the park. The landscape gardeners have so
arranged them that they constitute a very attractive feature of the
landscape.

North of the new reservoir is the Upper Park. This has been less
improved than the Lower Park, but is naturally very beautiful. A large
part of it is taken up with the great ravine formerly known as McGowan's
Pass. It was through this wild glen that the beaten and disheartened
fragments of the American army escaped from the city of New York after
their disastrous rout at the battle of Long Island. Close by they were
rallied in time to make a stand at Harlem Plains. On the hills in the
extreme northern part of the park are still to be seen the remains of a
series of earthworks, which have been carefully turfed over, and on one
of these heights, known as The Bluff, is an old stone structure said to
have been used as a block-house or magazine during the war of 1812-15. A
small part of the "old Boston Road" is still to be seen in this portion
of the park, and in the distance a view is to be obtained of the High
Bridge, the Heights of Westchester county, and the Palisades, on the New
Jersey shore of the Hudson, while Washington Heights rise boldly to the
northward. To the eastward one may see the white sails of the vessels in
Long Island Sound, and get a faint glimpse of the town of Flushing, on
Long Island, and New Rochelle, on the mainland, while nearer are Hell
Gate, the picturesque East and Harlem rivers, with their islands and
public buildings, and the lovely little village of Astoria.

The park occupies the centre of the island, from north to south, for a
distance of two miles and a half. The cross streets do not extend
through it, and all vehicles of a business nature are excluded from the
pleasure drives. It was foreseen from the first that it would be
necessary to provide means of communication between the eastern and
western sides of the island, without compelling wagons and trucks to pass
around the upper or lower ends of the enclosure. At the same time it was
felt to be desirable to make these roads as private as possible, so that
the beauty of the park should not be marred by them, or by the long
trains of wagons, carts, and such other vehicles as would pass over them.
The genius of the constructing engineers soon settled this difficulty. A
system of transverse roads was adopted and carried out. There are four
of them, and they cross the park at Sixty-fifth, Seventy-ninth,
Eighty-fifth, and Ninety-seventh streets. They are sunken considerably
below the general level of the park, and are securely walled in with
masonry. Vines, trees, and shrubbery are planted and carefully trained
along the edges of these walls, which conceal the roads from view. The
visitors, by means of archways or bridges, pass over these roads,
catching but a momentary glimpse of them in some places, and in utter
ignorance of them in others.

Near the northeastern end of the park is an elevation known as Mount St.
Vincent. It is crowned with a large rambling structure principally of
wood, to which is attached a fine brick chapel. The building was
originally used as a Roman Catholic Seminary for young men. It is now a
restaurant, kept by private parties under the control of the
Commissioners. The chapel is used as a gallery of sculpture, and
contains the models of the works of the sculptor Thomas Crawford. They
were presented to the city by his widow in 1860.

Just below this hill is the North Lake, into which flows a stream noted
for its beauty.

At the Fifth and Eighth Avenue gates are the stations of the Park
Omnibuses. These are controlled by the Commissioners, and transport
passengers through the entire park for the sum of twenty-five cents.
They are open, and afford every facility for seeing the beauties of the
place.

The original cost of the land included within the park was $5,028,884,
and up to the close of the year 1869, there had been expended upon it an
additional sum of $5,775,387; making the total cost of the park, up to
January 1st, 1870, $10,804,271. Since that time it has cost about
$1,000,000 additional.

The park is controlled by the Commissioners of the Department of Public
Parks. The principal executive officer is the President. The discipline
prescribed for the employes is very rigid. A force of special policemen,
who may be recognized by their gray uniforms, has been placed on duty in
the park, with the same powers and duties as the Metropolitan Police.
One of these is always on duty at each gateway, to direct visitors and
furnish information, as well as to prevent vehicles from entering the
grounds at too rapid a rate. Others of the force are scattered through
the grounds at such convenient distances that one of them is always
within call. None of the employes are allowed to ask or to receive pay
for their services. Their wages are liberal. When an article is found
by any of the employes of the park, it is his duty to carry it to the
property clerk at the Arsenal, where it can be identified and recovered
by the rightful owner.

Improper conduct of all kinds is forbidden, and promptly checked.
Visitors are requested not to walk on the grass, except in those places
where the word "Common" is posted; not to pick flowers, leaves, or
shrubs, or in any way deface the foliage; not to throw stones or other
missiles, not to scratch or deface the masonry or carving; and not to
harm or feed the birds.

No one is allowed to offer anything for sale within the limits of the
enclosure, without a special licence from the Commissioners. There are
several hotels, or restaurants, in the grounds. These are conducted in
first-class style by persons of responsibility and character. Private
closets for men, which may be distinguished by the sign, "For Gentlemen
only," are located at convenient points throughout the park, and cottages
for ladies and children are as numerous. These latter are each in charge
of a female attendant, whose duty it is to wait upon visitors, and to
care for them, in case of sudden illness, until medical aid can be
procured.

The establishment of the park has been a great blessing to all classes,
but especially to the poor. It places within reach of the latter a great
pleasure ground, where they may come and enjoy their holidays, and obtain
the fresh air and bodily and mental enjoyment of which they are deprived
in their quarters of the city. In mild weather they come here in
throngs, with their families, and on Sundays the park is crowded with
thousands who formerly passed the day in drunkenness or vice. The
Commissioners have no trouble in enforcing their rules. All classes are
proud of the park, and all observe the strictest decorum here. No crime
or act of lawlessness has ever been committed within the limits of the
Central Park since it was thrown open to the public. The popularity of
the place is attested by the annual number of visitors. During the year
1870, 3,494,877 pedestrians, 75,511 equestrians, 1,616,935 vehicles, and
234 velocipedes, passed within the park gates. The total number of
persons that entered the park during that year, including drivers and the
occupants of carriages, was 8,421,427.

XXI. THE DETECTIVES.

I. THE REGULAR FORCE.

The Detective Corps of New York consists of twenty-five men, under the
command of a Captain, or Chief. Though they really constitute a part of
the Municipal Police Force, and are subject to the control of the
Commissioners and higher officers of that body, the detectives have a
practically distinct organization. The members of this corps are men of
experience, intelligence, and energy. These qualities are indispensable
to success in their profession. It requires an unusual amount of
intelligence to make a good Detective. The man must be honest,
determined, brave, and complete master over every feeling of his nature.
He must also be capable of great endurance, of great fertility of
resource, and possessed of no little ingenuity. He has to adopt all
kinds of disguises, incur great personal risks, and is often subjected to
temptations which only an honest man can resist. It is said that the
Detective's familiarity with crime is in itself a great temptation, and
often leads him from the path of right. However this may be, it is
certain that a member of the New York force committing an act savoring of
dishonesty is punished by immediate expulsion from his post.

The Detectives have a special department assigned them at the Police
Head-quarters in Mulberry street. There they may be found when not on
duty, and the Chief, when not in his office, is always represented by
some member of the corps. They are kept quite busy. The strangers who
visit the city throw an immense amount of work upon the Detectives.
These people often get drunk over night, and frequent houses of bad
repute, where they are robbed. They naturally invoke the aid of the
police in seeking to recover their property. Frequently, by making a
plain statement of their cases, they recover their money or valuables,
through the assistance of the Detectives. Sometimes the stolen property
cannot be regained at all. These people, as a rule, refuse to prosecute
the thieves, and declare their determination to submit to the loss rather
than endure the publicity which would attend a prosecution. Thus the
Detectives are forced to compound felonies. The injured party refuses to
prosecute, and the Detective knows that to make an arrest in the case
would simply be to take trouble for nothing. Consequently, if the
plunder is returned, the thief is allowed to escape without punishment.

None but those whose duty it is to search out and punish crime, can tell
how much the administration of justice is embarrassed, how much the
officers of the law are hampered, and how greatly their labors are
increased by the refusal of respectable persons to prosecute criminals.
These refusals are not confined to those who seek to avoid such an
exposure as is mentioned above. Merchants and bankers who have been
robbed by thieves, seem to care for nothing but the recovery of their
money or property. They will even sacrifice a portion of this to regain
the remainder. The Detective may fairly work up his case, and fasten the
crime upon the perpetrator, but he is not sure of meeting with the
cooperation upon the part of the injured person that he has a right to
demand. The thief seeing that an arrest is inevitable, may offer to
return a part or the whole of the property on condition of his being
allowed to escape. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the proposal is
accepted. The merchant recovers his property, and immediately exerts
himself to secure the escape of the thief. He refuses to prosecute the
wretch, or if the prosecution is carried on in spite of him, his evidence
amounts to nothing. He has protected his own interests, and he cares
nothing for society or justice. He throws his whole influence against
both, and aids the thief, in going free, to commit the same crime in
another quarter. The Detectives complain, and with justice, that it is
of no use for them to arrest a burglar where the stolen property can be
recovered. If persons who have been wronged in this way would refuse all
proposals for a compromise, and would endeavor to secure the punishment
of the offender, the criminal class would be wonderfully thinned out, and
the Detectives would not, as now, be obliged to arrest the same person
over and over again, only to see him go free every time.

In June, 1870, a gentleman, passing through Bleecker street, on his way
home, at two o'clock in the morning, was knocked down and robbed of his
watch and money. He was struck with such violence by the highwayman that
his jaw was permanently injured. He was very eloquent in his complaints
of the inefficiency of a police system which left one of the principal
streets of the city so unguarded, and was loud in his demands for the
punishment of his assailant, and the recovery of the property stolen from
him. The best Detectives in the force were put in charge of the case,
and the highwayman was tracked, discovered and arrested. The friends of
the culprit at once returned the stolen property to its owner, and
promised to reward him liberally if he would not press the prosecution of
their comrade, who was one of the leading members of a notorious and
dangerous gang of ruffians from whose depredations the city had been
suffering for some time. The offer was accepted, and the gentleman
flatly refused to prosecute, and when compelled by the authorities to
state under oath, whether the prisoner was the man who had robbed him,
became so doubtful and hesitating that his identification was worth
nothing. This, too, in the face of his previous assertion that he could
readily identify the criminal. In spite of his misconduct, however,
there was evidence enough submitted to secure the conviction of the
prisoner, who was sentenced to an imprisonment of ten years.