Brooklyn Life from Brooklyn, New York • Page 35

BROOKLYN LIFE. 24 LTKe LoKefif THE new Carnegie mansion and the ornate structures that Senator William A. Clark and Mr. Howard Gould are building on upper Fifth avenue will soon be forcible reminders that the "mile of millionaires" has become doubled in length. It outgrew some time ago the twenty-block limit, and at the rate costly dwellings are going up on this fashionable thoroughfare it is not drawing too much on the imagination to picture three miles of millionaires as one of the metropolitan sights ten or fifteen years hence.

Just now the growth is particularly noticeable in the vicinity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which, with its new facade extending almost to the sidewalk, has just begun to take its proper place as the real although not precisely the geographical center of Central Park, East. Quite as noticeable is the vast improvement architecturally that the new houses are displaying. Good taste is almost universal so much so that one is impelled, to believe that the architects rather than the property owners have had the say. Only one thing is lacking a sort of ideal co-operation that would result in a homogeneous design where several houses form the Fifth avenue front of a block. rV MR.

GEORGE F. KUNZ, the well-known gem expert of Tiffany's, has added to his numerous writings upon the subject of precious stones a notably fine contribution that appears in the last (1898-9) report of the United States Geological Survey. The article covers forty-four pages and is broadly comprehensive. Its most interesting single feature is the carefully prepared table showing the production of precious stones in the United States in 1896, 1897 and 1898. During these three years almost four hundred thousand dollars' worth of gems were produced.

Of these, about one-third consisted of turquoises, one-ninth of crystal quartz and one-tenth of sapphires. Tourmalines aggregated sixteen thousand dollars, aquamarines forty-five hundred and rubies three thousand. figures seem small when compared to the imports of precious stones during the same period twenty-one million dollars but when it is considered that "American gems" have only within recent years been looked upon with sufficient favor to warrant a systematic working of the field, the output is hopefully large. No diamonds are reported in the list just referred to, but one of six carets was found near Cincinnati in 1898, while in Wisconsin there are evidences of hidden stores of these gems. Mr.

Kunz lays particular stress upon the discovery of rock crystals in California that nearly equal the Japanese. One of them' that has been cut into a flawless ball in New York is now valued at three thousand dollars. The beauty of the Montana sapphires, the large output of the turquoise mines of New Mexico and the finding of beautiful specimens of tourmaline in Connecticut are also touched upon. In speaking of the fancy or semi-precious stones, Mr. Kunz remarked to me recently that their sale continues to show a pronounced increase in popularity.

WITH the recent sale of "The Bank," the passing of the last of Brooklyn's famous chop-houses is foreshadowed. Just as "The Abbey," of pleasant memory, lies buried under the Montauk Theater almost across the way "The Bank" will, a couple of years hence, have disappeared beneath a modern steel frame, fireproof building. The passing of the old landmark is deferred thus long because the purchaser of the property, the Sterling Piano Company, is in no haste to build the new structure, the lease of its present quarters having still two years to run. Whether the business of "The Bank" will be transferred to another site I am unable to learn. "We shall remain where we are for eighteen months, so there is plenty of time in which to decide," was the answer to my inquiry.

"The Bank" with its buff walls and quaint red bay-window has for over forty years been one of the most familiar features nf Fultnn street. ONE of the most entertaining of the free shows of the month is the annual exhibition of postage stamps at the Montague Street Art Rooms, under the auspices of the Brooklyn Institute. In all probability philatelists would not consider the display very extensive, but to the layman four sides of a large room well covered with framed groups of these valuable bits of paper is a sight rather beyond the grasp of a single visit. The stamps are quite attractively displayed, although for a serious and instructive exhibition, some of the fantastic arrangements are hardly to be commended, while such exhibits as the battleships formed of cut stamps are entirely out of place. Taken as a whole, however, the educational value of the exhibit is very great.

If studied carefully much of the world's progress may be gleaned from it. Thus the very large number of African stamps shown demonstrate pretty clearly the gradual rise of the white man in the Dark Continent during the past twenty years or so. Some of these African stamps are of extraordinary beauty the Etat Independent de Congo and the Protectorat de la Cote des Somalis among others. Late issues of New Zealand, Madeira and India also possess unique attractions, Less pretentious, but quite as interesting as any, are the pigeon-post stamps of Great Barrier an island sixty-five miles off the coast irom Auckland, Which for nearly three years has been able by means of pigeons to send messages to the mainland in one hour, a rough journey that by boat consumes two or three days. As there are large mining interests on the island, the pigeon post is invaluable.

I (. WHILE the recent revival proved a failure as a means of thoroughly evangelizing the borough, it has been a blessing in at least two accidental results. The unexpected attack upon Unitarians was a boomerang in direct effect, but indirectly it did more to advance the cause of Christianity in this borough than a whole series average sermons would have done. I am not a believer in Unitarian-ism, but any creed that has among its chief advocates such a man as Rev. John White Chadwick, for instance, is not, in these transition days of religion, to be recklessly condemned revivalists without forcing a portion of the community, to the realization of the fact that liberality will do much to shorten the time that lies between the present and the millenium.

Another indirect result of the revival has been the harmonizing of the differences that for more than a generation have separated the Church of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Church. So deeply did Rev. Dr. Storrs feel these differences that I am told he refrained altogether from mentioning the name of the late Henry Ward Beecher, speaking of him, if necessary, as "the person to whom you refer." Whether this be true or not, when what some people are pleased to call Beecherism was attacked during the revival, Dr. Storrs was so conspicuous in the defense of the great preacher's work that the incident not finished until the two churches joined hands at the first union Lenten meeting last week.

IF Andrew Carnegie lives long enough to complete his new house on Fifth avenue, history will record him as the first millionaire who. had the courage to have a yard. The Cornelius Vanderbilt house has, it is true, a sunken garden, and I believe that Mr. John D. Rockefeller avails himself of a vacant lot, but Mr.

Carnegie's yard will be something worth the name. I had no idea of until I saw at the recent exhibition of the Architectural League a plaster, model of his proposed house and grounds. latter. will take up-all the space- of the city block on Fifth avenue between Ninety-first and Ninety-second streets that the mansion does not occupy or more than half the site. It will be practically a back yard, although it will extend to Fifth avenue on either side of the house.

The model indicates that the yard will be an elaborately planned terraced garden with easy flights of Most of that time it has been conducted by the present host, "Tom" Blankley, and his father, the late John Blankley. Probably every business man downtown knows its old-fashioned interior, the crimson walls of which are hung with modern paintings. The dominant scarlet tone of a Vibert -just catches the eye upon entering, and the entire collection is noteworthy. A closet bar opening into the entrance hall as well as into the main room is a unique feature of the 'establishment. Addison Steele.

wide steps leading aown to it and a low wail and nedge to outline the enclosure. The house is to be an immense affair of a style that will betoken quiet elegance, rather than pretentiousness of architectural design..