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Show WALTER WINCHELL Oddities in the New York Scene At one time New York City threatened to secede from the union and form an independent nation. . . . The mammoth illuminated sign atop Doctors hospital is a signpost for mariners and also a reminder not to toot their boat whistles in front of the hospital. . . . Many of the trees in New York streets manage man-age to exist by pushing their roots into sewers to absorb water. Some of the wealthiest New York families originally made their fortunes when their ancestors ances-tors worked with Captain KiJd. Incidentally, there is only one clue to the treasure that the fabulous 1 pirate is supposed to have buried along the Atlantic coast: A number num-ber Kidd wrote on a card that no one has been able to decipher 44106818. If you happen to sec ghosts roaming through the night at Bryant park don't be surprised. sur-prised. It used to be a cemetery. ceme-tery. ... . When bathtubs first were introduced In New York, the very cautious board of health ordered citizens not to use them without first consulting consult-ing their doctor. The Big Town's most arresting landscape can be viewed from th heights of Fort Tryon park. . . . Wall Street got its tag because the Dutch erected a wall there (centuries (cen-turies ago) when they feared an invasion. in-vasion. .. . The reason some streets in the Big Town have feminint names: When those streets were parts of farms, the farmers honored their wives by naming lanes aftei them. . . . The grimmest sea voyage is taken by the tug that ferries cadavers from Bellevue to Hart'i island for burial. |