The Portland daily press., 1877-02-14

HARMLESS WARFARE.-One of the sensa-
tions for a week past has been beautifully
painted curtain in the window of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Office, 203 Washington street,
representing the "Pac'fc express rounding
the famous Horseshoe curve on the Allegheny
Mountains. with engine 1890 dashing ahead at
a high rate of speed over a clear track, although
recent snow storm had covered the
entire landscape to a considerable depth. This
picture was designated "Providence." imme-
d'ately below it was another representing the
four-track New York Central and about the
same amsunt OF snowfall, but in this case sev-
eral passenger and freight trains were hope
lessly blocka5ed and the snow drifts piled up
to the very smoke stacks, aud great Icicles pen
dant from every available projection. The en-
tire scene was one OF extreme desolation, and
from the soggy and settled appearance of the
snow it seemed to have laid for many day s
without molestatioD, and the fact that plenty
of 1t was to be seen on the boilers of the loco
motives proved that the fires had gone out long
before the snow had ceased to fall. This, in
cOntradistiuctiOn to the upper picture was des-
gnated ''Im-Provdence The unusual excel
leDce of the artists shit" of the subj CT was
highly relished by crowds of people, who
really obstructed the sidewalk for day
or two, when it seems that some
display of so much ironical pleasantly,
and Major Haldeman was dir cted by some one
high in authority to withdraw the object'oual
features of his one-sided "fun." So on Tues
day afternoon down came the curtain. This
prompt compliance gave rise to a good deal of
gossip and rumOr among the railway fraterni-
| ty as to the probable consequence of so much
| feeling over so trif1ing cause Some of the
| more partisan and v;ndictivs went SO far as to
declare that MIR. Vanderbilt himself had de-
manded from the Pennsylvania Company the
official head of its New England agent; but the
more conservative and disinterested have set
tied down to believe that suitable explanations
| would heal the breecb
Be this as it may, the obnoxious curtain GER
| taiuy did disappear for several days, and rival
| offices exhibited considerable exultant hiarity
| whilst the Pennsylvania boys looked ''sick'
| and crest-fallen until Saturday afternoou W ben
| it was again run up but with its entire charao
| ter changed. AS it now stands, the same
| Pennsylvania train is speeding over its unob
| stracted road-be as a preface to the following
decided and unmstakable declaration: ''Thi'
corporation does not rob its equipment and
| maintenance of way to swell so-called 'divi
| dends; hence it can, when necessary, assign
several hundreds of locomotives to the work
and by keeping them in constant motion, clear
its tracks from falling and drifting snow as fast
as it can collect Thus no block ades are ex.
perienced on the Pennsylvania Railroad, mol
any occasion to charge ordinary neglect of duty
| and msmanagement to the 'acts or Provi'
dence." This was read. criticised and com
mented upon all day Sunday by hundreds ol
| curious people, and the general impression i;
| that Mr. Haldeman feels pretty safe in his
| sweeping allegations. 1t does look as though
| soma one had ''waked up the wrong passen
| ger."-Boston Post.