St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-23
Harmless Warfare.


One of the sensations for week past
has been beautifully painted curtain
in the window of the Pennsylvania
railroad office, 203 Washington street,
representing the "Pacific expressn
rounding the famous Horseshoe curve
on the Allegheny mountains, with en-
CINE 1890 dashing ahead at high rate
of speed over clear track, although a
recent snOw-storm hadcOvered the en-
tire landscape to a considerable depth.
This picture was designated ''Provi-
dence." Immediately below it was
another picture representing the four
track New York Central, and about the
same amount of snowfall, but in this
case several passenger and freight trains
we've hopelessly blOckaded, the snow
drifts piled up to the very smoke stacks
and great icicles pendent from every
available projection. The entire scene
was one of extreme desOlation, and
from the soggy and settled appearance
of the snow it seemed to have lain
for many days without moestation, and
the fact that plenty of it was to be
seen on the boilers of the locomotives
proved that the fires had gone out long
before the snow had ceased to fall.
This in contra distinction to the upper
picture, was designated "Im-PIOvi-
dence." The unusual excellence of the
artists work and the palpable ''hit" of
the subject, was highly relished by the
crowds of people, who really obstruct-
ed the sidewalk for a day or two, when
it seems that some one made protest
against the further display of so much
Ha11
man was directed by some one high in
authority to withdraw the objectional
features of his one sided ''fun.n So on
Tuesday afternoon, down came the
curtain. This prompt compliance gave
rise to good deal of gossip and rumor
among the railway fraternity as to the
probable consequence of so much feel
ing over so trifling Il cause. Some of
the more partisan and vindictive went
so far as to declare that Mr.. Vanderbilt
himself had demanded the official head
of its New England agent; but the
more conservative and disinterested
have settled down to believe that suit
able explanations would heal the breach
Be this as it may the obnoxious cur
tain certainly did disappear for several
days, and rival offices exhibited con-
siderable exultant hilarity, whilst the
Pennsylvania looked "sick" and crest
fallen until Saturday afternoon, when
it was again run up, but with its entire
character changed. As it now stands
the same Pennsylvania train is speed
ing over its unobstructed road bed, as
a preface to the following decided and
unmistakable declaration: "This cor
pOratiOn does not rob its equipment
and maintenance of way to swell so
called "dividends )" hence it can, when
necessary, assign several hundreds of To-
cOmotives 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 blockades
are experienced on the Pennsylvania
railroad, nor any occasion to charge
ordinary neglect of duty and misman-
agement to the 'acts of Providence
This was read, criticised and comment
ed upon, all day Sunday, by hundreds
of curious people, and the general i'm
preston is that Mr.. Haldeman feels
pretty safe in his sweeping allegations.
1t does look as though some one had
"waked up the wrong passenger"