Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-12-13
RANBLER'S NOTE BOOK.
One Weeks News Sifed for the Benefit of
Globe-Republic Readers.
Embalming Midget-Musical and DrI
matte Note.-Bohemian Oats
Notes, News and Opinions.


Notes. News and Opinions.
An electric telephone clock j. being in
tr"duced into the telephone service in many
of the larger cities. and there is no reason
why Manager Hurd should not las>o one of
these clocks for the benefit of Springfield
subscribers. The electrical clock ticks the
time once each minute and is thus audible
through every telephone connection with
the exchange. II your telephone is con
nectcd with an exchange which j. furnished
with one of these clocks. You place the
handle 10 your ear and listen: presently
You hear one or more sharp clicks. One
tick means one O'Clock; two ticks. followed
by two ticks and then by five ticks, would
mean 2:25-twenty- minutes past two.
The ticking sound is not loud enough To in
| terterc with conversation in an ordinary
| tone, hut gives the correct time every min
ute. 81 that subscriber has to wait only
a minute or less at any time of the day or
night t" get the correct time. With such
an arrangement i'll Springfield telephone
subscribers would he independent and they
could safely afford To pension the First
Presbyterian clock and allow the Central
school clock Ia get on bust, as it has been
doing lately whenever it pleased. What
could be- finer than 10 get correct time on
tick"
II any lnprnb,r nf ,h, city couuril desires
Ia have the admiring thanks of pedestrians
who walk the Springfield streets after night
fall, all he has 10 do is 10 introduce a city
ordinance fixing heavy penalty on in the
| ease Of fence builders who have their gates
! open outside Ia the street. The gates are
left unfaStened half the time and swing out
on the pavement. where they lie in wait on
dark nights for unwary pas>ers-by. Several
severe falls and injuries have resulted from
collisions with gates opening outward.
There are streets in this city where all the
: gates seem 10 De made 10 open outward. one
"ut of three stands open all the time. and
/ thus any one walking along on a dark night
| is apt 10 indulge in an involuntary hurdle
race. with almost a certainty of getting tan
/ gled up in several gates to the irrcpairahlc
| damage OF gate man and temper. In Cleve-
| land any one who builds a gate opening on
! the street Is liable to a fine of SO; a SINH
/ lar measure should by ali means be- adopted
/ i'll our city.
Another unSpeakahe nuisance i the fail
ure 10 have the names of the streets lettcrcd
on the gas lamps. This should be done at
once. Not only is the failure To have
| the names of the streets designated.
! a great source of Inconvenience tO strangers
| in hunting localities at night, but the city
has grown 50 large, that even Springfield
residents would be almost at a loss to lind
their way if dropped down in an unknown
| locality on a dark night. II the corner
street lamps bore the names of the streets.
| il would save an endless amount 81 bother
Ia all concerned, not only AT night. but also
i'll the daytime. How many readers can 20
directly Ia Oak street. OF Ellsworth street.
! or kUckway street. or Forrest avenue. or
Northern avenue. without having To i'll
quire their way en- route; and Yet these are
! all well-kn0wn streets in the city. I'm the
daytime thi, inquiring on the way i easy
enough but at night when few pcupl" are
| on the street, ii is extremely inruuvruirmt
With names on the street lamps. there
would br not the slightest difficulty for even
a stranger I" find his way all over the city
Springfield has lost almost all hcI rural
isln>. but street lamps without the names
Of the street, on them. are about a. striking
evidences of a country town IL can be inn
agimed. The matter was once brought up
in council. believe several firms mad" -
Inmates Of the work Of lettering and sent
samples the cost il was found would be-
trtling in comparison with the convenience
which would result from il. all the
members at council agreed that II
WAS a good and nrrr>>ary city im-
pToyrment- and then the subject was
dropped: the samples were stored away a.
lumber. and that was the last OF the mat
ter. Perforated iron stencil signs would be-
better than nothing. and they could be made
dirt-cheap. The best signs are of ground
glass with the letters in clear red glass. but
these are very costly. Probably the sim
plr>t method of lettering the lamps would
be to paint the letters directly on the glass |
The objection tu this. however. i that when I
the lcttered pane Of glass is broken. tn"
new pane must be- Tclettcred
Here i work for some ambitious council |
man. Let one of our younger members
take this matter in hand. post himself thor /
oughly on the subject, and never rest until |
every corner gas lamp in Springfield bears |
the name of lis street. Any member who |