The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-07-29
THE TWIN CITY TRAMwAY.
A Chicago journalists Eul0gy on the
Moline & Rock Island Street
Car Line.


upon his return home he writes up the APP
pended article as as vague recollection OF
what he saw while here. There is about
as much truth as sense in the Chicago
journalists imaginary production, and the
only excuse that can be given for it is
that he probably missed a car while de,
tanned in Wagner's brewery, and was pro.
voked because a special car was not sent
out for his express benefit. as long as he
hailed from the city by the lake After
dwelling on what he terms the existing
rivalry between the two cit!es-Rock Isl,
and and Moline continues:
There is one treasure held ia common
by these two puguacious cities, and that
is the street railway 1t is one of the
greatest curiosities of the country. 10
years to come. provided the blighting in
f1uences of metropolitan civilization can
be kept from it, this horse railway may be
classed as one Of the wonders of the nine
teenth century. The Arcadian simplicity
of the drivers, the occurrences of the
horses, the quaint architecture Of the
cars, coupled with what has hitherto been
unattainable, speed without progress,
movement while standing still, are all IN.
| iQue. For if these cars do move it is not
proved by any Information conveyed by
the eyes, but by the fact that the traveller
fal- in nf ho
morning in Rock Island will in the after
noon find himself in Moline.
The track connects Moline and Rock
Island. 1t is a single track, with switches
here and there along the route The cars
are small, and each drawn by one horse
The horse wears a harness so simple and
light that he at once reminds one OF fat
man in a small bathing suit. 1t is noon,
and the sun is blistering not. Three OF
these cars stand in the center of Rock
Island, Three drivers sit on the curb
stone. Two of the cars are filled with
sweltering passengers.
What are YOU waiting for?" asks q
traveller
Fur Bill, answers the biggest driver
But can't we start now? Your car is
full
Have ter wait till Bill comes"
Pretty soon big man with SLOUGH
hat and wearing a white shirt is seen two
blocks down the street.
That's Bill, says the driver.
Bill stops in a hardware store and d
restaurant on his way. He arrives in fif-
teen minutes after being first sighted.
Start EN- up" says Bill after count
| ing the passengers in the two cars.
The driver kicks the brake loose, the
horse wakes up, and the car begins to
move. The driver sits on d seat on the
front platform and lets his heels hang
over the dashboard The lines hang
loosely on the horses back and are tied
TO the brake. Occasionally the driver
turns and pushes in knob back of him
when he hears the metallic jingle of 4
dime in the box behind him Sometimes
he looks back to see if it i, niCke or d
2>cent piece, but not always. The car
moves two blocks. There is drug store
on the corner. The driver gances at the
drug store anG then screws up the brake
The horse desists from pulling when he
hears the rattle of the brake. Then the
driver goes into the drug store. The
traveller watches him He talks with the
druggist for some time. The druggist
shakes his head solemnlY, and the driver
leans against the soda water fountain.
The druggist goes away, and the driver
falls into brown study watching the
struggle of fly which has walked into a
drop of raspberry syrup. The sun beats
down on the cars and vagrant gust of
wind lazily heaves several pecks of dust
through the open windows. The traveller
protests in loud voice and the rest of
the passengers gaze at him in solemn
wonder. They have long ceased 10 pro
test. The driver takes two powders, puts
two ore in his pocket, and then drinks
a glass Of soda water. Then he comes out
and kicks the brake, resumes his old po-
sition with his legs over the dashboard,
and the car again moves, Il moves for d
mile or so
Ia the meantime the driver becomes in,
teresting in repose. His eyelids are hall
closed He doesn't look sick; he looks
| tired. though-very tired, A blue and
white calico shirt covers his back, and
where it opens at the neck it shows bronz,
ed muscles and sinews. A straw hat COW
ers his head aud is tipped back to allow
him 10 rest his head against the car. Il
you have Travelled in Italy ne reminds you
of some Of the men you have seen lying
outhe shores of the Mediterranean watch.
ing their nets; or if you haven't he
strongly reminds you Of the swarthy men
who sit in the shade on Chicago street
corners and sell cholera microbes dis,
guised as green apples and overripe
bananas.
He wakes up at the first switch, tight
ems the brake and the car stops The
horse lazily crops the grass which grows.
plentifully along the side of the track
He has Just finished his lunch when the
other car comes up. The driver, the
brake and the horse again 60 through their
parts and the car again moves along. For
thirty minutes more the horse and the car
continue to move. Then the driver again
moves and the horse and the car stop
uO'lu5' n AuaA SOulCS OuI anu uH>
bitches the horse. His work is done. O.
fortunate horsel Surely his lines fall in
easy places. and his way leads through a
path strewn with green grass and the
succulent smartweed A fresh horse is
hitched to the car. Everything is ready.
No; the driver is working over the wheels
The traveller peers out through the win
dow and sees that the driver has an oil
can in his hand The driver is oiIing the
wheels. The traveller laughs aloud at the
mockery and rudely awakens the rest Of
the passengers. The driver gets mad and
refuses to sleep after the car is started
again. He confdes his opinion to a man
with q plowshare, who is on the front
platform.
Zone Of them city fellers," he saws.