, 1888-09-25
A STREET CAR BLOCK.
ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES OF
LIFE IN NEW YORK CITY.

49,
What a Waiting Passenger Saw from the
Car window-The ImperturbahIc Ian
with the Turkey-A Hard Wording,
Cherries worId-Moving On.
The car has stuck in Greenwich street.
We are aground. The indications are not
favorable for soon getting off. The driver
gets off the platform to look ahead. So
does the conductor. When these worthless
leave their posts be sure you arc to re-
main in statu quo for some time. We
take an observation. The track is blocked
for a quarter of q mile ahead. The drivers
Immediately ahead are off their perches
also. Another bad sign. We commend
our souls to patience. The more uneasy
passengers gaze through the front car
door window. There are ten of us. A
woman and a child, a countryman, a stout
man with n turkey tied in a paper bag, a
girl and a stout lrishman. The rest are
simply of the human species, with nothing
particular to recommend them.
The driver mounts the platform. The
car moves. We are off. The block is
over. Hope rises. The car moves six
inches And stops dismally. Hope fails.
We move no more. Carts, wagons and
carriages rattle, roar and ruckle over the
stones on either side of us, one line up,
the other line down. By us are passing
the manufactures of New York, the pro-
duce of the country and the product of
other lands. Down n load of sewing
machines incased in wooden frames. Up
a load of coal. Down a load of new fur
niture cased in bagginG. Up n load of
apples. Down a load of flour. Ahead of
us in the block q wagon piled high with
dry goods boxes. Up a load of long oars.
Down, potatoes. Up, turnips. Then a
load of beef quarters. Up a piano.
HOP REvIvEs.
The woman with the child looks at hor
watch. She fears losing boat or train.
The man with the turkey is of all the
most resigned. His face is vacancy.
Time to him seems of no object. He is
framed to wait. A policeman bobs hither
and yon, growing. cursing, ordering.
But the block is immovable.
Ali We move. We are off. Hope re-
wives. We fear it is too good to be true.
1t is. We have moved half a block. The
block resume Drivers going up and
down handy words with our driver. Peo-
pie stop ON the curb and gaze stupidity at
us. We get even and gaze stupidity at
them. Then we read all the advertise
ments in the car. A load of iron bangs
and clangs past. Then a load of hay.
Then one of cotton. The woman and the
Ihlld Btb Oubs 1hb Hdl WIFI Inb turkey
is immovable. Is he, like the rest of us,
consumed witt anxiety and impotence,
or has he the power of projecting his
mind into some region of thought that he
can forget this irksome delay2 We count
four dry goods boxes on the wagon ahead,
on them n red seat and on that n blanket.
The conductors overcoat has but three
buttons upon it. 1t should nave four. 1t
is a very ragged coat. Ths pockets are
sagged down.
There is an endless shouting outside
and cries of Get upl Get upl" The stout
lrishman can wait no longer. He leaves
us. Farewell! We shall never meet
again. The man with the turkey gazes on
and on into futurity.
MOVING ON.
Again we move. We get ahead a whole
block. The scene changes. 1t is refresh.
ing even to see a new set of dingy store
fronts and signs. And no end of carts.
Going and coming, rafting and rumbling,
bringing things from the north and send.
ing them south, bringing things from the
south and sending them north, all driven
by these hard, grimy men, who seem to
have no other thought in the world save
to get somewhere with q load and get
back again. A hard working, grimy,
cheerless world it is all about here.
Again we move. We are not encour-
aSeu. we nave now loo OIIen Deen div
appointed. But we keep on moving.
Boast not thyself, it is but momentary.
But we keep on moving. No matter.
We shall stop-there. We move slower.
We feel the car stopping. But it does
not stop. But we shall stop. But we do
not stop. An atom of hope kindles in our
detected souls. We try to keep it down,
to smother it. 1t will not stay smothered.
We are still moving. We have SO long
been in a stationary, helpless state that
we have ceased to regard the car as cap
able of motion. Yet we do move. The
drivers back looks as if he intended to
drive farther yet. Even the drivers
back assumes a sort of go it expression
when he sees no obstacle ahead m his
hand is of that discouraging brake. We
have actually moved four blocks without
q stop. The man with the turkey is as
vacant as ever. 1t matters little to him.
We keep on moving. The block is over.
Only half an hours delay.-Prentice Null
ford in New York Star.