Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-08-11
A STREET CAR BLOCK.
cue OF THE EXPERIENCES OF
LIFE m NEW YORK CITY.

What "a Waiting Passenger Saw from the
Car window-The Impcrturbnbio Man
with tho Turkcy-A Hard Working,
Cherries worId-Moving On.
The car has stuck In Greenwich street.
Wo are aground. The indications are not
favorable for soon getting off. The driver
gets oa the platform TO look ahead. So
does the conductor. When these worthless
leave their posts be sure you are TO re-
main statu quo for some time. We
take an observation. The track Is blocked
for quarter Of 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 tho front car
door window. There are ten Of us. A
woman and child. a countryman, stout
man with a turkey tied In a paper bag n
girl and n stout lrishman. Tho rest are
simply Of tho human species, with nothing
particular to recommend them.
Tho driver mounts the platform. Tho
car moves. We are off. The block is
over. Hope rises. The car moves six
inches. And stops dismally. Hope fails.
We fmove no more. Carts, wagons and
carriages rattle. roar and rucklc over tho
stones on either side Of us, one line up.
tho 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 O load of sewing
machines incased in wooden frames. Up
n load of coal. Down load of new fur.
nituro casod in bagging. Up load Of
apples. Down load of flour. Ahead Of
MS in the block wagon piled high with
dry goods boxes. Up load of long oars.
Down, potatoes. Up, turnips. Then u
load of beef quarters. Up piano.
HOPE REvIvEs.
The woman with the child looks at her
watch. She fears losing boat or train.
Tho man with tho turkey is of all the
most resigned. His face is vacancy.
Timo to him seems of no object. He is
framed to wait. A policeman bobs hither
and yon, growing, cursing, ordering.
But tho block is immovable.
Ali We move. We are off. Hope ro.
wives. We fear it Is too good to be true.
1t is. We have moved half n block The
block resumes 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 ali the advertise
ments in the car. A load of iron bangs
and clangs past. Then load Of hay
Then one Of cotton. Tho woman and the
child get out. The man with the turkey
is immovablc. Is he, like the rest of us,
consumed with anxiety md impatience.
or has he tho power of projecting his
mind into some region of thought that he
can forget this irksome delay? We count
four y goods boxes on the wagon ahead,
on them red seat and on that t.anket.
The conductors ovcrcoat has but three
buttons upon it. 1t should have four 1t
is very ragged coat. Tho pockets are
sagged down.
There is an endless shouting outside
and cries Of Get upl Get up!" Tho stout
Irishman 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 whole
| block. The scene changes. 1t is refresh,
| ing even TO see 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 &c
have no other thought in the world save
to get somewhere with n load and gel
back again. A hard working. grimy
cheerless world it is all about here.
Again we move. We are not cncour
nged. We have now too often been dis
appointed. But we keep on moving
Boast not thysclf, it is but momentary
But we keep on moving. No matter
We shall stop--therc. We move slower
We feel the car stopping. But it doe:
not stop. But wo shall stop. But we d,
not stop. An atom of hope kindles j. oul
detected souls We try TO keep il down
TO smother it. 1t will not stay smothered
We are still moving. We have so lonl
been in q stationary, helpless state tina
we have ceased to regard the car as cap
able of motion. Yet we do move Tn
drivers back looks as if he intended t.
drive farther yet. Even the driver
back assumes a sort Of 60 it expression
when he sees no obstacle ahead and hi
hand is off that discouraging brake. w
have actually moved four blocks withou
stop. The man with the turkey is q
vacant rs ever. 1t matters little to him
We keep on moving. Tho block is ovos
Only half an hours delay.-Prcntico Mu.
ford in New York Star.