The Washington critic., 1889-05-22
THE TOWNS PHOTOGRAPH.

There Is place in the hertlic which
man with his selfish, ungallant nature
has selected, and for which he makes as
soon ms he gets into the coach. II Is the
seat nearest the driver opposite the
farc-box. If he takes the seat on either
side of the door he is obliged to get up
to give his seat to lady or endure the
indignant glare of numerous feminine
eyes. To man with the rheumatism
or touch of the gout the alternative Is
anything but satisfactory. Anywhere
along the bench he is liable to election
at any time, and in the corner next to
the farc-box he has the pleasure of
playing conductor. But in the corner
just opposite he finds n retreat. The
fares pass him unheeded In their rush
for the fare-box; the car fills with stand
ing passcngers--men who have been
evictcd-and completely shuts him up
from the sight Of ladies', who insist on
going into the hcrdic when II Is
crowded.
~
Away up In the fourth floor of the
District building. in % big square room
fronting First street, will be found one
of the queercst collections of books
ever brought together. There are also
newspaper files arranged about the
walls and washstand with n towel
hanging ON the rack occupies corner
behind the door. A desk stands near
the centre of the room and at II all day
long, except when he Is at luncheon,
sits the librarian. People rarely enter
the apartment, II is no small task to
climb the four long flights of stairs,
and o quiet, langurous stiffness per-
vades the place that predisposes ono to
slumbcr. Now and then messenger
comes in for file of papers, gets them
and departs, and quictnessreigns again.
II is a unique collection, this. Old re-
ports covering period of fifty years,
newspapers dated back in the days
when jefferson was President, reports
of other city governments, and mass
OF documents of no particular interest.
Everything is fragmentary, nothing Is
complete, and where there are twenty
duplicate copies of one report, there are
others that cannot be found
~
A man, who lives on the street not
because he has no home, but because he
doesn't call II living to be anywhere
else, is going to assay tiep part of Colonel
Mulberry Sellers in practical way.
This is what he says: "fhey are get
ting this electricity business down finer
every day. AS soon us they get IL a
little more perfect my scheme is to
have the hansoms and cabs run by
storage batteries concealed under the
seats No horse, driver, nor anything.
just the electricity will do the business
We will have twenty or thirty men to
60 about the city and gather up the
cabs and take them to the stable
after the batteries have been used ont
and have them recharged. Only, of
course, il won't be called stable. The
cabs will be charged with electricity
enough to run them ten miles, at the
rate of ten or twelve miles an hour for
one passenger Won't have any driver
at ALL Have thing like the handles
on tricycle. to steer II by and II thing
To turn the current on and
start IL or turn IL off and
stop II. See? In the corner
have drop a. quarter in the slot
business. When you drop in quarter
II turls on the current and the cab will
go mile. Then it'll stop. Drop in
another quarter and it'll go another
mile. See? II will do this for ten
miles. Then 1t stops automatically and
can't be started until one of the en-.
ployes that knows the combination gets
in. Cab charged with electricity
enough TO go twenty miles, The public
can't make II 20 but ten. See? Always
enough electricity TO take it back to the
stable. When you get in the cab YOU
have got to keep going. If you stop
you have to put in another quarter II
you want to go on. SeeY Each cab
makes about 80 day. All clear profit.
Electricity don't cost much. Ladies'
be dead stuck on 'em, No drunken
driver.