The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-06

not be a well woman in New York or
Brooklyn" said physician 10 me the
other day, ''if they were obliged TO live
within the sound of lower Broadway or
Fulton street-if. indeed, there were any
of them left to tell the tale"
Perhaps it was out of consideration and
sympathy for her sex that led Mrs Mary
Walton to struggle with the CHATTER of the
trains on the elevated road until she dis
covered means of mufiling 1t, at least in
a measure. This is one case where some
thing has been done to detract from the
natural and unnatural noises of the city.
do not know that the public has ever
been advised as to what this discovery
consists of, but whatever 1t Is 1t very
materially lessons the nerve-dcstroylng
din of the elevated trains. EdlsOn's eiec-
trical intellect was brought to bear on
this problem, but MS experiments were all
failures. The more he experimental the
more the people living along the roads
howled in their agony, not, perhaps, be-
cause Mr.. Edison was making more noise,
but because the peoples nerves were be-
coming less able TO endure the strain. 1t
was 1T this juncture that g New York
woman in the person of Mrs. Walton
stepped in and solved The problem.
She must be very retiring and
modest woman, as most good women
are, for the public has never been able TO
lind out much about her. But whoever she
Is, and wherever she Is, Mrs. Walton de-
serves monument We do q great deal
sometimes for the woman who makes
noise in the world. We should do sill
more for the woman who finds q way to
stop noise.
The roar of traffic we shall always have
with US in some degree, but it is no doubt
a fact that half the noises of New York
and other American cities are wholly I'M
necessary, and, therefore, capable of sup
preston. The time should not be far OF
when the authorities OF every city Will
pay as much attention to the suppression
OF noise in the streets as they do TO any
other evil affecting as many persons. At
present teamster can haul 4 load of iron
up Broadway, the terrible rattle of which
will almost turn ones hair gray three
blocks away, and not he interfered with
for the performance But let the same
man stop his team, get down on the side
walk and whistle for his dog and he may
be run in for disturbing the peace.
When we come TO combat the demon of
noise in an official way, New York and
other cities interested should send COM
mlttees TO Montreal 10 lind out how it is
done there. Montreal Is a city of nearly
100000 population, and there IS hardly an
American town OF 5000 that does not
make more noise. The first thing that
strikes the visitor "from the states" is the
almost oppressive quiet which reignS.
You see street filled with teams drawing
heavy loads, but the element of noise is so
conspicuous by its absence that you look
TO see if the feet OF the horses are not
muiiled, or if the wagon wheels do not
have rubber ties, like bicycle. The ex-
PLANTATION of it is that in Montreal precau-
ton is taken against noise. | have seen
there wagon load of iron interlaced with
rope to deaden the sound. Sometimes
bagging is used IN loading iron, SO that a
load of railroad iron can be hauled
through the streets and make no more
noise than q load of potatoes. This re-
quires, perhaps, from i've to ten minutes
more in the loading, and this is the small
cost at which paralyzIng noise is stiled.
Other cities should try the effect of cru
SADIE against noise, and New York should
be the first to make the experiment