Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-12-11

An italian settlement and Its Wlgwams
A Very Jeai ous Husband.

"A Very Jealous Husband.
Incidentally, recently the Philadel-
phia Times learned that colony OF
Italian emigrant laborers, mostly from
q part OF that city called Little
Italy," employed by the Pennsylvania
Railroad company, had settled in the
eastern portion of Chester county,
near Berwyn station, and had there
erected series Of habitations, some
what OF the picturesqueness OF Indian
wigwams or OF the huts Of the Esqui-
maux in the frozen north.
Accordingly one pleasant day Rud-
iniville was investigated. AS the
train whirls through smiling Chester
| county all variety OF residences can be
seen from the car windows, ranging
wealthy Philadelphians TO the primi-
| tive log cabins erected couple OF
hundred years ago by the first settlers.
But the like OF the Italian dwellings
has not been seen before.
After arriving at Berwyn, "A pretty
little station in the Chester valley, you
must cross the South Valley hill from
| the summit OF which a beautiful view
is obtained OF the panorama of the
Chester valley. Reaching at last the
base of the north slope of the hill you
| find Rudiniville situated on n level
| plain just at the spot where the road
| from Berwyn intersects new railroad
| in the course of construction by the
Pennsylvania railroad. and intended
| to make a shorter cut on the Pitts burg
division. The residents OF Rudini-
vile are employed upon the construc-
| ton of this road, and it was their en-
forced residence in this neighborhood
that caused them to construct their
| settlement.
The village has population of
about fifty persons, all of them Italians.
| except several Slavs, who live in
board shanty apart from the
| rest of the settlement. Altogether
| there are eleven residences in the viii
| lage, and all of them differ in design
| and style OF architecture from any
house ever seen within the confines of
Pennsylvania and, in fact, unlike any
dwellings this side of the South Sea
| Islands.
All the dwellings face towards the
| south. When the reporter arrived at
| the settlement the inhabitants were
| all at work except one, who seemed
| at first inclined TO eject the reporter
from the premises but was consider
| ably appeased by small gift of money.
| He kindly volunteered TO show the
| town and point out the various objects
| Of interest, which he did with much
pride. He stated that the dwellings,
regarding which the reporter expressed
considerable curiosity consumed but
little time in the course of construc-
ton and were exceedingly easy to
| erect.
The ground plan for each structure
is about ten feet. After this was
marked off the ground was excavated
to the depth OF about foot. The
frame work of the structure, composed
of saplings or fence rails, VIII chever
came handiest was then raised, the
butts stuck in the ground and then
| joined at the top with a ridge pole.
| The whole structure was then covered
with two thicI layers of sods cut from
the eurFOuuulHB lueduoWS.
Thus the house was finished except
that in the centre a sort OF rude fire.
place with stones was put up and here
a fire is kept burning the smoke es-
Gaping as best it can from hole in
the top of the structure.
BY large odds the most pretentious
house in the settlement is one occupied
by newly married couple. This
| dwelling has actually a door and is
matched with straw. In connection
with the door of this house it was said
that the young husband was of such a
jealous disposition that before going
to work every morning he took the
precaution to shut and paddock il, fear
ing that his wife might elope or be
stolen during his absence. One of the
houses was decorated with a number
of slaves and barrel heads, secured
by an old shirt and intended to block
up leak in the roof. In front of this
house is what might be called tessel-
lated pavement, being several feet in
extent and composed of native marble.
Besides the young married couple
there is another family in the settle
ment but the great majority of the in
habitants are men, and usually about
half dozen natives of sunny Italy oc-
cupied each one of these houses. In
these dwellings they live during the
winter, and yet it hardly seems pos
sible that man could exist for twenty
four hours in such novels. alongside of
which the tepee Of the Indian and the
hut of the Esquimau are palatial and
the burrows of the foxes and wild ami
mails in the South Valley hill were
clearly and comfortable.