Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-24
STORIES OF TIE STREET.

Sad Piight-Mr. Carnegis's Visit to the
Allegheny Library-Improvement and
Repairs Needed There-The Entracte
Nuisance Attracts a Babes Attention.
The storm of wind and rain which swept
| down upon the city yesterday caught q
good many people unprepared. Among
others bic drygoods firm got at least one
lesson in economy at rather high price.
Iney sent a valuable wrap to one of their
customers. and neglected to give the boy
car 1are. The wrap was packed in a big
pasteboard box, and though the boy tried to
protect it as best he might with his coat,t
pox was pulp and the wrsp wreck by the
time they reached their destination.
Naturally the customer, lady, refused to
| accept a mushy mixture of silk and paste
board as her purchase, and the boy had to
take 1t back to the store, where the storm
broke out afresh
About 10 o'clock young woman passing
along Smlthfield street yesterday morning.
was asked by a venerable old woman to
olrect her to house in Woods Run, to
which she expected to make her way on
loot The storm was at its height, and the
young woman, In the security of her UNI
brella and macintosh. took pity upon the old
one who without any defense against the
lashing rain, was already drenched through,
and gave her 10 cents for carfare, as well as
the direction she asked. While they waited
fora car, the old woman. who might have been
her benefactress' grandmother, related how
she came to be out in such weather. She
had been a patient in of the city hos
pitfalls for many weeks, suffering from the
grip and that morning she had been dis
charged cured. She had not penny, and it
NAV be charitably presumed that the hos
pital authorities sent her out without even
carfare because the rain at that hour had
not begun to fall. 1t was not exactly the
sort of morning for conyaleScent from the
grip to be out.
Waiting in the Carnegie Library in Allie
gheny for the storm to abate the writer saw
three umbrellas blown inside out at one
time, for the wind had particularly free
sweep across the hay market square and up
Federal street. OF the three persons whose
| umbrellas fell prey to the hurricane, only
one had the sense to face about and make
the wind undo its work by blowing her UNI
brela into serviceable shape again. and she
was little girl of ten. What added to the
misery of pedestrians in Allegheny ABOUT
this time was the disablement of all the cleo
trio lines for nearly half an hour. The wind
played havoc with the wires, and whlle they
were grounded, of course, all the cars came
to d standstill.
Mr.. Carnegie Pleased With His Monument.
When Mr.. Carnegie visited the library
which he gave to Allegheny, on Friday last
he was very well pleased with all that he
saw there 1t was in the afternoon, and
although Friday was not such busy day ae
the library as some are, Mr.. Carnegie had
good chance to see the operation of all the
denartments Mrs. Carnegie, Mr.. Henry
Phipps, Mr.. Ricketson and another gentle
man accompanied Mr. Carnegie. They
visited the music hall and heard the big organ
before making tour of the library proper.
Mr.. Stevenson, the librarian, took them
through the building, showed them how the
1900 volumes now in the library were
arranged upon the shelves, and pointed out
Dt,i,, hi ia1 1on nf
tific works. Mr.. Carnegie and all his party
congratulated Mr.. Stevenson on the condi-
tion of the library and the efficiency of the
staff of ladies he has gathered about him.
The only considerable feature that is lack
in the Carnegie Library, according to the
libra rian. sundry Councilmen and many per-
sons who use the library with whom the
writer has talked, is proper reference de-
partment. There is no room for this import
ant part of a public library at present. Such
a room would contain the ma jor part of the
books most often needed for reference, and
| suitable accommodations for reading and
writing. The reading room proper is not too
| large for the readers of periodicals and pa
| pers and light literature, and there Is little
sires to consult many books and
make notes therefrom. Mr.. Knox. the
| Chairman of the Library Committee
| of Councils said to me yesterday: 81 should
| have liked to have suggested to MIR. Car
| negie the other day when he visited the
library, the way by which the additional
space for the much-needed reference library
could be secured at moderate cost and
conveniently. There is vacant area be-
tween the cataloguing room and the music
hall, over the boiler room, upon which could
be erected building that would not mar
the architectural scheme of the structure as
it now stands and which would give us all
the room we want. If this is ever done 1t
might be advisable to tear out the northern
end of the music hall and add sufficient
space for stage to accommodate q chorus
OF 200 or &c.,"