Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25


wants to get off The conductor stands on
your feet to peer out the window to see if
the passenger is unloaded properly. AS
fast as the people get off the cars others are
taken on. There is no let up in the gain
until the loop at East Liberty comes in
sight But, then, you do not care to sit.
Ambition, patience and the nice 10 cent
shine on your shoes are all gone You wait
irritably for the end. -
On the fifth Avenue Line.
On the 'fn" trip 1 took the Pittsburg
traction, or Fifth avenue line. Not nearly
so many mill and factory workers travel on
this line as the other, and as rule the cars
are not nearly so crowded, but the charac-
ter OF the passengers, from a street car point
OF view, is not bettered particle. There
was the same expression of face, the same
glaring into space, the fixed look at some
thing remote and uniathomable, that Van
derdecken, the Flying Dutchman, is said to
wear. 3d.
The car was fairly well-flled when three
fashionably dressed young ladies, accom-
panied by young man, boarded it. There
was confusive chatter; they all wanted to
talk at once but the quartet made bee
line for the vacant space in the front of the
car. There is another strange thing. Give
any number Of ladies, say from two to ten,
male attendant, and they will go to any
part of the car, but the single one
will simply enter, and wait until
somebody throws up the sponge. OF course
there are exceptions to the rule, and. joy
be in the telling OF it, one entered this self
same car. She was d essed in very dark
blue dress. The simple, flowing lines were
modelled on q splendid figure. The coffee
colored jacket was buttoned tightly and
turned up at the white shapely throat, for
the air was rather keen. The pretty brown
hair had been coiled up under the cloth hat,
but sprays of it had been loosened by the
wind and were now playing lightly about
the little pink ears. She was young and
pretty, not beautiful
A Very Agreeable Surprise.
I did not notice all these. good points
when she first came in. A side glance at
the door gave me but glimpse of female
drapery and the first thought concerned my
scat for the car was filled. There were
seats for everybody until the young lady
came in. She stopped right in front of me.
With sigh L began to fold up my paper.
There was no balm in Gilead or seats in
street car-for a man.
Don't rise. There is room enough for
me-" And sure enough, when 1 moved to
one side, this young dream sat down very
comfortably. She had a small package
which was laid in her lap, with dainty
little pat or two as if it contained some
living thing, then she smoothsd her gloves,
produced hve-cent piece and was ready for
the conductor.
Here was study. Interest in the news
paper was gone. Contemplation of the
profile revealed all the charms previously
referred to- On the bosom OF the little
brown jacket was spray of
chryssanthemums, yellow and white. The
face catches the reflection of the
first color 1t lights with a golden
deep blue eyes shade of green. 1t is not
fancy that likens that face to one of Bou-
guereau's angels But the Oakland power
house is reached and leave the car.
In the City Of Pretty Girls.
The several Allegheny lines carry be-
tween them nearly, if not quite, 20, 00O, 900
passengers yearly. 1t is almost certainty
that at least 5000, 900 of these are pretty
girls One wonders where they all come
from. At 5 or o'clock in the evening al
most every seat in the car is filled by . nice
looking young lady. Some come from the
shops, others from the factories, Offices, and
every place in which women are employed
There are private secretaries, typewriters,
milliners. salesladies, and q
sprinkiing of dainty ladies whose circum-
stances do not require their going forth to
toll. And above these twin rows of
prettiness a row OF men, of all
classes and conditions. hang by the
straps, each separate individual, perhaps,
wondering why those girls can retain such
q fixed expression of vacuity with so much
manly beauty near at hand There are
hn hn
3as not pretty face in the car, if they
and rest, but OF this class there are few,
indeed. The majority do care and would
yield up, no. one, but many drachras, if
they could gain bit one look OF sweet rec
ognition from the prettiest girl in the car.
And so the stream of humanity is moved
to and fro every day. Who can estimate
the many and mixed emotions that are car
ried on one street-car in day? What pas
sions, sorrows, joys, sufferings are hidden
behind the composite stree.-ear lace?
Does Death Ride the Street Car?
By the way, the danger of cable and trac- |
lion cars is often discussed: will somebody |
furnish data to prove the street car more
dangerous than the steam car? Where is |
the railroad handling $50, 600 passengers
daily, on which the percentage of accident,
is not as great, if not greater than OH Pitts
burg street car lines since the introduction
Of speedy motive power? Besides, the fact
remains that railroads traverse thinly set
lied districts for the most part, while street
rars have to "hustle" through streets
always swarming with humanity.
The only wonder is that accib!ents are not
more frequent.
PITTSDURC, Dec. "a, 1892.