The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-27


long ago. IL has been In an unstable
condition. a constant menace to the
public for a number OF years. When tho
ncrete walk was laid on the north side
OF the street, Tho roots OF the tree next
20 the walk were chopped of In order 10
give sufhclent room for the pea
OF the walk. Thus for long time
the tree. has been virtually standing
on one foor. only waiting for good
breeze to topple It over. The wonder Is
that mqe serious damage was not iniict-
ell. Hav pedestrian been passing at
the moment when the tree went down
his life would not have been worth y
pcayune. Tue street department. would
do well TO cast its eve over similar places
OF danger and remove the causes before
some fatality occuIs.
I I /
lam no votary os fickle fashion. But
when during the first part OF this sum
mer saw all my friends wearing the
very broad brimned straw hat 1 felt as
i'll were out of the race. But stuck TO
my professed antagonism to fashion and
bought Z @ moderate size hat, although
repentcd In quiet. Today am glad of
At. The extreme broad brims are not In
it. Take a walk up Westminster street
and see. You will hnd that a broad brim
two months old, has lost its pristine
looking affair. Tie big brim that once
stood out still aud straight In
the pride OF its newnpss aud gum, now
hangs limp and detected, fapping to
each ftful gust OF wind that strikes 1T.
That is the fate Of many OF these awful
hats. No wonder the women laugh and
say that in the future no man shall
point the finger of scorn at her fantastic
and complicated heaigear. 1 rode out IN
the Pawtuxet electric Car yesterday.
There was "A stiff head wind that nearly
stopped your breathing, and that took
the crimp out Of the ladies' hair. Two
Young men sat in the seat before me.
Each wore tn ultra brmmed straw hat.
Whish! Aud one OF those hats struck
right in the face of the lady on
the next rear seat, and there
it stuck. held by the wind.
She calmly picked it off and handed it
back To the young man who sheepshly
took 1t. lie hal no sooner placed IL on his
head before his cotnpanlon's hat per-
formed the same feat. But, as before, the
patient young lady handed it back To
him, This sort Of thing occurred by
acsual count SIX times. aud each time
that young woman calmly handed the
hat back. Tie young man got tired and
left the car. Aud everybody smiled,
nay even some had the i'll grace TO litter.
not at the young woman, she was
heroine, but III them hats"
The police patrol at Turks Head are
not overpeased with their work. They
each do five hour duty wnen the relief
comes. In addition they do their regular
patrol work at night, AMI they claim that
they are losing sleep by ths work. At
best the duty of standing in the hot sun
and keeping traffic clear is an arduous
one and the "Coppers" find it very much
So There Is no reserve force to put on
here. although. as the greatest need OF
the patrol here 10 TO slooko1t for fires In
the etorn-up-region it would seem that the
firemen could much more conveniently
do he patrol work. This is Chief Child's
idea, but G hief Steere doesn't see il that
way, aud consequently the police do
double duty anu lose certain amount
OF needed sleep. They have one privilege.
they can grumble under their breath.
! I !
The "survival Of the fttest" is a say
ing that is frequently used. and in no
more appropriate way than when applied
10 he death rate among the very poor.
But even the survivors bear the marks Of
the scourge of cruel poverty. Notice the
children playing in the gutter. How
many of them are deformed or manned
Said a noted local physician the other
day, II have been practising physician
and surgeon for many years and in
sense have become hardened to the sights
Of distress that all of our profession
must see. A man. with his leg cut
of, or on the poinS OF death,
to me does not seem at all
pathetic. But never can drive among
tie poverty-stricken districts Of this city
and see dozens OF little children. both
boys aud girls. horribly MANNED or de-
formed, many of them by so ne accident,
unavoidable in that sort OF life, but
many more with bodies twisted and dis
torted, by the crosses criminal careless
ness without feeling deeply moved.
To see little child only four or
five years old with leas bowed so that the
child cannot walk another with bent
and twisted spine: and anot her with n
shortened arm caused by pulling and
hauling it. These are sights that to me
are pathetic and for which there is no
cure"
Track fatalities will never cease so long
rs p destrians persist In their iusan de-
termination to adopt the railroad as n
pubic highway II is foolishwaste OF time
aud health. Itis utterly impossible for
man single handed to meet a locomotive
on it's own ground and vanquish it. The
engine Is made OF iron and steel and
moves with momentum OF 10000 to
100000 pounds. The man is made Of
flesh and bone and moves with a n o.
mentum Of about $50 pounds. Per
consequence when the two meet the
cd IS are ten to one In favor OF the loco
motive. England adopts an iron-clad
rule for the protection OF the public
against itself, and arrests every man seen
walking upon a railroad track. Accidents
Of this nature are correspondingly in
frequent.
''By Jove," said the electric car con-
ductor. as he hurriedly rang the bell, IT
there are not some accidents when the
new routes are put in operation. I'll miss
my guess. DIG you see that idiot try to
jump off when we were going at such
a high speed?" 1 allowed that did.
The II emory was fresh of a man STUN
bling headlong from the terrific impetus
which the rapidly moving car had given
him, and finally seeing him roll into the
gutter-u hurt but scared almost to
death. ''Well, he is one Of a thousand
Just such cnumps. who think IL is
smart 10 jump of Nhen tho car is flying
along We conductors can't stop IL.
They will insist upon doing it when your
back is turned and it Is a wonder to me
that there hasu't been some Of them
killed. 1t isn't one or two men who do it