The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-03-04
THINGS AT The hub. /"
Boston Struggling With the I'm
mense Body of Snow.
HE HAD A HORSE UNDER HIM.
The Peculiar Nature Of the Hubs Beau
tifuI- Much Suffering Results from
Severe weatber-Cost Of Clearing the
streets-Boston's Cabinet Oficer-

Boston is full of men who In the sea-
sons past have been crying for an old
fashioned winter. For several years l
have heard the plant, but / hear 1t no
more. Anticipation and realization are
two different things. The wished for old
time article is neither a thing Of beauty nor
a Joy forever The respectable old gentle
men who longed for IL have lost the warm
bloom and exhuberance of youth, ana
great piles Of "he beautiful" do not APP
pear 10 them the same as they did 40 years
ago. The younger people have no use for
deep SHOWS, business men abhor them,
and in truth the city Is not fitted nor pre-
pared for such a visitation as the last
week has brought. Our streets were
blockaded before, they are nearly impass-
able now.
Boston snow Is different article from
that found in the country or in smaller
towns. To use an old logging expression.
''it don't tread" 1t comes down just as
pure and sparkling as elsewhere, but no
sooner does il strike the well worn streets
than a change begins. Its pure white be-
comes a dirty grey, while each individual
appears to have dislike for its neighbor
flake ard refuses TO cling TO il. The result
is IA mealy substance that glides from under
your feet and obstinateIy refuses TO allow
itself TO become a firm base for walking.
This condition continues until a warm
day visits the city, then the meal becomes
slush. 1t looks sound and inoffensive on
the surface but when once you put your
foot upon IL you see your mistake, and
very wicked man swears, as he views his
wet feet, at its deceptive chara cter. Then
comes "a wet period of day or two and
the snow is no m ore. IL is of no earthly
use except as a nuisance is useful.
This winter, no one but the "oldsst in
habitant" claims, has been matched for
years. 1t has been cold, windy and snowy.
One storm has succeeded another in rapid
succession and more than ordinary annoy
ance has been felt. Boston knows but one
way to use its snow and that one way is to
draw it away from the streets and dump
it down out of the way OF her people. This
work falls heavily upon the street raili Dad
management, and at no time since the
West End railroad assumed the ownership
of the city has It had such load upon its
shoulders as during the present season.
To give you an idea OF the severity Of this
struggle between nature and the corpor-
alton let me say that since week ago last
Friday the snowplows. sleds, carts and
teams of the West End have been in con-
stant use night and day trying to keep
clear the $50 miles of track running
through $50 miles of street.
T.. q. 4, c.lo
trio end so horse snow.plows and from
50 to 90 horse plows and Jewellers. To
cart the snow from the streets has re-
quired from 300 to $50 two horse sleds
during the day and half that number at
night. Besides the teams owned by the
company, many others are hired. Indeed,
all the teams have been kept at work that
men could be found to load, the great
difficulty having been to hire snow
shovellers Besides the regular en-
ployes of the company and the drivers OF
teams, from 800 to 1000 extra men b ave
been employed shovelling snow. The
snow taken from the streets Of Boston
proper is dumped into the Charles river
and the harbor, while that in the suburbs
is carted to convenient dumping places.
yes, and great deal Of 1t. The expense
to the West End alone during the time
above mentioned has been from $500 to
$4,000 per day, and in spite of all their ef.
forts many streets have been, great por-
tion of the time, in dangerous condition
for ordinary travel. An old-fashioned
winter is all right to talk about, but it
isn't what Boston needs. and can be
opNfttaH from, tha for ha axt
10 years and not a complaint go up from
anybody who is living today. Old men
who insist on living in the past should
take trip to Siberia
Stories on the mishaps and adventures
incident TO the great depth Of snow are
legion, but the following yarn told on
Monday by suburban resident still leads.
He was an old and venerable man and the
group that surrounded him paid respect
full attention as he told Of his Thursdays
adventure. He was crossing or attempt
ing to cross TIE street near his residence
when he saw hat apparently lying on the
snow. He stopped to pick IL mp and found
a mans head under it. Selling the curly
locks he began pulling, thinking to ertri-
cate or aid in eytricating the unfortunate
ltliON btlus Wutn tHc suONtu III NlCtlm
said: What are you doing'" Trying to
pull you out" said the old gentleman.
Much TO my surprise said the spokesman
rs he smiled upon the listeners thu voice
replied: Pm all right. there is a horse
under me-"
This extreme weather has been the cause
of untold suffering, and the demands npon
the charity of our people have been great
IL is 10 the credit of the city, however, that
its citizens are quick To respond, and that
In its midst are found not only individuals
but societies that delight In doing good
Thousands of dollars are yearly expended
for the "elief Of the poor and in that quiet
ChAytian ike manner that deserves the
highest commendation. The Boston City
Missionary society for example, presided
over by that good man, Rev. Daniel w
Waldron, who for years has served az chap.
lain Of the Massachusetts, house Of repre-
sentatives has for over 90 years comforted
the afflicted. Its G5th report shows there
are over 20 missionaries employed by IL and
that last year IL collected for the support OF
its work s20, 1850. and in addition TO this