The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-08-09
|ANTSTAYkWAY
|on Who Spends His Times
On Earth in Providence.

1oco beck very distinctly four of my re-
cornations and each time I've been on
1<<h, that remember now, II has been
kt here in Rhode Island.
Why, over 200 years ago l was Conanicus
~ Oldest son Of Narragansett sachem,
Dc 9f the few that were on good terms
><h Roger Williams, and Williams taught
~ 10 read. We lived down on Conanicut
mt padded up every week. and i was in
<own In 1915 whom the whole place was
0xnod out, and got hurt so seriously that
died the following summer.
- appeared In the town again along in
554 and was q carpenter and mason.
There's brick house at 637 North Main
txoet that built for Elisha Brown in
II62. It's q good place yet. Ten years
otor had q job on the State House and
+ ~ 1770 when they moved Brown Univer-
|1ftY up here from Bristol l was doing
Wol1 enough TO send my oldest son to col
Iege and It didn't give him any false pride
1ither. Why along there in his second year
~ school he left checker tournament
<one afternoon and came over on Dean street
md helped me build a platform around
1hat new Rawson fountain. He was
rood boy, that one sent to college. can
{ust remember how in his junior year in
ma no delivered an original Grafton
|n3niust lotteries. That's the time that
Er0vidence waslcrazy over lotteries. The
ohurches used them to get out of debt and
poy the parsons and it was all right. In
|thst same year, 1773, they built what is
NOW the Board of Trade building with
<he funds won in a lottery. There was
ono big advantage in living in
&hose days, and that was
when board was cheap. / started
"A ~ the Mansion House up on Benefit
Dffoet when 1t opened in 17S4-they called
IA che Golden Ball Inn then--and could
wot ALI l wanted for % week. OF course
NJ didn't have these shore dinners
DOWN river, or anything of that
Kind, for there were no steam
5onta 70 speak of for q good many
V9ars after that, although in 1892, think
3 WAS, visionary sort of a fellow named
I1oha Ormsbee invented q steam
Boat and tried 1t on the river
but il didn't work. The forenoon
~ She trial trip the whole town turned
Dnt and there was gang over on Towne
1treet by the waterfront guying Ormsbee,
1nd the Indians nearly killed themselves
1oughing, People didn't get through
1a1kfng about that for years, and when
Er1aident John Adams visited Provi-
<lenoe In 1877, someone pointed out
~ him the place where the boat started
<Eo1n. was getting pretty well along in
1ars then and had to depend on my sons.
That one I sent to college was preaching
Md my other boy got good position
>lth the Providence Washington Ihsu- |
tonce Company the first year it started, |
Is 1790 Yes, died the very next year
|oet about when the public school system
|xns established in Providence.
~ can remember just SO years ago was
y carelcss, harefooted boy, five years old,
DIaying hand ball up on Franklin Park |
- the avenue. That piece of land had
|uot bean conveyed to the city by Amos
4tWell for park and the kids got lots of |
|nn out Of IL. But about the first thing / |
oolIeot Of that time on the earth was in |
no, when they finished the Round Top |
1nurch and my father took me to the
poning and the minister told us that it
ccf 10000.
oh yos was quite boy at the time of
~ September gale In 1915, was . dozen
14kp old, but mother wouldn't let us out
|1&t night but we came down the next
rV OK too after and picked up bricks that
- ships bowsprits had knocked out OF
- Building walls on Westminster street. |
&U4 little sfterward i began to make
o~cy for myself 80 that when
I'D Providence Institution for Saw
1@o wss started in 1919 L began
~ 1fst bank account. When / was 10
rcrG Gold joined the Methodist Church.
Wne just at tho time the organization
(k possession of tho Chestnut Street
ooting House in 1922 and lot of US left
- Round Top. l was Sunday school
t(ngian and got such taste for books
~ things OF that sort that in 1923 went
r WIthlai more to the new Franklin
|oQ151y that was started the following
cnk. But somehow or other
- weren't suited long atsChest-
o street 30 that In 1890
1sn the Westminster Church on Mat
@ovR1on street was finished our set left
11 Wenb there just as we had left the
pne1cent. was buried from the West
N1n1eter Church very soon after that.
pmetime early In 1892. i died very
|cung that time.
'But was right back again; Il must
)oyo been within year. for / lived over
y Benefit street and can remember
<otching the workmen building the
&thon8um and that was completed in |
~, jusf year before they finished the
|>ote Prison on Gaspee street. Right
long In there for 20 years was great pe-
- for buildings. The present Grace
1Qrch edifice was put up in 1915 and four
uofs afterward the city built the Reform
r1ool over on Toe wotton street and In
~ there was s225.0 appropriation for
- custom house and post Office that the
Dopie living now are finding so much
init with We young fellows thought IL
~ great In those days. One thing I
yer shall forget about that time.
\ Was the unyeiling OF the statue
Benjamin franklin, the one
|1ott down on Westminster street now.
y Was the first statue that Providence
|ver had was there with my girl and
- stood near enough TO the Mayor, VIII
Iom Mitchell Rodman, to touch him
Rhon be got MP to speak and make some
Duarks about Franklin's life. The crowd
30 that day was the largest / ever saw
I1tu three years later, when tho men be-
- - 80 Oh to the war and march through
20 streets to say good bye TO the town.
Vns only % years old, but went in the