The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-20
Reduction of the Highway
Working Force.
Six Winter Gangs Employed
Number Only rs Men.
Where the First Cotton Thread Was
Spun by Machinery.

Since the advent OF cool weather the out
side working force OF the puonc works de-
partment has been very materially reduced.
At present the mum Der employed is about
l75, while the ordinary summer force Is six
times as large. There are now at work only
six gangs, and these will be kept during the
winter. One is at the city yard re-
ceiving the material that arrives and operat-
ing the stone crusher. Another Is employed
in cleaning the streets in the central portion
of the city, while third is engaged at the
Coles bank crusher. where the stone for use
ON the East Side highways is prepared. The
three remaining gangs are employed at the
gravel pits.
10 is necessary to keep these men employed
throughout the winter. not only because the
gravel and crushed stone accumulated will be
needed during the following summer. but be-
cause there il constant liability that their
services may be required in many different
ways. A water main may break, storm
may wash out the roadway OF some public
thoroughfare, a heavy snow storm may block
the highways. For meeting any or all OF
these contingencies men must he instantly
available, which they would not be IL the
tire working force were discharged when cold
weather puts an end to outside operations.
What becomes Of the 500 or 600 men who are
thrown out OF work by the coming of winter
the officials of the public works department
do not know. except in those where men
leave of their own accord to accept winter
jobs. Curious as 10 may appear. there Is a
very considerable number of men who prefer
TO work on the highways during the spring.
summer and autumn months. Thay have
steady employment during the winter in
mills or shops. but with the beginning Of
spring work. they throw up the inside Job to
accept tho outdoor one. The number is not
very large. however. so there are still four or
five hundred OF whom nothing is known as TO
how they manage to live during the period of
idleness IN the winter. Perhaps some of them
are able to make enough TO keep body and
soul together by doing odd jobs or working
along the wharves. Some such employment
| appears to be the only one open to them. As
they receive during the busy season but Sl.50
per day. IL is hardly probable they can
put by enough to enable them to hibernate in
comfort for four or five months.
How many people know where tho first cot.
statef Worry few 1t is safe TO say. and yet
very considerable portion OF the citizens of
Providence pass the building in which the
first spinning machine was operated in these
Plantations at least twice a day. and many OF
them good deal more frequently. IL was in
the-ela- market -house,-now the Board of
Trade building, that the first machine for
spinning cotton thread was sot mp aud -oper-
4. A n a a..
the manufacture CT cloth by means of ma.
chinery operated by hand power and one of
the chambers in the market house was used
to t,st the success of the spinning machine
Samuel slater's success in using water power
for spinning doubtless put an end to the ex.
periments with hand machinery.
The market building was not In those days
as IL is at present. 1t had two stories only.
with a basement. The basement ana first
floor were devoted to market purposes. and it
was in one Of the rooms the second floor
that the experiment with the spinning ma.
chine was made. IL was not until 1907 that
the third story was added. and this was not
done by the town. nor at the towns expense,
although ID ultimately footed the bills. ST.
Johns Lodge OF Masons wanted permanen.
meeting place. and offered TO put another
story on the market building, IL the neces-
sary authority were given it. The Town
Council accepted the offer. gave the desired
permission TO erect the additional story and
10 occupy il until the town saw fit TO pur-
chase IL. That was how the Board OF Trade
building came to have three instead Of two
stories
Such balmy weather as that OF yesterday and
today must make the oldest innabitant wonder
whether the weather clerk isn't fit subject
for an inquirendo do lunatico. That indiyid.
usl is certainly betraying an eccentricity in
the quality and quantity Of weather he is
distributing hereabouts that is indicative OF
n serious disarrangement Of his trolley. Why
doesn't no keep up the good, old-fashioned
custom. and supply Us with real Yuletide
weather, instead OF reversing all recognized
conditions and traditions by giving us April
weather in December
Weather clerks Of the past knew their bust.
ness better, IL would seem. At least they
always had a large assortment Of cold weather