The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-20
The Pipe as a Factor in
Mysterious Fires.
When Will Trolley Party Fad
Strike Providence.
I Youthful Culprit Who Put Vet
eran Detective in a Hole.

The Dire which destroyed the Masonic
Temple yesterday morning Is generally
agreed to have originated near the boilers
from which 1t made its way through the
elevator shaft TO the upper portion OF the
structure. In many cases, however, the
cause OF destructive fires is never known,
and their origin remains an unaccount-
able mystery. An incident was brought
to the.notice OF the Gosslper this morn
ing, which would probably furnish an
explanation OF the cause of some OF the
fires, the origin of which has been salts
factorily accounted for. In ore OF the
many jewelry manufactures on Pine
street rule is in force that there shall be
no smoking in the workrooms. The re-
suit is that the devotees to the cigar and
pipe are in the habit of getting short
smoke during the noon hour. day or
two akb one OF the employees was enjoy
ing his usual noontide solace and did not
notice how quickly the minutes were
passing until the O'Clock whistle sum-
moned him to resume his labors Hastily
thrusing his pipe into his coat pocket he
went into the shop. The coat was hung
up and the owner went to work at his
bench. Half an hour later the workers
noticed an odor such as Is made by burn
ing cloth and an investigation was made,
which resulted in the discovery of the
pipe smokers coat blazing away in the
cloak room. The fact was that the light
ed pipe, thrust hastily into the pocket,
had set fire to- the garment. OF conrse
the blaze was put out without other dam
age than that done the coat, which was
ruined; but one can easily conceive what
might have been the result had that coat
with the glowing pipe been left in the
cloak room at time when the building
was not filled with workers. Small
sparks cause big confiagrations some-
times and there is quite as much danger
in lighted pipes when not safely stored
away as there IS In friction matches ex-
posed TO the gnawing OF the omniverous
rodeot.
No man in Providence carries his years
more easily, or does more quiet and effec-
tive work, than detective James y. Swan.
Mr.. Swan Is not man of many words,
but of much action. During his long
connection with the detective department
he has had TO deal with trickey and con-
niving criminals, but never was one OF
them known TO get the better OF him.
The only offender who enjoyed the dis
tinction putting the detective Sin hole"
actually, not figuratively, was puny lit
description given by Mr.. Swan, wasn't
bigger than a pint Of peanuts. The lad
had been arrested for stealing a small sum
of money, consisting chiefly of pennies.
Mr.. Knowles was the chief OF police at
tnst time, and when he began 10 ques-
tion the culprit in his fatherly way he
learned that the booty was hidden in
coal pocket down on South Water street.
The lad said he war willing to guide the
police to the place where he had hidden
mis- ill-gotten treasure so the chief, the de-
tective and the diminutive prisoner sailed
forth and proceeded to the coal yard OF
Peck and Salisbury at the corner OF South
Water and Pike streets. Arrived there
the lad pointed to a beam running across
the top of the wooden partition separat-
ing TWO coal pockets, and said the money
was up there. This beam was some four
teea feet from the ground, and the urchin
began climbing up post TO reach 1t.
Not to be outdonc in nimbleness the de-
tective also Skinned up the post, and soon
detective ana detected stood on the beam.
sNow where's the money!" demanded
the detective. "Right down there" said
the boy, pointing into the blackness on
the other side of the partition. With that
statement the lad jumped and so did the
detective. The latter, however, didn't
calculate on a drop of fourteen feet and
the shock with which he landed gave
him an unexpected shaking up. To add
thick cloud OF fine coal dust which
filed his eyes, making the darkness
doubly dark. In the meantime the cap
tive had darted TO the other side of the
cosl pocket. crawled through a hole in
the partition that did not seem big
enough for well developed rat and was
free, while the detective remained a
prisoner within. Chief Knowles, with
his hands clssred behind his back, was
calmly sauntering up and down the street
contemplating mentally some abstruse
problem and he heard not the shouts of
the imprisoned Swan. The detective, after
calling until his voice gave out, finally
coDtrived to climb out of the black hole.
When the light OF day shone on him
again any man who could have recognized
the detective under the thick coating OF
coal dust must have bad eyes of X ray
power. where's the bow" asked the
chief when he finally discovered that this
ebon-hued individual was the detective.
The remark was fervid one, but it led
the chief to remark, swell, guess we'd
better not say anything about this mat
ter" but IL was too good 10 keep, and
the whilom black swan told the Joke on
himself when he had succeeded in r. stor-
Ing the color with which nature en-
dowed him.
Perhaps when the troublesome transfer
question Is settled the Union Railroad
Company may havs time think about and
to provide some of those palace trolley
cars which are just now so popular in
Brooklyn and Philadelphia and which are
furnishing so much pleasure TO the yeo-
pie In these baiiwicks The Gosslper
told some time ago about a Brcoklyn
gentleman who invited n number OF bis
friends TO trolley party. For three or
four hours the party was whisked through
the streets and suburban roads in bril-
liantly lighted cars in which IL enjoyed n
literary program and partook OF n hot
turkey supper. The latest thing In this