St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-09-17
Our Boston Letter.


The popular question among Boston-
ans nov is, "Have you been through the
subway" To judge from the multi
tades that ever since the opening day.
Wednesday, September 1, have thronged
the subway cars, we should say there
were few negative replies to the question.
Nearly, if not all, the car lines that do
not run to the Union station and do run
down fremont street now go through
the underground passage from the en-
trance in the public gardens on Boylston
street to Park street. The descent from
the entrance is so gradual that one
scarcely realizes it until he is fairly under
ground. Once within the tunnel one
hears expressions of how pretty" Tor
the walls are white and redolent OF new
plaster and are brightly lighted with a
line OF incandescents. At the stations the
walls are finished in glistening white
glazed brick, and these with the freshly
painted cars, the uniformed guards and
the lines of track make very pleasing
impression on the traveller. There is a
sub-subway down which the union sta
ton cars will disappear when they are
taken from the surface tracks. At the
exits are series of turnstiles effectually
preventing an entrance there.
II the one object of this underground
passage was to save time, then the goal
is already reached, for the passenger finds
himself whisked from above Charles
street to Park street in about five min
utes instead of the fifteen that used to be
spent in going over the same amount of
space.
The first car that passed through the
subway at six a. M, having a seating
capacity of about sixty, carried at least
$50 persons eager to pass the informa-
ton on to posterity that he rode on the
first car. Some who could not ride on
the car waited and rode upon it as it.
emerged, for the same reason. 1t is said
that some who claim the honor were
really not on the car at all but were
clinging to the coat-tails of those who
were. Your correspondent not being
there at the time cannot verify the state
ment.
We are thankful to the authorities for
Keeping some lines still on the surface,
Tor to see fremont street suddenly de- |
nuded OF her congestion of tracks and
cars would give one the funeral feeling
he experienced at the time OF the strike of |
last December or make him fancy he had |
taken a sudden and unaccountable leap |
INTO the twentieth century.
The first Monday in September set
apart as Labor day, is quite generally
observed in Boston. This year the dav,
as it usually is, was very warm but not
withstanding this more than 2,OOOme
representing all crafts and trades formed |
in procession, with bands playing, flags
flying and banners waving, and marched
around the city They were received by
the mayor and witnessed by large dele
CATION OF citizens and delighted a large
concourse OF small boys who perched on
every available abutment to see the
SHOW"
But there were many evidently who
did not care for the attractions of the
city Tor, going from one subway to an.
other, we passed several parks, and the
cars going thereto were crowded to the
running boards and platforms. The
parks offered great induce ments in the
way Of band concerts and athletic per-
tormances. Twenty-Five thousand peo
Pile bought tickets Tor Norumbega park
that day, aud there were twelve thousand
on the grounds in the evening alone.
Labor day is of great advantage to the
city toier for it gives him an opportunity
to get into the air and draw one more
long breath Of summer before he settles
down to the winters steady work.
F.F.