The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-12
Our Crying Need-Train Sheds.

but feel. after reading the letters of com
plant IN your esteemed contemporary, tho
sunday Journal aptly termed ''Ihe H. l.
Bible" that we are being buncoed by that
great and cruel CORPORATION WHICH proposes
TO make tho gcitizons Of this municipality ac'
oept tie long looked fOrward'to railroad s'a'
tion in partially completed state.
Particularly impre sive IS the long article
Of II. A. b., the 'einitials presumably standing
for Hold All Back. In this edusion We are in
formed that "only small portion OF our
citizens are in touch with what Is going on.
Whether this means that the majority OF our
citizens lack the intelligence OF II. A. Is. ana
his favored ''sinall portion" and hence have
not the knowledge Of what Is going ON, or
from the fact the 'small portion" are on the
inside" and thereby able to give the cry OF
warning 10 tho masses, Is not explained. In
fact the article seems more 10 serve as me-
dium whereby Mr.. Hold All Back can get
at" the Consolidated Road for having tho au'
dacity 10 presume that their knowledge of
what is requisite for railroad station is on
a par with his
Tho nerve displayed by this grasping.
heartlass corporation in Attempting 20 use
their own money Us best suits their own
viows is SIMPLY astounding. The fine sar'
casm n running through the article stamps
it at once as being tho work OF master.
But not the master OF Mr.. Clark. hence the
article.
Our attention is called TO tho los Of the
contemplated clock tower. Shame on the
man who deprived us OF this blessing, Just
for the sake OF saving his company paltry
sum Of $l00O0o. Now in order TO know
whether we are in time for our train, we
shall be compelled 10 look at our watch. This
Is an Inconvenience tho public should not
stand. We should rise to "A man and de-
mand this clock tower be added 20 the
structure before the railroad people be al
lowed 90 take possession OF their own prop
erty. More, may we not arrive at the depot
with some minutes TO spare before train
timo2 Why, then, should we not have this
clock with automatons which every flvo min
utes run out on the face of tho timepiece and
"cut up capers," la Sirasburg for our
amusement? Thus tho time before our train
starts Will not hang heavy on our hands.
There is the same crying necessity sCr this
that there is for train sheds.
The fact that there are no train sheds will
compel passengers TO walk unprotected 10
their trains What an outraged The railroad
company provides us at nm enormous expense
with one of 'tho best stations that architects
can design; they provide therein the most
convenient waiting rooms aud every facility
for comfort. They employ men whose sole
duty is 10 inform us when our train is ready
and where it stands. But here our dream
ends Eero begin tho hardships upon us by
this soulless corporation. We are not provided
with any conveyance wherein we may reach
our train without effort. No pneun attic tube
exists wherein we may esconce ourselves,
and by giving three raps its side be
whisked into a comfortable seat in our train.
No; we are compelled to walk walk in the
open air-think of it-just IS we are com
polled to walk in tho open air If we desire TO
go along our public thoroughfares. The
wind and rain, the sunshine and the sleet
WILL OF course, be no more urkind TO Us while
walking TO our train than II we were walking
on the streets, but there is "a difference. OF
course, the railroad company and the city
are both corporations. though who would be
silly enough TO ask the city to build sheds
over our streets 10 protect us from the
weather. Preposterous, Of course, but the
railroad company, why, they are different;
they are our servants. We walk into their
station with graud air and put forth one
dime of our hard earned coin. and we must
get in return ticket for Pawtucket and 81
worth of protection, magnihcence and SER
vice from 'our servants, else we will put up
one loud, long wall which can bo heard at
city hall. thus calling forth the worlSingmen's
friends and others, who realize that an cleo
ton is near at hand, and that good hard
rap at the railroad company will bring them
renewed confidence on the part of their fal
tering constituents. Then we shall get our
deserts. Let us not wait until the railroad
company shall have had time TO turn
round" Let rs compel them TO do now
right off-quick-what they would without
question do in "a short time If given the oppor
tunity. We lose half the pleasure in having
this train shed il wo get IL without using
force" Yet, we did not need TO use force
10 get the covers now in use in the rear Of the
old station. The railroad company them
salves have n very fair conception of what the
travelling public require, and as a rule we get
n fair return for our money when paying for
transportation over their lines. Mr.. Clark
is, without question, working for the ad
vantage Of the company at whose head he
stands end in that advantage is surely in
cluded liberal treatment 10 his patrons. No
one ventures to say that Mr.. Clark is foistng
of second-rate depot on long suffering
Providence. Every one declares IT is grand
good building, so good, indeed, that our
heads are "swelled" into wanting "more
for our money" We want train sheds.
Why, another calamity writer declares that
we must have these train sheds TO show un.
educated travellers who pass through here en-
route 70 Boston that this is not country
hamlet. He even cites an instance where "a
westerner passing through this city for the
FIRST time thought II was a town Of four or
FIVE thousand inhabitants. OF course, il
goes without saying that tins Westerner was
moro familiar with train sheds than with his
geography lesson No doubt he came from
porkvllle.
doubt IL train sheds are so necessary 20
the patrons Of the steam road, or 20 the pub.
lie in general, that they care 10 bo deprived
OF the advantages offered 10y the immediate
opening OF the new station.
The story as 90 Mr.. Clark posing as our
teacher is simply rot. Why, are not the city
fathers assuming the role of teacher whom
thoy say: "No, you cannot have tho noM~i