New-York tribune., 1902-08-10
TO PRESENT HERE ITS CLAIMS FOR COMMUTERS HOME.

of artificial sandstone. in which the Spragues
said to embarked.
All this il has already been said. required funds.
II is notoriously easier to get ones notes dis
counted il one is himself influential director
OF a bank than If he has friend at all in the
management. Why. then. should not the Spragues
be thir own bankers? To think to act; and,
under the then newly passed national banking
law the First National Bank chartered. with
Arnasa Sprague it's president The oTganiza-
ton of the Second National Bank. with William
Sprague its president. soon followed Then the
Globe National Bank. already existing lnstl-
tuition passed into the control Of the Sprague
interests so that now three powerful banking
institutions were controlled by them But this
was not sufficient for their purposes The First
National occupied paiatial quarters on the street
floor of a fine building at Westminster and Ex-
change sts. one of the most prominent sites IN
the city of Providence. Soon the Cranston Saw
ings Bank was chartered, and was assigned 10
quarters in the banking rooms Of the First Ma
tional To he sure. the business of the two insti-
tutions was not transacted over the same counter
but the situation OF the savings bank was very
convenient for the public 1t was convenient also
for the managers of the savings institution, VINO
found no difficulty lending all their funds to the
directors of the First National
The banking rooms of the Globe National Bank
were also conveniently situated with reference TO
another institution for savings. the doors Of the
two institutions being directly opposite each other
a narrow hallway of the Franklin LyCeum build
ing alone separating them The managers OF this
institution also found difficulty in the invest
ment of its funds condition which its depostors,
a few years later had cause bitterly to bewail
Amasa Sprague was in the zenith of his
prosperity and power. He was not only power
in the world of business and politics in his State,
but socially he had wonderful strength Every one
sought his acquaintance, and his friends were num-
bered by the score and hundred. He was uni
versaIly spoken of in Providence as Amasa.
the surname being regarded as superfuous- He
was a great lover of horSeesh and Il noted patron
of the turf. In the town of CranSton. about four
miles from Providence, upon his own land, ne
buiIt at his sole expense, the far famed Narragan
sett Park in it's day the best appointed race
track and fair ground in the whole country. Here
some of the most noted races of generation ago
were trotted The most famous of these. perhaps,
was that when American Girl made her great
record beating Dexter's best time OF 21614-
frest trOttfng stock. and there were few in sleigh
inc time who cared TO try conclusions with him
IIn0u the old "Pawtuxet pike
Horsefiesh also prominent in the business
affairs of the Spragues- There are many in Prov
idcnce who we'll remember the famous gray
string team which the chief glory OF the
business stables of the Spragues. There was no
inner sight than that of the vast freight wagon
Of the Spragues, piled high with merchandise
ready for shipment. passing through the city
streets toward the wharves- It was drawn by six
magnificent. powerful grays- harnessed tandem.
and without the vestge OF reins. controlled solely
hv the magic of the drivers voice Down through
the narrow streets of the city would come the