Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-08-11

roads. In this plat are fruit trees
and vines of almost every description.
Under the trees are a number OF
seats that passengers are wont TO oc-
cupy while waiting for trains. Some
of these seats are in half-hidden bow
ers. Cupid himself seems to have had
hand in contriving the place, for he
| is known to have bent his DOW
among the fruit-laden branches, ana
has many times danced attendance
while the victims of his arrows, now
united, are enjoying the waiting mo-
ments in the delightful surroundings
Under the trees is croquet
ground, and time may be spent in
driving the balls under the Wickets.
On one of the porcheS of the build
ing, and beside great cottonwood
tree. is the well, dug deep into the
earth. This well has not only furnish
ed cool draughts by the barrel, but
| its real. old-fashioned, iron-bound
bucket tells tales of unusual interest.
Passengers are all taken with
desire to look down into the depths,
| and in about nine cases in ten they
hang over the box until they manage
| to drop some article, Il watch or a
pockctbook. even if they don't pitch
head first down the shaft themselves.
Something like a peck of watches
have been successfully fishcd out, and
the pocket3ooks and other pieces of
property that the average passenger
is likely to shed have been brought
out by lowering a boy with garden
rake 10 the surface of the water.
Cali that is Needed.
Along about the hour of noon the
people who are sitting in the grove
or lettering about the well see kind
w faced woman come out on the
porch and shake a dinner bell. About
one shake $ enough to gather every
| body around the table, which is load
ed with good, plain country cooked
food that is calculated to send a pas
senger on his way rejoicing.
"This picturesque station is further
distinguished in that the spot where
the Burlington tracks oVerhang the
Rock Islands is Il section of railway
right of way over which the larges
number of people pass back and for
ward of any spot in the middle west
|
them in each direction roll the long
est. heaviest trains run in any coun
try of the world. The great bulk %
the transcontinentaI business of this
country passes over this bit of Illinois
ground. The finest trains of the 2Otl
century shoot over and under thi
bridge at a j0-mile clip, and they run
almost every hour of the 81 in Il day
1t is claimed that there is only on
other spot in Illinois where at an.
time so many passengers have passe'
over This is at SiXty-third street il
Chicago, where the street car lin
runs under the wide viaGuct of tn
Illinois Central. and the tracks of tn
Alley IL" are above the Central
tracks. Here. during the worlds fair
, more people passed over single spo
than perhaps any other single sectiol
of a city in the world.
} Those In Charge.
The station agent of this interest
ing depot is 5. +. Crossett. who, witt
his wife and family, lives in the build
. ing. and where Mrs. Crossett furnish
es refreshlnent for the hungry. Flo
wears Crossett was valuable funC
I tiOnary for every morning newspape
in Chicago, and the service he rcn
dered was in the interest of thous
ands of newspaper readers. Befor
the Rock Island began running fas
mail. the Burlington train in Uncl
Sans fast service threw off bags I'll
ed with papers. Crossett gathere
4 them up and put them on Rock Islam
4 trains that make Illinois towns tina
4 could not otherwise have been reach
ed for hours.
THE night man is j. L. COrnisl
Last. but not least. is Grandpa Cros
sett. who entertains waiting passeT
4 gers by reciting stories of the olde
u DAYS. when the wolves howled abou
y the place. how the town was built al
& tells of the time when 80 years q
4 more ago some carpenters were worl
4 ing on a church steeple and struc
i for higher wages, and how they didn
q get them He is able to answer a
4 question save one, and that is, 'Whe
& will the Hennepin canal be finishe
q and made use off,