The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-03-31

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have just been connected with the ele-
waited, subway and surface car systems
of the mainland.
Probably no building in the country
has older, or, in certain way, more
important historical associations than
this. AS is told on the two bronze
tablets set in the passageway cut
through the end Of the ground floor of
the building to give entrance to the
underground car lines, this was in 1884
the site Of the public market place;
here in 1857 was erected Boston's first
town house, which was burned in I'LL
and replaced two years later by the
present building. The great and gen.
eral court and the royal governors un-
der the first three Georges occupied
these quarters while Massachusetts had
a colonial government; in them John
Hancock was inaugurated first govern
|, or OF the commonwealth in 1880 and
the states general court sat from then
until 1893 From 1880 to 1889 the city
l 6o' was Ill pOoSSSolOu, anu LII
recent years the upper part of the
building has contained the collections
Iof the Boston Historical society, as it
Twill continue to DO.
I The East Boston tunnel which has
fconverted this ancient seat of govern
1ment to modern Industrial uses is sim
lply the newest branch of the Boston
Elevated Railway company's SYSTEM
which serves practically the whole of
greater Boston, says correspondent
from here to the Chicago Chronicle It
Is not an extraordinarily important
branch, except to the city's detached
ward across the harbor. which here
tofore has been dependent entirely
upon ferry boats, with the consequent
delays and dscomforts of such means
of TRANSFORMATION. Already work has
been started on the construction of
tunnel running the length of the city's
congested district in which will be put
the trains of the elevated lines. now
carried through the same territory bv
the old subway, which was the first
UNDERGROUND road built in this coun-
try. Very shortly the construction of
a conioined subway and elevated line
to afford more rapid transit between
Boston and Cambridge will begin. But
the East Boston tunnel is interesting
as the first of the lateral arms, stretch
Ing out from the main system, by
! which the local transportation manage
ment plans to solve what is possibly
the most difficult problem Of its kind
any community has to meet.
AS a railroad station the old state
house becomes an integral part of the
most remarkable network OF trans
portation lines and terminals in the
United States and probably in the
world. Greater Boston. as distinct
from the incorporated city of Boston.
is of very much scattered community
of upward of 100000 people. hundreds
of whom travel every working morn
ing Unto town" and every evening out
home again. No other city in the land
has relatively such large proportion
of commuters: fully 100000 men and
women pass in and out of the street
and steam railroad stations of the citv
each day-a total Of not less than $685.
100000 a year. Then, too, Boston has
become the channel Of a surprising va
cation traffic that is brought into
New England from the middle states
and the west. ard that flows outward
from the hub - every corner Of the
whole New England coast.