The Washington herald., 1906-12-01
CHURCH In TROUBLE
Sixth Presbyterian Decaying
Before Railroad Progress.
CONGREGATION FALLS AWAY
Putting Engines Drown Pastors Eff
forts and Break Up Divine Services
on Sundnys-Pnrishion Homes
Bought Up by Company 10 Make
Room for the Tracks and Yards.

1t is a difficult feat to deliver a sermon
in rivalry with "A railroad engine stuck
on "A curve and letting out, everytime
the wheels slip, an exhaust that can be
heard for mics.
Old Sixth Presbyterian Church, AZ
the corner Of Sixth and c streets
southwest, is having a hard batde for
existence against the railroad improve
ments ir that section, and Rev. Daniel
W. Skellenger, its pastor, is having an
equally difficult time trying 10 drown the
rumDling Of heavy trains just outside the
door
Only those who have seen a freight
train stuck on curve with the track
wet and heard the frightfui series Of ex-
plosions that follow from the exhaust
when the wheels slip, can form an ade-
Qudte picture Of Rev. Skellenger's task
The pastor reaches the crucial point Of
the sermon. the finale so to speak, and
Is ready to lay all the emphasis in his
power on the point Of the whole talk
Just then there comes the crash of a
railroad train stuck on an upgrade curve
outside the door. with the drive wheels
flying Such are the arduous conditions
under which pastor and congregation
worship in Sixth Church
Not So Bad in Beginning.
improvements incident 20 the new
Union Station are responsible for the
whole trouble. over threescore years ago.
when the church was FIRST built on the
present site, there was no objection 70
the railroad. Light trains and stiu lighter
uaiic, especially on Sunday. did not in
the least interfere with services. But
the railroad grew Trains became hpaV-
leT ana more numerous, and numbering
IIelshts were more I'm evidence. CondI-
uons became worse, but they were bear
aoie until the changes in grade. incident
70 the elimination OF grade crossings he
gan. and the Pennsylvania started relo-
eating freight yards % meet the new
conditions.
BLOCKS Of houses We're bought and torn
down until that on which the church
stands Is almost hemmed in. To can the
climax the upgrade curve 10 reacD the
new elevation, was placed directly in
IFont OF the church. The enormous in
crease IN traffic I'm the past few years
was bad enough, the rumbl!ng ana ear
clnders being almost unbearabIe. but
when trains began % hang on the grade
and stick sometimes for ten minutes the
proverbial last straw was reached.
IL Is difficult 90 imagine iust what peo-
pie who complain so hard about Growing
ROSTERS would do II they had 90 attend
this church The services alone have not
suffered, but the church furnishings and
walls have 10 be continually refurnished
10 be kept anything but q s0Oty gray.
Then, too, the congestion at the station
has been So great that frequently trains
are stopped for five and ten minutes
directly IN front OF the church. Then the
noise of exhaust steam forces the taking
Of a recess in the service. Sometimes,
too, a pUsheU comes up to help the stalled
trains and the racket is just doubled.
Efforts 60 TO Waste and No Redress.
Naturally this keeps many people
away. But this is not all The tearing
down of Two squares just across the
street from the church took a big slice
from the membership. as these people,
when their homes We're torn down, were
forced to locate in another ueighborh1od.
The railroad won't buy the church prop
erty. and the church is too poor 10 move
unless the present property is sold ad-
vantageously. The peoples hopes were
raised few months ago by rumor mat
the railroad company was buying prop
erty in that block but nothing definite
has materialized.
The old church has been the religious
home of many for half century or
more. having been organized in January,
1853, when there were not more than two
organized churches in the southwest sec
ton of the city. BY hard work and self
sacrifice "a prosperous organization was
built up, and now the people are much
saddened and disheartened, as they be-
hold that which they labored SO hard and
so long TO construct. speedily and rather
rudeIy torn to pieces, while they are COM
PEELED 10 stand and look on without re-