Middletown transcript., 1911-03-11
POOR R. R. ACCOMMODATIONS
Travellers Delayed, Miss Trains
Weather Exposed

Club not long ago Miss Emily ?. BIsseii.
of Wilmington, among other suggestions
that the Club use its influence to help
solve local problems of publiclnatnre,
was the specific counsel that thev cham-
piop the peoples cause of better raiirta1
accommodations for the town. There
upon committee was appointed to call
upon the railroad authorities, and on last
Wednesday morning Mrs. M. B. Burris,
Mrs. ]. L. Shepherd and Mrs. ]. G. Sites
went to Wilmington and laid before Mr..
E. B. Johns, Supt. of the Delaware Divi.
sion of the Pennsylvania Railroad a num-
ber of the many grievances from which
the town is suffering.
The TRANSCRIPT hopes later to give It's
readers the results of the conference.
Meanwhile, as the solitary champion Of
the peoples rights, this journal will keep
hammering away at the long borne out
RACES which this corporation has been
perpetrating hitherto unrebuked officially
by the towns rulers.
We know nothing of the purposes or
wishes OF the new Board, but with many
of our citizens, we are hoping they will
take some steps to protect our town from
these unconscionable railroad usurpations
bring the railroad to book in the same
firm and prompt fashion that the George
town and Elkton Town Boards lately did.
This lady said publicly before the New
Century Club that the ladies' retiring
room was unlighted-so dark, in fact,
that it was necessary to light matches to
see anything there. That there was no
drinking glass of any sort provided-lady
travellers are supposed, it is said, to carry
their own drinking cups. We are credi-
bly, informed that the toilet rooms are
unclpan. A well known lady ttll the
writer few days ago that the seats in the
dirty old waiting room would soil lady's
clothing that those using them did SO at
their peril. 1t would perhaps, be proper
to have q ianitor, say-once month so
to clean off the sooty grime-but that
would cost penny. Tie outside toilets
we know used to be unspeakably foul-a
menace to decency and health. They are
now locked.
Again. In the outer waiting rooms
there is no provision of any sort for giving
a sick or thirsty waiting man drink in
the hottest days of ofsummer-male travellers
are supposed to carry not only their own
drinking cups but their own water jugs
aIso-or visit the opposite corner-or
carry their own liquid refreshments and
then get "pulled" by the railroad police
for drinking on railroad property!
Again. The railroad authorities believe
the town should have the advertisement
which first favorable impressions make
upon strangers and SO when they repaired
the unseemly cracks in the old walls and
ceiling of the depot waiting rooms, they
smeared the repairs over with brown
paint, but no more and the piebald effect
is very fne-a cross between a Zebra's
stripes and a Ieopard's spots Il would
cost nickle or so to paint or calsomine
ali of the dingy, dirty old walls and the
company only gets about 100000 yearly
from MiddletoWn and vicinity and cant
afford to make things look even half de-
cent Besides, the people have stood all
these things for over q generation, and
why should the Company worry? 1t
doesn't worry and until lately. since The
TRAN: cRIPT has been kicking, neither has
the townl
Another nuisance. The spur track
known as the peach switch is constant
Iy preventing passengers reaching the
train and causing great annoyance. Last
Saturday lady missed her train from
this cause and three persons we're this
week kept waiting-prisoners until the
switching trainmen concluded to get the
train out of the way. This outrage
needs instant abatement.
The "Sardine Box" will not bold a
fraction Of the passengers who often alight
from the southbound train and who be-
cause of this new fence must wait, all
weathers, rain, snow and billiards out in
the open five or six minutes till the train
has pulled out. Now since the railroad
company for their convenience have
brought about this state of affairs, The
TRANSCRIPT demands that for the con-
venience of their patrons, they at once
give the only adequate remedy, viz: a
tunnel passage way beneath the tracks
connecting the two sides. This would
allow the down coming travellers at once
to pass into the East side depot and to
reach their homes without this needless
exposure to the elements-that is, of
course, If there be no freight train on the
peach track blocking the way.
Again, under the present conditions
passengers must go early across to the
South track or they will find the gate shut
in their teeth and be forced-if they can
Ito get around the engine and reach the
cars. OF course passengers have no busi-
ness to be late-neither have trains-but
both often are-with this difference the
passenger waits for the train, but the
train never does for the passenger.
With q tunnel, late passengers can
reach the train safely and all travellers can
depart at once. Of course it would be
pleasant to have the waiting rooms cleaned
up, decently lighted and painted in some
attractive way; but il the company will
give the people the essential things of an
unblocked road and path, safe and
quick entrance to and exit from the depot,
they are content to let the esthetic matters
of mere decent looks go. But while they
may put up with depot that looks as
though it was built when Noah's ark was
-snd hasn't been touched since-they
will not put up with these impudent
dcninls Of their substantial rights.
Bakery Changed Owners
Messrs W. W. Allen and Son have dis
pn-td Of their baking business on East