The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-12-02

Short Line Railway company to make
temporary changes until the building
should be abandoned and a new depot
take it place. However, conditions
are such that we feel we can no long
er extend out approval and we have
been compelled to condemn said build
ing. We now ask that your honorable
body, under the powers granted you
by the legislature of the state of Ida
no, as set out in section "a of the act
creating the public utilities commits
sion, as also in subdivisions 81 of
section IL, make an order in which
said railroad company will have rea-
sonable time to erect a depot at said
point, and discontinue the further use
of the one now in use. In justifica-
ton of this complaint, ! attach hereto
rought drawings of both floors of this
building, and call your attention to the
fact that there is but one waiting room
for all classes and sexes. This room
is but 3Sx4S feet with a corner taken
off for the use of ticket office, which
is 10x24 feet. On the occasion of one
of our inspections, | counted at one
time 1873 persons in this room In this
crowd were Americans, Japs, Chinese,
Greeks, Italians, negroes and Indians;
mothers with babes in their arms, lit
tie children around the floor, and two
invalid women, one of whom was suf
fering with tuberculosis. There were
two big heating stoves of the old type
making the room overheated, with
practically no ventilation whatever,
except as the doors We're opened and
closed. The stencil was almost I'M
bearable, and to add to the unhealthy
conditions, there is located on the
west end of the room two toilet COM
partments, one for ladies and one for
men. These are but 6x10 feet in size,
with accommodations for but two peo-
pie, and it is needless to say that they
are always occupied and generally wet
and filthy, owing to the great number
of people using them, for it must be
remembered that II passenger trains
pass this station daily, as well as
many freight trains which are not
scheduled. In the gathering of people
mentioned were several men who
were under the influence of liquor.
and this, in connection with the foul
air and overheated room, made them
sick, and they frequently went to the
toilet to vomit. The toilet floors,
therefore, ere covered with this mass
of filth, as well as a constant leakage
from the only urinal in the mems de-
partment.
1t is true that there are signs on the
walls, mo Smoking Allowed" but
many of the men using the waiting
rooms pay little attention to those
signs; and yet, under all of these con-
ditions, in one corner of the waiting
room, news company maintains a
booth Immediately adjoining the la
dies toilet, from which is sold can
dies, fruits and soft drinks, and in the
summer time, ice cream. Immediately
adjoining the mems toilet at the rear,
is the ice storage room, where the ice
is Clipped and stored for icing the
passenger, Pullman and dining cars.
1t must be remembered that the depot
is practically isolated from the city of
Pocatello, and can only be reached
by crossing a. lengthy yidduct. which
extends over an immense amount of
trackage around the depot, and which
is reached by climbing three flights of
stairs. Sometimes people are COM
PEELED to remain in these waiting
rooms for hours to make train con-
nections, and it is a reflection on our
civilization to subject them, especial !
ly where they are invalids or mothers
with babes, to such dangerous unheal- |
thy and inconvenient conditions. 1t Is