The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1915-05-27
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InE 81. LUUIN UNIUN NIAIiUN
BY G. U. H.

|, What wonder place is great union
| station in a big city, There are big
ger stations in the world now than
the Union Station at st. Louis-but
this is still some institution for size
and business done.
! sat in the lunch room at this sta
/ tfon the other day and watched the
crowds come and go-swarms COM
ing off and swarms getting on the
! trains You can see it all here pet
| ter than at Kansas City and in some
OF the more recently built stations.
A train pulls in from New York
and the East and hundreds from
many states and foreign lands pile
| of. mill around and fill the waiting
rooms train is called for San
| Francisco and the west. II Is loaded
down with human freight, pulling out
carrying hundreds of people to be
distributed. like letters from the mail
car, in a dozen different states, all
| along the line.
Trains pull in and out, coming from
and going TO all states IN the Union.
| The large waiting rooms are filled
with people anxiously waiting for
their train calls. or for the arrival
OF expected friends. People are hur-
rying here and there-getting grips
and parcels from the check stand
getting baggage checked buying
tickets TO all parts of the great
nation. A few are going to tie
the far East-some TO the war zone OF
Europe. All the world is represented
at the Union Station.
Colorado folks know well of the
little point at the top OF the great d.
vide. where two drops of rain falling
close together come down on oppo-
site sides of little stone ridge. One
drop and others with IL glide of 10
the East, rolling into the head wat
ers OF the Arkansas. where 1t is caught
UP and carried down the current, by
Canon City and on to the larger rivers
and into the Atlantic ocean. The
, other finds its way westward 10 the
Pacific.
Just such a point in the affairs OF
men. Is the Union Station at St Louis
Two trains are lined up before gates
"a and 25. Porters and trainmen josh
each other and visit good na.uredly.
| Passengers early to arrive look out
OF the windows at each other. Late
passengers hurry to show tickets
at the gntes and 70 get aboard ne
men shake hands at the gate and
are the last to get aboard, taking diff
ferent trains. The trains pull slow
iy out of the great sheds. The men
stand on the back platforms Of the
observation cars, visiting. They talk
on as the trains move out together.
They seem to be brothers, on on
some foreign mission. As the trains
diverge in the yards to go in oppoAiteI
directions they exchange final greet
ings: Gable me from Tokio-yov
have my London address," said one.
-All right old man-see you in Cey-
lon in July" replied the other. One
| train went out over the Missouri Pa
cific, going direct to the Pacific coast,
| through Canon City. The other was
bound for New York City, on which
rode q ways into Illinois.
The business side Of this great I'm
ion Station is enormous Nearly three
hundred trains pull in or out every
das. Ten thousand people tramp thru
the station every. twenty four hours.
Its like moving the entire population
of Canon City by given point every
day
More business is done in this sta
tion every day than in all of Canon
City. The investment in the station
and yards is greater by far than the
total assessed valuation of all Canon
City.
Besides the enormous business done
connected with the railroads. the
station contains bank, hotel. res
taurants. saloons, drug store, news
stands. barber shop. cigar store. con-
fcctionary and other stores and booths
AT which most anything may be pur-
chased. One could live comfortably
in this station for months without
having to 20 outside for any of the
necessities or ordinary luxuries of
life. About the only necessity lacking
is a modern moving picture show.
Rome. in all her glory never saw a
sight such as the Union Station at st.
Louis presents every day in the year.
But great as the new station Is lit
having been new for some twenty odd
years.. Il does not compare in mag !
nifcent grandeur and wonderful
mysteries with the old union depot
that stood some thirty years ago. I
remember the old station well. AS a
small boy. lived over In Egypt
Southern Illinois, My grand fathers |
family lived over in the heart OF Mis-
souri,. So have been sifted through |
the old station many times. Those
first times were exciting adventures, |
approached with fear and trembling.
don't know how old was the first !,
time I remember going through. but
I ~vnn n t.rafew email how Wa Ind