Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-03-25
EVENING CHAT

EvIIVIlvO OIH
The terrors that cellar doors in
street pavements have for pedestrians,
especially portly ladies, is q subject
for interesting observation to curb
stone loafers. One of these said the
other day that he stood for fifteen
minutes on a crowded section of Mar
ket street and tried to count the num-
ber of people who stepped aside rather
than cross an iron cellar door, but
after five minutes he lost count. Many
persons would jam into the current
of traffic in the opposite direction
rather than risk stepping on the trap
doors, which they seem to hold in a
sort. of superstitious dread.
A stranger in Market Square wait
ing for a car was very curious to know
! the meaning of the destination letters
on various street cars and asked other
waiting passengers whenever a new
car appeared what the initials stood
for When the Elliott-Fisher Typewrit-
er workmen's special car arrived he in
quired what the "T-W" signified, and
was told by an employe the letters
meant ''to-work."
An illustration of the adaptability
of human nature and the readiness
with which a person will fall into new
ways under necessity was given in a
conversation the other day with a man
who works mostly at night in one of
the departments of railroad service.
This man, who lives in the west end
of town, has his sleeping quarters in
a part of the house that overlooks a
series of back yards and is open to all
the variations of noise that can hap
pen in a city. He says that when he
first started the night work he almost
went crazy and was on the point of
moving to one of the suburbs before
| he got used to the annoyances. His
chief trouble was q combination of
rackets hard to describe. 1t consisted
of buzz saw in neighboring plan
ing mill, an ice cream factory two
doors away, schoolhouse in the same
block a profane parrot in the next
yard and shrill-voiced, gossiping
woman who took in washing on an
other side. After about two weeks
restless tossing and the loss of about
ten pounds weight this suffering man
finally got used to the noises and now
says he gets awake If for any reason
the bedlam ceases longer than ten
minutes.
Speaking of suburbs, the expressions
OF a real estate agent on the effect of
the attractions of the semicountry resi-
dence districts on his business are
nowadays is to secure desirable ten
ants for city houses and to prove to
people that living in a suburb is not an
unmiXed blessing. people do not
seem to consider the advantage of liv-
ing near their places of occupation"
he said; they forget about the COM
forts of city life and long for a place
just outside of town with patch of
garden, chicken coop and muddy
street in front, which, when it is not
wet, is three inches deep in dust, or
blocked with snow in the winter. The
great change thaS is taking place now
in the minds of Harrisburgers, l think
is the desire to migrate to the suburbs
and it is going to have a marked
ERECT on city property as time goes
on"
What is all this full crew business
about asked a passenger on a Hill
car this morning. Il must have been
sleeping, as l found out yesterday. /
met a group of strangers who were
discussing the bill and they were talk
ing about airbrakes and extra men.
What has that to do with a full crew."
The mans inquiries brought some
laughter and several jokers began
poking fun at the passenger, one man
remarking Don't you read the news
papers?' The law was explained to
him and information given as to why
railroads wanted the law repealed.
When the man left the car at Fourth
and Market streets he remarked to an
acquaintance:
Il thought all along 1t was a law
which punished crew when they got
drunk; that they called it full crew
law on account of railroaders drink
ing. | hear so much about the Penn
sylvania Railroad cutting out liquor
that | supposed the full crew bill
did it,"
There is a rumor of a persistently
leaking spigot in one of the rooms Of
the High school that has defied the
remedial skill of plumbers. janitors,
students and teachers for two months.
Three times has the lead pipe artist
come in to cure the constant trickle.
and as the gossip goes, three times
has he scratched his head in per-
plexity, and failed, and gone away
muttering TO himself to consult with
his helper The last attempt was
made the other day by the master
plumber himself, his assistant and two
janitors of the building. They tink-
cred for 40 minutes and attracted
teachers and students from the class
work and when they went away the
leak was still leaking, and it's per-
sistence is starting an agitation to call
in the engineering staff of Technical
high to solve the mystery.