King's Pocket-book of Providence, RI

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from "King's Pocket-book of Providence, R.I." Moses King, Cambridge, Mass., 1882 Tibbitts, Shaw & Co., Providence, RI

The interesting and most important public features of the City of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1882

KING'S POCKET-BOOK OF PROVIDENCE - R

Copyright, 1882, by Moses King.

RAILROADS.

Attleboro Branch R.R. for Falls Village and No. Attleboro, Mass. Connects at Attleboro with Boston & Providence R.R. Leave from west end of Union Depot.

Boston & Providence R.R. for Boston, via Mansfield and points N. and E. A. A. Folsom, sup't. Leave from west end of Union Depot.

Hopkinton, Milford, & Woonsocket R.R. for Ashland, Mass. Connects at Woonsocket with Providence & Worcester R.R. W. E. Chamberlain, sup't. Leave from east end of Union Station.

Moshassuck Valley R.R. for Saylesville. Connects at Woodlawn with Providence & Worcester R.R.

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Narragansett Pier R.R. for Narragansett Pier. Connects at Kingston with New-York, Providence, & Boston R.R. Leave from west end of Union Dept. G. T. Lamphear, sup't.

Newport & Wickford R.R. & Steamboat Co. for Wickford and Newport. Connects at Wickford Junction with New-York, Providence & Boston R.R. Leave from west end of Union Depot. Theo. Warren, sup't.

New York & New-England R.R. for Hartford, Newburgh, Norwich, New York via Hartford, and South and West. L. W. Palmer, sup't. Providence Division. Leave from west end of Union Depot.

New York & New England R.R. ("Providence & Boston New Line") for Boston. Connects at Valley Falls with Providence and Worcester R.R., and at Franklin, Mass., with main line of New-York & New-England R.R. Leave via Providence & Worcester R.R., from the east end of Union Depot.

New-York, Providence & Boston R.R. for Stonington and New London, also Narragansett Pier via Kingston, and Newport via Wickford. J. B. Gardiner, sup't. Leave from west end of Union Depot. Trains of the Shore Line route in New York pass over this line to New London, and then over the lines of the Shore Line Division, and the New-York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.

Old-Colony R.R. Leave via Boston and Providence R.R. from west end of Union Depot, and connects at Attleboro for Taunton, New Bedford, and points Eastern and Southern Massachusetts, and at Mansfield with Northern Division O. C. for Fitchburg and the North. Leave via Providence, Warren, & Bristol R.R. from India-st. Depot, and connects at Warren for Fall River and Newport.

Pawtuxet-Valley Branch R.R. for Hope, R.I. Leave via New York, Providence, & Boston R.R. from west end of Union Depot. J. B. Gardiner, sup't.

Providence & Boston New Line. -- See New-York & New-England R.R.

Providence & Springfield R.R. for Pascoag, R. I. Wm. Tinkham, pres't. Leave from Gaspee-st. Depot.

Providence & Worcester R.R. for Worcester and points north and west. W. E. Chamberlain, sup't. Leave from east end of Union Depot.

Providence, Warren, & Bristol R.R. for Bristol, Fall River, and Newport. Waterman Stone, sup't. Leave from India-st. Depot.

Shore Line. -- See New-York, Providence, & Boston R.R.

Stonington & Providence R.R. -- See New-York, Providence, & Boston R.R.

Stonington Line for New York, via New-York, Providence, & Boston R.R. to Stonington Landing, then by steamer to New York. One trip each way daily, Sundays excepted.

Stoughton Branch R.R. for Canton and Stoughton, Mass. Connects at Canton Junction with Boston and Providence R.R. Leave from west end of Union Depot.

Warwick Railroad for Oakland Beach and Buttonwoods, R. I. Leave via New-York, Providence, & Boston R.R., from west end of Union Depot. J. B. Gardiner, sup't.

Wood River Branch R.R. for Hope Valley, R. I. Connects at Wood River Junction with New York, Providence, & Boston R.R. Leave from west end of Union Depot. L. M. Barber, sup't.

RAILROAD DEPOTS.

Gaspee-st. Depot, at the Gaspee-st. railroad-crossing about one-fourth of a mile west of the Union Depot, Exchange Place, is the terminus of the Providence and Springfield R.R.

India-st. Depot, near Fox Point, is the terminus of the Providence, Warren, & Bristol R.R. It is reached by horse-cars marked 'Bristol & Fall River Railroad', which leave Exchange Place 20 minutes before the departure of a train.

Union Depot, popularly known as 'The Depot', is on Exchange Place in the heart of the city. All horse-cars pass by or very close to it. It is practically a double depot, the two parts being designated as the 'east end' and 'west end'. It is a brick structure 625 ft. long, in the Norman-Gothic style, erected in 1848. In the east end are the termini of the Providence & Worcester R.R., and the New-York and New-England R.R. (to Hartford and the Hudson River); the Boston & Providence R.R., and the Old Colony R.R. (to New Bedford and Fitchburg).

RAILROAD TIME-TABLE and Handy Reference Book, a monthly publication of 144 pp., issued by J. A. and R. A. Reid, which contains complete time-tables of all railroads running to or from Providence; tables of all railroads in Boston and Worcester; the time of all steamers, both freight and passenger; stages, omnibuses, expresses, both local and general, to and from Providence and all points in Rhode Island; horse-car tables, fire-alarm lists, hack and express rates for Rhode Island, etc.

RAWSON FOUNTAIN SOCIETY was org'd 1772, to supply the town with pure water from a spring near Dean St., still in existence. Since the introduction of Pawtuxet water, but few families are supplied from this source.

READING-ROOMS. -- Of reading-rooms open to the public, those of the Providence Public Library, the Union for Christian Work, and the Young Men's Christian Association, are the most important. The last two are supplied with the daily papers, while that of the Providence Public Library is only for magazines and weekly papers. The Public Library reading-room is spacious, attractive, and exceptionally well-lighted room, and a most attractive place in which to spend an hour. That of the Young Men's Christian Association is open daily, Sundays excepted, from 9 A.M. to 9.30 P.M., and has, besides the daily papers, secular and religious weeklies and popular magazines. The various libraries (see heading Libraries) also have reading-rooms. At the offices of the Providence 'Journal' and 'Press', files of a score or so of papers and periodicals may readily be consulted. At the rooms of the Board of Trade an extensive list of papers from all parts of the country is received for the benefit of those who enjoy the priviledges of that institution. The Prov. Medical Ass'n rooms (open at all hours) contain 120 medical publications.

RED BRIDGE. -- See Central Bridge.

REFINING OF GOLD AND SILVER. -- See Carpenter's Gold and Silver Refinery.

REFORM-CLUB. -- See Temperance Organizations.

REGISTRY TAX. -- See Suffrage.

REPRESENTATIVES OF PROVIDENCE for 1882.

  • United States Senate. -- Henry B. Anthony of Providence, Nelson W. Aldrich of Providence.
  • United States House of Representatives. -- (First District). Henry J. Spooner of Providence.
  • Governor of Rhode Island. -- Alfred H. Littlefield of Lincoln.
  • Rhode Island Senate. -- John F. Tobey. [Died Oct. 5, 1882.]
  • Rhode Island House of Representatives. -- Stillman White, Elisha Dyer, jun., John Carter Brown Woods, Fitz-James Rice, Gilbert F. Robbins, Israel B. Mason, Royal C. Taft, Daniel R. Ballou, Amos M. Bowen, Joseph F. Brown, Charles Edward Paine, James H. Tower.

REPUBLICAN CITY COMMITTEE, having charge of the local affairs of the Republican party, is composed of five members from each of the ten wards. The headquarters are at Central Police Station on Canal St. The chairman is Hon. Henry J. Spooner.

RHODE ISLAND, one of the 13 original States of the Union. Although the smallest in area, it is nevertheless one of the wealthiest in the Union. Its area is 1,306 sq. miles, nearly one-fifth of which is water surface. It lies bet. the parallels of latitude 41° and 42° N, and bet. the meridians of longitude 71°8' and 71°53' W. from Greenwich. Although it has an ocean frontage of but 45 miles, about 350 miles of its territory are washed by tide-water. The State, having an extreme length of nearly 50 miles, and an average breadth of 35 miles, is divided into two unequal divisions by Narragansett Bay. The soil, though somewhat rocky, is moderately fertile. A fine quality of granite is quarried in Westerly. Cumberland, Lincoln, and Johnston furnish an excellent limestone; and an extremely hard anthracite coal is mined to some extent in Portsmouth. There are also beds of iron-ore, and stone quarries, in the northern part of the State. Extensive manufactures are carried on in Providence and the neighboring towns. In the central and southern portion of the State, the farming and fishing industries are the most important. The first settlements in Rhode Island was at Providence, followed by Portsmouth and Newport. The colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations dates from the year 1647, when the four towns of Providence, Newport, Portsmouth and Warwick were united under a patent or charter granted by Parliament in 1643, at the solicitation of Roger Williams. In the year 1651 Providence and Warwick separated from the other two towns, but in 1654 re-united. In 1663 a charter of unusual liberality was granted by Charles II, which remained in force until the adoption of the State Constitution in 1842. Rhode Island bore a conspicuous part in the Revolution, furnishing to the Continental forces, among other distinguished patriots, the first native commander, Esek Hopkins, and one of the most illustrious generals, Nathaniel Greene. In 1842 occurred the 'Dorr Rebellion', an effort of a strong party, headed by Thomas Wilson Dorr, to obtain, by irregular methods, a new State Constitution. This produced a conflict bet. the adherents of the legal State government and the 'Dorrites', which terminated fortunately without serious bloodshed. Though the leader was afterwards imprisoned, this movement resulted in the framing of a new Constitution, which went into effect in May, 1843. During the Civil War, out of a population of but 175,000, Rhode Island sent nearly 25,000 men to the support of the Union cause. These included the Governor of the State, William Sprague, and the late Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. The State is divided into five counties, - Providence, Newport, Washington, Kent, and Bristol, named in order according to population. Providence and Newport are the State capitals, and the most importants cities: Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Lincoln, and Warwick, the most populous towns. The population of the State by the census of 1880 is 276,531. The name of 'Rhode Island', applied first to the island of the same name, - also called Aquidnick, - is said to have been given by Adrian Block, a Dutch trader (from whom Block Island, near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, derives its name), who called it 'Roodt Eylandt' (Red Island), from the reddish color of the soil; or, as some authorities state, 'from its marshy estuaries, red with cranberries'.

RHODE ISLAND BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION was incorporated by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1826, for missionary and educational purposes. Its membership is composed of delegates from the various Baptist churches and auxilary societies. Annual meetings are held. The convention collects and disburses money for missionary purposes, and supports a missionary and colporter.

RHODE ISLAND CATHOLIC BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION is a branch of the Irish Catholic Benevolent Union of America, meets at 98 Weybosset St. semi-monthly. Members are entitled to a weekly sick-benefit of $5.00, and on the death of a member the burial expenses are paid. Pre's, Thomas Cullen; sec'y, John Wins.

RHODE ISLAND CLUB, org'd in 1875, is a social club composed of about 65 members, including many leading professional and business men of this city. The club-house, well arranged and handsomely furnished, is at 171 Broad St. Entrance fee, $100; annual assessment, $50. Pres't, Hon. Henry B. Anthony, U. S. Senator from R. I.; Sec'y, Morris Ulmann. Admission procured through members.

RHODE ISLAND EXCHANGE FOR WOMAN'S WORK headquarters at 75 Westminster St., provided a salesroom for various kinds of women's handiwork, the objects contributed varying from jellies and cakes to Kensington embroideries and painted plaques. Each article is subject to the approval of managers who require a certain quality of work for acceptance. The exchange is supported by annual subscription of patrons or consignors, and a commission of 10 per cent charged on sales.

RHODE ISLAND HARVARD CLUB was org'd in 1882, to bring into closer social relations the graduates of the various academic and professional departments of Harvard University. The annual meeting and dinner is held at Newport in September, and the semi-annual meeting at Providence in February. Fifty graduates of Harvard reside in Providence and vicinity. The sec'y of the club is John H. Storer of Newport.

RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY held its first meeting June 29, 1822, in the old Manufacturer's Hotel. Twenty-two years later the plain stone edifice which it now occupies was erected on Waterman St., near Prospect, next to the present Brown University Library building; the lawns of the two estates being pleasantly continuous, without a barrier. The greater part of the 9,000 volumes and 20,000 pamphlets here collected relates directly to the history of Rhode Island. The society is also rich in ancient documents, collections of MSS., etc., some of which have been printed in its published volumes of 'Collections' and 'Proceedings', and others of which will doubtless be published at no distant day. Many miscellaneous articles of historical interest are also gathered by the society. An important service has been done for the public by the series of lectures on topics of specific historic interest, which have been delivered before the society during the past few winters. Visitors admitted from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. and from 2.30 to 5 P.M. Prof. Wm. Gammell, pres't; and Amos Perry, sec'y and librarian.

RHODE ISLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY was an offshoot of the Franklin Society, org'd in Oct., 1845. At its first exhibition, in that year, most of its contributors were from Massachusetts. It has held fairs in June and Oct., with few exceptions. The June fair, omitted for a time, has recently been restored. Monthly meetings are also held at the Lyceum Building, 62 Westminster St., for the purpose of testing and discussing specimens of fruit and flowers.

RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL, completed in 1868 at a cost of about $500,000, from plans by A. C. Morse, occupies ample grounds on Eddy St., bet. Lockwood and Dudley Sts. It is a private charity, owing its origin to a generous gift of $75,000 from members of a single family ($40,000 being from the trustees of Moses B. Ives, $25,000 from Robert H. Ives, and $10,000 from their sister Mrs. Charlotte R. Goddard), to which sum liberal additions have been made by the people of the city and State.

The hospital structure consists of a central building connected by corridors with two large wings, each of which is ornamented by a tower. The wings contain the hospital wards and private rooms for pay-patients; the central building, the sup't's rooms; the operating and instrument rooms, museum of anatomy, library, chapel, and other departments. The staff of the institution is composed of 19 physicians, assisted by a consulting staff of 12 physicians. There are also one medical and one surgical interne, and two externes, one medical and one surgical; all of whom are regular physicians. 552 patients were admitted in the year ending Sept. 30, 1881; 136 of whom were pay-patients. There are 43 endowments for permanent free beds. Over 4,500 out-patients were treated in 1881. A 'children's ward' was opened Feb. 15, 1882. Children between the ages of 2 and 10 years, if not afflicted with incurable disease, are here received. A training-school for nurses was established in 1882. The hospital is supported by the income of a fund of about $360,000 (over one-third of which is invested in stock of the R. I. Hospital Trust Co.), and by annual collections made in the city churches. Guarantors of deficiency supply any deficiency in the income. The pres't of the hospital is Prof. George I. Chace; the sup't and admitting physician, Charles E. Woodbury, M. D. Visitors admitted bet. 1 and 2 P.M., and at other times on order from one of the officers.

RHODE ISLAND LOCOMOTIVE WORKS is the largest establishment of its kind in New England, and the third largest in America. It is one of the greatest of the many manufactories in Providence, and second to none in importance. The group of buildings and the grounds used and owned by this company were formerly the property of the Burnside Rifle Co., of which the Locomotive Works is a certain sense the successor. The Rifle Co. was practically founded, and for a time conducted, by Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, whose name it bore. During the war about 600,000 rifles were made here; but at the close of the war, the demand for rifles having ceased, and the company seeking other uses for its capital and plant, was re-incorp'd for the manufacture of locomotives. The new company was was org'd in 1866, with a capital of $500,000; the stockholders being chiefly the old stockholders of the Rifle Co., and most prominent among them being Earl P. Mason (an original stockholder and the pres't and treas. of the Rifle Co.) and Wm. S. Slater. Mr. Slater became the first pres't of the Co., and held the position until his death in 1882, and the vacancy has not yet been filled; and Mr. Mason became the first treas., and continued until his death in 1876. The directors are John W. Slater, Chas. F. Mason (vice-pres't of the Co.), Earl P. Mason, and Arthur Young. John W. Slater is the only son of the late pres't, and the Messrs. Mason are the sons of the late treas. The works are under the immediate supervision of the agt. and supt., J. Aug. Durgin, who was formerly connected with the Mason Locomotive Works of Taunton, Mass., and more recently with the Pittsburg Locomotive Works of Pittsburg, Penn. Francis L. Bullard (formerly of the Hinkley Locomotive Works of Boston) is treas. and sec'y. The buildings are an attractive group, chiefly of brick, in the vicinity of Hemlock and Valley Sts. The buildings and yards cover an area of eight acres owned by the company. The earliest were built in 1861, but additions have been made from time to time as necessity demanded. The equipment is most complete, and provides ample facilities for making 250 locomotives a year. Employment is given to 1,100 skilled men; the pay-roll amounting to about $600,000 a year. The locomotives made here are of all sizes, and for the various kinds of railroads; broad-gauge, narrow-gauge, elevated, etc. It is not possible to enumerate the railroads using the Rhode Island locomotives; but they include almost all of the elevated railroads in New York, the Boston & Providence, the Canadian Pacific, the St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Manitoba, the St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Omaha, and the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul; the last-named alone using about 140 of these locomotives. The establishment has been an uninterrupted success from the start, and to-day it is taxed to its utmost capacity to fill the orders from all parts of the world.

RHODE ISLAND LOTTERIES. -- The newspapers about 75 years ago were 'full of lottery advertisements, and every year several charters for lotteries were granted by the Rhode Island General Assembly. No one's moral sense was shocked by them.'

RHODE ISLAND MILITIA. -- Adjutant General's office, North Main St. The State militia is a brigade of about 1,400 men, 151 being commissioned officers. Four battalions of infantry, one of cavalry, and a battery of artillery, constitute the force, which is a consolidation of one brigade of militia, composed of various local military organizations, under a State law enacted in 1879. The State furnishes arms and equipments, a neat uniform of blue for each soldier, beside a small remuneration. One of the duties annually performed by the brigade is a camp service of five consecutive days in July, Aug., or Sept. Oakland Beach, a shore resort about 10 miles from the city, has been the ground for several years. The Providence organizations, represented in the various battalions, are: --

First Battalion of infantry, companies A, B, C, and D. First Light Infantry Regiment, chartered 1818, about 200 officers and men.

Second Battalion of infantry, Co. E, Slocum Light Guards, org'd 1842; about 50 officers and men.

Fourth Battalion of infantry, companies A and B, Burnside Guards (colored), org'd 1867; 115 officers and men.

Fifth Battalion of infantry, Rhode Island Guards Regiment, org'd 1865 (chiefly Irish-American), companies A, B, and D, Providence, company C, Central Falls, about 210 officers and men.

First Battalion of cavalry, companies A and B, Providence Horse Guards, chartered 1842; about 50 men.

First Battalion of light artillery, battery A, Providence Marine Corps of Artillery, chartered 1801, about 60 officers and men. The United Train of Artillery is an independent company, has 120 officers and men. The adj't gen'l is Elisha Dyer, jun.; and the ass't adj't gen'l is Col. Hunter C. White.

RHODE ISLAND PEACE SOCIETY. -- See Peace Society.

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, cor. Fountain and Beverly Sts., is a State institution, supervised by the State Board of Education. It is 'for the benefit of children incapacitated through deafness or deaf-mutism, total or partial, from receiving instruction in common schools'. Since it was opened, April 2, 1877, over 40 pupils have been instructed here, the number at present being 26. The method of teaching is founded largely on the German system of education for deaf-mutes. Miss Katharine H. Austin, principal.

RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF DOMESTIC INDUSTRY, 128 North Main St., was org'd in 1820, to promote industry within the State, as necessary to its best interests. Its annual meetings were held for nearly 30 years at Pawtuxet; now the yearly meeings of this society take place on the third Wednesday in January, in Providence. The fairs of the society are held at Narragansett Park in September, and the week following the New-England Fair. The society owns a museum and library. It has about 1,500 members.

RHODE ISLAND TEMPERANCE UNION was org'd in Oct., 1868, to promote 'total abstinence from all intoxicating liquors as a beverage; the suppression of their manufacture and the traffic therein; and the alleviation of the sufferings of those who are under the curse of intemperance'. It has kept one or more agents at work for over fourteen years. It labors in public and sabbath at schools, on the platform and in the pulpit, to create and emphasize a correct public sentiment. In 1881 it declared in favor of a prohibitory constitutional amendment. The office is at Westminster St. Rev. H. W. Conant, sec'y.

RHODE ISLAND UNDERWRITERS' ASSOCIATION is the name under which the Equitable and Merchants Insurance Cos. of this city issue a joint policy through their agents in the Western States. The business of the ass'n is transacted in Chicago through the general agents, Buckman & Tillinghast.

RICHMOND PARK is the name designating an enclosure on Butler Av., bet. Waterman and Pitman Sts., the free use of which, though private property, is given to the public by its owner, Walter Richmond. It is a wooded slope overlooking the Seekonk River, somewhat improved, and provided with seats.

RICHMOND-ST. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, The Old, or 'Tin Top' church as it was called, probably from the tin roof of its belfry, cor. of Richmond and Pine Sts., was begun in 1795, but not completed until 1807. On the erection of a finer structure opposite, this building was abandoned by the Richmond-st. society, and for several years was a temporary home for various new societies until their churches should be built. It has since been used as a brewery, and now shelters within its walls a junk-shop and dining-saloon. The style of the building is that of the ordinary church of its period, plain and rectangular, with sloping roof, and belfry in front.

RIVERSIDE CEMETERY. -- See Cemeteries.

ROGER WILLIAMS, the founder of Providence, built his house on the east side of the river, a little north of what is now the cor. of North Main and Howland Sts. In the Recorder's office, in the City Hall, may be seen the original deeds from the Indians, conveying to him the whole tract of the land of the Providence Plantations, and also the original deed by Roger Williams, conveying the same to his loving friends and associates.

ROGER WILLIAMS MONUMENT (dedicated Oct. 16, 1877), is in Roger Williams Park, on a plateau in front of the old Williams House. A flight of steps leads to a pedestal crowned by a statue of RogerWms. Below, History inscribes his name and '1636'. The monument is granite, the figures are bronze. Total height, 27 1/2 ft. Cost, $18,500. Sculptor, Franklin Simmons.

ROGER WILLIAMS MONUMENT ASSOCIATION, incorp'd in 1860, was formed at the suggestion of Stephen Randall, a lineal descendant of Roger Williams, and the discoverer of his place of sepulture. The ass'n proposes, as soon as sufficient funds shall have been raised, to erect a monument to the founder of Rhode Island at some suitable spot on Prospect Hill, bet. Angell and Halsey Sts. It is to be of granite, 170 ft. in height. Sec'y, Amos Perry.

ROGER WILLIAMS PARK is a tract of land comprising about 103 acres, situated bet. Elmwood Av. and Broad St., near the Cranston line. It was the farm of the late Miss Betsey Williams, a lineal descendant of Roger Williams, who, at her death in 1871, bequeathed it to the city for a public park, on condition that a memorial to her celebrated ancestor should be erected within it, at a cost of not less than $500. A fine monument, costing much more than the sum specified, stands near the Elmwood-ave. entrance; and a granite memorial has also been placed in the ancient Williams burial-ground, on the western margin of the park. Though new and but partially improved, the Park is still an attractive place for visitors. Its 'Crystal Lake', an artificial pond, covered in summer with row-boats, is visited in winter by crowds of merry skaters and spectators. There are croquet-grounds, patent swings, pleasant summer-houses for picnic-parties, and a small, interesting collection of animals and birds. The gambrel-roofed cottage of Betsey Williams, carefully preserved, is still standing on the grounds, and near it the ancient well-sweep. What Cheer Cottage, a picturesque building erected by the Union Horse Railroad Co. in 1878, is a place for resting and refreshments. Private parties are frequently given in its upper rooms. The Union Horse Railroad Co. has also erected a tasteful pavilion at the Park terminus of the Elmwood route. The Park is reached by 4 lines of cars: viz., the Elmwood, - most direct, - and the 3 South-Providence routes.

ROGER WILLIAMS SPRING, near which tradition says he landed, is hidden from view in the basement of the house on the N. W. cor. of No. Main St. and Allen's Lane.

ROLLER-SKATING RINKS. -- There are two of these in the city, the 'Providence' and the 'Infantry Hall'. An opportunity to indulge in roller-skating is also afforded at Work's Gymnasium. See separate topics, on the above.

ROUND-TOP CHURCH, the popular name given to the Beneficent Congregational Church. Described in its alphabetical place.

ROYAL ARCANUM, THE, is a secret beneficiary org., similar in character to the Knights of Honor. There are two councils in Providence. Total membership, 116.

Click here for a photo!RUMFORD CHEMICAL WORKS is certainly one of the most prominent and apparently one of the most prosperous manufacturing establishments in Providence. Its history and success are noteworthy. In 1854 George F. Wilson and Eben N. Horsford, under the firm name of Geo. F. Wilson & Co., built a chemical laboratory at Rumford, a busy New England village, near Providence. The chemical works, and also the village, were named in honor of Count Rumford, who had founded at Harvard University a professorship on the application of science to the useful arts. In 1858 the establishment was incorporated as the Rumford Chemical Works; and since then it has become known throughout this country as the manufacturer of superior general chemicals, besides several specialties of paramount value. The company's tract of land comprises about two square miles, situated about three miles from the city. Through it pass the Boston & Providence, and the Eastern Branch of the Providence & Worcester Railroads, and also the Ten-Mile and Seekonk rivers. The buildings cover an area of nearly eight acres. The main offices, packing and printing rooms, occupy two large, fine brick buildings, Nos. 57, 58, 59, and 60, South Water St., in Providence. The specialties of the Rumford Works are as follows: --

  • Horsford''s Cream of Tartar Substitute.
  • Horsford's Bread Preparation.
  • Horsford's Phosphatic Baking Powder.
  • Rumford Yeast Powder.
  • Horsford's Acid Phosphate.
  • Horsford's Anti-Chlorine.
  • Horsford's Sulphite for Preserving Cider.

Nearly all of these preparations are favorably known to the whole of the American people; and perhaps justly so, for they were chiefly the results of many years' study by Professor Horsford, who has always been regarded as an eminent chemist. His title of professor is not one assumed for commercial purposes, but was conferred in 1847 by Harvard University, where he held the Rumford Professorship for 16 years; and when he retired in 1863 his successor was the Dr. Wolcott Gibbs who still holds the position. In 1843 Professor Horsford received the degree of Master of Arts from Union College, and in 1847 Harvard University conferred the same degree. Although his home is in Cambridge, Mass., he is frequently to be seen in Providence, actively attending to his duties as president and director of the corporation. The treasurer and business manager is Newton D. Arnold. The extensive operations of the company are facilitated by a corps of general agents in various cities, as follows: --

  • W. G. Shillaber, Boston.
  • H. M. Anthony, New York.
  • M. Clark, Philadelphia.
  • W. H. Crawford & Co., Baltimore.
  • Spotts & Gibson, Richmond.
  • Rumford Chemical Works Branch, St. Louis.
  • Rumford Chemical Works Branch, Chicago.

It is difficult to give figures which would convey a idea of the magnitude or the progress of the company. But the sales of Acid Phosphate alone, which was first offered to the public in 1877, amounted in 1881 to thirty times as much as they did four years previously.