Toronto by Gaslight: The Night Hawks of a Great City: As Seen by the Reporters of "The Toronto News"Toronto News
History
Toronto by Gaslight: The Night Hawks of a Great City: As Seen by the Reporters of "The Toronto News"
Toronto News
Toronto (Ont.) -- Description and travel
I looked at the “poor woman” to mark the effect of the farewell. She was
leaning towards the heater, with her chin resting on her hands. There was
a bitter expression on her face. I thought I saw a tear glistening on her
cheek, but before I could satisfy myself as to this good sign she rose
abruptly and left. I saw her slink through the crowd, the scoff of men
and the scorn of women, away along the platform, through the archway, out
into the dark streets, amongst the lost whence she came.
CHAPTER XXII.
MORE ABOUT THE UNION STATION.
The vast, smoky building facing the Esplanade between York and Simcoe
streets is a great theater in which are enacted some of the strangest
scenes in life in this city. Through it day and night a tide of human
life with all its joy and misery, with all its wealth and poverty, flows
continually. East, west and north, day and night, trains go thundering
on their way, infusing fresh blood and vigor throughout all the land.
The station and its surroundings are like some mighty fort stocked with
inexhaustible supplies, sending out hourly sorties against the unlocked
resources of a great country, and coming back triumphantly, laden with
spoil for the enriching of the nations. At almost any hour of the day or
night the scene at the Union station is an interesting one, especially
to the student of human nature. Here are to be seen people of all
nationalities, Canadians and Americans predominant of course, but in
the busy throng can often be seen Swedes, Norwegians, Italians, Greeks,
Hungarians, Danes, Germans, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Gipsies and Jews,
mingling strangely under the great roof. The most interesting scenes are
those witnessed on the arrival and departure of the great express trains
for the east and west. Early in the morning the big express for Montreal
and all points east leaves the station. For an hour beforehand the yard
men begin to “make up” the train and the people arrive. Sitting patiently
on their dunnage bags and rough boxes in a corner are a group of
FRENCH CANADIAN LUMBERMEN
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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