PROVIDENCE. The second largest city in Now England, the capital of Rhode Island• and the county-seat of Providence County; 44 miles southwest of Boston and I 88 miles northeast of New York (\lap: Rhode island, C 2). It is situated about 35 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, at the head of the Providence River, an arm of Narragansett Bay. Several steamship lines con nect with Atlantic coast ports, and the railroad facilities comprise the New York, New haven and Hartford and leased roads.
The city lies on both sides of the Providence River, its easterly limits being marked by the Seekonk River. Its area is nearly 15 square miles. The surface of Providence is un even, the vest side consisting practically of a sandy plain. while on the east side, the more interesting part of the city, there are several hills, the greatest height of which is some 200 feet. This elevated section offers beautiful sites for residences. The business district is in the centre of the city, and some of the finest busi ness houses are built 011 made land. There are 228 miles of paved streets. two-thirds of this distance being laid with macadam. In the older part of the city the thoroughfares are narrow and crooked. Providence has 540 acres in public parks, amen;; which is the noteworthy IZoger Williams Park. This has been improved at a considerable expense and is a beautiful pleasure ground. It has a fine system of boulevards, arti ficial lakes, zoi;logieal gardens, and a statue of I;oger Williams. The Soldiers' and Sailors' stands in front of the city hall, and near by is a statue of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, What Cheer Rock, on the Seekonk River, is of historic interest as the landing place of Roger Williams.
The new State blouse, first occupied in 1900, and the city hall are among the finest buildings in Providence. Tie former is a massive edifice of marble and granite, and has a large dome. tither prominent structures are the public the Federal Government building, the county court-house, the Roman Catholic Cathe dral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the high school buildings, and the Union Railway Station. Among business structures the Arcade is note worthy, and there are a number of commodious office buildings of recent construction. Brown University (q.v.), with its large buildings on the cast side, is one of the principal features of the city. Providence has several noted charitable
institutions, among which are the Rhode Island HosPital, Rhode Island Homeopathic Hospital, Butler Hospital for the.Insane, Saint Joseph's liospital, the Dexter Asylum for the Poor, and the State Institute for the Deaf. Be sides Brown University, the educational institu tions include the Friends' School, which dates from ISIS, the State Normal School, the Rhode island School of Design, and the Rhode Island Law School. The public library contains about 90,000 volumes. Other important libraries are the State Law Library, and those maintained by the Providence Athemeum (62.000 volumes). the Rhode Island Historical Society, and the Rhode Island Medical Society. The Historical Society Possesses also a collection of relies, and the Athenicum some valuable pictures.
Providence' is a port of entry. but is noted pri marily for its manufacturing interests. Its foreign trade in 1001 was valued at $1,154,000, of which the exports constituted a very small part. Formerly it carried on considerable for eign commerce, but the trade now is mostly coast wise. Large quantities of coal are handled at its docks, and the city controls extensive wholesale and jobbing interests. The relative unimportance of Providence in foreign commerce is due to the lack of sufficient depth in the harbor for ocean steamships, and to inferior docking facilities. Otherwise the natural waterway through the Providence River and Narragansett Bay forms one of the best harbors on the New England coast. Providence is the first manufacturing city in Rhode Island, its products comprising nearly half of the total output of the State. The various establishments in the census year of 1900 repre sented an invested capital of and had a production valued at $55,169.000. In the manu faeture of jewelry Providence is among the leading cities of the United States; it is noted also for its extensive production of silverware, worsted and woolen goods, cotton goods. engines and boilers, machinery, including cotton milling machinery, fine tools. and files. Dyeing and fin ishing textiles. refining gold and silver, slaugh tering and meat-packing, and the manufacture of rubber and elastic goods, oleomargarine, malt liquors, etc.. are other important industries.