The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-15
rHE OMNIBUS HORSE

The PHILADELPHIA United States Gazette in an article
" The city horse draws the following faithful pie
iure of the omnibus horse, which copy applicable
10 this and every other locality
Nor still yet Of the miserable jaed animals that
plod plod plod all day long, and all night too-soine
of them through mud and mire and rain and snow,
and sunshine deadly hot and winters bittcfcsi cold be-
fore the cunlbrous omnibus always most numerically
laden in the worst OF wcathen. And even these might
put your country horses to the blush for Incredible pow
Of endurance when think Of the tons OF human
esh bcsides the COACH IA load In itself for pair of
horses that they draw every day for twenty thirty
miles at = fair trot To be sure they CALLED and
spawned and blind aud windbroken but what has made
them SO Their hard life Of cruel toll fow short
years ago. (hree four at most every OF them
fine bloccd animal the buyer Of tho propiic-
trs who Is always excellent judge of hoseesh and
who never buys unsound beast In the hundreds he
lects every year, could find In the best western droycs
They have always been fed upon good OATS and carefully
doctored when sick but their tosome life has reduced
thcm and is every day reducing to what they
And all this must DO the wheels OF the onni-
bus the wheels OF trade they must be kept moving
that the merchant and the business man. who reside ut
the far end of the town. may go about their business
that tho ladies may go shopping and that the fish
women may be accommodated, after having sold ont
their lots for the day, when returning home with their
When the broilng sun OF the dog days almost mclts
the very stones in the Streets aud searches out every
particle Of unhealthy moisture drawing it, reeking and
stcamng with efiuvia into the sitting, burning air
bred in the shade Ahcrc is spot outside Of your house
LiaJ ~ endurable Aaf wrlIl1n you scarcely ma
fort In fans, iced drinks, and darkened apartments
wlen il your business drives you into the street you
almost driven mad by the glare and tho heat which
pour down upon you from the fiery sky which are re-
fected from the brick walls either sde and come
flashing into your face from the bricks beneath your
feet which like the floor of to tread upon
when everything il steaming, the roofs the walls the
windows, the shutters tho doors, the steps, tho pave
mens the curbstoncs, Ito say nothing of the gutters
md .laripn vyruu Iina I'm
dictates general tendency to dissolution, go off In
gas pe,yades all objects, you wonder whether there
another creature abroad in the solitary streets till
you hear, and then see, with your almost binding
vision an omnibus approaching in which you
say TO escape the torrid region of the pavement
You essay in vain however, for you find the said omnibus
loaded to its fullest capacity, and there Is not
for you stand upon tho steps, you needs must walk
II is not long, however, before another Of these carriages
for all ovcrakcs you and in this you
full tcse being just enough for you to squeeze
yourself into seat And you ride but you ride the
ride OF death Death to the poor omnibus horse On,
on he goes the murcrous collar clinging to the
flesh upon his CALLED shoulders aching in every muscle
trembling in every joint On, on no goes maldcned by
the sharp sting the cruel lash his sghtless cyebals
starting from their sockets tho blood vessels bursting
Ills brain On on no goes in blindness and agony, snnf
fling the scorching air with dstendcd nosts Faint and
fltering he staggcrs on he hears again the quick
loud crack that sends pang through every nerve and
wakens tho failing life within him TO renewed effort
Willing but too weak He stumhles 1.-The whip is of no
avail now-the creeping flesh wrthes under the lash
but cannot answer its He falls few short
gas and there upon tho hot paving stones no breathes
out his wrctchcd life