The Portland daily press., 1868-03-24
II aud Porilaud Stcighs.



* Editor Of the Press:
In winter times, Brighton road is the great
place of resort tor Bostonians who wish to en-
joy an afternoon ride TO the music of merry
bells The crowded state of the narrow stress
of the city, drives sleigh riders out of town,
and the very wide avenue that leads 10
Brighton from the miIl-dam presents an adj
mrable field for the display of fine horses ard
elegant equipages, to say nothing of iema.e
beauty.
Th, course over which the riders drive is
about m lie and halt long, and the width is
50 great that two lines of sleishs on each
side of the road leave sea room enough for the
d,salay of all the feet horses that fast men
and women wish the looker-on to admire.
When the attendance is not large, single line
of sleishs forms on the right hand side oil the
road, the horses all walking; and the occr-
pants of the sleighs watch with 10 little ex-
element the races which one group OF horses
alter another makes, as it sweeps along the
middle of the avenue. On bright afternoon
there is always double line on each side, and
when we get 10 the end we swing around the
crcle" and return on the opposite side.
Neghbors and acquaintance are constantly
recosn zing each other, and as everybody is in
GOOD humor the occasion becomes carnival
4 scene of health-gving excitement The rose
that blooms on our fair maidens is more beauti-
Jul and enduring than the flush produced by
the excitement of The ballroom.
But theFe is one drawback TO the riding on
the Brighton road, and though it adds to the
excitement OF the scene it occasionally brings
sleighs to grief. and sometimes people. In
consequence of unskiled drivers collisions
take place and horses run away, and the result
is a few smashed sleighs and sometimes seri-
GUS bodily injury. Persons driving in the line
of procession become tired of going slow and
then they turn their teams into the middle of
the road and try the speed Of their horses.
AS there is no rule for this movement the
owner becomes crowded, sometimes, at par
tcular spot and nothing but the finest driving
en- prevent collision. A very serious injury
was received by a lady this winter. just as
she turned her head to look, the pole of a
sleigh struck her in the face, tearing out an
eye and breaking her nose.
As the Brighton road is broad and much
exposed avenue, the snow leaves it early and
We then resort 10 the road from Brighton to
Brookline. Here on the 6th inst we took our
last grand sleighride for the season. The
scene was beautiful, exceedingly. The road is
winding and passes over rolling land, so that
at no time can more than half the people be
seen, whereas one can see the entire length of
the other road. For n long distance the
Brookline road is lined with tall, widespread
ing elms, whose arms stretched out over us
make an interesting feature in the winter
scene.
And here is your correspondent who, few
months ago, was scorching his boots on the
top OF Mount Vesuvius, now riding in a
Portland sleigh, one of KimbAll's prettieSt,
with charming Portland girl by his side, and
between us q rosy checked boy. AS we move
Slowly along up hill, the fast horses come
sweeping around the bend in the road one
after another, now two abreast, now three, and
then the fastest horse gets the head amid the
shout and yells of the excited throng. And so
on to the end of the chapter.
1t is said that GA one day during the past
winter, there were as many as ten thousand
sleighs on the road, but this seems large
statement, though all the suburban towns
south and west of Boston contribute to the
daily throng of sleigh-ridess.
Kimball Brothers of your city gives US de-
c.deClJ the most graceful shaped sleighs, th:t
appear on that load.
Ifyou are fond of statistics, here are some
that belong to tdis subject. Livery stable keep
crs in Boston charge for horse and sleigh for
an afternoon, twenty dollars; and for double
team, ten dollars an hour. wonder if that is
the reason why we who cannot afford to pat
ronize the the stables, has to pay S32. ton
for pressed hay and rather poor at that. Most
of our hay comes from Maine, and if my horse
could send a message to somebody "down
east" he would say, "Piease, in future, 10
clear out of your bales brakes and weeds, for
it is not pleasant operation to separate them
from timothy and herds grass"
Yours truly,
j. S. Of Maine,