The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-01-07
mo-. IS.
LOndUn'S Latest "Greut Fog"

! Not only over London, but though
all its streets and squares, its alleys
and "closcts," and its obscurest COR
ners there was, last week, brouding u
fog compared with which the ia
nous London fogs Of the past havo
been but gossanor mist. 1t came in
Il 'hick, dirty, yellow cloud, penetra-
ting every crevice and opening, Creep
ing along tho thoroughfarcs like q
solid though intangible mass. Tho
American idea of such visitation is
that the atmosphere has become iufec.
tlously dull and stagnant tho gloom
OF an American fog is no moro serious
than the absence of sunshine and q
| dlsplriting heaviness in tho air. But
the log which, ever and anon, besets
London bosicgiug it like an atmos-
lhrric sponge, us little to be resisted
by doors and windows and blinds as
a goblin or fairy sprite, as Opaque
rs Il stone wall, as persistent as Il mis-
erly creditor, as preventive Of busi-
ness as financial crisis, as hostile to
the pleasure of the fashionable world
as u plague Of Florence, strikes prac-
tical Glindncs to the whole population
and dclics tho sun and moon, gas,
kerosene and tar with an equal
triumph. At such time the London
blind have for once the advantage Of
their eye blessed fellow creatures.
Used to cropping, they may grope
amid the fog as skilfully as under tho
monday sun, and find their way
when the seeing arc bewildcrcd. For
two days London was envclopcd in
one of these monster fugs, the thick
est and most long enduring within
tho memory of living cockneys. 1t is
almost as if the great tecming hive
OF human bees had been sulphur su1lo.
Gated out OF existence. The busy
Thames flows, for once in an age,
unobstructed and free between The
murky and Uttered banks. Vessels,
coastwise and sea.woru, lie helpless
at the quays, and crowd closely to.
as If for mutual protection. Tho
penny boats creep fearlulIy from pier
to pier, their lavish galaxy of warm
ing lights painting but dull red
flush on the yellow canvass of tho
fog. On London Bridge, at mid day
there is an irregular torchlight pro-
ceSsion Of people with links aud lam
terms groping to and fro, sccming,
from little distance, like phan-
tom saturnalia.
Everywhere is a cropping and col
liding, Il deafness aud silence in most
places like that of mdnigt t. Cheap
side, for once, eeaseyySFts day:iong
babblo of cart wheels DID shouting,
its barricadcs Of vehicles a1d crowd
ed pavcmcnts. Link h4H walk be-
fore carriages and carfS.; draymon
curse at the fog -blindness Of tho
coachmen and omnibus drivers
moncycd men, riding painfully to-
wards 'Changc, lose precious ap-
poiutmcuts Londoncrs of forty.
years standing, attempt to reach the
green grocer's to order the family
supply, find themselves lost in tho
next street, and wander for hours
around II radius of few yards Of
their residence; children arc hopo.
lessly lost, and the police and tho
piokpockets are equally baflied.
The Taxpayers Convention.
The members of the Executive
Committee of the Taxpayers Con.
vention arc requested to meet at tho
rooms Of tho Chamber of Commerce
in Charleston on Tuesday 18th day of
January, instant, at II M., for tho
purpose of consulting upon the pro-
posal of the Chamber of Commerce,
that the Convention be rcasscmblcd
to take into consideration tho
present condition Of "the Taxpayers
Of the Statc," and also proposition
to enlarge tho number of the said
Convention. The following gontle-
men compose
The Executive Committee james
Chcsnut, johnson Hagood, Thomas
Y. Slmons, G. w. Dudley, e. b. q.
Cash, H.. j.. Marley, A. p. Aldricl,
Henry Gourdin, II. G. Smart, Will
liam Wallace, Il. i. McCaughrin,
II. j. Goodwyu, j. j. Westmoreland,
y. II. Davcga, A. b. Woodruff, John
l.. Manning, M. l.. Bonham, A.
Burt.
w. d. PORTER, President.