The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-28
LOCOMOTION In LONDON.
Slow and Rapid Transit in the
British Metropolis.
CABS, OMNIBUsES AND STREET CARS
Every Day Life OF the Cabby and
the 'BuSnan.
LONDON. June /, 1876.

the fashion OF Teuxelsdr6ch over the WahnRasse OF
Wissnichtwo, am tempted TO sublime emotions.
Hampstead Is couple OF miles behind, dark ana
quiet .or IL Is night time, but in front and 70 right
and left the iliimitable city glooms and CLEANS.
From the gloom and the CLEAN comes that dull
yet restless roar or lie which belongs alone TO
London. Night and day the tides or labor roll
and roar, ana you may hear them aiar, from tms
northerlY watchtower OF mine, as Il mere mar
ttculate moan. IL Is the noise or sorrow and OF
ravall-lt IL the half-heard refrain OF humanity's
splendid march. AS child with shell ut its ear
makes its faint baritone assume this or the other
measure or murmur TINS or the other story, so
you may draw what fancy and what feeling you
VIII from the distant hum OF the overgrown and
overcrowded city.
ASPECTS OF STREET LIFE
There is nothing which is not splendid or great
when in multitude. aud there are few things which
do not acquire charm oy distance. But come
down into the streets and ascertain the reason
for this perpetual murmur of life. Walk, ride.
drive about London for a day, and you are a-dun
man indeed II at the end OF your wanderngs you
have not discovered that one particular style OF
vehicle ia mainly answerable Tor that "noise OF
the tides OF urgent life," which stirs every new
conner TO London, and which costs him many a
headache before he grows accustomed to II. That
particular style of vehicle Is the GROWER" The
GROWER Is an obong box on four wheels and 1t
has sort of well tor the reception of the legs of
It's occupants. 1t has two doors which never it
and in each door Is square Of glass enclosed IN
sliding frame, and that sliding frame also never
ITS That the GROWER is furnished with springs
IL obvious on the most casual observation That
the springs were in any solitary
instance known TO act III any appreciaole
degree you Will ind no man mendaclous
enough to assert. The GROWER Is drawn by one
horse, who il Us a rule an animal OF depressed
habit or mind, given to boring and always en-
gaged, when In motion, in 0 close inspection OF
his own knees. The GROWERS mission Is to carry
any number OF persons not exceeding half
dozen or 1t cannot be ordered from its stand
Tor any less sum than one shilling; bat Tor that
shilling IL may be legally made TO drive two miles,
and its authorized scale OF charge thereafter Is
sixpence per mile. IL is a noisy and cumorous
vehicle; but 1t exists in enormous numbers and Ii
In much request. 1t Is technically known as
"four- wheeled hackney carriage" and briefly as q
"four-wheeler," the term GROWER" being re-
scented in its behalf by Its driver as conveying q
slanderous and unounded mputation. whatso-
ever statistics appear In the course OF this ar
police authorities at Scotland Yard on the
s1st OF December last, and at That date there
were 4.ls ''growlers' In actlye opeIatlon In the
riage department at scotland Yard note one thing
In connection with the GROWER IL is that the
and OF feminine business. rRe four wheeler takes
parties OF four or tnereabouts 70 the theatre or to
concerts and brings them home again. and 1t 10
much used IN shopping by ladies' whose husbands
are unable to MAINTAIN carriage
THE ''HANsOMH CAB
| affords a much more convenient, much more
me lern ana q mucn more expeditions means or
transit 1t is only nall as noisy as the GROWER. aud
almost purely business vehicle, and Is but
one step removed rom the French desc
want to make the most OF their money
occasionally contrive 10 make hanson carry
the little vehicle very fairly. There are s,776 OF
these conveyances in London, aud eacn Is
toned with regard to The GROWER. II the reader
viii bear with . few figures he may form some
the production Of that perpetual roll and roar
which reaches this nortnerly watchtower AZ ali
hours Of the twenty-iour and at All seasons OF
WHO owns THE coAcHEsS
The hackney carriages OF London are all In the
| hands OF private proprietors One or two at
| Temps witch nave oeen made to start u company
on large scale nave from one cause or another
fallen THROUGH. Here and there the driver or
| hackney carriage Is the owner Of horse and vehi-
Gle; but such cases are comparatively rare The
vast majority OF drivers are eitner servants or in
small way, contractors. The general rae is that
tue cab driver hires horse aud vehicle for a
daily sum ana that daily sum Is generally twelve
shiings Tnat, accepting tne ngures OF the 3lst
OF December last, represents a uaIly amount o(
nearly nye thousand pounds expended IN hire at
first hand and, allowing each driver the very mod
crate sum OF fiye shings per aiem as his profit on
the hire Of morse and CONVEYANCE, you arrive &C
i y
/ year the two populations oil London expenu In
this particular kind OF trafic very nearly two mill
| ions sterling. BY the phrase the two populations
| OF London mean OF course its resident and its
noatin2 elements. IL Is probably not Unfair TO
Tor the greater part Ofthls enormous expenditure.
/ the positive average per inuabant is as near
nine shlllngs and ninepence per year as need be.
| The number OF licensed drivers Is 1924. Tney
working dou6le-tldes, and being driven by
! during the night. The NUMBER vi Gao drivers en-
| gagged In LONDON during tue night Is a tribe over
| 1000. me number Of horses employed in the
whole eab trafic Is estimated at IS, 00O The total
amount OF ground covered by the wnole body or
as 3o Zoo. 900 Of mlIes-reckoning tAst on average
OF ninepence per mile Is PAID by passengers. fnar,
! suppose, WIN De very near toe aver.ge II the
the stand for journeys OF ess tnan mile Is taken
into consideration. People VINO are fond OF STATS
long 1t would take the cabs Of London 10 carry
the inhabitants Of the earth distance OF one
allowing Tor nile extra wear and tear, at q
quarter OF 3 century. The discerning reader Will
perceive we are rather in large way or business
TIiR CABS AND THE POLICE.
In almost every thorougniare OF importance
throughout the whole OF the metropolis aud lts
suburbs cab stand Is situate. Each caD staad q
under police suryellence--A fact which - dls-
Ruised iron the knowledge OF the general pubic
by the ingenuity OF me police themselves, WAC,
for the most part carefully absent themselves
generally TO be founa near Gao stand, aud the
caOmen themselves are very geBeraly 10 be found
made that public house. arinking anu smoking.
Tue cabs ID awhile are left in charge OF an am
pnioious creature called the waterman whose at.
tire 10 usually strange mix ure OF serge, tar
pauln anu nayDands, and whose dpLy IL Is, on q
cab being called Tor, to apprise the first easman
on the rank OF the TACT that ne IS wanted. No
driver IL c0mEetont 70 refuse a idre whe lis CAP
stands upon the RANK. But thar man who IN.
slsts upon taking an unwilling eabman from
his stand dsres cunning and an audacious
power. The chances arc that caDoy KNOWS a
great deal more aOout police regulations relating
to himself snan any ordinary outsider can Know,
and while keeping gtrlctly within the letter Ii
those regulations he mas a. his command nno-
centseeming means OF annoyance whcrewitn to
drive the t00.assumng fare 70 the verge OF DIES. |
pcratiOn. PefCe1ylng that the gentleman ls in "A |
nnfry cabby Will take short cuts and Will land
lmseli In one OF those narrow streets when are
stu some what oil a nuisance 70 LONDON. There,
with brewers dray De ore him and railroad van
behind, utterly blocked ia ana without hope ofgct-
ting yard either way for nan hour, canuy I
wl tArougn he liitle door at tRe ROOF oil MS We.
hcie. administer sattriea consolation 10 his fare
ana VIII smoke tie pipe OF contcnied in.
science above MIN; OF no win lose his