St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-07-23

uoioricty perhaps ] should say envia-
hlo eelebrity-as the owner aud driver
81 remarkable team Of horses. His
name aud exploits have become the ad-
m''a''oh aud despair Of gentlemen Of
the road "a every paIt Of Europe wheu
this Jehu j. moanted os the b,x Of his
break and holds the "ribbousr Of
- long team OF fourteen Ia sixteen
hign blood h0rses-bays every one of
tlrm. aud 80 nearly alike Ia size and
color aud gait that one caunot be dis
linguisbed from anOther-the woild
can do no otherwise than look, and
look, aud admire. Having heard 10
much OF this wonderful turnout. bad
a great curiosity to see il, and yesterday
tie opportunity came unexpectedly,
aud under very extraordinary ciiCum-
stances. lt was from iho .udovs Of our
nuiv., -4j lhe -'-"' came wiIhout our
seeking o.
The fashionable promenade Of Flor
ence, for both carriages and pedestri-
ans, is called the Lung Arno, an ave
nue. commencing on the east at the
portico of the Uffizi Palace, and run
ming westward on the north side of the
river Arno, for some two or three miles,
where it is merged in the various road
ways of the Cascine-the puplic Park.
The western part CT the Lung Arno is
quite i'll the country, and the Floren-
tines are wont to stray out to the Cas-
cine on Sunday afternoons, where there
is great display of equipages and
fashionable gayety. The eastern por-
tion is in the city proper. 1t is occupied
in great part by the principal hotels,
and intersected by streets leading from
the north side of the town, across the
several bridges, to the opposite side.
AS this avenue draws nearer the east
ern extremity, it becomes narrower,
and terminates in sort of impasse, or
cuL- de-Sdc, and is barred at the end by a
heavy iron chain stretched across the
Uffizi pOrtico. This impasse may be 400
feet long, at the western end of which
the Lung Arno is traversed by the
principal north and south thoroughfare
leading over the POnte VecchiO or old
bridge. About $50 feet west of this point
is our hotel, from whose windows We
have view of the avenue from its
eastern extremity along down the river
for half mile or more. l have been
thus particular in description, for pur-
pose which will soon be obvious.
Last evening, little before sunset,
we were seated quietly in our rooms,
and crowds of foot-passengers and ve-
hicles were passing under our windows,
returning from the promenade of the
Caseine, when we heard great shout
ing and rushing, as though something
unusual were happening. There was
then terrible gathering of horses
hOofs on the stone pavement, from
which we knew there was a runaway.
On rushing to the window we saw that
splendid team of fourteen horses teal
ing up the avenue with the speed of a
railroad train. They were in dead ear
nest, with their ears pitched back and
necks stretched out, and they were
buckling down to their work as though
they were on a race-cOurse. The loud
Gathering they made gave sufficient
warning to pedestrians, who were hug
ging the walls on either side. The great
danger was with horses and carriages
which were going and coming along
the same road. One horse near us, at
tached to cab, became frightened and
suddenly turned about, threatening
certain destruction to the cab, but the
driver jumped to the ground and seized
him by the bit just in season to prevent
the catastrophe. AS the runaways
passed our windows, we had just time
to see that Livingston was kneeling
down upon the foot-board and bracing
against the dasher, doing his best to
steer clear of all distractions, and keep
his horses in straight course, but with
no power to stop them. He has now
reached the most dangerous point-the
end of the old bridge. 1t is thronged
with foot people and carriages, who are
right across his path. We can only hold
our breath. Two seconds will decide
it. 1t is over, and it was a miracle.
The solid procession parted in the mid
die, like the waters of the Red Sea, and
the runaway train slipped through.
They are now in the Cul-de-sac, with
the chain bar at the end. What will
happen? 1t is horrible to think of it.
The leaders may leap the chain, but
the others, not seeing it, must surely
come to grief. But relief came just in
the nick of time. One of the middle
horses slipped and fell to the ground.
This slackened the speed of the others,
and the crowd closing in upon them,
they were at once brought to stand.
1t was one of those rare cases where the
timely downfall of one brings relief to
many.
Before this incident occurred, the city
authorities were about to adopt regu-
latiOn limiting the number of horses to
six for any one vehicle. 1t is thought
now that the measure will pass with
out opposition. CT.
LOOK OUT FOR THE ELECToRs.-The
Democratic Congress will count the
Electoral vote. and will count it in ac-