The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-03-17

4 III the natural course OF events. y Num-
her Of times, in other sections of the city,
saw street ears pass each other on n sin
gle track in this manner and cut across
corners to save distance There are no
fanges on the wheels and therefore the
streets and wheels are not injured by the
practice, yet the mules have hard pull at
it. But no one in Italy cares for mules
or donkeys. On the contrary, they rather
enjoy seeing them have hard time.
At Moscow and St. Petersburg the
street cars are similarly constructed to
those in Paris, but are larger. They are
almost as long as a passenger coach on a
steam road-have double decks, or two
stories, and accommodate over sixty pas
sengers without crowding A stairway
winds up at the rear of the cars leading to
the long seats above, over which is wood
en- roof or canopy, and the passengers have
the privilege of a seat in the breeze
above or in the inclosure below, the
latter being ike the interior of Ameri-
can street cars. Eight horses are used
when there is snow on the ground,
four of them being hitched abreast. In
the summer four horses, two abreast, do
the pulling Three men run the cara
conductor, a driver and a man who rides
the off horse hltched In the rear, The
driver rings bell continuously, and when
anyone attemps TO cross the track in close
proximity he rings more vigorously and
rails in several languages. The fare is
usually twenty kopecks, which is about
ten cents. The street cars in Russia are
not old institutions and are very literally
patronized.
At Naples | saw Il merchant moving his
store The goods appeared 10 be of a gen
eral character. y regular transfer wagon
was employed. This consisted of a vehicle
| with four wheels sixteen inches in diameter
and of uniform size. To the wagon were
hitched a large Roman cow and a Naples
donkey. The former was taller and longer
and more lank than any Of the bovine
family to be found in all Texas, while the
latter was as small as one of Barnum' S
Shetland ponies. The tongue of the vehicle
was at the side of the cow and the donkey
was hitched up on the other side from it,
The idea / had at first glance was that the
donkey was thrown in as kind of helper,
and that but little was expected of it. |
soon saw my error. The donkey was tied
to or hitched against swingle-tree, while
the COW pulled from the side of the tongue.
1t can be seen that the draft from the
donkey was direct and effective, while that
from the COW was indirect aud not effective
There were loads of hardware and casks of
wine and hogsheads of sugar and sacks of
coffee, till the vehicle was a sight. But
the unfairness TO and utility of the donkey
were not yet. When no more could be
put on the wagon, which was only three
feet wide and twenty-five long, like broad
board, the donkey was loaded up. First
three bags of coffee were tied on its back
and then a bundle Of pelts, as if the poor
little thing would feel badly if it was not
employed as beast of burden, in all the
ways il is used No one protested; no one
seemed to pity the donkey, But there
were couple of old women who, while the
load was being taken off, tried to milk the
cow They were detected by the express
mans boy and driven away from the prem
ises. The cows there are driven around
the city and MIXED as the fluid is sold,
instead of employed, as is the custom in
the United States, where they are mllked
10 tho pasture OF stall,
One morning In Venice | was awakened
from my slumbers by continuous yelling.
There was perfect din of voices below
me, and got out of bed and went to the
window of my room, which looked out on
one of the usual thoroughfarcs, narrow
canal. Five Gondolas were interlocked
and the gondoliers were curslng hot. Two
or three times the men took up their oars
and, raising them aloft, threatened to
strike. | was not so much interested in
the threatening hostilities as the contents
of the gondolas These gondolas are
longer, broader and deeper than the row.
boats seen in the United States and turn
abruptly up at the bow, which is orpa-
mented by a uniform steel broad axe. The
propelling power Is from the afterpart of
the craft, and by single long oar, which
is twirled or worked in socket against a
post Each gondola was filled with house
hold goods. 1t looked like three or four
hotels were moving. Furniture, bed-cloth-
ing and personal effects of every descrip-
tion were piled up twenty feet high, so
that it was impossible for man in the
stern to see where the prov of his gondola
was going directly. Three Of them were
going in one direction, while two were
bound for an opposite location. They had
collided, and into the canal about six wagon
loads of miscellaneous goods were dumped.
While the gondoliers were cursing and
trying to extricate their gondolas there
were floating about in the water mattresses,
tables and clothing, and now and then a
stove or a piece of tinware would drop off
and 20 to the bottom of the canal. The
perplexities to the men engaged seemed to
be little more wearing than those of the
donkeys at Genoa and Naples, while the
burdens appeared more irksome than those
I saw on the heads of the less irritable
Russians.
While going over the Alps of Switzer-
land last July, | saw household-moving
scene which was quite as interesting and
unique as any have described. | was
leaving Chamounix for Martigny, and had
proceeded but couple of miles when, as
we were winding up the side of noun
tain five or six thousand feet high, saw
from the seat occupied in the roiture
what appeared to be a string of pigs.
They moved around on the mountain side
beyond and probably mile and half
distant watched the trailing object for
some minutes, when it disappeared, and
forgot it till two hours had elapsed, when
my attention was suddenly called to seven
old women, three old men and boy, load
ed with every conceivable personal effect |
used in household. They were immedi-
ately ahead Of our vehicle and in the mid
die of the road. Each had strapped on
his or her back basket of funnel shape,
two feet across at the mouth, three. feet
long aud made of wood, These were filed
with small articles, after which bedclothing,
picture frames, cases, cabinets, chairs, etc.,
were tied on the shoulders. One old wo-
man had on her head and shoulders a