The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-05-19
Our @lio.
Driver and Drosky.

William Eleroy Curtis in Chicago Metcs.
The drosky is an institution that ought
to be introduced into the States. There is
onein Washington, owned and used by Alex
Greger, the secretary of the Russian lega-
ton, and it is great curiosity; but they
would be very useful and popular in all
our cities, particularly if they could be
drawn by Russian horses There is as
much fascination in riding in drosky as
in gondola in Venice, and it is the first
thing the traveller wants to do when he ar
rives in Petersburg. He will send his
bags by the omnibus, and go to the hotel
in drosky. 1t is low vehicle, the floor
being scarcely more than foot from the
ground, on four wheels not much larger
than those of wheelbarrow-a sort of
miniature victoria. The ishvoshtnik, or
driver, sits on high perch far above the
heads of the passengers, who have low,
narrow, backless seat over the hind wheels.
1t is not uncomfortable, hut the sensation
at first is alarming, particularly when you
are whizzing around corner, for the
drivers always go like mad, and you wish
there was something to hold on to. You
fasteu your hand ou the seat with
good grip, aud cling to your fellow passea-
oar iP vou have ona
The horse that draws you, and the
driver who holds the reins are both Rus
sian institutions, and you won't find their
like elsewhere One can find poor horses in
Russia suppose, but very few in Peters
burg Or the other large cities. They are
tall, long legged animals, with slender
bodies and limbs, long silken names and
tails, the latter nearly always reaching to
the ground, small heads, small feet, large,
intelligent eyes, and necks arched like the
chargers one sees in pictures of the
Bedouins in the desert. [ always thought
that such horses were the creation of the
artists, but Russia is full of them. The
ishvOshtnik is always proud af his horse,
if he has good one, aud treats him much
better than he does his wife. Nearly all
the time he is disengaged the ishvoshtnik
is either petting or rubbing his horse, and
at intervals he brings out a little nose bag
from under the seat, to feed him oats or
meal
Not one in tea of these charioteers has
home, and not one in ten of these splendid
horses knows the inside of stable. They
live in the harness, in the open air summer
and winter, being always on duty, eating
when opportunity offers, and sleeping in
their droskies between drives. Every hour
or two the driver takes nose bag full of
oats from under his seat to feed his ami
mails, and in the streets of the cities conve-
nient arrangements have been made for
the accommodation of this important class
of the population. Water troughs are
erected at intervals, small packages of hay,
oats and meal are sold at the shops along
the way side, and the ishyoshtnik gets his
coffee and his meat at the same places,
feeding, as he lives, with his horse. Both
horses and masters seem never to tire, both
are always on the alert. The drivers are
always cheerful and good natured, and the
horses always ready to start off like whirl-
wind as soon as they get the word Nei-
they seem to care for the cold or rain, and
the one Is about as much au animal as the
other
The harness of the horse is as light as
leather can be made, none of the straps be-
ing more than half an inch in width, aud
most of them are round, not larger than
lead pencil. There is no breechen because
there are no grades in Petersburg; the
country is perfectly level There are no
blinders on the bride, for the horse fears
nothing; he will walk up to a locomotive
with as much Indifference rs his master
He never SHES, never gets ratified, never
runs away, but is perfectly obedient to the
voice of his master. There are no traces,
as the vehicle Is drawn by the thills, which
are made fast to the heavy collar with
high hoop over the horses neck. The
collar is part of the drosky, not of the
harness, for when the horse is taken away
from the vehicle the collar goe3 with the
latter.
The hoop over the horses neck, which
connects the ends of the thills and looks
like an exaggerated, badly formed horse
shoe, is called the "duga," and underneath
the apex, on eauipages in the country, is
We're ia-ssned sybisi ssIiAsS iilI s@O OF 'nree
the bells-wkieh jaRgIe. 80 s:szaa 1iHsy !.
may be heard half mile>N 90
pose of the bell is to aunounceee ,8
of the horseman, to fFighten away