Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-02
IN LONDON.
THE STREETS OF THE WORRIES
COMMERCIAL HETROP.rLIS.
A Newsy Letter from n WeII-known
Californian, While Sojourn-
ing in England.


LONDON, February l, 1885,
If / were suddenly asked to tell what
was the chief characteristic of London,
should probably answer-mud, but were I
given time to think, | should say it was
the number of healthy looking housemaids
inneat caps and cotton gowns, who, whether
with basket on arm are out purchasing the
food for the house or busy at washing win
dows, can still spare time to give glance
at the passing policeman. The mud of
London streets is by no means quiescent :;
it does not wait to be touched before as
saulting you, but comes for you in the Sc
curest retreat. Passing along any of the
thoroughfares, even for short distance
one is sure to be spattered in most appal-
ing manner from head to foot
Across the sidewalk, over ratings, up to
the doors of the houses, the filth is
squirted from between the pavement and
the wheels of the passing vehicle. There
are few, if any, fiagstones put down for
crossing the streets and The result is of
course that the pedestrian must
PICK HIS WAY THROUGH A LIQUID
OF the consistency of pease soup. and
though he start with care to save the pol
ish of his boots, he soon forgets all but the
necessity of looking out that he may save
his life from the crowd of hansoms and
omnibuses which rush along regardless of
everyone
There are often in the midst of open
r.la = i H.
raised stands, called "refuges," where one
may stand waiting his chance to rush
across the remaining half of the road; al
though ones person is comparatively safe
while on refuge" his clothing grows
every minute nearer the color of the mire,
and | shudder to think of the state of
well-dressed man after an hours wait in
this asylum. Street-crossing sweeps of
course find employment and one is happy
IN giving them penny, not for their work
but In simple charity, and often their
boots are in
NO WORSE CONDITION THAN YOUR OWN
London streets in winter and during
rains are simply disgraceful; the pave
ments are perfect, but the mire which is
spread over them would cause even a San
Franciscan to blush. The gentle, satisfied
smile with which Londoner receives
your remarks about his dirty streets is
even more temper-provoking than hoof-
full of mire on your best hat "Why, we
think nothing of it," or dts always like
that in London" are his answers, thinking
that because it is always SO in London it
needs must be all right The falling of
horses is an event of painful frequency
and seems to be one that ought to be
avoided, and could at least be made less
common if little care we're exercised, but
the smooth, slippery pavement as it now
Is gives little hold to the fast driven horse.
Troughs for animals to drink from are
often seen and show a kindliness which
might well be carried out in other lines,
and probably will be when the people learn
that the customs of London are not neces-
sarily perfect customs per Sc. AS the
streets now are spread with mud, SO is
everything perpendicular
COVERED WITH CRIME AND SMOKE.
One cannot touch anything indoors or
out which does not leave a mark upon the
hands, and wash as often as he will they
are as uncleanable as those little ones of
Lady Macbeth. The densest fog of many
years has just gone, and now the London
ers are basking in sunshine which, to my
California senses, seems Of the strength of
very weak moonlight. The dense fog of
New Years eve this year was black fog
yellow or orange color is the more usually,
and enveloped the whole place in dark
ness that was painful to the eyes, even at
noontime; the houses were filled with it,
and although my room was lighted with
gas, l was unable to read, while articles in
the far corners were quite indistinguish-
able. My face was streaked with black
and my nostrils filled with this sooty COM
pound of poisonous exhalations from the
marshes and the coal smoke from tn e
million chimneys. With friend who
knows London thoroughly,
TRIED TO FIND MY WAY ABOUT,
But it was simply impossible to do any
thing but wander along like blind man
feeling the way with walking-stick. The
one advantage was that the cabmen did not
drive with their usual speed, but in cross
ing streets took their horses by the heads
and plodded along with lantern. The
link-boy was there also, with torch of
modern make, or classical pine splints.
such as were used in the days of EVA
lima" but the light was Of very little use.
The sound of voices came through the fog,
the speakers being few feet from you. but
invisible then suddenly you would run
against someone, who would be gone before
you knew where tic look to say the "Par-
don me-" This dense fog is
THE FRIENDLY CLOAK OF THIEVES
Aud ruffians, who can commit a robbery
a few yards from the policeman, who
is powerless to find the scene of action
until too late though he may hear the
cries and scufiling. Traffic virtually
ceases, the underground road only being
afile to carry its passengers and even into
that darkness the fog will penetrate and
render the usual speed impossible. In
walking, the tendency to go in circle is
noticeable, as it is in a dense forest, and
were not the London streets the crooked
est ways in the world one would be sure
to bring up where he started from. On
clear day, however, seated upon the dizzy
height of bus, the visitor will forgive
London all her awful faults and love her
with the ardor Of one of her own children
The pavements then show how good they
are and how much pleasanter it is to
spatter mud than to be spattered. One
seems TO
FLOAT ALONG AS IN BOAT,
No jolting at ali; indeed il is hard to be-
iieve that you are on wheels. / have yet
20 meet an unpleasant driver; the old
laws of the road seem TO have kept their
power, aud the driver OF bus feels that
he is in place Of trust, and knows that
attention from him is worth having. /
never tire of these drives, with all their
eyer-chansipg views OF palaces, shops,
green parks and poverty stricken neigh
borhoods. Here and there, in and out, /
float past hansoms (which are cabs with
Two wheels, in which the driver sits upon
little seat perched up behind), four
wheeled cabs called GROWERS a name
derived from the mauner in which those
who drive them receive their fares, carts
of all shapes and sizes, from those drawn
by enormous Flanders horses to
DIMINUTTyE DONKEY AND PONY CARTS,
Scarcely higher than the wheels of an or
binary vehicle. Then there are bi, tri and
quadricycles used in delivering milk and
small parcels. Street cars or trans are
not seen except in the suburbs, and all Of
them, MS the omnibuses, have seats on the