Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-01
LONDON LETTER Fl
An Interesting Letter from London
from The Gazette's Correspondent.
The Cabs and Busses in LondOn-Rlval Inter
ests-SOme Samples of Street Sarcasm.
Jaryey's Jingle-Busy Buses.

LONDON, Eng, Aug. 15.-There wa:
a large contingent of Texas people il
London this season, chiefly from Austin
Gainesville, Houston, Fort Worth, Gal
weston and Dallas. They were all bound
for the Paris exposition, as indeed were
most of the Americans who crossed the
"pond this year; but London receives
| them first, and a large share of their
| pocket money finds its way into the
Golfers of the trades people, who as a rule ,
have prOfited greatly by the large influx
of Americans, who they consider their
very best customers The shOp-keepeTs
say that the Americans are the most
pTOdigal buyers of any nation IN tn q
world. II may seem incredible to the
readers of TIE GAZETTE when l state
that 2 800, 600 people, or about one
twenty eighth of the entire pOpu-
lation of the United States, had
crossed the ocean this year mp to the
LIST of August. Ocean travel is now
reduced to such q science, ana the
rates of fare are so reasonable that all
seeming Impediments to a foreign trip
have been removed, and the result is
that with $500 one can go abroad and
have $500 left for expenses, and this,
too, on the very best transatlantic
lines
To give one an adequate description
of London would transcend the limits
of newspaper space, but few casual re-
marks about certain features of London
life may not be embarrassing, and |
propose TO tell the readers of THE GA
ZETTE something about the cab and bus
system of the great metropolis, which in
itself is most unique To the casual
wanderer through the streets of London
there is no sight more astonishing than
its enormous traffic on wheels, and this
more than anything else viii convey
to the visitor some idea of its dense
population. In all the world there is
no such sight to be seen as the
mansion house (the official resi-
dence of the lord mayor on a week
day at noon; or Regent street,
Piccadilly, the Strand, or Fleet
street at all hours. And yet despite
the vast multitudes which throng the
streets, it is a matter of wonder that the
thousands of cabmen can make living,
especially when brought into competition
with the huge army of omnibusses that
thread the main thoroughfares in every
direction. Turn where you viii, you
meet ''cabby' and you brush against
his horses a hundred times u day. AS
for the busses, they run everywhere, and
are even injuring the cabman IS career.
Nearly everyone travels by bus.
1t is cheaper than walking. Six
cents will take you from one end
of London to the other by bus, and you
can travel over three miles for cents.
The average cabby has to pay So a day for
the hire of his cab and horse. This
means long and weary hours of exposure
in all sorts of weather (and it is generally
pretty bad sort i'll London) and the ex-
ercise of great shrewdness. He must,
therefore, be lynx-eyed, and as the rates
of fare are reasonable (G5 cents an hour,
or % cents for the first two miles and 10
cents for each additional mile)
he must pick up a great many
passengers before he can even pay the
expenses of his outfit, to say nothing of
food, rent and clothing for himself and
family. 1t is vital part of the unwrit-
ten law that cabby.h has right to expect
beyond his practically legal
fare, and woe betide the passenger who
refuses to recognize this fact. From
what have seen of the streets of Lon
don [ should say that war contest be-
tween cabby and passenger is quite sure
TO end in the discontinue of the IatteEs5i
Jarvey lives by his wits sand
he has decided advantage
in his manner of free and easy
One evening | was stand
ing at the entrance of Terry 5 theater
when a cab drove up with a gorgeous
swell in company with a lady. On
the passenger rendered the
driver what was probably the right sum
Cabbv looked at it, turned it over, and
then in loud but benevolent tone, said:
s"''Adn t you and the lady better get
in agen and ave your moneys worth? |
l could ave dTuve We anuther twenty |
Or thirty yards for this, - looking con-
at the money in his hand. |
One day l was driving along Oxford |
street IN hanson. As we were turning |
the corner another hanson ran into our |
near side with just enough force to land |
rs horse s head across our horse IS back
expected q strong and impolite shower /
# invections from my Jarvey, but it /
come not. With whitening politeness he
observed to the other driver:
90 W en- your 'oss ave seen all 'e
wants to see cross my losses back |
, faps get down, but bless
your art there amt no Jury -
There is no love lost between the cab
nan and bus driver. Each seems to
'egard the other as his natural enemy,
md often the cabman has reason on his
ide. On wet, cold day l have seen
abby just about to pick up a small fare
lfter following a passenger for block
II two, and Just when his patience was
boHt to be rewarded a bus driver
yith room for one inside, - came along
ND snapped up the pedestrian smart
nd sulphurous exchange of compliments
oHowed between these vehicle rivals of
ne streets.
Last week was on top of Bayswater
ms seated by the driver A rival bus
iad for some time succeeded in keeping
he read and prevented our passing by
slnaily we drew up and were level with