The St. Johns herald., 1890-01-09
TRAVEL IN LONDON.
Ths Ease with Which It Is Directed by
 Two nJy-CIad Hobbies.

Two Hiy-CIad Hobbies.
 Here two policemen direct conflict ing tides Of travel with ease and cer- tainty. All vehicles must keep to the left in driving. No one ever sees an attempt to defy this law. No heavy truck comes numbering along the wrong side of the street. The result is that the policeman in Wellington street simply walks out before the column of advancing vehicles and spreads out his arms. Like a regi- ment of well-trained cavalry, the ad- vancing column halts. Then the column in the Strand moves forward. When the policeman in the Strand sees that his street is tolerably clear. and that Wellington street is becoming 2 choked up, he halts his column. and the Wellington street policeman d. lows his to move. There is no attempt on the part of any driver to break through the lines. There is no shout ing, no swearing, no clubbing and no arresting. The whole business is smoothly and safely directed by two miserable-looking ''peelers," who would be knocked down and run over in half 8 second if their silent direc- tions were disobeJed.
 The secret of this order in chaos is not difficult to find. The laws here are 8 living force. and every driver in this great city knows it. If a driver is arrested for transgre5siug the laws made for his governnent he is pun ishcd. The law definitely prescribes the penalty for each offonse, and fines of forty shillings or fourteen days i'm priscnment stare the offenders in the face. And they know they will not be discharged at the police court That is the grand secret No alderman will come down and use his ''in- huence' in behalf of the prisoner, and the sitting justice has no option about enforcing the law. He must do it. Politics does not enter into these mat ters here at all. Hence these humble and suppliant policemen have much less trouble in managing the daily traffic of this vast city than our far finer body of men have in handling the daily business of the streets of New York.
 There is one other thing which adds to the ease with which the police handle the traffic of the streets here, and that is the superb pavements. They are worth a weeks study in themselves. There arc three kinds of pavement in use in the London streets. The least used at present is that of stone. Where it does exist, however, it is much better than ours in New York. The stones are long and are set on end, the upper surface being much smaller than our Belgian blocks. Under these stones is Q heavy bed of gravel and stone, the whole pavement being about eighteen inches in thick ness. The wooden pavements are also formed of much smaller blocks than those tried in New York. But the most extensively used pavement in London is that of concrete. l saw one torn up for repairs a day or two ago, and had an opportunity to discover how it was built. First foundation of stone is laid down in good, substantial blocks. That is covered with tar and gravel, aud upon this are set blocks Of wood on end tightly pressed together. Over these, cementing them together, and when rolled smooth forming the surface of the street, is put on the concrete. The entire pavement is over two feet thick, and is as solid as natur- al rock. It is as smooth as a billiard table, and over it the heavy vehicles Of all kinds used iu London roll smoothly and easily. One never sees 6 team of horses vainly struggling to pull 8 heavy load out of 9 hole in these streets. The stream Of vehicles moves always smoothly and steadily onward, save when checked by the silent majes- ty of the memorable English law, rep resented by the extended arms of an insignificant London "bobby. Cor. N. '. Times.