The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-18

commencement of the regular half-hour
car trips, which begin at midnight and
continue until daybreak, they have suf-
fered greatly, and already many have been
compelled to abandon their business for
more lucrative occupation.
These all-night cabmen who have for
merry enjoyed a good patronage in carrying
to their homes the late wanderers and
larking parties now stand dejectedly in
the shadow of their vehicles and watch
their old customers gather on the street
corners to wait for the owl" ears.
The weather. beaten old drivers stand in
the dim light OF the Postoftice Triangle to
hail, and eagerly watch, each belated pc
destrian that chances to pass.
Take you home for quarter. sir" yells
one as they rush. toward the prospective
haul"
Fifteen cents" bids another, and the
victim of the nocturnal Jehu by this time
quite bewildered by the rush about him is
taken firmly by the arm and hustled toward
a carriage with speed that impresses him
| with a belief that he is in the hands of a
party of abductors
During these hard times with the cab
men it is not an UNUSUAL sight after mid
| night to see dozen pleading drivers sur
rounding some protesting citizen who
either desires to take or 4 car or prefers
to walk
You cant get "A ear tonight" the cab
bes will explain. The cars are blocked"
Z
man can be coerced into believing it. no
time is lost in loading him into the near
est carriage
Il don't want a carriage" an angry man
/ will argue, but if the cabmen can in any
way get his address it's good odds that
fare" will be secured then and there.
Il have only four blocks to walk" the
I irate gentleman shouts.
Where do you iive?" is the question
| then sure to come from the cabmen. and
| if their prey is a man easy" enough TO
| tell there is then small chance Of his es-
Gaping. It's every cabbie FOR hmsel; now
! adays-or nights-and they resort to all
the known methods for securing a fare"
We are compelled to take these means
, as a matter of competition" they explain.
| IF We simply sat on our boxes IS before
/ money to support family and horse,
I and while we used to make 81 a night
! when the cars We're mt running We do well
/ to earn a dollar now.
I'm tell you sir said old Tom Gloster.
{ the cabman who is known to nearly every
! might hawk" in Washington, last night.
! this owl ear service will soon put me out
of business. | have operated a cab in this
/ city for a long time and have always been
! able to make good living but fares are
! scarce now and / haven't made a cent to-
/ night. Before the half-hour service
! was put into effect | always had four or
J five regular fares that ! could depend
! upon, but the cars are cheaper, you know,
/ and they've deserted me"
| John r Johnson. who runs three night
/ cabs from the stand in front of the Post
I office upon being asked as TO the effect
( of the car service on his business said
/ ''If the present state OF affairs continues
much longer large number of night car
/ rage drivers will be forced to quit The
| poorer and less stylish cabs especially are
! suffering and it's only question of Il short
/ time before many Will be compelled to de-
| sert the night whip in Washington | have
/ felt the effects of the ear service TO the
/ extent that my receipts have been cut
down 80 per cent. Already large num-
Der of drivers who have worked success
fully from the various stands about the
/ city. OF several years have become dis
/ couraged and gone to other cities with
! their horses
! 1t is so difficult TO get a passenger after
midnight now" remarked James Leroy,
| cabman, who has his stands at Pennsylva-
| MIA Avenue and Fourteenth Street. the
J cabbies are proving desperate and more or
| less reckless in their methods of securing
| passengers Before the cars ran all night
| we cabmen had q regular system which
was followed as matter of honor, each
! driver taking his fare according TO or
| der. We had head and foot to our
/ stands and II was Il custom practiced that
the carriage at the head was always the
| first TO go when a carriage was called
But all this is changed. A man whistles
for a cab from an opposite corner and i'm
| mediately there Is a combined rush of
carriages which is as dangerous TO the
drivers as. il is, TO pedestrians. Drivers
lash their horses and dash madly toward
the fare in their eagerness to be the first
on the spot In such instances there have
been whip fights among the men and car
| riages have been wrecked. The old-time
| friendship and good-feeling which pre-
vailed among the night cabmen generally
no longer exists since the night cars began
| to run
| And this is true. Only few nights ago