The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-02

III NgnAN ~ ~ htHI Nlu W " wv 800
on the oramped rear platform, one pays three
cents for a seat on top Of the omnibus. Ths
difference In price Ia a great consideration 10 the
poor people and even to the middlo-class folk.
who will stand and wait a long half hour In
order 10 save that three cents This being the
case. the new line had TO provide for a first ana
a second class with a difference In fare. IL
must also have some sort o. open place Tor
smokers. The result Is n wretched combination
OF two little coops with an open space between
One coop has seats for ten passengers and Is
upholstered In red plush. The fare In this coop
IL six cents. The other one Is n tfltie larger
but is minus the plush. Here and on the middle
platform one pays three cents The WINDOWS
In these coops Gun be lowered with much DIM
Guilty only about six or eight inches. and the air
inside Is therefore hot and sitting. The pas
sengers spent their time IN vain longings for
the old trans. where they could rae OUTSIDE
II they wanted the air.
The new cars have now been running about a
month. That II TO say. the line has been given
up 10 them for that length OF time, but not a
day has gone by that one or two or hall a dozen
Of the cars haven't broken down and the whole
line been blocked, sometimes for hours. Abso-
lutely no provision is made for clearing the line
in such a case. The idea OF having switches
and hauling disabled cars out OF the way OF
active ones has not apparently entered the
head of anybody concerned. As for replacing
the incompetent motormen with competent
ones. that would doubtless cause a small revo-
luton. That Is the difference between America
and France. In New York 1t Is the present
state Of affairs which would be pretty likely TO
cause a revolution Of some sort. This par
ticular line is in worse shape thar most OF the
others. but any one of them Is enough To drive
an American half wild.
But there are always the cabs. is the reply
OF the INEXPERIENCED one. This is almost true
but not quite. There are times when one can
leave the Exposition and walk blocks without
finding an empty cab. Hundreds OF people
walk two miles or more 20 their homes be-
cause Of the impossibiity Of finding a cab or
a place in q car Not only that. but even when
there are empty cabs by the dozen one can't
always get them. The approved method OF
calling a drivers attention IL 10 hiss, "Sst."
The American Hey" or Hello" passes un-
noticed. But in vain may you learn to hiss as
ifyou were sioking your pet dog on your deadly
enemy's pet dog, Your troubles are not over.
You may stand on the curb and hiss until you
are black in the face. The cabmen drive slowly
by looking neither to the right nor TO the left.
That Is what grinds. You know perfectly
well that the driver wants somebody who is
willing to pay a long price for a short course.
You know you are his man. But the stupid
owl this Is most polite compared with the
names he Is called by the kissing French peo-
pie strung along the curbstone near you wont
even look your way and give you a chance TO
explain TO him that you're his fairy godmother
in diagulse and in intentions. Whereupon
YOU don't go as far as the French woman near
YOU. who fercely demands Of heaven that all
- lg..- -. al, % ataE-astAns httt con do
wish that these particular ones may go further
and fare worse.
There il a cab tariff in Paris. but tariffs dur
Ing the Exposition are like signs in dry weather.
They all fail. When there Ia a crowd some
people are perfectly willing to pay a double
fare and one can hardly blame the drivers for
having a more than sneaking fondness for this
variety Of passengers. They do not dare to
slow up in order 10 parley with a would-be
passenger, lest the willy individual should hop
into the cab before a bargain be concluded.
Once YOU are in a cab you have a right TO de-
mand to be taken anywhere a. the regular
tariff. II the cabman refuses you can appeal
to a policeman. II the cabman still refuses
the policeman takes the horse by the bride
and leads him TO the nearest police station.
where your difficulties are settled before a
Magistrate.
The fear Of being boarded unceremoniously
by agile II impecInious persons, unwilling TO
pay a premium for a ride, makes Master Cab
man very shy Of looking curbward. The adj
vice is a little too late to be worth much fof
Exposition visitors, but a cabman himself
offered It. II YOU can catch a drivers eye
he said. wink your left eye and hold up finger
for every franc you're willing TO pay. II you
can't catch his eye. go into one of the side
streets. That's where We take refuge and
wait for somebody TO come and make us n
good offer. II they offer less than We'll take.
we say we're engaged. II we like the figure
the matter IL settled. Volta"