Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-10-28


stovepipe hat cut in two. and long blue
coats of peculiar pattern without
buttons. fastened with hooks and
eyes, which reach from their necks to
their heels. The skirts are very fun
and gathered at the waist In sum.
mer and winter, regardless of the
heat. these coats are wadded until
they are like featherbeds. and all pro.
portions of the drivers figure are lost.
only strap of leather or gilt girdle
indicating where the waist should be
The higher the social rank of the
family the more stuffing the coach
man carries and some of them look
very funny. Dickens fat boy was Il
mere shadow compared with them.
The ishvoshtnik. as the drosIsy driv-
er is called. never uses whip, yet he
carries one tucked in under the leath-
er apron. and when his horse does
not respond promptly to his voice or
he Is ordered to "scurry." he reaches
down to 1t and says something which
means Come, pretty pigeon. make use
of thy legs" and without further or
ders the beautiful animal skins the
ground like a bird
Hold on, for Gods sake. little ia
ther, we turn the corner" the driver
often says. and although the average
foreigner does not understand the ex-
act meaning of the words. he can al
ways recognize 1t as warming. To
make the horses slow up the reins are
slackened When he wants to hurry
he pulls gently on the horses mouth
The drosky always has the right of
way. People who are run over are
arrested and fined. Foot passengers
nave no business In the streets. and
use the cross walks at their own risk.
1t always seems as though both the
horse and the driver hurry the faster
when they see n timid person trying
TO escape.
There are $4,000 droskies register
ed at police headquarters in st. Pc
tersburg this summer or one TO about
every thirty-three inhabitants. and
during the winter season. when the
wheeled vehicles are changed for the
sledges of similar pattern, large mum.
bers OF people come in from the coun-
try with horses to earn a little extra
money.
The ishyoshtniks lead nomadic
life in the streets of the capital AS
in other cities. certain locations are
indicated where they may stand and
wait for passengers, and when they
are not engaged they return to these
stations to eat and sleep. and remain
there day and night continuously Re
gardless of the weather, the horse
may not see the inside of n stable
nor the driver the inside of a house
Tor weeks at time. Like the Bed
ouins of Arabia, they carry oats and
hay constantly with them. and during
the intervals of employment feed their
horses by means of nosebags. Near
every hack stand is n shop where they
can buy chopped hay and oats for the
horses. and coffee, soup. tea and other
rations for themselves. There are
also many peddlers wandering about
the streets from whom food and tea
may be purchased. The animals are
groomed as they are fed, when they
are not waiting for fares. and their
drivers are always rubbing and pet
ting them. While waiting in front
OF house or shop the ishvoshtnik
always gives his horse a good rub.
bing down and talks to him as though
he were human being He calls
him my brother" my little father"
my sweetheart" my little white
pigeon" and has other affectionate
phrases and terms of endearment
| which the animal seems to under.
stand
st. Petersburg has become a mighty
city. By the census of 1897 1t had
l,2O7O23 population and probably has
not less than 100000 now. 1t is
spread over an enormous area. large
proportion of which is occupied by
palaces. public buildings, parks and
private grounds. In one place there
are three houses. side by side, which
| 1t VIII take man on foot at least half
an hour to pass. Many of the pal
aces are surrounded by gardens that
occupy several blocks, and the size
of some of the houses may be imag-
ned from the fact that the families
of the nobility often keep a hundred
or hundred and twenty servants.
1t is love of ostentation rather than
luxury which causes this display, for
many houses of the most imposing
appearance lack the ordinary comforts
and conveniences of life. They are
cold. cheerless and uncomfortable
The floors are not carpeted, the stoves
are incapable of heating the rooms
and when the thick walls once become
chilled through or saturated with
frost, the occupants are compelled tc
go outside to get warm. Notwith
standing the pretentious architecture
and ornate decorations the great ma
jority of the houses are built of thG
commonest kind of brick, covered
with stucco. and what are supposed Il
be carvings are nothing more thar
terra Gotta veneer.
st. Petersburg. like Washington
was laid out completely before sing
lie house was built. 1t was Pete
the Great, the first czar OF Russii
who ever saw the ocean, that select