The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-08-04
FRENCH VEHICLES.
They Are, as a Rule Far More Heavy
Than American Ones.

Upon first coming to France, one is
generally struck with the methods of
locomotion, from the wheelbarrow up
to the automobile and railway carriage.
All carts and wagons in Northern
France are clumsily constructed and
unduly large. 1t is not uncommon to
see a cart IL or even Is feet long,
mounted on two wheels feet in d.
ameter carrying a load that requires
five horses, harnessed tandem, to move
it. The axles are always we'll creased,
unlike those of the Georgia, cracker
who, when asked why he did not lu-
bricate, replied, What fur?"
ITO make the cart draw more easily"
''Shoo! This we're OK doan mind.
HeHe 'un doan' know"
But it would stop that squeaking."
"Squeakin' doan hurt
1T would save the Wheels
"shoo! This oil cart amt with saw
in,
: Didn't You ever grease it?"
"Once. A Yankee rode to town with
me and bought me box of stuff
How didq it work.
Mighty slick; but we'uns dun
spread it on hoecake, an eat it all up
in a week.
One of the greatest objections to the
French cart of two wheels is the dan
ger of the horse falling and when this
occurs the cart has an appearance very
much like that of a camel standing on
fits hind feet with its knees on the
Fground. Occupants Of combined driv-
ing and hauling carts often find them
selves in precarious positions
A few mornings ago horse fell in
front of my balcony. In the cart to
which he was harnessed were a man
and wife. Between them on the seat
was a little dog, and in the rear, in
the body of the vehicle, muzzled calf
being taken to market. 1t was an
early hour, and all the party man,
| woman, dog, horse, and even the calf
ignorant of it's impending fate, seemed
to revel in the morning sunlight. The
horse was going, at a merry trot from
the jog of which the old cart seemed
to catch a strain of happiness. l can
never forget the picture as thought
how typical it was Of this grand old
Normandy. The wife was wearing a
| jaunty smile; the husband in the en-
joyment of the ever-present cigarette,
held the lines proudly; the black dog,
with all the cornposure his little body
could command, sat UP between the
two as though master of all he sur
veyed, while there seemed not one
wave of trouble to roll across the
peaceful breast of the poor, mute calf.
But suddenly, with slip of the
horses foot, the scence was most dis
astrously disarranged. The man sat
astride the fallen horse, the calf had
rolled out upon the woman, and around
and over it all frisked and jumped and
barked the dog, as If beseeching his
compaions to regain their dignity as
quickly as possible. This was not easy
of accomplishment, but at the end OF
half an hour or more, order was re-
Istored and the party, cast down in
spirits as we'll as body, left with very
different expressions from those worn
when coming. The horse walked very
slowly; the man had a cross look and
ditry clothes; the woman, with dis
Iheveled hair, nursed a sprained wrist
the calf bleated with a broken leg, and
the little dog, afraid to risk again such
an exalted position, trotted along in the
rear, and all pondered upon the truth
of Solomon's saying. Pride goeth be-
fore fall
The oldtime covered wagon, SO well
| In JUact of +I,r
United States, is never here. The near
est approach is the travelling gypsy
van, which has a covering of wood
nearly cubic, resembling to some ex-
tent a miniature freight car, and drawn
by a long lanky animal which the onw.
er evidently believes is a horse. From
the top of the curious structure pro
trudes a stovepipe, or a shape1ess piece
of tin meant to serve as one, and on the
sides and rear are small latticed win.
dows, through which an attempt is
made to coax fresh air.
The contents of these vehicles have
always remained a mystery to out.
siders. How they can hold a dozer
4 dirty children, an old bag or two ant
live or six men and women seems i'm.
possible, but they do, and cooking, eat
ing and sleeping are also done in them
One can imagine, or perhaps cannot the
effect of frying fat bacon for the party
The Norman baby carriage is also {
peculiar vehicle The front axle il
much shorter than the hind one, an(
the baby is usually rolled backward
The top is affixed so as to shade tn
front, middle or rear part. Altogether
the vehicle has short, clummsy, dunn
Ipy appearance. Two babies facing one
another, can be carried as. easily as one
Whether this results from the French
I.,.n..,. In, l,nod nnnrnn1anu nl. not 1Ito11lI