THE SCB ANTON- TfilBUNE SATURDAY - MORNING, DECEMBER 14, 1895.'
9'
'London-:Bus-: as a
-Colginie of " Vantage,
Miss Kaiser Describes Some of the
Types of Character Witnessed in One.
"fW Corejpondencp of The Tribune.
Tjjjonjloii.. Npv. SO. Lpndon has many
. . JtingulsbJi;(eaturt:3jand perhaps one
of the most striking ,1s comprised In
1U -tiuu llme nd busnes. Nowhere In
Amerlrn Is tin-re a city that can show
'pfccQ laiw, lortuOihT winding. razy.
j.fRtle StreJf9(: Inch a number of MlinJ"
?tpnroUKhfifr4s such . narrow, insutllcl
eiit Ji(lewlksor nu;hja complexity of
4fJ anil ea4s, timi Itorths and east-
itf8, w'es-eiiters and so on to the
end of the chapter. In Its addresses, all
tending to confuse the newcomer In
finding his. VitW about;, to consume his
"'. patience anf lime nnB driv- him. at
last, to the protecting winR of a father
ly, though, may hap, designing "cabby,"
who next consumes his cash, a deplora
ble thing', indeed, unless he chances to
b one of thotie few fdrtunotn mortalB
' ,who have an. ulntntlamp of that article.
,. Yet notwithstanding all these queer
and puzslinsf streets. ;and the appar
ently consequent dllHculty In Betting
from place to place In a town- so quaint
ly mystifying; as this, tnVre Ip. I believe,
no other -larg city on the face of the
globe, where travel nhd communication
from one to all parts of the place, are
mad,' so ! cisy and' convenient, and
above all, cheap in the last decree.
London's Two Greatest Resources.
What would London be without Its
busses, I wonder! They and the Lon
don policemen are the two greatest aids
to safe travel, I thlnkiJbnt there are
existing here. Of course, as I said be
fore, there are the cabs and cabmen,
but they .cost so nnu'hnxniey. There
C j W tt ttndferoumlYiftraf , a won
j .derfuV .boon- here, whure the. surface
. travel wan long 'n!r congested on every
street. "Hut its one great drawback is,
1 that It Is' underground with , a ven
geance, for a descent into It Is a liberal
education In all the cuuses and eltects
cf asphyxiation.
As forjhe busses, they, are .of all kinds
and descriptions, and run In all dlrec-
.tlons. all oyer the surface of London,
' from seven In the morning until after
, midnight. There are no specjal inter
vals of time, during which one ran
catch a bus, as they are going so ron-
' Ctantly',. especially In tne lmibi parts
of town that a wait of a minute or two, -If
at all, at a comer where, they ntop,
: Is all the time required for- getting one.
Of cotirse, they do not run In a hap
, hazard ' fashion. Just , anywhere and
everywhere, but eaclkind of bus has
its own particular route, running from
one part of town-to another distant
part and back, pjying thus between the
. two all.duy long, and one only has to
: become -acquainted with the colors of
the different busses, or, if too lazy to do
' that, simply to read the names of the
'places on the route of the bus, which
. arc iialnted on the outside, to know
. and decide which one to take for any
, particular, destination. Those running 1
on one route are painted red, -while
those on another are white, and on an
, . other yellow, green, blue, white and
-. blue, white and red, and so riti, with
, endless variations; while a very popu
lar and excellent line of bunwfl.of which
I know, and on which I often travel,
.. ban-a large umbrella perched orer-the
driver at a certain angle, and which per
forms the double office of shielding the
driver from the weather and of effectu
ally distinguishing the busses of this
line from those of the others. Though
it Is not their proper title, they gradu
ally become knowu and spoken of as the
"Umbrella busses' 'and enjoy the repu
tation' of being the most comfortable
ones In London, as' well as being the
ones that give the longest penny ride.
Guarding Against Overcrowding-
Kach vehicle of the London bus fami
ly, no matter what its color and route,
is built for carrying only a certain num
ber of passengers, twenty-six being the
limit. Here being room inside for twelve
and outside on the top for fourteen
more. This Is the very largest number
t hut Is allowed by law to ride on one bus
besides the driver and conductor, and
if a bus Is Been to be overcrowded by
even one extra person, a policeman has
the right to stop It and arrest Its con
ductor, or report him to the secretary ot
the company. Even a civilian has that
light If he Is so far Interested in the
keeping of the laws as to take the trou
ble of uppearlng against the conductor
In the matter. So you see the Hpertarlo
of a crowded Droadway car, with its
dozen or so of outside passengers, look
ing like so many human leeches cling
ing to It, Is never Been here at all.
Whether the regulation was made for
the sake of the horses or of the busses
themselves. I do not know, but It Is cer
tainly a very good one for both, not
to mention the passengers as well.
Another thing peculiar to the London
bus is that there is no door, or rather no
door that opens and shuts, the entrance
being simply an open one all the year
around, and I suppose It Is good that it
Is so, for as the bus windows do not
open the entrance is its only means of
ventilation: save for an occasional con
trivance for that purpose, seen In very
occasional busses.
Almost nil the busses belong to a very
large and powenful company, called the
"London General "Omnibus Company,
Limited," which has Its busses all over
London, running on routes which rami
fy from center to circumference. It Is
a very well managed concern, I am told,
and certainly one has every reason to
believe so, from Jts service. The horses
are always big, powerful animals, well
fed and cared for. The driver and con
ductor are paid a certain fixed salary;
the passengers are never overcharged
in their fares; and at any time of the
day or night a company's Inspector is
liable to board the bus, examine the
conductor's and passengers' tickets,
and see that all Is according to the
rules. Each conductor Is numbered,
tvearlnnr the number where It can be
distinctly seen, and passengers are re- I
quested, In a notice printed Inside the
bus, to report him to the secretary of
the company should he chance to offer
passengers any incivility, fail to pay
them due attention, or be remiss in his
keeping of the company's rules.
Different Types of Busses.
But there are other busses with
slow, creeping horses and engaging, In
sinuating drivers on the watch for un
wary passengers. These are generally
old and rickety vehicles, which fact one
tiocs not take note of In the hurry and
excitement of catching it, until one is
inside. When, however, the conductor
comes to collect the fare, and charges
tup-pence for a penny ride, or four
pence for a tup-penny ride, it suddenly
dawns upon your disgusted Intelligence
that you have inadvertently got into a
"Pirate" or bus that goes on its own
hook, or rather that of its conductor,
who is its owner, and that It is not a
company bus at all. This error can al
ways be guarded against by looking for
the words: "London General Omnibus
Company" on the outside of the
bus, and if they be not there, why, of
course, it's a Pirate. There would not
be so much that is mortifying in finding
one's self on a Pirate, if the extra fare
were all the difference; but a Pirate
generally goes so slowly that it is an
actual waste of precious time to ride,
the conductor and driver are not bound
to be civil if they haven't a mind to,
and the horses are generally so skinny
and weak looking that one has a sneak
ing feeling that he ought in all Justice
be arrested by the first Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals officer
that comes along for riding behind
them. Sometimes the Pirate conduc
tors are anything but civil, and some
times on the contrary, they are quite as
nice as the nicest company conductors.
The bus is generally one of the London
company's worn-out ones, which they
have bought, and which they, with the
help of the driver, run, taking all they
can get for fares, and either sharing it
with the driver, who may be half-owner,
or giving him a salary. Owning the
bus themselves, they are monarch of
all they survey, every possible passen
ger Is fair game, and as all they get Is
their own, they get all they can, and
how they get It does not much matter
to them, though such an arrangement
may not be agreeable to their passen
gers. Not a Delightful Career.
Taken at Its best, the life of these
bus conductors and drivers is not a de
lightful one. They drive from early
morning until dark, eating their meals
cold on the conveyance, and in severe
and stormy weather are afforded little
or no shelter from the elements. The
driver, of course, has it much harder
than the conductor, unless he be one of
the favored employes of the "Umbrella
Busses," which Is the only line which
boasts of umbrellas at all. All the rest,
though they may have oil skins and rugs
In plenty, are not sufficiently shielded,
either from the wet or cold, and last
winter, which was the coldest that Lon
don had seen for many years, not a few
bus drivers were discovered frozen to
death In their places, and with the lines
still In their helpless hand. Both con
ductor and driver are In every case
shabby, for their salaries are. by no
means magnificent, their only virtue
being their unfailing regularity, and
one can see that their sufferings from
the cold in winter are Intense. Never
theless the company ore never at a, loss
for a new man, for as one falls out of
the ranks, killed, perhaps, by long con
tinued exposure, a hundred more are
ready and begging with actual prayers
for the vacant place. The wages are
beggarly, but In this city, where pov
erty In all Its most hideous aspects
stares one In the face at every turn,
these posts are fought for with a dog
gedness and a determination and des
peration that are terrible to see.
Somo Picturesque Characters.
They tell me that It is very peculiar
and well not comme i faut to keep
noticing the people I meet on the street
and In the busses. . However, I cannot
help It, and I dare say it does not much
matter, but I always have to take note
of my bus conductor every day. I al
ways have to think and wonder about,
him. He Is such an Interesting person
ageshabby, as I said before, and
sometimes obviously 111, though on deck
nevertheless. Sometimes, too, he is as
brown and evidently as tpugh as leath
er, having been seasoned to the out
door work through years and years of
service. He is always cockney,- too.
Never, in all the hundreds of bus rides
which I have had, have I encountered
what could be called a- "gentleman con
ductor" for in the code existent over
here, no one is a gentleman or gentle
woman who drops his "h's" says ialdy"
for lady, or "die" for day, and so on.
Setting that aside, however, and re
membering that "kind hearts are more
than coronets," I have many and many
a time been permitted to ride on the bus
of "one of nature's noblemen," and have
been honored to receive his polite and
courteous attention while under his
thoughtful care. He helps you in so
carefully, answering your questions as
to route with equal patience and polite-'
ness; helps you off again, and carefully
directs you on your way if you have
still farther to go, and takes oh! such
good care of the old ladies and gentle
men and the poor mothers with chil
dren, as they get on and off. Many a
time have I wished that I were the
Queen of England, that I might carry
that little sword of hers about with me,
ride Incognito on the busses, and some
times knight a deserving conductor on
the spot.
Studies in Human Nature.
. Again, there are the Jolly, humorous
conductors and drivers, not too refined,
who chaff each other In friendly way,
and sometimes so well that the passen
gers, try as they may to maintain a
properly grave outdoor demeanor, are
often fain to break Into a smile at some
sudden sally of genuine wit. Only the
other day I overheard a driver re
proaching . another in most melting
terms for making him move '"Igher up"
the street corner, saying that he had
the somewhat unique family of "six
teen children and a widow" to support
and therefore needed all the passeng
ers at that corner. It Is seldom that
any of their chaff Is levelled. at a pas
senger, but In extreme eases it Is, and
to a ,good purpose, too. For instance,
the other day a young man signalled
the bus from the middle of the block.
We stopped and waited for him to Jump
on. Now, you must know that a bus
rarely stops except at corners; It is a
concession on the part of horses, driv
er and , conductor when it ; does, and
people are expected to sufficiently ap
preciate it to Jump on In a .very ex
peditious, If not, dignified manner.
Our young man was very sweetly
gotten up, however, with palo, glossy
waxed moustache, immaculate broad
cloth, and a correctly frowsy chrysan
themum In his buttonhole. Ho picked
his way daintily over the road, and then
proceeded to mount the stairs to the
outside, In a manner best calculated to
prevent the bagging of his trousers at
the knees, which you may know was
more leisurely than not, instead of fling
ing hlipself on and up in the approved
breakneck way of boarding a London
bus. The conductor, collecting fares on
the to:, fumed at the loss of time, and
when the young man was at last In his
seat, relieved his feelings by delivering
himself to the rest of us in this wise:
"Some o' these young fops, d'ye knuw,
are worse than any o the ladies. They
stops the bus. Instead o' jumpln' on, as
they might do but law! their mothers
says to 'em, 'fore they come out, 'Take
care o' yourself, dear, and don't go
jumpln' on the busses, for fear you'll
'urt yourself, d'ye know." Poor young
man! We were all on' a broad grin for
five minutes after that, and I doubt if
he ever was deliberate again.
Tho Other kind.
I can recallalso, conductors who can
only be descrlied by one word as I think
SSThi OldlUllabto. 2?
Dlneaiie is an effect, nofaennse. Its origin
Is within; Its manifestation without. Hence,
to cure the disease the cause must fee removed,
and In no other way can a cure ever be effected,
Warner's SAFE Cur li established on Just
this principal. It realizes that
95 PER CENT,
of all diseases arise from deranged Kidneys and
Liver, and It strikes at once at the root of the
difficulty. The elements of which It iscomposed
act directly upon the. great organs, both as a
food and restorer, and, Dy placing them In a
healthy condition, drives disease and pain from
the system.
For the Innumerable troubles caused by
unhealthy Kidneys, Liver and Urinary Organs;
for the distressing Disorders of Women; for all
Nervous Affections, and physical derangement
generally, this great remedy has no equal. Its
past record Is a guarantee for the future.
WARNER'S SAPB CURB CO.,
London, Rochttttr,Melbourn,Franlfort,Toronto,Parl3.
of them vltuperous. They answer
sharply, they Jerk you up into the bus,
they scold and Jeer at passengers who
do not know exactly the way to go, and
they scorn to help or direct anyone. I
have had such strings of hard language,
Buch volleys of ironical vocal abuse lev
elled at me by Irate conductors as I re
member with painful distinctiveness for
weeks after. After all, busses are not
for those who wish to hold back their
skirts from tho contaminating touch of
the mob. If you are rich you may lux
uriate In cabs, or if you are richer you
may have your very own personal vic
toria, but if you arc poor, you shall
travel in the penny bus your neighbor
on one side, perhaps a sweet faced sister
of charity; on the other, a painted grls
ette upon whose tricks of attire you
look with a fascination born of wonder
and horror, and wish you could look
away. There Is a clergyman here, a
grimy workman there, some students
over yonder, un East Indian In this cor
ner, and in that an absent minded per
son who Bits calmly talking his thoughts
aloud, oblivious to everything but his
own thoughts, of which he Is giving us
all the benefit. Down by the door is a
man who has taken his ticket, asked t.ift
conductor to wake him at such a corner,
and then immediately collapsed into
tiimbcr. his face and whole body, in
fact, indicating terrible fatigue. People
sleep, study, and sometimes eat on the
bus. It was made for all sorts and con
ditions of men, and I say: Long live
the London bus!
Sadie Estelle Kaiser.
Peruvian Bitters.
LaFayette, Ind August 0, 1S93,
Aunt Rachel Speer:
I have been using your Peruvian Bit
ters of late for malarial fever that I
have not been entirely rid for the past
two years until now. I must say your
bitters beat everything. I used it only
six weeks and began to Improve the
first week. I am now well and hearty
and feel young again even now in this
very hot weather.
MRS, JANE NEWMAN.
Scranton
Gas and Water Company
i
Hyde Park Gas Compan
Scranton
Electric Light and Heat
Company
ffleadoi
Brook
Water Company
11!
W. W. SCRANTON,
President
G. B. HAND,
Secretary and Treasurer
WYOMING AVENUE.
THE FASHION
308 La(kau)anna fluenae 308
t SCRANTON, PA.
Good Goods, Plenty r.of Them, Low Prices
Dress Goods Event.
Of course it's sensational.. See the goods and your won
irler will grow. Some of the richest stuffs of the season.
Not all exactly at half price; some one-third.
One lot o( DRESS GOODS in a choice line of colorings,
38 inches wide. Special good value at 6oc. For the
holiday trade only
39c per yard
.One lot of changeable and overshot DRESS GOODS
Value 65 and 75c. For the holiday trade
49c peryard
.One lot of silk mixed DRESS GOODS, never made to re-
, . 4 'tail for less than $1.00. , For the holiday trade only
75c peryard
One lot of Boucla DRESS GOODS, 45 inches wide; the
latest craze; retail price $1.50. For the holiday trade
it.-'.' x 98c peryard
One lot of all wool Henrietta, in all colors, 40 inches wide,
50c. value. ; For the holiday trade
32c per yard
One lot of Black Henriettas and Serges. These are special
' good value, retailed the world over for $1.00 per yard.
t For the holiday trade .
69c per yard
.v.
Fnr thn llnlirtav Trade.
, $l 25 Black Fail Silk,
...... special . .
$1.25 Black Saijn, extra
-a. . . value . ; .
r $2.00 Black Satin Duch
ess, 27 inches wide,
98c
98c
$1.39
THE FASHION
308 Lackawanna Avenue 308
SCRANTON, PA,
i .
THE GREATEST HOLIDAY HIT OF ALL
Our line of HOLIDAY HANDKERCHIEFS in Wen's,
Ladies' and Children's cannot he duplicated in the the city,
comprising Plain, Printed Borders, Hemstitch, Embroid
ered, Mourning, Initial, and at prices to Satisfy any Pocket
book. -
CLOVES
GLOVES
Ladies' Kid Gloves in Black, Tans, Grays; well worth $1.00.
For the holiday trade
Seyentyrflie Cents
Our $1.00 KID GLOVES for Ladies are special value,
in all the leading shades. - Don't miss this,. chance, ; Every
pair guaranteed; .well worth $1.25.
We have a complete line of KID AND MOCO MITTENS
for Ladies and Misses. For the holidays.
Prices ranging from Oj to $1.25 per pair
The prcatest line of POCKETBOOKS AND SHOPPING
BAGS in the city. Special for the holidays.
Prices ranging from 25c to $i.50
Bear in mind our line of UMBRELLAS for Ladies and
Men comprises all the new novelties.
Prices ranging from 75c to $5
FEATHER BOAS. We are acknowledged by all head
quarters for same.
Prices ranging from 49c to $12
. An ICE WOOL FASCINATOR makes an elegant Xmas
present. We have an elegant line.
Prices ranging from. 50c to $3-
In HOSIERY, AND- UNpERWEAR we cannot be
beat in styles and qualities .and our prices as low as the
7 lowest; 'more often imver; ' l'f- l "'
THE FASHION
308 Lackawanna Avenue 308
SCRANTON, PA.
BIG-HEARTED BARGAINS AT BIG-HEARTED PRICES
A new line Men's TECKS and FOUR-IN-IIANDS in
light, medium and dark colors. Special for the holi
days. Why pay 35c. for same when we will duplicate
them for
23 cents each
45c. will buy an elegant MEN'S TECK or Four-in-Hand -in
all shades. Special for the holidays. Cannot be bought
elsewhere for less than 75c,
.MCFFLKR WpII fr ht. Mnnf xvtr fir ctrJrflv !n .Jf
.i, . Wldt is nicer thim an. cler-aiit Silk MUFFLER for a
cold Xmas morning.
Prices 'ranging from 50c to $2.50 each
I
Our line c(f Men's KID GLOVES, lined and unlined, has no
superior and at popular prices for the holidays.
50c to $1.25 per pair
Just take a look at our line of WOOL FASCINATORS
and HOODS. It will do you good to see the low1
price tags on them. Choice
From 50c to $1, in all colors
MUSLIN UNDERWEAR. This is one of our special
lines and we will give special low prices for the holiday
CORSETS. You cannot duplicate our 39c. corset in ihe
city for 50c. Why not buy of us at this price.
39 ce
Customer after customer has tried to match our
corset; as yet they have never done sofor less than 75CA
What is nicer than an elegant Sateen or Flannel Skirt for
. an Xmas present , We have them from .
49c to $3 eacti
THE FASHION
308 LackauJanna Huende 308
SCRANTON, PA,
Something for Eyery Person and Every Parse
TABLE LINENS. We will offer special inducements 2a
same for the holiday trade. Prices ranging from
23c to $1.50 per yard
Napkins. Our line is most complete. Before buying giv
this line a few moments of your time. You won't tc
gret it
Prices from 50c to (5 per dozen
Take a look at our 39c. Drawn Work Damask ToweL
Special value for 50c
Why pay 75c. for an elegant Damask Towel, extra large
size, assorted patterns. We will duplicate any at the above,
prices at 50c. Just ask to see them. , 1 . :
Coats and Gapes.
Our line of Jackets and Capes & still com
plete. On prices we defy competition.
A $7 Cape, fur trimmed, for $4.98
A $10 Beaver Cape, spe- ,
cial for . . . 5.98
A $12 double-braided Cape
for . . 8.98
A $7.50 Kersey Jacket for 4.98
A $10 Boucle Jacket for 7.50
A $14 Frieze Jacket for . 9,98
A $14 Fur Cape, special 9,98
A $25 French Seal Cape
for .. . . . 16.50
A $30 Electric Seal Cape,
marten collar . . I7.50
A $50 Baltic Seal Cape,
marten collar . . 32.50
A 50 Wool Seal Cape,
marten collar and edge 32.50
"J
BB 'IIDT FAIL Tfl 8EI; DOB
DISPLAY OF UOt
l AY GOODS.
A J
umuu