Here and There in LondonRitchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
General
Here and There in London
Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
London (England) -- Description and travel
But let us return to the horses. We have spoken of those in good health
and in active work. Some of them are really capital cattle; and I was
shown a pair of chestnuts worth at least a hundred pounds. We will now
proceed to the infirmary, just premising that in so enormous a yard every
precaution is taken against disease. A man is constantly at work
whitewashing the stables. This takes him four months, and by the time he
has done he has to commence anew. The infirmary consists of a series of
roomy, brick stables, very warm and snug, where the dumb animals are
treated more tenderly than many Christians. In another part there is a
large inclosure, more than half covered, but open on one side for the
recovery of the horses, who, having nothing particularly the matter with
them, but who have lived too fast or worked too much, require a month or
two of rest. The aged and the incurable are drafted off and sent to the
repository, and sold for a few pounds. Let me add, even these horses
continue their philanthropic career. No longer engaged in conveying the
verdant youth of the metropolis to business or pleasure, they drag greens
from door to door. The shoeing forge is close by. The physicking and
shoeing is taken by contract, by one man. He must have enough to do, as
in this yard and the one close by are generally a thousand horses. The
food, prepared by steam, is ground at the depôt in Bell-lane.
Now for a word about the men. There are about three hundred in the
Highbury yard. The coachmen have six shillings, the conductors four
shillings a day, and are paid daily. The horse-keepers have a guinea a
week. The artisans employed in the carriage department earn from thirty
to fifty shillings a week. There are two sick clubs, one for the
coachmen and conductors, who pay sixpence a week, and receive when ill
fourteen shillings a week—and one for the horse-keepers, who pay
threepence a week, and receive when on the sick list ten shillings
weekly. On Sunday evening Divine Service is held in the harness-room,
fitted up for that purpose. This was commenced by Sir Horace St. Paul.
Once a year a grand tea-meeting is held, at which all the servants of the
company, with their wives and families, are present, and addresses are
delivered by Sir Horace St. Paul, Mr. Hanbury, M.P., and other
philanthropists; and for those who wish to improve a leisure hour, a
small reading-room is opened, access to which may be had on the payment
of a penny weekly. On the table are some newspapers and illustrated
periodicals, and thus not only is a little mental stimulus provided, but
the men are not driven to spend their money in a public-house. This is a
feature of the yard which cannot be too highly commended, and which I am
sure if it were known the general public would be happy to support. The
men are satisfied, I think. One of them I had known in better days
seemed glad to have secured a berth as a driver. One informed me that he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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