These dresses are very common in the morning, and are, I
believe, thought to be very elegant. They are frequently made like this,
of some violent coloured merino, and often of silk, with trimmings of
another coloured ribbon.
Having digressed so far from my account of St. Louis, I will go back for
a few minutes to Cincinnati, to describe the grand fire-engines we saw
there, with horses all ready harnessed. One particular engine, in which
the water was forced up by steam, could have its steam up and be ready
for action in three minutes from its time of starting, and long,
therefore, in all probability before it reached the place where its
services were required. These engines all had stags' horns placed in a
prominent position in front, as a sign of swiftness, and on this
particular one there was printed under the horns, "Sure Thing, 287
feet," meaning that it could throw the water that height. Another had
on it, "243 feet. Beat that!" the Americans being very laconic in all
their public communications. The regular plan on which most of the
American towns are built and the division into wards, give great
facilities for showing where a fire takes place; balls are shown from
the top of a high tower to direct the engines where to go, the number of
balls pointing out the ward where the fire exists.
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