A herdic is a type of horse-drawn carriage, which was frequently used as an omnibus during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was invented by Peter Herdic of Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania"Peter Herdic (1824-1888) Historical Marker," in "ExplorePAhistory.com." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 16, 2022.Ryder, Thomas. "The Herdic Coach," in The Carriage Journal, Vol. 25, No. 4, Spring 1988, pp. 171-174. Salem, New Jersey: Carriage Association of America, retrieved online December 16, 2022. during the 1870s and patented in 1880.Newly-patented Coaches of Peter Herdic, in "City and Country." Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Altoona Tribune, October 7, 1880, p. 3 (subscription required).Vehicle Patent of Peter Herdic." Canton, Pennsylvania: The Canton Independent-Sentinel, April 23, 1880, p. 8 (subscription required)."Peter Herdic's Patent." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Times, April 21, 1880, front page (subscription required).Letters Patent Granted to Peter Herdic, in "Keystone Notes." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Telegraph, April 21, 1880, front page (subscription required)."New Herdic Coaches: Rapid Transit and Cheap Fares for the People—New Cars." Washington, D.C.: National Republican, March 11, 1881, p. 4.
Shortly after the first vehicle's creation, fleets of herdics were purchased and used to create systems of inexpensive mass transportation in multiple major metropolitan across the United States,"The Herdic Coaches: A Number in Process of Construction in This City." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 1881, p. 2 (subscription required)."New Herdic Coaches: Rapid Transit and Cheap Fares for the People—New Cars, National Republican, March 11, 1881.Kelly, John. "When a herd of herdics roamed D.C. streets." Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post, January 7, 2012.Ryder, "The Herdic Coach.""Something About the Herdics." Omaha, Nebraska: The Omaha Daily Bee, December 22, 1881, p. 6."State News." Augusta, Maine: Daily Kennebec Journal, October 27, 1885, p. 3. bolstering Peter Herdic's status as a successful inventor"Peter Herdic's Immortality." Newport, Pennsylvania: The News, April 7, 1888, p. 2 (subscription required)."Death of Millionaire Herdic." Gibson City, Illinois: Gibson City Courier, March 9, 1888, p. 2 (subscription required). and millionaire."Death of Peter Herdic." Kane, Pennsylvania: The Kane Leader, March 8, 1888, p. 3 (subscription required).Death of Peter Herdic (death notice). Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Altoona Tribune, March 8, 1888, p. 4 (subscription required)."Energetic Peter Herdic." Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Evening Sentinel, January 2, 1888, front page (subscription required).
Herdics were particularly successful in Washington, D.C., becoming the transportation method of choice during inclement weather due to the cab's rear entrance design, which enabled drivers to back their vehicles up to sidewalks and buildings so that their passengers could enter the cabs more quickly than they would with traditional hansom cabs."The Cab System of the City—Its Completeness—Talk with a Manager—The 'Hansom' and the "Herdic,'" in "Washington Letter." Indianapolis, Indiana: The Indiana State Sentinel, November 18, 1885, p. 2.
The first herdic was used in Washington, D.C. in 1888."Fine Horses Once Gave Distinction to Capital." Washington, D.C.: Evening Star, March 31, 1935, p. F-2. The last surviving herdic in operation in Boston, Massachusetts was owned and driven by Daniel C. Harris in 1910. His horse's name was Billy."Boston's Surviving Herdic" (article with photo and caption). Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, September 18, 1910, p. 60 (subscription required).
Background A predecessor of the taxicab,"Memories of the Herdics." Washington, D.C.: Evening Star, August 25, 1927, p. 8."From First Taxicabs to Now." Washington, D.C.: Evening Star, December 7, 1933, p. A-8. the herdic was a small two-wheeled carriage that had side seats and an entrance at the back."Peter Herdic (1824-1888) Historical Marker," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Later versions had four wheels and varied in size from a small coach to a full size omnibus. The first four-wheel herdic cabs carried up to eight passengers.Ryder, "The Herdic Coach." The major improvements over previous types of carriage were in the springs, the way the body is mounted on the springs, and the manner in which the axles, springs, body and shaft were connected. Herdics were designed as passenger vehicles, and, in particular, for use in public transportation.Kelly, "When a herd of herdics roamed D.C. streets," The Washington Post, January 7, 2012. Their low entry made it easy for passengers to enter and exit the cars. This was especially advantageous for the women of the time, who wore full length dresses.
The earliest herdics were painted bright yellow in order to be easily identified and quickly acquired the nickname "canary".Ryder, "The Herdic Coach." This convention is presumably what led to many taxi cabs being painted yellow. Each cab was small enough to move freely through the city streets of Williamsport and leave its passengers at the curb instead of the middle of the street as other modes of public transportation were forced to do. The newest herdic models of 1881 featured gas lighting. The gas reservoir was positioned under the driver's seat."Washington Letter." Barton, Vermont: Orleans County Monitor, March 21, 1881, p. 2.
Cab interiors were described by Washington, D.C.'S Evening Star newspaper as "boxlike compartments with glass doors, nicely cushioned and elegantly finished in a rich olive green."Carpenter, Frank G. "Turn Back the Clock." Washington, D.C.: Evening Star, June 10, 1934, p. D-3.
Peter Herdic found surprisingly rapid success with his cab design when it was quickly adopted in the cities of Boston,"Herdic Cabs at Twenty-Five Cents." New Haven, Connecticut: New Haven Daily Morning Journal and Courier, October 1, 1884, p. 2."Hacks and Herdics: The War of the Ancient and Modern Vehicles." Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, July 21, 1883, p. 4 (subscription required)."The Herdic Drivers: Some of the Complaints Made by Citizens Against Them: The Irregularity of Fares: What the Herdic Man Has to Offer in Defence." Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Post, July 25, 1891, p. 8 (subscription required). Chicago,Start of Chicago's Herdic Service, in "Brief Telegrams." Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, May 6, 1881, p. 2 (subscription required). Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C.,"New Herdic Coaches: Rapid Transit and Cheap Fares for the People—New Cars," National Republican, March 11, 1881.Kelly, "When a herd of herdics roamed D.C. streets," The Washington Post, January 7, 2012. and numerous other locations. He ran into difficulty in Philadelphia, however, when the Herdic Personal Transportation Company, the company he had begun business with there in 1880, failed to follow through on the provisions of an agreement which promised Herdic 12,500 shares of its stock in return for Herdic allowing the company to use his patent on five hundred of the company's coaches, and that Herdic's stock shares would be increased to 50,000 should the company begin using Herdic's patent on additional coaches over and above the initial five hundred. Herdic contended that the company violated the agreement during the summer of 1880 when it communicated, via multiple newspaper reports, its intent to build 4,000 coaches using Herdic's patent without further compensating him.Herdic Personal Transportation Company (announcement of intent to build 4,000 Herdic coaches). Indiana, Pennsylvania: The Indiana Weekly Messenger, July 28, 1880, p. 7 (subscription required). Unable to resolve the agreement's breach to his satisfaction, Herdic applied for an injunction against the company in June 1881."Local Intelligence: Judge Kelley Sued: Peter Herdic Applies for an Injunction Against the Herdic Coach Company." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 4, 1881, p. 3 (subscription required)."Ex-Judge Kelley's Venture: The Suit of Peter Herdic in Relation to the Coach Company in Philadelphia." New York, New York: The New York Times, June 4, 1881, front page (subscription required)."Judge Kelley Accused: Fraud Charged By Peter Herdic" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 4, 1881, front page (subscription required)."Worthless Coaches: Judge Kelley Explains Why the Herdic Company Was Not a Success." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 14, 1881, p. 3 (subscription required). In his legal response to Herdic, Kelley admitted both that he had entered into the contract with Herdic on July 31, 1880 and that Herdic was the holder of the patent for running gear that was at the root of the men's dispute, but claimed that Herdic's coach invention was neither useful, nor valuable."Congressman Kelley's Misfortune." New York, New York: The New York Times, May 31, 1881, front page (subscription required)."Judge Kelley: He Files an Answer to Peter Herdic's Bill in Equity." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 26, 1881, p. 2 (subscription required).
As this legal situation was unfolding, Herdic traveled to Omaha, Nebraska in August 1881 to expand the reach of his business."Peter Herdic: The Inventor of Herdic Coaches in the City." Omaha, Nebraska: The Omaha Daily Bee, August 17, 1881, p. 8 (subscription required). Its new coach system began operating just weeks later, on September 1."Minor Mention." Cheyenne, Wyoming: The Democratic Leader, August 14, 1881, p. 4 (subscription required).
The next year, civic leaders in communities that hadn't yet developed their own versions of "the Herdic system" began openly lobbying Herdic and other businessmen to launch cab services that would utilize the new coaches."Let Them Come." Dayton, Ohio: The Dayton Herald, September 12, 1882, p. 4 (subscription required).Herdic Service Prediction, in "The City." Lincoln, Nebraska: The Nebraska State Journal, October 14, 1881, p. 4 (subscription required). During the summer of 1882, Herdic's vehicles were already at work on the west coast of the United States. The first of his shipments to Portland, Oregon arrived aboard the steamer Oregon on July 26 with the expectation that the new cabs would travel on streets that the city's railroad system couldn't reach."Oregon Events." San Francisco, California: The San Francisco Examiner, July 26, 1882, p. 3 (subscription required). The Herdic service that opened in Ogden, Utah that year operated routes on Fifth Street from the railroad depot down Main and First streets and from the depot down Fourth and Main to Eighth Street, with cabs departing every thirty minutes. A single fare cost ten cents with ticket packages offered at discount rates of three for twenty-five cents, seven for fifty cents, or sixteen for one dollar."Herdic Coach Line." Ogden, Utah: The Ogden Standard, July 13, 1882, p. 3 (subscription required).
By 1883, herdics were operating in Atlanta, Georgia"Through the City." Atlanta, Georgia: The Atlanta Constitution, June 10, 1883, p. 9 (subscription required). and in Austin and Fort Worth, Texas."More Herdics." Fort Worth, Texas: The Gazette, September 15, 1883, p. 4 (subscription required). A hotel proprietor in Denver, Colorado and other entrepreneurs from a wider range of companies also began purchasing Herdics for their own operations."Home News Items." Fort Collins, Colorado: The Daily Express, September 8, 1883, p. 4 (subscription required). The city had already had ten herdics in operation by 1881."Minor Mention." Cheyenne, Wyoming: The Democratic Leader, August 5, 1881, p. 4 (subscription required).