Above: Robert Ruaux (white shorts) during his 24-hour walkathon through the 15th Arrondissement. A trumpeter can be seen riding in the car at right, presumably a convertible.
Source:. Historic Images (SKU: KSB50381).
Above: Rachel leads seven other fiacres in a wedding procession (detail).
Source:. L'Écho du Maroc, July 25, 1953, p. 1. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Rachel's accident in Place de l'Étoile (now Place Charles de Gaulle). The runaway horse began acting erratically at Avenue Wagram (A). A police officer stationed at Avenue Foch (B) came to Rachel's assistance and the horse was finally captured at Avenue Kleber (C).
Source:. Base map (detail): "Orthophotographie_-_2018_-_Place_Charles-de-Gaulle_02.jpg" (Wikimedia Commons).
Above: Mr. Roulet at the Ternes district police station arranging for the release of his horse.
Source: Benjamin, November 28, 1954, p. 8. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Rachel is interviewed by police at the scene of her second accident.
Source: France-Soir, November 17, 1954, p. 12. National Library of France (via Gallica).
20. Scrapbook: 1949-1956 (continued)
Scrapbook: 1953 On March 29, 1953, Robert Ruaux (1914-1984), the city councilor for the 15th Arrondissement (and a champion wrestler) set off on a 24-hour fund-raising walkathon through his district to raise money for the Caisse des écoles (School Fund). This is an institution that supports public school education in various ways including assistance to families.
At the stroke of noon Prefect of Police Baylot fired a starting pistol and Mr. Ruaux began his journey accompanied by fundraisers who collected money from onlookers along the route. A crowd of "several hundred" well-wishers saw them off, as did local dignitaries, a dozen photographers and the crew of a broadcast van.
"As night fell, however, the crowd began to thin out, but Ruaux continued undeterred, with a brief stop every six hours.". (La Vigie Marocaine)
At noon on March 30 he and his companions made a "triumphal entry" into the 15th Arrondissement town hall. Perhaps not coincidenatally Mr. Ruaux was up for re-election "which now seems all but assured."
Rachel's role, as part of a "traveling carnival," was to follow Mr. Ruaux in her cab with an "accordion orchestra" (including well-known jazz accordionist Gus Viseur) that serenaded the participants during the early stages of the walkathon. Regrettably, despite the presence of so many photographers, no photos of her contribution seem to have survived.
From L'Écho du Maroc:
"On Wednesday [July 22] at noon, at the Church of St-Germain-des-Prés, a wedding in the style of yesteryear took place. The newlyweds and their guests arrived and departed in eight horse-drawn carriages rented especially for the occasion. The newlyweds, Mr. Jacques Lambremont and Mlle Geneviève Soulas, rode in the first carriage of the procession, driven by the femme cocher Rachel Dorange, well known to Parisians."
Scrapbook: 1954
November, 1954 brought Rachel a train of misfortune. From Dernière Heure for November 11:
"ParisΓÇÖs famous and last female horse-drawn carriage driver, Ms. Rachel Dorange, 56, was involved in an accident at Place de lΓÇÖÉtoile [the intersection of twelve converging avenues with the Arc de Triomphe at its centre, now named Place Charles de Gaulle].
"When a rein snapped, Mlle DorangeΓÇÖs horse bolted. The driver tried to rein in the animal, which was moving dangerously at the entrance to Avenue Wagram, amid the flow of traffic.
"Suddenly, Mlle Dorange, who was clinging as best she could to her seat, lost her balance and fell heavily onto the road. A police officer, who was directing traffic at the corner of Avenue Foch, rushed to her aid, helped her to her feet, and had her transported by a police ambulance to Marmotan Hospital.
"Mlle Dorange, whose red jacket and small black bowler hat are well known to Parisians, has suffered a head injury. She has not yet had an X-ray. However, her condition does not appear to be serious.
"Meanwhile, the horse, whose harness had broken, was bolting around the center of the Place de lΓÇÖÉtoile. It struck two parked cars, causing some damage. A police officer subdued it at the corner of Avenue Kl├⌐ber. The animal was taken to the police station in the Ternes district.
"When she regained consciousness at the hospital, the driver immediately asked for news of her horse. She was reassured: the horse had been taken back to its stable."
The runaway horse is not named in reports of Rachel's accident, and it may not have belonged to her. The newspaper Benjamin published a photo (left) of a Mr. Roulet at the Ternes district police station completing the necessary paperwork to have the horse released into his custody. Mr. Roulet is described as the owner.
On the other hand Rachel now had a horse named Cancan and had recently acquired a second horse named Pascal, according to Marcelle Poirier, a syndicated columnist who reported on Paris doings for foreign newspapers:
"Rachel Dorange was very busy preparing her winter programme when I went see her. She was training her second horse, a high spirited creature called Pascal, for stage appearances. Rachel Dorange is a skilled horsewoman, and she used to ride in a circus. This year she will appear once again in the ring, together with Can-Can, Pascal, and the fiacre. Last week she made a sensational appearance at the Théâtre de l'Étoile by driving her cab on to the stage." (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer)
Rachel was apparently making a series of appearances at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. On November 16 Rachel had a second traffic accident while on her way to the theatre:
"Rachel Dorange nearly missed her equestrian performance last night [November 16] at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. At 5 p.m., as she was heading to Rue de lΓÇÖÉtoile in her cab drawn by 'Cancan,' the horse spooked, bolted, and violently collided with a car on Avenue des Ternes.... Rachel... emerged from this second accident with a few bruises." (France-Soir)
Rachel's luck in the theatre wasn't any better than it was on the street. Her theatre engagement on November 15 had been a disaster. From Dernière Heure:
"The famous horsewoman R. Dorange has, through her attorney, Mr. de Sariac, filed a lawsuit seeking one million in damages against the management of a major Parisian theater, which she holds responsible for the failure of her recent gala to benefit the victims of Orléansville."
(The city of Orleansville, Algeria was struck by a devastating earthquake on September 9, 1954, which killed as many as 1,600 people and injured 5,000.)
"Rachel.... therefore rented a venue for November 15 and invited numerous prominent figures, including Mme René Coty [wife of the then president of France].
"But when the day of the show arrived, management categorically refused to allow her horses on stage – for fear they would make a mess.
"'Until 10 o'clock that evening,' said Rachel Dorange, 'my horses were left shivering in the courtyard. As a result, not only did they catch a bad cold, but they also couldn't warm up before their act.'
"But the equestrianΓÇÖs grievances didnΓÇÖt end there. First, the posters advertising the gala were printed with the wrong date! Then, the box office clerks forgot to show up to open the ticket windows! Finally, just as the curtain was about to rise, there was a total power outage.
"As a result of all these incidents, the gala ended in disaster! Rachel Dorange is now seeking compensation in court."
Rachel's bad luck continued. Her lawsuit was dismissed in December, 1955 and she was ordered to pay the outstanding balance on the theatre rental, amounting to 13,000 francs ($37.14 U.S.)