CATALOG OF THE AUTOMOBILE COLLECTION 3 



During the years 1825 through 1829 Gurney constructed several 

 steamers, some of which were conventional carriages pulled by steam- 

 propelled tractors. Gurney's conveyances were taken over and im- 

 proved upon by Dance, who, from February to June 1831, ran a regular 

 service with them four times a day between Gloucester and Chelten- 

 ham, a distance of 9 miles. The speed, including stops, was a little 

 over 10 miles an hour. 



Between 1827 and 1838 Hancock built nine steam carriages of various 

 types, all of which were mechanically successful. In 1832 he started 

 a regular steam omnibus service between Paddington and London. 

 (PI. 1, h.) One of the best of his carriages weighed about 7,000 

 pounds and carried 16 passengers. There were two vertical cylinders, 

 9 inches in diameter with 12-inch stroke, driving a crankshaft con- 

 nected by chain to driving wheels 48 inches in diameter. Steam was 

 supplied by a sheet-flue boiler 2 feet square and 3 feet high, placed over 

 a grate which had a closed ashpit and a fan draft. 



In 1832 Church's steam carriages ran between London and Birming- 

 ham, but they were subsequently given up because of the competition 

 from the newly opened railroad. ( PI. 2, 5 . ) 



The steam carriages of Squire and Maceroni, built about 1833, regu- 

 larly ran at an average speed of 14 miles an hour, while their maximum 

 speed was 20. 



By 1836 steam road carriages were practically abandoned in England 

 because of the heavy tolls imposed on mechanically propelled vehicles 

 on the highways. Also, the railroads were strong and successful com- 

 petitors. Finally, an act of 1865 brought the road vehicles to an 

 abrupt halt as it imposed on them a speed limit of 4 miles an hour 

 in the open country and 2 miles an hour in the city. In addition, a 

 man carrying a red flag was required to precede the vehicle. Fortu- 

 nately, an act of 1896, now popularly called the Emancipation Act, re- 

 moved the red-flag restriction and raised the speed limit, thus re- 

 moving the obstacle to the manufacture and use of the automobile in 

 England. An act of 1903 permitted an increase in speed to a maximum 

 of 20 miles an hour. 



In America, Nathan Read, well-known inventor of Salem, Mass., 

 obtained a patent in 1790 for a 4-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle and 

 built a small operating model. It was powered with a 2-cylinder 

 steam engine. Because of lack of public interest Read's vehicle did 

 not progress beyond the model stage. 



The earliest known passenger-carrying, self-propelled vehicle in 

 the United States was that of Oliver Evans, American inventor and 

 engineer. Although he had planned a "steam wagon" in 1801, it was 

 not until July 1805 that the "Orukter Amphibolos," or "Amphibious 

 Digger," was set in motion, up Market Street and around the Center 



