Figure 3. — Steam carriage of William Church, 1832. 



roads were strong and successful competitors. 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 vehi- 

 cle. An amendment in 1878 removed the requirement that 

 a flag be carried, and in 1896 the popularly called Emanci- 

 pation Act eliminated this restriction and raised the speed 

 limit, thus removing a major obstacle to the manufacture 

 and use of the automobile in England. In 1903 the speed 

 limit was raised to 20 miles an hour. 



First Attempts in America 



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 operable model. It 

 was powered with a 2-cylinder steam engine. Because of 

 lack of public interest Read's vehicle did not progress be- 

 yond the model stage. 



The earliest known passenger-carrying, self-propelled 

 land 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 



11 



