41 



there being two already, which are perfectly capable of turning the engine 

 and waggons round the sharpest corners. 



*' Trusting that this information will be sufficient for your purpose, and 

 induce an order. 



" We are, sir, 

 *• Your obedient servants, 



" Bray's Traction Engine Co., 

 ♦' Pro J. BUBB. 

 **Dr. Agnew, 



"HobartTown, Tasmania." 



Extract from a letter from the same Company to H. C. Seddon, Esq., E.E., 

 date, l9Feb., 1864:— 



"The price of a passenger engine, fitted so as to be capable of travelling 12 

 miles an hour, with the number of passengers mentioned in your letter, up au 

 incline of 1 in 12, is £1,250." 



Mr. Seddon calculates this would give a speed of upwards of 30 mUes an 

 iour on a level road. The nvmiber of passengers mentioned was one hundred. 



From their pamphlet, extracts were read from reports on the performances 

 and capabilities of their engine, from engineers, farmers, officers of Her 

 Majeety's dockyard, &c., &c. One from the celebrated engine makers Penn 

 and Son, speaks of "the successful manner in which they (traction engines) 

 have removed the large portions of the machinery for the engines of the Warrior 

 and Black Prince, under every circumstance of weather, in loads varying from 

 25 to 35 tons, exclusive of truck, &c." * * * * " We have not found 

 your engine to be so destructive to the roads, on account of the great breadth 

 of the wheels, as horses' feet, when drawing a heavy load." 



Mr. E. Armstrong, C.E., states : — " The nearly two hours of unexampled 

 rough work you have just now with me seen it go through, the up and 

 down hill, steeper even than one in -seven, jolting, twisting, and knocking 

 about, over deep holes, and round sharp corners with so much ease, and no 

 detriment whatever that I can discover, ought to be satisfactory to any one, 

 &c. * * * It may fairly be considered as a strong compact dray horse 

 which will not make but mend a common road, &c." > 



As to the power of the engine in dragging with ease, OTcr bad roads, and 

 even on soft boggy ground where no road existed, such loads as no waggon 

 drawn by horses could attempt. Lieutenant Halkett (14th March, 1862), says : 

 —"It had three waggons attached loaded with 9,000 bricks, the weight of 

 the load, including waggons, being about 30 tons, with which it went to Clap» 

 ham Common. On the hard road the draught indicated wa? about 1,800 lbs., 

 increasing in some cases where it was very muddy — there having been about 

 forty-eight hours' previous rain —to as much as 2,2{)01bs. The- train went on 

 the grass, which was very soft and slippery from the rain, and drew the load 

 along without difficvdty, the draught being about 3,000 lbs. The wheels of the 

 engine let an impression in the ground about the depth of half an inch, 

 whilst the waggon wheels raade|tracks as deep as two inches. For the purpose 

 of experiment the train went on a re?*^ hoggy picce\of turf; after moving over 

 it for a«hort tim^e the waggon wheels sunk to the depth of six inches in a bad 

 place, whilst those of the engine were scarcely two inches deep. The draught 

 power exerted increased to 4,5001b3., when the wheels of the engine slipped 

 round without moving the train. The driver having gone so far on the plain 

 surface of the wheel, then brought the auxiliary power of the blades to bear, 

 throwing them out about 1| inch, which exactly doubled the power of the 

 engine, since the dynomometer registered oyer 9,000 lbs., and the engine 

 drew on the load without further difficulty. In order that he might be 

 understood, Lieutenant Halkett explained that Telford averaged the draught of 

 waggons at one-thirtieth of the load, or about 701b. draught on a spring to eveiy 

 ton weight of the waggon and load together ; but this may be increased by 

 bad roads and appliances to lOOlb. per ton. The engine, therefore, had shown 

 Hh ability to draw from 100 to 130 tonii on a good level road. These figures are 

 quite independent of the powdr eierted by the efagine to nldve itself. -This 

 result he considered entirely satisfactory, since no traction engine had hitherto 

 been found capable of exerting a greater draught power than 4,5001b3. It was, 

 therefore, calcxilated that on increasing the breadth of the tire of the wheel, 

 and putting on slower gearing, by the use of his rail system of agriculture to 

 guide the implements, one of these engines could draw with ease tMrty ploughs 

 After it, ploughing five inches deep, at a speed of about 1^ mile per hour, or 

 2)lough sixty acres per day, &;c." 



From TM UluitmUd, Loin4<m JNmit May 29, 1838,—" The next experiment 



