41 6 Preparation 



conveyances, no human prudence can 

 always guard aj;:ainst, — it is that which 

 arises from the imjiiense weight thrown 

 on the pole of the carriage when de- 

 scendhig a iiill ; and this danger is 

 frightfully increased if, from unpardon- 

 able ind()lcnce, the guard has neglected 

 to lock tiie wheels. In consequence of 

 a failure in this part of the machine, 

 many very lamentable and dreadful ac- 

 cidents have taken jjlace, especially 

 since the practice of driving furiously 

 down the hills has been so generally 

 followed. Whenever the pole of a 

 heavily loaded carriage gives way in 

 going down a hill, almost every chance 

 of safety is gone ; an overthrow must ne- 

 cessarily ensue, and it will be an over- 

 throw of the very worst kind, because it 

 will take place whilst the horses are 

 going forwards almost at their full 

 speed. Yet, when it is considered that 

 the enormous weight of some tons is all 

 thrown on a slender bar of wood of 

 eight or ten feet in length, and very 

 seldom of more than throe or four inches 

 in diameter, it is a matter of wonder 

 that this fiighlful accident does not 

 more frequently happen ; and it is, per- 

 haps, well for the peace of travellers, 

 that they are in general so little aware 

 of their extreme "danger: whoever has 

 been seated on the box, whilst a stage- 

 coach has been rattling down a hill, 

 with the horses nearly on the gallop, 

 and tlie wheels frecpicnily unlocked, 

 must have viewed with serious appre- 

 hensions the overstrained pole exposed 

 to sudden and iiices.sant jerks, from the 

 imequai draft of the horses. \Mien the 

 pole-piece is made to turn on a swivel, 

 (which is the case now with most of our 

 public carriaii,es,) it is, without doubt, a 

 great iinjirovement, and is far better 

 than to allow the weight always to rest 

 on a fixed i)oint; but, although this in 

 some degree lessens, yet it by no means 

 removes, the danger. A regard for the 

 public safety has, therefore, induced 

 jne, through the medium of your Ma- 

 gazine, to suggest a plan, which, although 

 very simple, would, 1 think, be effectual 

 for security against tliis danger. It is 

 this ; — to extend a small, but strong 

 chain, (which for neatness might be 

 covered with lcath<r,) in a right lino 

 from beneatli the block of the fore axle- 

 tree, to the extreme point of the pole, 

 where it might be lodged on a small 

 hook: this would counteract tlie strain 

 upwards, and prevent the jjole from rising 

 beyond its proper level ; and, as a secu- 

 rity, also, against Uie lateral strain, the 



of Yeast, [Dec. f , 



pole should be Wrapped round spirally 

 throughout its whole length, with a 

 piece of thin but well attempered iron; 

 because, although the lateral strain is by 

 no nietins so great as that which acts in 

 a direction perpendicular to the axis of 

 the pole, yet it is still of too much 

 consecpience to be entirely overlooked, 

 and especially as, from not properly 

 reining back one of the wheel-horses, an 

 undue proportion of the weigiit may be 

 thrown upon the other; but, notwith- 

 standiiig these precautions, yet the pro- 

 piietors should, both for their own 

 safety and also for that of ihe public, 

 lay a very heavy fine on the guard, in 

 case he should, at any time, Jieglcct to 

 lock the wheels, when going to descend 

 an hill of any consequence. 



Having thus thrown out a few loose 

 hints, which I hope may be of some im- 

 portance towards the real interests of 

 all coach-masters, and the comfort and 

 safety of travellers, I leave it with you 

 to submit them to the public, through 

 the medium of your truly valuable Jour- 

 nal, if you shall judge it proper or ex- 

 pedient to do so. N. T. H. 



P.S. It has occurred to me, since I 

 wrote the above, that if a roll of oiled 

 canvass were attached to the back part of 

 the roof, it would be very useful in very 

 wet weather ; as, when unfolded, it might 

 be spread over and afford shelter to those 

 who were in the barouche; and the seats 

 of this part might befnrnished with lockers 

 for light parcels ; so that a coach con- 

 stnicfcd in this manner would cany nearly 

 as many passengers as the general run of 

 coaches on the present plan, and convey 

 them with more safety and pleasme to 

 themselves, and with no additional labour 

 to the horses. By means of the box be- 

 low the hind axle, and tlie lockers in the 

 barouche, as much luggage as ought ever 

 to be conveyed by a coach might be taken. 

 The present plan of loading coaches with 

 enormous crates and chests, (which pro- 

 perly belong to waggons,) is not only dan- 

 gerous to the passengers, but ruinous to 

 t)ie horses; and, therefore, eventually very 

 injurious to the proprietors tlieniselves : 

 wiien the roof of a coach is loaded with 

 people, and piled with packages, it is al- 

 most a miraiele if it escapes an overthrow, 

 as the smallest inequality in tlie road is 

 sufficient to throw the centre of gravity 

 beyond the base of station, if tlie centre 

 of gravity be considered as lying at about 

 two-thirds. 



7» the Editm' oftlie Monthhj Magazine. 

 SIR, 



IN your last number, a correspondent 

 requests te know if any of your 

 readers 



