294 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



axletrees will occasionally give way, under great pressure, 

 and serious accidents must arise from the consequence, 

 which, nine times in ten, is the upsetting of the coach. 

 Sometimes it happens that the fore-wheel, when it loses 

 its support, inclines inwards towards the carriage, and 

 catching hold either of the bottom of the body of the 

 coach, the springs, or beds — prevents her going over. 

 As when a coach is croino- fast, there is more weieht on 

 the fore-wheels than on the hinder ones, it is the fore axle- 

 tree that generally breaks. The axletrees of mail coaches 

 very seldom give way, because they are not so heavily 

 laden as the stages. I never heard of but one, and that 

 was on the Holyhead mail, when a very good coachman, 

 by the name of Small, was killed. 



Axletrees, however, are now made upon very im- 

 proved principles, and upon those which almost insure 

 safety. They are manufactured from scrap iron (the best 

 K. O., or King and Queen, as it is called), and composed 

 of three bars, fagoted cdge-ivays. We all are aware, that 

 if we take a common lath, and bend it flat-ways it breaks 

 with little force; but it takes a good deal to break it edge- 

 ways. There is also another security. Formerly, there 

 were five bolt-holes through the fore axletrees, and three 

 through the hinder ones. Now there are only, with im- 

 proved makers at least, three in the fore, and one in the 

 hinder — namely, one for the perchbolt, and two through 

 the lower transom plate in the former ; and one through 

 the perch, but none through the wings (as formerly), in 

 the latter. These axletrees are now in great part made 

 fast to their beds with clips, which necessarily strengthen 





