STEAM CARRIAGES 37 



Brighton, but did not actually appear upon this road 

 with his " Infant " until 'November, 1832. The 

 contrivance performed the double journey with some 

 difficulty and in slower time than the coaches ; but 

 Hancock on that eventful day confidently declared 

 that he was perfecting a newer machine by which he 

 expected to run down in three and a half hours. He 

 never achieved so much, but in October. 1833, his 

 " Autopsy," which had been successfully running as an 

 omnibus between Paddington and Stratford, went 

 from the works at Stratford to Brighton in eight and 

 a half hours, of which three hours were taken up by a 

 halt on the road. 



Xo artist has preserved a view of this event for us, 

 but a print may still be met with depicting the start 

 of Sir Charles Dance's steam-carriage from Wellington 

 Street, Strand, for Brighton on some eventful morning 

 of that same year. A prison-van is, by comparison 

 with this fearsome object, a thing of beauty ; but in 

 the picture you will observe enthusiasm on foot and on 

 horseback, and even four-legged, in the person of the 

 inevitable dog. In the distance the discerning may 

 observe the old toll-house on Waterloo Bridge, and the 

 gaunt shape of the Shot Tower. 



By 1839 the coaching business had in Brighton 

 become concentrated in Castle Square, six of the 

 seven principal offices being situated there. Five 

 London coaches ran from the Blue Office (Strevens 

 & Co.), five from the Red Office (Mr. Goodman's), four 

 from the " Spread Eagle " (Chaplin & Crunden's), three 

 from the Age (T. W. Capps & Co.), two from Hine's, East 

 Street ; two from Snow's (Capps & Chaplin), and two 

 from the " Globe " (Mr. Yaughaivs). 



To state the number of visitors to Brighton on a 

 certain day will give an idea of how well this road 

 was used during the decade that preceded the coming 

 of steam. On Friday, October 25th. 1833, upwards 

 of 480 persons travelled to Brighton by stage-coach. 

 A comparison of this number with the hordes of 

 visitors cast forth from the Brighton Railway Station 



