ACCIDENTS 199 



apiece for Jack Everett, the coachman, and a lady- 

 passenger. Willing helpers placed the two victims side 

 by side in a wheelbarrow and trundled them off to the 

 nearest dodlor. Jack Everett stole a glance at his com- 

 panion. She was neither young nor comely. He looked 

 again. Not so ill favoured after all. "I've often kissed 

 a young woman," said the coachman, "so why shouldn't 

 I kiss an old one?" And kiss her he did too, full and fair, 

 in the eyes of all beholders. 



Many disasters were due to culpable carelessness on 

 the part of coachmen, who saw red when the opposition 

 coach came in sight, and cared little what risks they ran 

 so long as they distanced their hated rival. In particular 

 they grudged the time taken to put on the drag, and 

 coachmen on speed-breaking records bent would go 

 downhill at a reckless pace trusting on the wheelers to 

 hold the coach back, with the very frequent result that 

 accidents happened, and bones were broken instead of 

 records. 



An accident attributable to this cause occurred to 

 the Halifax Hope in 1836, when the coach was heavily 

 laden with passengers and luggage. The coachman 

 urged his horses forward at a great rate, and started to 

 descend a steep hill without moderating his pace. Half- 

 way down the horses became unmanageable, the coach 

 reeled from side to side and finally overturned. The 

 coachman and guard were picked up insensible, two 

 gentlemen killed, and all the passengers badly hurt. 



The Phoenix and the Dart entered into competition 

 between Patcham and Brighton, the driver of the Dart 



