CARRIAGES. 367 



attempting to sponge or wipe off mud from a carriage, we 

 are apt to scratch the varnish or paint, on account of the 

 frequent presence of gritty particles in mud. The water had 

 best be applied under a fair amount of pressure. If a hose 

 is not at hand, we may use a Read's pump and flexible tube. 

 Failing these appliances, we shall probably have to content 

 ourselves with sluicing the carriage with buckets of water. 

 The wheels, one after another, should be slightly raised off 

 the ground by means of a jack and carefully washed. I 

 would restrict the use of an ordinary spoke-brush (p. 254) 

 to the tyres, felloes and under-carriage ; because this 

 spoke-brush, if employed on the spokes, is apt to injure the 

 varnish and paint, and is rarely narrow enough to get between 

 the spokes at their junction with the nave. The spokes, and 

 indeed the whole of the wheel, can be cleaned with a sponge. 

 When all mud has been removed by water, the remaining 

 moisture may be sponged off, the carriage well dried with 

 a wash-leather, and polished up with a fresh dry leather. 

 Any spots which remain on the panels, etc., may be rubbed 

 over with a flannel rag moistened with paraffin oil or linseed 

 oil. The steel pole-head may be cleaned in the manner 

 described on page 364, and a coating of paraffin oil, which of 

 course must be removed before burnishing, will prevent it 

 from rusting. The window panes of a closed carriage may 

 be sponged with water in which a little paraffin oil (say, a 

 tea-spoonful in a quart of water) has been mixed and the 

 whole well shaken up, dried with a wash-leather, and polished 

 with a soft duster. The leather, plated work, etc., should be 

 cleaned in the manner already described in this chapter. The 

 cushions and inside lining of the carriage should be brushed, 

 and the mats shaken and brushed. 



As a rule, a mop is a lazy man's substitute for a sponge ; 

 for, though it is convenient to use, it cannot be applied with 

 lightness and precision. It should be reserved for the under- 



