BROKEN POLES. 367 



most depends ; for a coach the axle should always 

 be mail axles, and not Collinge's patent axles/"" Every 

 coach should have a perch ; a coach without a perch 

 not only looks bad, and is depriving the carriage of 

 much of its style and character, but it is absolutely 

 necessary to comfort and safety ; it binds the after 

 part of the carriage to the fore part, and prevents 

 the pole jumping about when passing over bad roads, 

 and so assists the draught. 



The hind wheels should always be made high, 

 as this also assists the draught. " The old post-^ 

 chaises," Mr, Kesterton says, *' which were used on 

 bad roads, and often with very inferior cattle, always, 

 had very high hind wheels, which, when once in 

 motion, acted like the fly-wheel of a steam-engine, 

 and helped them along." 



It must be remembered in speaking about poles, 

 it is not always on descending a hill that they break ; 

 sometimes on turning the coach round they will break, 

 at such a moment there is a considerable strain on 

 the end of the pole. 



It will be remembered that I gave an extract from 

 the Sporting Gazette, which stated that a coach was. 

 capsized at Queen's Gate, whereby the occupants were 

 thrown off and a lady was injured ; this was owing to 

 the breaking of an axle.t The iron-work about a 

 coach should be made very strong and particularly the 

 axles. I recollect, about twenty-three years ago, staying 

 at Bognor, with two youngsters of my own age. We 

 took a house for the Goodwood week, and I drove 



* Iron coach axles are generally bedded in the wooden axle ; 

 this improves the appearance of the under-carriage, and makes i^ 

 look what it is intended to be — a four-horse coach, not a drag. 



t See page m. 



