The Sport of Our (^Ancestors 



bodies are rubbing against each other in opposite directions 

 — as the arm of an axletree and the iron-box of a wheel — 

 the smoother these bodies can be made, the less, of course, is 

 the friction. As economy in the expense of power is one of 

 the chief objects of a mechanic, it is not to be wondered at 

 that great pains have been taken in the construction of the 

 axles and boxes of carriages. To Mr. Collinge are we 

 chiefly indebted for his patent cylindrical axletree and box, 

 which have stood the test of many years, and given universal 

 satisfaction — for the silent and steady motion they impart 

 to the wheel — for their great strength and durability — and 

 for carrying oil several thousand miles without the necessity 

 of replenishing it. They are turned upon a lathe, case- 

 hardened, and rendered as smooth on the surface as it is 

 possible, in the existing state of the art, to render them. 

 But as the expense of these boxes is too great for stage- 

 coaches, patents have been taken out for others of a less 

 costly nature, which answer extremely well, and have long 

 since been in use on all the coaches that run from the Bull 

 and Mouth, and many others besides. No stage-coach can 

 be safe without the patent boxes, as they are termed, but there 

 is a prejudice amongst proprietors against them. They 

 certainly add to the cost, and also to the weight, of the 

 coach ; and by preventing the wheels from escaping any 

 obstacle that may present itself — the consequence of their 

 being air-tight — they wear out rather sooner than when 

 used with the common axle. Their general adoption, how- 

 ever, would be a great safeguard to the public, as well as of 

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