AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 31 



We think we may safely say that the great obstacle in the way 

 of all the English steam carriages, viz., the want of a light durable 

 boiler, capable of generating steam quickly, has been fully over- 

 come. In the locomotives manufactured by Mathew H. Ealdwin 

 and William Norris, of Philadelphia, and others, we have abund- 

 ant evidence of this fact. 



Again, the tolls on our plank and macadamised roads, like every 

 thing American, are equal to all men, and all kinds of vehicles. 

 No exorbitant, exclusive, or prohibitory tolls, or unequal taxation 

 can be imposed under the sacred provisions of oiu* constitution, 

 defining the absolute rights of man. 



Mr. Fisher's carriage is propelled by two horizontal engines, 

 connecting with cranks on the outside of the hind wheels — very 

 similar to the anthracite coal-biu-ning locomotives on the New- 

 Jersey railroad. His boiler consists of a series of tubes set verti- 

 cally, and connected at the top, the fire acting on about one-half 

 of the circmnference of the tube. 



So far, we find no new feature in his carriage; but his adap- 

 tation of flexible springs we consider a new feature, and worthy 

 of attention. They consist of a series of plates or leaves bolted to 

 the front of the carriage and resting on the front axle; these bear 

 the whole weight of the front part of the carriage, and being three 

 or four feet long, have the requisite flexibility. 



As the cranks on the wheels are at right angles with each other, 

 a single centrally-affixed spring would be apt (in the usual mode 

 of working,) to shake or rock the carriage from side to side. To 

 overcome this he has introduced a crank about the centre of his 

 carriage body on each side, to which the rod from the piston is 

 connected, and from this crank a connecting rod connects to the 

 crank on the wheel ; to adapt it to the vibration of the front spring, 

 he introduces (like Hancock,) between the cranks a radius rod with 

 a universal joint. By these means (there being a little play for 

 the carriage body laterally on the hind axle,) a very steady motion 

 is obtained. 



The experiments of Morin show the decided advantage arising 

 from the use of springs. He states that the difference in power re- 

 quired to draw a carriage at nine miles an horn- between blocked 

 springs and those not blocked to be one half. 



Mr. Fisher estimates the cost of running a twenty-four passenger 

 omnibus, sixty-four miles a day for one year at $2,077. 



We have ascertained from reliable sources, that on an average it 



