Automobiles or Horseless Carriages. 45 



way at St. Omer to visit a French gentleman, M. Doazan, well 



known in the world of automobiles in France. M. Doazan, in 



the most hospitable and kind way, gave most valuable help in 



Mr. Brown's investigations. A graphic description was given 



of a ride on a Serpollet carriage, then owned by M. Doazan, 



afterwards purchased by the lecturer and now exhibited in the 



hall. The driving gear of this carriage was explained as 



resembling that of an ordinary tricycle, if we substitute for the 



pedals a little steam engine placed under the seat. This is 



supplied with steam from a Serpollet's instantaneous steam 



generator at the back of the carriage. This generator is 



virtually a series of steel tubes heated by a coke fire to a 



considerable temperature. When the engine is to start a little 



water is pumped into these coils by hand, and is instantaneously 



converted into steam, which passes at once to the engine and 



starts it. A feed pump, worked by the engine, then keeps up 



the supply of water to the generator, unless it is desired to 



decrease the power or slow down, when a valve under the 



control of the driver allows the water to escape by a by-pass 



back to the tank. This gave great ease of control of speed and 



power, the want of which to the same extent is a defect in 



other forms of automobile. The exhaust steam is used to 



create a draught as in ordinary locomotives. When running, 



however, no steam or smoke was visible, and there was very 



little noise. The steering was managed by the front wheels, 



each wheel working independently, and arranged so as to steer 



with the least possible drag or friction. The brake was 



necessarily a very powerful one. It consisted of a band of wire 



rope, making tv/o turns round a drum on the driving-wheel on 



each side. One end of the wire rope was attached to a foot 



lever, the other to a lever acting on an ordinary brake on the 



rim of the wheel, which it pulled on as well when the foot 



lever was depressed. The brake is thus really of a quadruple 



nature, and can bring the carriage to a stand almost at once. 



The lecturer then described a drive in a phaeton belonging to 



a friend of M. Doazan, which was propelled by a Daimler 



