When Traveling Was Real Adventure.

When Traveling Was

The following is a continuation of the chronological development begun in last month's is sue.

1659. STAGE COACH LINE A six-horse wagon was run be tween London and Dover for the convey ance of freight and passengers. Ten to twelve days were required for the stages to make the trip from London to Edin burgh. Before going on such a long (392 miles) and dangerous trip, one put his business in shape and drew up his will.

1662. Blaise Pascal was granted a pat ent in France by Louis XIV on an omni bus. It was too much ahead of its time to attain popularity.

1665. "The Paris streets were crowded with vehicles of all kinds," is the opinion of one contemporary writer.

1670. STEEL SPRINGS. Steel meanwhile, leather straps and even wood were not extensively used until later. In 1804 steel springs for vehicles began being used in England but were accepted very slowly. Meanwhile leather straps and even wood strips, as in the American buckboard, were used to ease the bumps.

1700. The stages took a week to make the trip from York to London.

1720. The Sedan-cart, a one-horse vehicle, appeared.

1725. CONESTOGA WAGON. The Conestoga wagon was developed by the Dutch farmers in the United States. It derived its name from Conestoga Creek in Eastern Pennsylvania where it was made. These wagons were first used as farm wagons instead of the two wheel carts imported from England. At first they were much smaller than at a later date when they became the transconti nental freight carriers of the pre-rail road era.

The Conestoga wagon in the perfected form was a freight carrier of great ca pacity which could handle loads of six or eight tons. Its rear wheels were about six feet high and the shape of its bed was such that any slipping of the load could not throw an undue weight on either end in going up or down hill.

Real Adventure Being Chapter Two of a Series on Early Transportation

The running gear was usually painted red and the bed blue.

1749. The first stage between Glasgow and Edinburgh required two days for the journey.

1754. The "Flying Coach" started operating between Manchester and London, a distance of 188 miles, and made the trip in the incredibly short time of four and one-half days, barring accident."

The one-horse gig came into use in England.

1760. The "High Flier," a light four-wheeled vehicle with a phaeton body carried on light metal supports about ten or twelve feet in the air, became popular among dashing young men.

1770. The brouette, and enclosed two-wheeled man-powered vehicle that looked like a cross between a Sedan-chair and a jinrickisha, came into use.

1775. Travel by coaches between Boston and New York required more than a week at this time. Twelve days were needed for George Washington in 1775 to travel from Philadelphia to Boston to take command of the Continental Army.

1784. MAIL COACHES. The English government decided to permit stages to carry the mail.

Up to this time the mails had been carried by post boys on horseback, who averaged about three and one-half miles an hour. Since these boys were often robbed, John Palmer proposed using Stages traveling at good speed and with armed guards. These he put into service in 1784. They carried six passengers and the mail.

In 1800. Royal mail coaches or stage coaches in England reached their final form at this time. They carried four passengers inside, four passengers on a transverse seat on the roof and one beside the driver. There was a seat for a guard in the back over the mail compartment or boot.

In 1819. Omnibuses were used in Paris. (Omnibus, a long four-wheeled passenger vehicle with seats along the sides.) In 1829. Omnibuses were introduced into England by M. G. Schillbeer.

In 1830. The American buggy with hickory instead of oak for wheels was used. This innovation introduced by a New Jersey builder named Carter made it possible to greatly reduce the weight, without impairing the strength of a vehicle and gave the American carriage builders an advantage over foreign competition that lasted until the advent of the automobile.

Another improvement brought out by Carter was the elliptic spring.

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