The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-04 00:00:00

THE ADVENTURES OF A ROAD-

ETEAMER.

An interesting account is given by the ScoWinn of
a feat without parallel, lately performed by a large
road-steamer—namely, running from Ipswich to
Edinburgh by road, a distance of 450 miles, in seventy-
seven hours travelling Sine.
The engine, which is one of four now being built by
Messrs. Hansomes, Sims, and Head for the Indian i
Government, under Thomson's patent, with India-
rubber tires, is of fourteen nominal horse-power, but
has several times been worked up to eighty indicated
horsepower; her weight is about 13 tons; length, 15
feet ; breadth, 8 feet 8 inches ; 'height to top of
chimney, 15 feet. The omnibus weighs about :Q.; tons,
and is seated for twenty-one people inside and forty-
four outside ; total, sixty-five. She left Ipswich on
Friday morning, the 15th of September, under
charge of Lieutenant Crompton. The finst town
reached was Stowmarket, where a difficulty arose
with the town pump, which was incapable of
supplying sufficient water for the thirsty monster,
who was compelled to drink again a mile or
two farther on. The road for miles was overshadowed
by trees, and it was necessary to keep men on the
roof with saws and axes to cut a passage for the chim-
ney. She arrived at Bury St. Edmunds im time for
breakfast, having rim the first twenty-five miles in
four and a half hours, including all stoppages. After
leaving Bury St. Edmunds the train was boarded by
a photographer, who begged to be taken up, anb in-
sisted until he carried his point. On arriving at New-
market for luncheon, the engine was refused water at
. .

the waterworks, and had L, pump it from a cistern
in the backyard of the "Golden Lion." A difficuly
also arose with the police, who directed the engine to
"move on." They, however, declined a suggestion
narde by lieutenant Crompton that they should
"run in," and it continued its journey in peace,
reaching Ely at six p.m. Here after coaling
and getting dinner, the travellers engaged a guide
to pilot them across the Fern to Peterborough ;
he commenced his took by losing his way about ten
miles from Ely. and finished by divecting the engine
along the brink of the 40-foot river. Now came the
most thrilling part of the journey. As the engine
went on, the road got narrower and narrower, until it
was only a few inches wider than the engine. The
bank sloped down steeply on one side to the river, on
the other to the fen ; but for the utmost care taken
by the steersman to keep the engine exactly central on
what there was of road, the wheels would have cut
away the rotten, boggy bsnk, and the engine would have
gone into the depths of the fen. After about ten miles
of this nervous work a tube burst which delayed the
travellers several hours, and gave them an opportunity
of resting in the omnibus, thus ending the first day's
journey of severity miles.
The second day's journey was a short one, as, being
Saturday, it was necessary to find a good place to lay
up the train over Sunday. Mr. Jackson, of Stevington-
house, NI/sashimi, hospitably put them all up until
Monday, and took the engine into his private grounds.
On Monday morning, at 6 a.m., the train started and
made a splendid run from Wansford to Doncaster,
eighty-three and a half miles, in ten and a quarter hours,
including 'unavoidable stoppages for water, coals, Arc.
Most of the miles on this day's journey were actually
done in four minutes —some of them in less—or
at the rate of fifteen to eighteen miles an hour.
The following day's run was from Doncaster to
Azerley Ball, near Eipon, where the travellers had
arranged to remain some days. The roads to this
place were in an awful state, owing to the heavy rain-
fall. All the rivers were in flood, and clear water for
the engine could not be obtained in pond or river.
From Azerley the engine proceeded to Darlington on
the Ist of October, and thence to Worrier, near the
Boarders, on the 3rd. The road became very bad after
leaving Morpeth, and as the travellers approached
Wooler, it was more like the channel of a gravelly
burn than anything else. Outside this place a toll-
gate man absdulely refused passage and the gentle
power rf steam had to be arrplied befere the partycould
proceed. He came on to Worrier to give the engine in
charge to the police ; but the "force" Willi extremelycivil
and obliging, for the inhabitants of Wooler were not
hospitably inclined, and it was some time before the
sergeant of police could find them shelter. Next day,
after loading with coals that were sold by the "howl,"
the train crossed the bordee, and by dint of nmning all
night crossed the Lammermoor ridge early in the
morning, arriving at Edinburgh on the sth. She came
in by the Dalkeith-road and the bridges, and swung
round into Prince's-street in grand style. Although
there were traanway obstructions in that street, she
threaded her way through them and distanced all the
traffic turning up into George-street and so on to a
coachbuilder's yard in the West-end, where she was
laid up.
Since that time she has made several trips of a ex-
perimental nature, in one of which she took forty tons
of gross load up Soutra-hill, which is an incline of 1
in 17 of upwards of a mile in length. She is to start
on her return journey to Ipswich on Monday next,
and will then be shipped off to India. The chief diffi-
culties encountered by the engine on her journey
appear to have arisen from foraging for water and
coal. She also had minor difficalties to encounter with
, the toll-gate people, who could with difficulty be per-
suader! that, being the property of Government, she
• did not pay toll. The prevailing notion among the
- inhabitants of the districts through which she passed,
was that she was a machine for keeping in order and
recharging with electricity the roadside telegraphs, and
it was often useless to assertthe contrary.