The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-04 00:00:00

SIR C. DANCE'S STEAM-CARRIAGE.

This carriage recommenced its experimental trips
to and from Wellington-street, Waterloo-bridge, on
Monday. The road now pursued is from the bot-
tom of Balsam-hill, on the other side of Clapham-
common, to the steam coach office, Wellington-
street, and back, a distance of ten miles. The coach
starting at nine o'clock in the morning from the
former place, where a convenient station, with the
necessary supply of water and coke has been esta-
blished, to the steam coach-office and back every
three quarters. of an hour, till three journeys have
been completed each day. The journeys on Monday
were performed with success, at the rate of ten railed
an hour; but it would seem that the trustees of the
road at Balaam-hill have taken offence at the use
thus made of their highway, and have not only co-
vered that part of the road next the starting-place
with rough gravel, but have actually threatened to
seize the carriage and engine, if Sir Charles attempts
to persevere, pronouncing the experiment a public
nuisance. Whether any attempt will be made to
put this threat into execution remains to be seen;
but we apprehend nothing will be done which the
law does not sanction ; and the question of " nui-
sance" has already been pretty well tried by the
starting of the coach unmolested, in one of the most
populous parts of the metropolis. The terms for
the trip, which can only be considered one of curio
sity, is half-a-crown one way, and four shillings
backwards and forwards.
The following is the official report of the late ex-
perimental journey to Stony Stratford
" REPORT OF THE RESULT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL JOUR
NEY UPON THE MAIL COACH LINE OF THE HOLEYk:EAD
ROAD, IN LIEUT.-COLONEL SIR CHARLES DANCIA
STEAM CARRIAGE, ON THE IST OP Nov., 1833.
" Public attention having been attracted to the practi•
cability of travelling with locomotive engines upon ordinary
turnpike roads, by a report of a Committee of the House
of Commons, of the 12th of October, 1831, stating that,
in the opinion of the Committee, the pm icticability of such
mode of travelling had been fully established, and more
recently by a report of a journey to and from Brighton
having been successfully performed by Lieutenant-C”lonel
Sir Charles Dance's steam carriage, as well as by the
fact that the same carriage was daily in use between
London and Greenwich, conveying numerous passmgers
through the crowded suburbs of the metropolis, without
the slightest inconvenience to the public, we were desirous
of personally making an experiment of the facility with
which a carriage of that description could perform a
journey of considerable length ; and having selected the
mail coach line of the Holyhead road for the purpose of
such experiment, we made an arrangement with Sir
Cnarles Dence for the use of his carriage, ou Friday, the
Est instant.
" The weight of the Carriage, with the
water, coke, and three persons upon
it, was about 3 tons, cwt.
* " The weight of the Omnibus Coach at-
tached to it 1 (-)

• " The weight of the passengers, them
luggage, and some additional sacks of
coke, about 1 -- 15 --

" Making the gross weight moved 6 tons, 0 cwt.
" The motive power was an engine with two cylin-
ders, seven inches in diameter and sixteen inches stroke.
The pressure of steam on the tubes constituting the boiler,
or g, nerator, was adjusted to 100 lbs. per square inch.
" Before the carriage had proceeded sir miles, one of
the tubes of which Sir Charles Dance's boiler is composed
was found to leak so fast as to render repair absolutely ne-
cessary. It was also apparent that the size of the engine
was not sufficient to carry so great a weight along a heavy
road at any high velocity.
" The weather was by no means favourable, there hav-
ing been much rain in the course of the night and morn-
ing, so as to make the road heavy; added to which the
winter coating of new materials had in many places been
laid upon the road. Notwithstanding these obstacles, on
our arrival at Stony Stratford, 521 t miles from town, it
was found by Messrs. Macneill and Carpmael, who bad
taken accurate minutes of the loss of time occasioned by
stoppages, that the average rate of travelling had been
seven tnles per hours
" Thus there can be no doubt that, wlth a well-con-
structed engine of greater power, a steam carriage con-
veyance, between London and Birmingham, at a velocity
unattainable by horses, and limited only by safety, might
he maintained ; and it is our conviction that such a project
might be undettaken with great advantage to the public,
more particmarly if, as might obvion.ly l*the case; without
interfering with the general use of the cold, a portion of
it were to be prepared, and kept in a state most suitable
For travelling in locomotive steam carriages.
" (Signed) Thos. Telford, John Rickman, C. W.
Palley, Bryan Dunkin, Timothy
Bramah, James Simpson, John
Thomas, Joshua Field, John Mac-
neill, Alexander Gordon, William
Carpmael.
" London, November, 1833."
A prospectus for the formation of a company,
justified by this report, has already been issued ;
and competent engines are now in progress of ma-
nufacture.
• " These facts have been ascertained by Mr. Joshua Field,
Mr. John WlNTeill, and Mr. Alexander Gordon, civil engineers.