The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1860-02-10
rhe Use OF steam on COnmOn
Roads.

tested, aud to warrant an average perform
ance on common toads, up hill and down,
at the rate Of twelve miles per hour. Il
is believed that three common-rood loco
motives, with wheels properly construct
ed, would be ableto make an equal speed
over the Plainsi mus bringing San Fran
cisco within about seven days Of st. Jo-
scph, tho Western terminus VI the Han
nibul and ST. Jo. o.Railroad. The success
Of recent experiments in the application
Of steam to land carriages has brought
a considerable number Of the first scientific
and practical men Of New York and
Philadelphia, and in London, Eng, to the
conclusion that the use Of steam on COM
mon roads is only question Of timc.-
The adverse argument, based on the ex-
istonoe Of bod roads, is cfIectually dispos-
cd Of by the fact that steam plows have
been run over ground too soft 10 allow Of
the use thereon OF horses. Tho loeomo-
tipe part Of Fpwkes steam plow, 80 tho
roughly tried on tho Pruries Of linnois
last summer, was a complete success, the
machine passing readily over the 'sloughy'
ground, and ascending and descending a
grade Of one foot in ten. Visitors to
New York City are becoming familiaris-
cd to the movement Of steam fire engines
propelling themselves rapidly through
the streets, and turning street corners
with marvellous speed and without ossis-
tanco from any motcr but steam. We
have already cited the performance Of the
steam Fire Engine which, last fall, trav-
eled the distance between New York
City and Philadelphia, without accident,
and alta speed Of over ten miles per hour.
For the following brief but sufficiently
comprehensive history Of steam ON COM
mon roads, we are indebted to a New
York eotemporary:
.tFrom the ~, Post Of ssurlayl
The first carriage Of the kind Of which
we find any account was invented by M.
Cugnat, in France, not far from one hun
dred years ago. IL was n toler0ble sue
cess, and attracted considerable attention
at the time. lie was followed, toward
the close Of the last century, by Mr.. MUIR
dock, an engineer of Cornwall, England,
and by Mr.. Simngton, Of Scotland, both
of whom constructed steam land carriages
which were exhibited 4 the public aud
pronounced successes. In 1902, Messrs.
Triyithick and Vivian exhibited a similar
cHrriago in London, which was tested in
a variety of ways, and pronounced prac-
ticOble by competent engineers. From
that tune on a succession of st0am car.
riages has been patented in England; ant
the names of Griffith, Gordon, Gurney
Burstull and Hill, Hancock Church ant
Sir james Anderson, are among those oil
the prominent inventors and patentees
Most or all of these, the evidence goo'
10 show, were successes; the carriages
having performed their stipulated task
; with ease and safety. But the question
is, why have they not come into usel an,
. to this correspondent answers as fol
, lows:
In Feruary, 1891, a line Of Quincy
steam carriages was established betweel
Gloucester and Chattenham, a distance
Q Of nine miles, to run four times a day. l
p made its trips regularly for four months
o at an average time Of ffty-fve minutes
, though a much greater speed was oftei
obtained. Opposing interests, such a
too often array themselves in hostility I,
: changes-such as opposed the introduc
!. ton of steam fire engines in this city-n
u the end OF that time crushed il. Not onl,
legal but illegal means were resortod /
. to effect this end, which was finally aC
10 c0mplishod by obstruoting the road wit
,, broken stone, and rendering il impassabl,
- About the same time Mr.. Hancock con
= menced running a steam coach from LoT
" don to Stratford, and soon after, for week
m together, had several Of his steam cal
% riages plying on the thoroughfares aroun
N London. His success, say the journal
+ Of the time, was such as to leave littl
N reason TO doubt the he'pTofitable introdui
;. ton Of such vehicles, could the 'opposin
u interests have been overcome. b.
" these opposing interests it seems, foun
ol means to crush him, as in the case
ie Gurney.
10 In 1884 a line of steam carriages wa
. established between Glasgow and Paii
ley, in Scotland. Six coaches Of Rui
4 sells patent were put on tho road. Th
= Opposition attacked the scheme wit
} great virulenco, and finally resorted q
TIC Plah Of rendering the road impassable
/ fhey piled stone in tho road. driving hors
carriages completely from it neVer-the
y less, the steam carriages continued thei
y trips, and, Notwithstanding broken wheel
! and other damages, continued tOlRveraR
: twelve miles an hour, until one 81 then
y being overturned by its distractions
Z burst It's boiler, aud several persons wer
y killed. The opposition turned this even
! 10 80 good an account that they obtaine
= an interdiction against the line, and
: was suppressed.
r Now this may be true In regard to Greh
$ Britain, where the vested interests are 8
many and the conservative feeling is yer
. strong, We know from Smiles Life O
Z Stephenson what difficulty he found il
Q introducing the locomotive. But surel
in this country these adverse influence
are not powerful. Convince our country
e men that machine is a real improve
Y ment, and we are certain II will find cap
Q italists 10 bring it into use. IT, for in
I stance, the steam carriage at the irol
works to which we have alluded can, a
. its friends say, be relied upon for spec
e Of twelve miles an hour, we do not Sc
o why It is not at once made available 4
II practice. Now that the public mind an
\ the attention Of capitalists are directed I
J. the subject SO forcibly by the success {
< the steam ire engine It is desirable thl