, 1877-07-18
OUR STREET RAILWAYS.

The Government have lest no time in signi-
flying their acceptance Of the recommendations
made by the Committee appointed a few weeks
since to inquire whether, and on what terms,
the experiment of using mechanical power for
locomotive purposes over ordinary roads ought
to be sanctioned. A Bill has already been
introduced embOdying all the main suggestions
Of tue Report, aud in Fome respects going a
l.ttIe beyond them, Perhaps this promptilude
may have been designed as a compliment
to MI. Salt, the Parliamentary Secretary to
the Local Government Board, who was the
chairman of HE Committee, and who is under
stood to be ambitious of distinguishing bin.
self as a legislator, though he has hitherto
lacked opportunity. Seeing that he is an in
f@ueniial man, it is possible be may be favour
cd in other modes. AT present, it is certain
the crush Of business is sach as to afford small
chance in ordinary course for a Bill introduced
at so Ia,e a date as the eve Of the Whiisuntide
RecesS. But there are ways and means for
The management Of these things, and had it
not been intended that Mr.. Salt should Ee
helped TO success, he would scarcely have
been allowed to go SO far. We shall not be
sorry were he to be %graliied, for Lis measure
is reasonable and Well guarded.
1t proposes tc empower the Board of Trade
TO issue licences sanctioning for twelve months
the experimental use of any power for moving
carriages on any road or tramWay, provided
that certain very stringent conditions are
1u,hIItG. H|ccalIlng the history Of such expert.
meuts, we cannot deem The proposed c0ndi ions
too stringent. There exists no more curious
cha. ter in the record Of British scientific in
vention than that which relates 10 the multi
form abortive attempts made TO solve the
CnaO1inglv ofp,Dio Or,ll.1, how - ,t;li.o etoo,,
power so eS economically 20 draw a four horse
coach. Half a century ego, The notion Of
"road' locomotives was quite as much in
favour as that If engines running on prepared
rails. 1t was then known that Oliver Evans,
a mechanic in Pennsylvania, had SO applied
Watts steam-engire (Which was presented to
the world almost perfect, being born, like
Richard Ill, with a full set of teeth that he
was able to use it for grinding flour, for carry
ing the same flour to market, and to cross a
river on The way, by Substituting paddle-wheelS
for those of the carriage, the body (which was
formed like a boat. In 1902 Richard Trevethick
produced n steam carriage that ran on the COM
mon road, and was perfectly manageable,
though, owing to the state of the highways
at that time, his machinery Was SO jolted and
loosened that it soon became useless. After
that, scores of inventors essayed TIE undertake
lhS' me most notable OF whom was Mr.
G~oldswOrthy Quincy. He produced some
half dozen engines, each better than the other,
till at last he managed to have three steam
carriages lunning with passengers from
Cheltenham to Gloucester, making four trips
a day, at a greater rate of speed than the stage
coaches, while the fare was less than half.
But the loss was enormous, even from the out
set. and when the engines came to be used up,
as was very speedily the case. the enterprise
was dropped. An attempted revival, under
improved conditions. made by Mr.. Scott Russell,
on the bit of road between Glasgow and Govan
which, though now Joined, were then a
couple of miles apart-had a disastrous end,
in the explosion of the engine and a serious
loss of life. Since then, except by amateurs
like the Earl of Oaithness, all efforts to solve
the problem how to make steam do the work Of