The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-12-12
A Page from the Hi,tory Of Carriages.

How few ever think, as they enjoy
their elegant carriages of the day, of
the clumsy mode our forefathers had OF
travelling and of the suffering they must
have endured in their rude, uncomforta-
BILE, clumsy wagons without springs, that
| were then in use! Chariots of very
| clumsy make, were in use by the people
| of Israel 1000 years ago.
The earliest record we have of convey
| ance is the camel. In ancient times it
| was the only means of carriage to con-
vey the products from Arabia to Egypt.
Even in the present day, through Persia,
Arabia, Barbary and Egypt, the camel is
largely used, as in the days of old, not
only to carry merchandise. but as car
riage for passengers.
The horse, the ass and the mule date
equal with the camel
The elephant has been trained for CEN
turies, and was in use long before Greece
and Rome were known; but neither the
| elephant nor the horse were as well
adapted to the sands of Arabia and Egypt
as the camel, and consequently were not
as generally used. In time of war, the
| ancient Romans, Carthagenians and
Egyptians made great use of elephants to
baggage and of archers and spearmen.
The first knowledge we have of wheels
to carriages is in the Book of Genesis,
and makes known that wheels were much
used in ancient Egypt 1000 years ago.
It was not till about the seventeenth cen
tury that we had anything like comfort
in travelling, and it was almost century
after before mail coaches were intro
duced. Before this date all travelling
was done on horseback, although wheeled
vehicles of various kinds were in use by
the ancients; it is stated that it is only
within the present century that close car
riages were introduced.
The first coach was supposed to have
originated in Hungary, and introduced
into England from Germany, in the six
teenth century, but so little was it in
use, if at all, that we have no trace that
Qaeen Elizabeth ever used one. The
first coach ever used in Ireland was in
1898; the first that was ever seen in Scot
land came from Vienna in 1871, although
some writer's claim in 1877. Coaches
were long rare in Scotland, the young
looking upon them as effeminate, pre-
ferring the quick movements of the
horse.
It was not till the reign of Charles T.
In Scotland, the only means of con-
veyance for goods was by pack-horses,
with sacks thrown across the back; this
mode of conveyance continued till about
100, when one horse-carts came in use.
During all these times travelling was very
perilous, the roads, If they may be called
such were infested by highwaymen,
which made travelling anything but a
pleasure. About the year 100 springs
of very rude make were first introduced
in Scotland. Up to this time the manner
of travelling was OF very rude and
primitive nature, and in consequence of
the bad roads the speed was not over
four miles an hour for the mail coaches.
We might mention that in South America
and Mexico the mule is used as mode
of conveyance, their country being al
most destitute of good roads; so also in
Kapland the reindeer is employed, as
also in Kamtschatka the dog is almost
universally used as beast of draught.
From the time of the old Greeks and
Romans, the way back to the ancient
Egyptians, following up period of 1000
years to the present age, the greatest ad-
| vancement and improvement of vehicles
of all kinds have been made during the
past fifty years. There are many who
can readily recall to mind the cumbrous
and clumsy family coach, as uncomfort-
able to ride in as it was heavy and I'M
| slightly to look at. Our grocers' and
butchers wagons of to-day are more
| slightly and comfortable than was the
state carriage of King Charles I. of Eng
land. Surely we are living in a wonder
full and luxurious age; what progress has
| been made in all things that tend to make
life desirable; how perfectly elegant and
comfortable is the family coach of to-day;
what beauties of taste and comfort, how
easy, noiseless in all their movements, as
| they roll over our fine avenues. AS we
have been astonished at the discoveries
snd improvements during the past CEN
tury, what may we expect in the next?
| Not that we would suggest or recon-
mend and backward steps, any plan
| which would render our farm work any
slower of performance, or be attended
with any more expense. Nor would we
recommend a complete substitution OF
oxen for horse labor; but this much is
sure, steers and oxen are never out OF
place on New England farm; there are
many kinds of work they can do better
than horses, and they are always source
of advantage and profit. At all our fairs.
the well-matched, large, well-disciplined
/ oxen and steers are always an object OF
admiration and pride, and we have sci
dom known New England farmer who
had ''likely" yoke of oxen or steers fol
sale for which he could not get good
price, and always find purchaser. They
may not again assume their former i'm
portance as farm team, but on the farm
as animals for work part of the time.
for sale as workers or for beef, they are
of coming high rank Crosses of Here.
| fords with our better class of grades
make superior working and an excel
lent beef animal, while the grade Devons
are also esteemed as workers or beeves
and the excellence of our Shorthorns ii
we'll known.
The main question of farm labor aside
for the moment, we would much like tt
see revival of the interest in steers and
oxen in New England. If their number
were greater we-believe our agriculture
would rank higher, for the more cattle
we can keep the higher viii be the con
dition of our agriculture, and the greater
crops of grass and the cereals we may b.
enabled to grow. Besides there is always
q quick market at good price for th.
well-fattened steer, and where the hay i
consumed and animals fed upon tn,
form, there is q profit to such husbandr,
which cannot be argued out of sight.
pair of good steers on every farm In New
England this fall would not be a bat