Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-09
COACHING DAYSL0NG AGO
Encounters With the Highwaymen on
the English Roads.
George the Thirds Numbering and
Cumbersome Coach of State-Mad-.
Drained But Aristocratic
Whips.

As We look a. the pictorial representa-
ton OF the eighteenth century stage
coach, with its four horses, basket" be-
hind for parcels, ETC.. and limited ac-
commodatlons for passengers, it strikes
US as vehicle of a very inconvenient
kind. lt was not only all this. and very
expensive, but the passengers in pro-
| portion to their number, were much
more frequently exposed to accidents
than modern railway travellers. As Mr..
| Ashton remarks:
"The coach might break down. as IL
often did, or an axle or pole break. or
the coach might be, as it oftentimes was,
overloaded, and then in rut-why, over
| all went. The horses toe, were apt 10
cast shoes, slip down, get their legs over
the traces, Or take TO kicking, besides
which the harness would snap, either the
traces or the preaching or reins; and
these terrors were amplifed by the prob
ability of encountering hlghwaymen, who
were naturally attracted TO attack the
stage coaches, not only on account of the
money aud valuables which the passen-
gers carried with them, but because
parcels of great price were entrusted to
them for security, such as gold and notes
and securities for counsry banks"
This is no fancy picture, for it seems
TO be fact, that certain adventures who
robbed the public of large sums in this
manner occasionally contrived to con-
ceal from their neighbors the nature of
their occupation while they lived in sum-
| tuOus style. Two brothers of this stamp
lived together, under assumed names, in
one of the historical houses at Winchel-
sea, about century ago; and though
both were ultimately hanged, they won
golden opinions from the parishioners
of all grades, who were ignorant OF their
| trle character.
| How daring these gentlemen of the
road were before any efficient system of
police was organized, or in earlier part
of the century, appears from such
paragraph as the following, which ap-
peared among the ordinary news, Sep
TENDER 80, 1736:-"The robberies talked
of this month are very Numerous, yet
some have predicted more for next.
Maidenhead ticket, Hounslow Heath, Put
ney, Barnes and FinchIey Commons, and
places adjacent, have been the daily
scenes of action" The escape of
gentleman after being holly pursued,
and several murders, are then men
| toned.
| Before the business had been develop
ed and improved, the speed at which the
coaches, even the mails, travelled was
very slow. In 1884, when ga new plan for
the conveyance of the mail between Lon
don, Bath, Bristol by coaches constructed
for the purpose" was perfected, sixteen
hours were required for the accom- plish-
ment of the journey between the capital
and the western metropolis. The stage
| wa
bridge. and which also carried passen-
gers, occupied twenty four hours to lum-
Der over that thirty six miles of road.
That was indeed a leisurely period.
GEORGE THE THIRDS STATE COACH.
The monarch of the vehicles of the
road in the middle of the last century
was of course the kings state-coach; but
reading a description written in 1862 of
| that used by the then youthful George
| I'LL, we do not admire the taste of the
age. "The body of the coach Is compos-
ed of eight palm-trees, which branching
out at the top, sustain the roof. The
| four angular trees are loaded with tro-
| phies, abusive to the victories obtained
| by Britain during the course of the pre-
sent glorious war" The pagan emblems
were not at all becoming, moreover, and
did little credit to the representative of a
| Christian nation. Otherwise, as a work
| of art. the vehicle was such as would have
| added to the attraction of state pageant.
"The inside of the coach is lined with
crimson velvet, richly embroidered with
| gold. All the woodwork ia triple gilt,
and all the paintings highly vanished.
The harness is of crimson velvet adorned
with buckles and other embellishments
of silver gilt; and the saddle-cloths are of
blue velvet embroidery, end fringed with
gold" A bill of the cost of this eIabor-
| ate vehicle shows that the total expense
i of its production amounted toe7 1862 Is.
315d., of which G., 800 went TO the carver,
and G7O0 TO the lace men alone.
The rsvenae from coaches of course in
cluded what we now call private carriages.
In 1878 the total sum received by govern
ment from this source amounted toG117,-
600 on account of $4,000 vehicles, which,
! or the average, were supposed to employ
three horses each. AS the eighteenth
century advanced, and coaches became
more used, there were naturally many
| suggested improvements; but we are not
aware that these ingenious inventions
were to any great extent utilized.