, 1898-02-26
(Doily ~T'eiegroph.)

"a bad beginning makes ogood ending" says
the homvly proveIb, and we sincerely hope it is
true foI the sake of sciences latest invention,
motor.cars, which are still on their trlAI. As
long as The new tangled vehicles 80 we'll and
can lie kept under control Hy the driver q
business man in a hurry can afford to
endure the perpetual buzz and the de-
mi.stmiquaN ers Of vibration which seem
iuecparable from their peculiar motion
but Whenever one If them bolts tie dli-
yer and his fme are literally at sea, md
tIipwreok seems a uihe compared with
Mat the upshot may be. A case in point
occurred in Fleet street shortly after mid
r,lht on Saturday, ending in an accident
which was fortunately unattended Ivy he sGli-
,us consequences which at the fIst blush
seemed inevitable. An aitractlVc-IoOklng
motor, with one gentleman inside, came whlz-
Eng along from TIE Law Courts towards
Iudgute cilcus, when suddenly it grew ca
pricious, swerving now to the tight and now
10 the left, bounding, pitching, rolling, sway
ing and buzzing, till IT, Q morning stars might
we'll seem to, the citizen within to he singing
TOGETHER in the frllment and the bricks OF
the houses instinct with life. The MOTION WAS
so ierky.irregular and uncomfortable that the
tpectators feared the fare might be metamor-
! hosed into an implovised implen emit to
make holes in the roof and the SIDES, which
il not precisely the destiny Of u modern man
of culture. There were several hansoIns
pnssing at the time, and u collision was more
han once imminent, but lhe Jehus, entering
INTO the spirit of this Pyllhlc dance, dCJlIy
i'd their horses through the IabyrhlLlne
mazes till their vehicles seemed "trIfics ltht
IS air" and safely vanished mo space. Inc
motor, whose interior appeared TO be utlciIy
ont of order, still wandered east ana wander
ed west, while WnyfarcIs watched anXlousiy
rom va1ious lOoph0Ics Of retreat. The cltl.
zen inside uneasy and confined from h' mc'
"a III. moot puts it. might well give himself up
~ ~ hnnohts Of the life to come. For him it must
bovo boon a novel and a narrowing eXrerl-
once Chaos and Old Night seemed to be
Ioooupd together against the Iil-atalred fare.
10 had no idea Of what was coming. II
no encculated at oil, electrocution might we'll
bove seemed to him the very mlldest Of he
,auI. shattering possibilities IN store Tor hIm.
There was death before him, death behind
aim. death on either side Of HIM, and death
I,rlled even in the nethefmo>t depths be-
meath HE seat. Eventually, however, TINS
meanlering journey which was certainty MOI
a primrose path Of da'liance, came to " sudden
ond nuexpecied end. The vehicle col!lded
with the edge Of the pavement, and amid q
frework Of blue sparks, such a were wont
a. ACCOMPANY eXoIcism in the Middle Ages,
thn driver was shot on to fho road, while his
fare suddenly vanished through the window.
Both were happily unhuft. The motor
alone suffered severely, and remained all
n;gbt a miserable wreck on the spot, guarded
NV a policeman, who found that It was alike
iEHcapable Of moving on itself and of Icing
taken away by y horse
It is earnestly to be hoped that acci-
aonts with motor cars will not become fire.
ouent. else the days Of those new tangled
9donvrvances are numbered. No doubt IVA,
rioly's the very spice oflife. That gives 1t all
is favour" but Londoners can hardly be
sa;3 TO he enamomed of spice Of that degree
oF uuenency. A peoceably disposed citizen
rotnurning home after the opera Is oNel' has
mo desire to take his seat III a fiery chariot,
which wi dive him to a SPOT MheIe his ME
viii he over rs well. A round OF Innocent
nleosure finished up in a motor suffering from
internal arrangement may easily eliminate
~ ;n' MIXING NE fme's weeks end Synonymous
with lifc's end. When a mere horse
LnIts. a policeman, with or without outside
a.si@tance, can stop him; but when a motor
car runs away, it is apparently doomed to
finish its mad oateol With a smash up IN
blnze Of blue spa,hs aod The disappearance