The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-26
TAKIS come OF
HONORABLELINE
Letting Vehicles for Hire Is
One of Most Famous
Callings.
HAS RESPECTED HISTORY
Can Be Traced from $50 A. D., When
Roman Historian and Biogra-
pher Mentions Il.

Washington cab companies will find
that they are members Of an ancient and
honorable company II they will take the
trouble to look up history.
They will find that the manufacture
and the letting out of vehicles for hire
are enterprises OF quite respectable age.
The Roman biographer and historian,
Seutonius, mentions the business as being
very general one in his day, which was
about 80 A d.
The present generation had witnessed
remarkable changes in the construction
and uses Of vehicles. Fifty years ago
carriages and wagons were made almost
entirely by hand in small shops employ
ing from six TO twenty men. The only
lsoor-saving machinery then used was
the lathe. There were very few car
rtases In the country, and the farmers
wagons were made in the village shop
often having wooden aXles. The chaise
as the pleasure carriage was called was
the luxury Of the wealthy. The develop
ment of the factory system IN this bust
ness has so reduced the price that so will
buy a better carriage today than could
be made by hand for $50
Three In Paris In 1850.
In the middle ages the art Of vehicle
construction declined. The first glIm-
mer Of dawn IN the carriags-maklng in
dustry came along about 1zsO. probably
because 1t is said that IN that year
Charles Of Anjou. King Of Naples and
Sicily and brother Of Louis TX, of France.
accompanied by his Queen. entered
Naples in a small but wonderfully dec
GRATED vehicle.
By about the beginning Of the Fiji
teenth century very marked improve
ments were begun in the making of car
rtages. In lf4 Emperor Frederick ii,
Of Germany. and OF the Holy Roman En-
pire, attended the council at Frankfort
in closely draped carriage and in the
following year he drove up in a magnii-
cent open carriage with a cavnopy top.
1t is recorded that there were only three
coaches in Paris in u0. One of these
belonged to the queen, another to Diana
OF PoitierS, a mistress OF Henry H. and
noted for her influence at court, and
the third was the property OF Rene de
Laval nobleman, whose vast physical
growth precluded the possibility Of his
getting aboard a horse.
The number OF hackney coaches in
creased from 100 in 1894 to 500 in
ms Notwithstanding the competition
Of the sedan chair the hackney coach
held its own and finally grew in i'm
pOrtance until about 1920, when the
cabriOlet de place, shortened into cab,
5upplanted it.
In feUdal times the lords Of the
land took nightly to the carriage.
supplying themselves with luxuriousIy
equipped conveyances. each trying to
outdO the other in the rivalry that
sDTsng up throughout the land to see
who could sport the most magnificent
sQuiDage. This naturally greatly slim
ulated the carriage building trade and
number OF very fine vehicles were
constructed. The cOnsOrt of Emperor
MatthOas had one built for her own
use in 1911 which was covered with
Jerfumed leather. Another was given
TO the bride OF Emperor Leopold as a
Wedding present that was worth, har-
ness included, about $4,000.