The daily Alaskan., 1917-05-23
GOING ON WHEELS
From the Ancient Chariot to the
 Modern MotOTCar.
EVOLUTION OF THE VEHICLE.

The Crude carts tls0d In the Early Aass by the Romano Were Followed
 by carrlasos-Then Came Covered Coaehoo With Doors and Windows.
 From the forked limb Of tree to the automobile has the Evolution of the vehicle expanded. For hundreds of years the chariot reigiled supreme, and, bearing a fair resemblance to 1t even in this day, crude forms of carts on two wheels are to be seen in India, China, Ceylon, Mexico and other coun- tries, In China centuries ago the mon- ocycle was in. great favor. This odd vehicle, much like the modern wheel barrow, is still in general use in many tparts of the country and Is propelled by man power. Among the two wheeled vehicles in popular use in the Asiatic world may be mentioned the "ekka," largely used in northern India, and the famed Jin- rikisha of Japan. The Romans first established the use of carriages as private means of conveyance, and with them these vehicles attained @ great variety of form as well as of orna- mentation.
 In Rllages the employment of wheel ed vehicles has depended largely upon the condition of the roads on which they were to be used,- and the building of great highways, such as the Appian way by Claudius in91S B. C., as well as many others greatly facilitated the development of carriage travelling among the Romans. In Rome as well as in other large cities of the empire t became necessary to restrict travel in carriages to a few persons of high rank owing to the ,narrowness and crowded condition os, the streets. For the same reason the transport of goods along tbe streets was forbidden be- tween sunrise and sunset. For long journeys and to convey parties the "reda" and "carruca" appear to have been mostly used.
 During the empire the carriage which appears in pictorial representations of public ceremonlals is the "carpentum." ]" Itis very light, with two wheels, some times covered and generally drawn by two horses. If a carriage was drawn by four horses they were y0ked abreast among the Greeks and Romans, not in pairs, as now. From tine Roman "car- ruca" are traced the modern English name carriage" the French "car- roSse" and the Italian 'caTrOzza."
 The "slrpea" was a very ancient form Of vehicle, the body of which was of osler basketwork. It originated with the Gauls, by whom 1t vas named "benna," and was employed by them for the conveyance of persons and goods in times of peace and baggage and supplies in time Of war.
 On the introduction of the feudal sys- tem throughout Europe the use of car rlages was for some time prohibited as tending to render the yaSsals less fit for military service. Men of all grades and professions rode or horses or mules. Horseback was the general mode of travelling, and hence the members of the council, who at the diet and on other occasions were employed as am bassadors, were called "rittmeister." :" In this manner also great lords made their public entry into cities.
 Covered carriages were known in the beginning of the fifteenth century but their use was confined to ladies of the first rank, and It was accounted a re- proach for men to ride in them. For long time they were forbidden even to women, but by the end of the fif- teenth century they were ing en- ployed by kings and princes in long journeys and later on state occasions.
 The first time that ambassadors ap- peared in coaches on a public official occasion was at the imperial commis- sion held at Erfurt in 1913. Soon after this coaches became common all over Germany, notwithstanding various or ders and admonitions to deter yassals from using them.
 Carriages seem to have been used to some extent at quite an early period in France, for there Is still extant an ordinance of Philip. the Falr, Issued in l294, by which citizens wives are pro- : hibited from using them. It appears, however, that about 1850 there were only three carriages in Paris-one be- longing to the queen, another to Diana of Poltiers and the third to Rene de Laval, a very fat nobleman who WIS 2 unable to ride on horseback.
 The first coach in England was made in 1555 for the Earl of Rutland by Walter Rlppon, who also made a coach in 1856 for Queen Mary and in 1864 a state coach for Queen Elizabeth By the beginning of the seventeenth century the use of carriages and coaches had become so prevalent in England that in 1901 the attention of parliament was drawn to the subject, and a bill ito restrain the excessive use of coaches" was Introduced, which, however, was rejected.