Page:Remarks on the Present System of Road Making (1823).djvu/114

 a certain size, not putting it on too large or too small; and taking care to turn the road well. If the road is not turned well, it never will be good.

This roller is a late invention, is it not?—It is. It impresses the gravel, or whatever the material is, into the ground, before the road is scraped; then they proceed to scrape it and take the slush off; this rolls down the ruts as well.

And from your experience, you have every reason to believe that it is of great advantage to the road?—I have worked the Tyburn road, and the White Cross roads, which were as bad as the Tyburn till this practice has been introduced.

Do you know any thing of the Reading road, which Mr. M'Adam has had the superintendence of?—It is a very fair road; it is the best piece of road in that direction.

Can you inform the Committee the weights you are accustomed to carry upon the different descriptions of carriages, mail coaches, post coaches, and heavy coaches?—The post coach loaded is 38 cwt. weight; it is never more than two tons. The mail coach also is not more than two tons, I should think. As to heavy coaches, I only work two of that description out of the 40 coaches that are in my own yard; they are so little used, that they don't generally weigh more than the post coach; they don't carry so much luggage.

What is the weight of the heavy coach?—Not more than the post, because they don't carry so much luggage as some of the post coaches. I reckon 12 passengers one ton, coach one ton, and luggage half a ton.

Have you known of any accidents to your coaches arising from the great convexity of the roads in the neighbourhood of London?—I have had accidents, and they have sometimes been attributed to the horses shying, and plunging the coach on one side, so as to cause it to overturn, from the great roundness of the road.