Page:Report from the Select Committee on Steam Carriages.pdf/187



Mr. W. A. Summers. 19 August, 1831. One foot in six; I measured it myself; that is the hill at Shirley.

Were there any symptoms of the wheel slipping in that case?—Not the slightest; we had both the wheels in gear at the time we ascended it.

At what velocity did you ascend it?—At a velocity of nearly five miles an hour.

What weight had you?—We had fourteen or fifteen persons on the Carriage.

Did you find any difficulty in working?—Our Engines worked with perfect freedom.

What distance did you travel on that ascent?—The hill is about 200 yards long.

You are now improving the form of the Carriage, are you not?—Our present operations are in improving the form of our vehicle, and the arrangement of the different parts of the machinery.

For what number of passengers will your present Carriage he calculated?—Eight inside and sixteen outside passengers.

How many wheels have you?—Our present vehicle is on three wheels, our proposed Carriages will be on four wheels.

In what space can you turn on a road?—We have frequently turned entirely round on the London road leading from Southampton, in the space in which a post chaise can turn, or rather less.

Supposing you were travelling at the rate of ten miles an hour on a level road, in what number of feet do you suppose you should be able to stop your Carriage entirely?—We should be able to stop the vehicle in the space of twelve feet; I have ascertained this from experiment, when we were descending Staines Bridge, which is very steep, one of the crowd fell down in front of the vehicle, very near the vehicle, we immediately reversed the action of the Engines, and the man escaped without any injury.

When you state that you can stop in twelve feet, is that by reversing the action of the Engines?—No; by merely shutting off the communication between the boiler and the Engines.

But supposing you were in such situation that it