Page:Report from the Select Committee on Steam Carriages.pdf/47



Mr. G. Garney. 3 August, 1831. Have the wheels of your Carriages frequently caught fire?—Never; I saw the three Carriages the day after the accident; neither one had taken fire; I am sorry such an idea should for a moment exist; think it has been occasioned by misconception or prejudiced mis-statements.

Is the construction of your boiler and of your fire-place such, that it is impossible for the Carriage to catch fire?—I believe it to be impossible.

You have stated that you require to charge your Engine once in seven miles?—Yes, to charge the tank with water, and to take fresh fuel.

Do you anticipate, in the course of your experience, that you would be able to overcome that inconvenience of being obliged to charge so frequently?—We can now go double the distance; but we should have a weight of water and a weight of fuel, a greater expence to carry than if we take in one charge at seven mile stages.

Are the wheels you ordinarily travel with four inches wide on the tire?—From three and a half to four inches.

Have you any information to give to the Committee in relation to the relative wear of the tire of wheels and the shoes of horses?—That is a new horse shoe [producing one,] and this is a shoe, of the same size, worn on the streets of London nine days, the shoe has lost about 18 ounces.

Have you any means of ascertaining how many hours a day it had been out?—The horse ran in a cab; it was out a certain number of hours, I think, three or four hours each day; the smith was taking off the shoe which had been worn, and putting on the other, when I asked him to let me have them. The difference between the wear and tear of tires and horse shoes on the roads in the neighbourhood of London are in the proportions of about three-fourths on the shoes, and one-fourth on the tires; but in London, over the streets, about seven-eighths and one-eighth. I would observe, that on railroads, where horses draw the Carriages, the expence of keeping the horse roads is so great, that the proprietors frequently go to a