THE WHEELS.
The Work of a Carriage is proved by the wear of the Wheels;—if it runs upon an average 10 miles per day in Town, and 15 in the Country, Well-made Hoop-rimmed Wheels, the Tire of which should not be less than five-eighths of an inch in thickness, and for a Travelling Carriage three-fourths of an inch, will not be worn out in less than 12 Months,i. e.they will run at least 3,650 Miles in Town, and it is reckoned that they will last twice or thrice as long on a smooth Road, as they will on rough Pavement.
It is said thatthe Macadamisingof the Streets, if kept inperfectRepair, would make the Wheels last a deal longer than they did on the Pavement:—this operation is performed at present in a very clumsy manner; instead of stopping up half the Street with a Wooden Hoard, and breaking the Stones on the Spot,the materialsshould be brought there ready broken; One Twentieth part of the Time now taken would then be more than enough entirely to finish a Road.
The Flag Foot Pavementshould also be brought ready chipped and fitted;—by working the Stones in the Streets, the Eyes of the Passengers are in no small danger.
By the Metropolis Street Act of the57th Geo. III. cap. xxix. sec. lxiii. Every Occupier of any House, Warehouse, &c. during the continuance of Frost, or after or during the Fall of Snow, shall once in every day, before 10 of the clock in the forenoon, cause the Footway, all along the Front, Side, or Back walls of such House, &c. to be swept and cleansed;—for each neglect of doing so, to forfeit 10s.
This order for keeping the Footway swept should be extended to all Times and Seasons;—there is sometimes an accumulation of greasy dirt on the pavement, which is as slippery as if it was soaped, and is as dangerous as Ice itself:—might not this cleansing be done by poor from the Workhouse?
In Walking the Streets of a Slippery Morning, you may guess where the good-naturedpeople live, by Sand or Ashes being thrown on the Ice before their Doors.
How far the change of the permanent and easily kept clean Granite Pavement, for the Mud and Dust of the present Roads, may be considered an improvement bythe Eyes,the Legs,and the Lungsof our good Londoners, the Editor has not studied the subject sufficiently to venture a conjecture: the Quiet with which Carriages pass along is certainly extremely desirable to the Ears of the Inhabitants of the Houses which border the Streets so altered.
Our Granite Pavement has shared the fate of every thing in this World, where nothing remains long at rest: as soon as it had arrived at as high a degree of perfection as it appeared capable of, it was pulled up, and hammered into pieces:—so much for the Constancy and permanency of Human Ways!
Some persons use their Carriage so little, and go so gently, that a set of Strong Wheels will last them three or four Years: Others will be whirled along at such a furious rate, that they wear them out in ten or twelve Months.
When New Wheels are put on to Old Carriages, andthe Old Wheelsare taken in exchange, the usual allowance for them is about two Guineas per Set: but they are the perquisite of the Coachman if he has been in your Service as long as the Wheels have.
From the beginning to the end, it will take not less than five Weeks to finish a set of Wheels properly;—they should be made a fortnight before they are painted, and they should not be put on for use till a fortnight after they have been painted; therefore, order a set of Wheels a couple of Months before they will be wanted.
ThePrice of Four New Chariot Wheelswith prime Ash felleys, and patent hoop tires, all of the very best workmanship, including every charge of Painting and Boxing, &c. is about £15.
A set of Wheels may be purchased for £12. 12s.: in the early part of my Apprenticeship to Carriage-Keeping, I paid as high as £16. 16s.
Watch the Tires.—When the Irons are getting thin, have them taken off, before they become too weak to protect the Wood-work:—thebest plan is,when the Irons are half worn out, and before the joints in the Wood-work get loose, as they wear most on the outer edge, to have them taken off and turned;—if the Wood-work is sound, they will run then half as long as they did at first; then, if the Wood-work continues sound, have new Irons put on;—the Ringingis about one-third the price of New Wheels, say £6. 6s., and if the Spokes and Naves are good, they will then run nearly as long as New Wheels.