Stage-coach and mail in days of yore : a picturesque history of the coaching age . ous crowd of nearly two thousand personsassembled to witness the departure on its firstjourney, Sunday, March 21st, 1819. It made thepassage to London in six hours ; a speed quite upto the level of the usual performances. The popularity of the Sovereign was sogreat and immediate that other coach-proprietorslost no time in having safeties built. The nextto take the road was the Umpire, in July of thesame year, followed by the Dart and were all swift, as, well as safe. A similarPatent Safety was Matthew
Stage-coach and mail in days of yore : a picturesque history of the coaching age . ous crowd of nearly two thousand personsassembled to witness the departure on its firstjourney, Sunday, March 21st, 1819. It made thepassage to London in six hours ; a speed quite upto the level of the usual performances. The popularity of the Sovereign was sogreat and immediate that other coach-proprietorslost no time in having safeties built. The nextto take the road was the Umpire, in July of thesame year, followed by the Dart and were all swift, as, well as safe. A similarPatent Safety was Matthewss coach. The jiro-prietor of the Comet adoj^ted it for a time, asshown in the old print engraved here. The inevitable debasement of the specific term safety, and its general application at the whimof jjroprietors, quite irrespective of safety con-struction, is found beginning in 1821, with theadvertisement of Whitchurch, Best & Wilkins,of Brighton, in which, Avhile the public werereminded that the firm were the first to run acoach to London in six hours, returning the same. irOW THE COACHES WJ^RE NAMEt) 315 clay, stress a\ as laid upon the fact that this quickservice had been continued daily for six yearswithout an accident. Experienced coachmen,steady horses, and a stern discouragement ofracing had procured this desirable immunity, andso (the advertisement continued) it Avas hoped thepublic Avould not deem the proprietors presump-tuous in claiming the privilege of calling thecoach, although not a patent, a safety. Alas forthese pioneers of quick transit and sticklers fordecent conduct on the road ! The firm very soondecayed, and Whitchurch, the senior partner, Avasbrought to poverty. To folloAV the history of the safety coaches and the pseudo- safeties would be along business, but it may be said that thesespecially constructed vehicles did not long con-tinue, and that the average stage-coach passengertook the claims of all very much on trust. Toshow that he did so Ave need on
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1903
