Horse and man : their mutual dependence and duties . ay be seen diaoram-matically shown at fig. 2 of the illustration onpage 214. At a, the vertebra? are shown in theirnatural position, the elastic pads being in contact,and held together by the ligaments which have beendescribed. At b b they are represented as compressedto the utmost, so that their elasticity is practicallyannulled. At fig. 1 is given a diagrammatic sketch showingthe analogy between the chain of vertebra? and thepresent mode of coupling railway carriages. When I used to go to school, in the days whenrailways were almost in the
Horse and man : their mutual dependence and duties . ay be seen diaoram-matically shown at fig. 2 of the illustration onpage 214. At a, the vertebra? are shown in theirnatural position, the elastic pads being in contact,and held together by the ligaments which have beendescribed. At b b they are represented as compressedto the utmost, so that their elasticity is practicallyannulled. At fig. 1 is given a diagrammatic sketch showingthe analogy between the chain of vertebra? and thepresent mode of coupling railway carriages. When I used to go to school, in the days whenrailways were almost in their infancy, second-classcarriages having only two ends and a roof but no 214 HORSE AND MAN. sides, and the third-class carriages being mere woodentrays without seats, the system of coupling was inan equally primitive state. There were no elasticbuffers, the only substitute being square woodenblocks. The consequence was, that when the train started,a continuous series of jerks took place, each car-riage jerking forward the one immediately behind VERTEBR2E AND RAILWAY BUFFERS. When the engine slackened speed before stopping,a corresponding series of bangs ran through thetrain, each carriage being banged several times beforeit stopped. This arrangement is now confined to goodstrains, and is not likely to last, as even with themthe wear and tear caused by this jerking and bangingare very expensive. SPRING BUFFERS. 215 Nowadays, instead of the solid wooden blocks,there is at each corner of the carriage a springbuffer, one of which is shown in a section at fig. the carriages are coupled, they are drawntogether by double screws, so that the buffers arenot only in contact, but press slightly upon thesprings, as is seen at a. Thus, the train becomesa single body, instead of being a row of separatecarriages, and a good driver can start or stop thetrain so quietly, that the passengers, if not guidedby the sense of sight, can scarcely tell when theyhave started or stoppe
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwoo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjecthorses
