There was little of luxury in any of the ve hicles of ancient days; the chariot with all its splendor and decoration was a comfortless thing without springs; even the triumphal and funeral cars of early history were springless; their demand and use for other than warlike or agricultural purposes was limited; but as the world progressed so did the vehicle, and though the Improvement was slow, it was nev ertheless sure. The Arcera was developed and first used in Rome as an ambulance; then fol lowed the Lectica and the Basterna, similar to the Palanquins of India to-day, superbly dec orated and upholstered in finest silk, with cush ions stuffed with rose leaves. Following this came the Carfrentunt, decidedly a ladies' vehi cle, which became very popular and was named in honor of Carmenta, the mother of Evander, the leader of the Arcadian colony into La tium. Then followed the Carruca, from which our modern name of °carriage" undoubtedly conies. This was a gorgeous affair, mounted originally upon one wheel after the fashion of a modern wheelbarrow, but later on two and then four wheels. The Romans considered it a great honor to ride in a Carruca and those vehicles were often highly decorated in gold, silver and ivory. As the Carruca became the popular vehicle for pleasure use, the Chariot for warlike purposes, so did the Benna come into general use as the popular vehicle for agri cultural purposes. Julius Caesar (55 a.c.) brought back with him from his triumphant visit to Britain a chariot that surpassed for destructiveness and convenience any then known, indicating that other nations were mak ing progress in the manufacture of vehicles even beyond the confines of Rome.
During the "Imperial Reign of Terror* under the brutal ruler, Nero, we find but slight improvement in construction, although vehicles were extensively used. The practice of letting out vehicles for hire is of quite respectable, not to say hoary, age, for Suetonius, a noted Roman biographer and historian, mentions the custom as very general in his day, 150 A.D., and in his writings refers to these hired vehicles under the name of Rheda, the Rheda Meri toria, and the Vehicula Meritorice, both the latter on the order of a hackney coach open and closed.
When the world awakened from its apparent long sleep of the Middle Ages, during which the art of vehicle construction, like all other arts, sank into oblivion, manufacturing was re vived and from this awakening, about 1400 A.D., very marked improvements are found. Emperors and kings vied with each other in the effort to outshine and outclass one another, and through this rivalry we note substantial advancement. In 1550 it is said that there were but three coaches in Paris, and within the next century we find the feudal lords throughout continental Europe supplying themselves with the most extravagant and luxurious of equi pages, some costing more than $10,000 each. The artist's skill was employed, poets sang beautiful songs in their praise, and the epi demic spread, creating an eager desire in all to outrival their neighbors. Legislators be came alarmed and a bill was introduced into the British Parliament seeking °to restrain the excessive use of coaches.' Taylor, the poet, complained as follows: Carroaches, coaches, jades and Flanders mares, Do rob us of our shares, our wares, our fares; Against the ground we stand and knock our heels, Whilst all our profit runs away on wheels.
Stow, in his survey of London, gives credit to Gulliam Booner, a Dutchman, who in 1564 became the Queen's coachman, as being the first to bring coaches into England. In 1582 the French King presented to Queen Elizabeth an exceedingly marvelous acoache" with four of the fairest white gmoiles.' This wonderful state coach, with its highly ornamented and canopied body, was without springs. It was a sort of triumphal car for state parades. Her usual mode of locomotion was by water or on horseback. Captain Bailey introduced hackney coaches into England in 1625, and by his wide awake advertising methods, made them the talk of all London.
Carriages without wheels were in use as late as the 17th century and were known as litters and were supported upon the backs of horses by means of shafts attached before and behind the litter. Carriages on wheels pro pelled otherwise than by horses are to be found in Japan, known as the Iinrikisha, and are drawn by a man running between the shafts. The modern vehicle has assumed almost limit less shapes and forms, and ages of progress lie between the gorgeous chariots and state cars of the ancient Romans and the modern buggy. From the old time stage coach we have pro gressed to the dray or tally-ho; we no longer have the post-chaise or the curricle; but many of the olden types are still to be seen, of course with changes and improvements, of which the American buggy probably represents the acme of development of the carnage-maker's art. Many of these types have been imported from abroad, among them the English brougham, named for Lord Brougham; the landau, taking its title from the German town where it originated; and a few specimens of the Irish jaunting-car, which were so popular in their native land. In 1834 the hansom cab was patented by Mr. Hansom, and this originally was a square body hung in the centre of a square frame, with two wheels seven feet six inches in diameter and of the same height as the vehicle. The hackney coach was purely an English product, but to-day we see its lineal descendant in the American hack.
It was not, however, until after the middle of the 17th century that the manufacture of carriages gained much impetus, but from that time we find the brains and ingenuity of the American constantly making changes and im provements and, while the progress was slow but steady, the industry took a wonderful place in the history and development of our nation. All vehicles prior to 1750 were absolutely springless as previously stated; the running gears were very imperfect; the leather thor ough-brace, which preceded the steel spring and which gave the first relief from the jolting of the old dead-axle carriage, was the first step in advancement in this line. The body of the carriage was suspended on these thorough braces which were stretched from upright iron jacks at each end of the running part, and gave the carriage a long swinging motion, which, even though extremely uncomfortable, was far superior to the jolt caused by the springless vehicle. Next came the spring jack, made of steel plates, and which later was given a sweep ing curve, and from which our more modern C spring evolved. The elliptic spring came into use about 100 years ago, and at about the same time the Collings axle was invented.