The excellence of our present mail-coach work reflects the highest
credit on the state of our roads. The hills on great roads are now cut
triangularly, so that drivers ascend nearly all of them in a trot.
Coachmen have found out that they are gainers here, as, in the trot,
every horse does his share, whereas, very few teams are all at work
together when walking.
As, however, dreadful accidents have occurred to coaches when
descending hills, a very simple expedient has been suggested, by which
these accidents may be avoided. It is merely a strip of gravel, or
broken stone, about one yard wide, and four or five inches deep, left
on the near side of the hill, and never suffered to bind or diminish.
This would afford that additional friction (technically called a bite)
to the two near-side wheels, so that the necessity of a drag-chain
(never to be trusted) would be done away with, and even in case of a
hame-strap or pole-chain giving way, one wheel-horse would be able
to hold back a coach, however heavily laden. No inconvenience to the
road, it is observed, could arise from this precaution, as carriages
ascending the hills would never be required to touch the loose gravel,
it not being on their side of the road. This has been objected to,
because some of the loose stones might find their way into the middle
of the road. But, admitting this might be the case, a trifling
attention on the part of the surveyor would obviate the objection. A
man might be employed every second or third day to rake these stones
back again. At the same time, it is obvious that the neat appearance of
a road is not to be put in the scale against the limbs and lives of the
people.--Some more permanent contrivance than loose stones even might
be found.