A NEW OMNIBUS AT THE WAGON WORKS.
A revolution in the system of street passenger traffic is promised by the introduction of a vehicle possessing the advantages of a tramway car, and available for narrow and crowded streets, where tram lines would be absolutely unworkable. We refer to the new horse car which has been built by the Bristol Wagon Works Company, at their extensive shops at Lawrence Hill, for the inventor and patentee, Captain Molesworth, R N, chairman of the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, and one of the directors of the Great Western Railway Company. This car is one of a number which have been ordered for the London General Omnibus Company, and the fact of our enterprising local company having been selected to execute the first order — indeed, to build the first specimen ever made upon the principle of the patent — is a gratifying evidence of the high estimation in which the work turned out by them is held. The chief point of difference between the 'buses at present in use and those designed by Captain Molesworth is that the latter is supported on two wheels only, with a crank axle, having two strong springs on each side. The wheels are five feet in diameter, and not only is greater facility of running obtained by the adoption of this principle, but the vehicle itself is brought much nearer to the ground than usual, passengers being thereby enabled to step easily and safely from the pavement on a platform ranging alongside and at the same height as the curb stone, from which platform a single low step places them at once upon the level of the carriage floor. An additional great advantage derived from the use of two wheels only is that when in motion, no matter how uneven and rough the ground may be, or how the load may be distributed, the car glides on with a gentle, undulating movement most enjoyable when compared with the pitching and vibration experienced in ordinary 'buses. It is also found that by the particular application of the draught in these patent cars the horses are relieved almost entirely from the strain experienced in starting other conveyances. In speaking of two wheels only, we allude merely to the support for the carriage; in front, and serving as a kind of foundation on which to erect the driver's seat, are two very much smaller wheels, which working in a light framework of metal, impart extreme freedom in turning. The driving-box is raised above these wheels in such a height as to give the coachman full command over his horses, and to remove him entirely from the possibility of interference on the part of anyone, and yet so that the conductor, standing on the entrance platform immediately behind and beneath, can have instant communication with him in case of need. By the side of the box a convenient set of iron steps leads to the roof of the vehicle. In the first car experimented upon the roof-seats run the lengthway of the carriage, but the inventor has subsequently devised what he considers will be a great improvement, namely, that of fixing rows of a kind of garden seats from side to side across the roof, the occupants being thus brought to face the direction in which they are proceeding. There will be rows of two such seats on either side, with a convenient passage down the middle, so that passengers will be able to take or vacate their places with the least possible disturbance of their neighbours. Ample protection against all danger of falling is provided. Strong handles are so fixed in various places as to give every security on entering or quitting the car, and, while there is very adequate protection from the weather, there is in addition perfect ventilation. Firmly fastened hand-rods afford steadiness in walking to and fro, even when travelling at the most rapid rate, and the roof-seat being made hollow, an amount of head room is gained which, added to the extra height obtained by the lowering of the floor, is particularly healthful. The carriage itself is extremely comfortable and commodious, abundance of walking room being provided, while, as the upper pannelling all around is glazed, the occupants can enjoy an uninterrupted view on every side. There is ample seating for twenty-eight persons, and yet, so well considered have been the arrangements that the whole weight of the car is only about twenty-three hundredweight. By means of an ingenious invention, patented by the Wagon Works Company, especially for use on these cars, the driver can, by a mere motion of his knee, completely drag one of the large wheels; the conductor has a similar power over the other. Thus either of them is able to apply the drag independently; when he does so, for whatever purpose, his comrade follows his example, and both wheels are almost simultaneously dead locked. The horses, with that intelligence for which they are so remarkable, will commence to stop the instant they feel the pressure, and the vehicle will consequently be brought to a standstill in an extraordinarily short space of time. Satisfactory trial trips have recently been made in this city. On one occasion there were twenty-seven passengers, including the inventor (Captain Molesworth), Mr Albert Fry (managing director of the works), Mr Margetson (the manager), and some gentlemen interested in vehicular traffic, all of whom agreed in expressions of admiration concerning the comfort and ease with which they were conveyed. Several of the passengers alighted on the pavement and retook their seats without the slightest difficulty while the car was going at full speed, and the lightness with which it ran may be judged from the fact that, notwithstanding the heavy load, the one pair of horses attached — two ordinary 'bus animals, chosen of moderate quality for the purpose of the trial — took it over the steep pitch from St Augustine's Parade into College Green at a very fast rate, without the least distress, in fact, with a tight rein. Opposite the Council House, which is the narrowest part of Corn Street, the car was made to describe two circles, and on each occasion the turn was effected in less than twice its length. The trial was in every way highly successful, and sufficient practical knowledge obtained to advise the decreasing and lightening of the two front wheels and framework attached to such an extent that justifies the anticipation that when fairly placed in use a complete turn will be able to be effected in not more than the length of the vehicle. The staunchest friends of the tramway movement must welcome this new vehicle, as enabling the companies to work districts which, for various reasons, are unlikely to be reached by their lines for some time to come.
