House of Commons, Great Britain

“ Are there many states of the road in which a wide tire is of considerable advantage to the road!--Yes. In the majority of cases do you think the superior width of the tire which the Steam Carriage has over a Carriage drawn by horses, is altogether an advantage or a disadvantage?—A wide tire has the advantage upon the average. ”

“ If it is on a perfectly hard road, in dry weather the road will almost be a mere tangent to the circle; but on a soft road, in damp weather, the wheel will make more or less of a rut, and the average depth of the rut will give the average for the segment. ”

“ Do you not infer, from the action of the horse's hoof upon the road, that the injury would be great in proportion?—I think that the action of the horse's foot on the ground is more destructive to the road: there is more tear and wear to the road by the horse's shoe than by the tire. In rolling two tons along the ground, on four wheels, there will be less damage done than by driving four horses without drawing any thing after them along the same ground. ”

“ Gurney's present locomotive Engine when it carries six or eight persons, to be nearly as heavy as an ordinary four-horse Carriage without the weight of its horses, that is about three tons with coke, water and passengers.
Are you speaking of the comparative injury to the roads done by Mr. Gurney's Carriage and a four-horse Coach?—Yes.
Which do you think does most injury to the road?—I should think it must be the same thing, carrying a great weight on any four wheels of equal diameters and surfaces; it will amount to the same thing. ”

“ The greatest injury done to the road will be just after the breaking up of a frost?—Yes; or in fact after the effect of the frost, the water having got into the interstices, has been frozen and expanded. When it thaws the road is not so compact, it is soft and pulpy. ”