1Ernesto

Wagon Seat With Elliptic Springs Shakespeare Ghost Town (un-edited)

Wagon Seat With Elliptic Springs Shakespeare Ghost Town (un-edited)

Spring suspension for horse drawn equipment helped to relieve the jolts of metal tires on stony roads was introduced from about 1700 onwards, with the “whip s...
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Spring suspension for horse drawn equipment helped to relieve the jolts of metal tires on stony roads was introduced from about 1700 onwards, with the “whip spring” and “cee spring”, both still using leather straps. The elliptic spring invented by Obadiah Elliott in 1804 did away with the need for a leather strap, and by increasing the number of springs to 4 for each axle and the number of metal “leaves” in each spring, even heavy coaches could provide a modicum of comfort for their passengers.

At the other end of the scale, 2-wheeled vehicles were the cheapest to make and needed only one horse. Early gigs date from the late 18thC and might have been little more than a plank with a seat and shafts set above the wheels; in North America the “riding chair” and in England the “whisky” (nothing to do with the drink but referring to its lightness and speed). Gigs had either elliptical or semi-elliptical springs and seated two people side by side without provision for a third party – so your young unmarried ladies had better not ride in one beside a gentleman driver, because being un-chaperoned, they risked acquiring the label “fast”.
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