Identifier: treatiseoncarria01felt (find matches)
Title: A treatise on carriages : comprehending coaches, chariots, phaetons, curricles, whiskies, &c. : together with their proper harness, in which the fair prices of every article are accurately stated
Year: 1796 (1790s)
Authors: Felton, William Debrett, John, d. 1822
Subjects: Carriage and wagon making Carriages and carts
Publisher: London : Printed for and sold by the author, and by J. Debrett ... (and 5 others)
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute

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BOOTS OR BUDGETS.

BOOTS and budgets are moftly underftood as one article, though fo differently called : they are all intended for one purpofe, which is that of carrying luggage, and are moftly fixed on the fore part of the carriage between the fprings : that wherein the principal difference lies, is made with a loofe cover, and is properly the budget, being made convenient for trunks; thofe budgets, for travelling carriages, or common poft-chaifes, are, by far, the moft ufeful ; the others are boots, of a trunk form, made more fquare, and are moftly ufed for town carriages, but can be of no other advantage than that of carrying loofe hay, horfe-cloths, &c. From one or other of thefe boots, conveniencies are fometimes made for the fubftitute of a coach-box, to fave labour to the horfe when the carriage is ufed for poft-work, or to preferve the view from within uninterrupted by a coach-box and hammercloth.

Boots are frequently ufed at the fore end of phaetons, and then moftly have the fore fprings fixed thereto by means of carved blocks, which are bolted to their fides, and ufually have the ftep for the entrance to the body fixed or hung thereon. Boots and budgets are fometimes ufed to the hind part of travelling carriages, but more frequently ufed to the hind parts of phaetons, gigs, or curricles, and are of two fizes lefs than what are ufed to coaches or chariots ; they are all fo near in form as to make the defcription given in the plate fufficient for the general purpofe of information.

PLATE XIII.

Fig. 1 and 4. Are the common, fquare, ja- panned boots, moftly made of thick elm, and covered vith ftrong ruffet leather, welted round the fides, opens in the front with a door, which has an iron plate fcrewed round the edges for it to fhut againft, and is faftened by means of a bolt and thumb-nut, or private lock.

Fig. 2. A platform, or luggage boot, made as the fkeleton is reprefented in Plate VII, with iron-framed fides, which are here, in Plate XIII reprefented covered with a ftout black-dreffed leather, over which the cafe or cover, made of the fame, is placed, and buckles to the fides, back, and front ; the borders of which fhould be welted to the top-piece, as they fit much better than when made of one piece of leather, as they fometimes are. Within thofe budgets are ftraps fixed to the bottom, to confine whatever is placed in them, which otherwife would be injured by the motion of the carriage.

Fig. 3. A boot made with a convenience for the coachman to fit on to drive ; this boot requires to be made much ftronger than the others, owing to the weight of the man, and, to make it eafy to him, may be hung upon fprings, as reprefented j which fprings alfo carry the body. This boot fhould be framed of ftrong afh, and boarded for the leather, with half the top to throw up to a perpendicular pofition by means of two irons of a femicircular figure, which run in a groove or ftaple fixed in the framing, and are confined, when up, by a thumb-fcrew on each fide ; on the infide of the top is made the feat, which takes up but little room in the boot when down ; the front lets quite down, but is ftayed, to anfwer the ufe of a footboard, by means of two hinged, flat ftays fixed by the fame fcrews as the irons are; it is fattened, when down, by the bolt on the front paffing through a plate on the top, and fecured by a thumb-nut; thofe are readily placed, and fhould have a door to open behind, if the feat is to be made fixed.

Fig. 4. A phaeton boot; this boot is made fimilar to Fig. 1, but not of fo fquare a form, but is obliged to be made rather ftronger, on account of receiving the weight of the fore part of the body, which is fixed to the fprings that are bolted on blocks to the fides; this has always a ftep on the fides, from which, fometimes, other fteps are to hang; they fometimes open at the top, and fometimes at the back or fore ends.

for the Salisbury Boot, see Coach-boxes.

CHAP. VII.

PLATFORMS, or RAISED HIND and FORE ENDS, and BLOCKS.

THOSE platforms, raifers, or blocks, arc added to a carriage either as matter of neceffity or appearance, but moftly for appearance, being generally ornamented with carving in different degrees ; their ufe is to elevate and fupport the budget, boot, hind foot-board, and fprings ; they are generally placed on the fide of the carriage, and relieve the infide framings from being obfcured by the platforms, as they are lightened and moulded, and give to the carriage a more airy appearance : being of various defigns, they are all omitted from the former charge of the naked carriages as ftated, fo that any defcription may be added according to fancy*

RAISED HIND ENDS, &c.

SECT. 1. RAISED HIND ENDS, PUMP HANDLES, AND SHORT BLOCKS.

Fig. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15. Thofe different forts of hind ends are for one and the fame ufe, viz. for relieving the platform or footboard from the hind framings to whatever height is neceffary : the difference is, that the pump, plow, or guard handle, (Fig. 9, 11, and 12) are made to extend in the form of one of thofe handles mentioned, and are ftrengthened by iron plates ; thefe ferve for the fervant to help himfelf up by, and to keep the horfes of other carriages from coming too near to do injury to the pannels. The fhort blocks (Fig. 8 and 10) are what are ufed to poft-chaife carriages, or to fupport a platform for ftandards ; they do not extend further from the hind fpringbed than what ferves to ornament them. — The phaeton and chaife blocks (Fig. 15) are of various forms. If the hind end is narrow, with two bars only, they are made like the fhort blocks; but, if wide, for long fpring blocks, they extend to the furtheft bar to fill up the great fpace, and form a large platform for a trunk, &c. to be placed on occafionally.

SECT. 2. RAISED FORE ENDS, OR FORE BLOCKS.

Fig 5, 6, and 7. Thofe fore blocks are the fame to the fore ends, as the others are to the hind ends, to raife the budget or boot, and relieve the framings, in order to affift the appearance of the fore part of the carriage: thofe moftly have their bearings acrofs the framings between the fprings ; there is alfo a fore bar, on which one of the bearings refts, that is frequently called a block, but can only be confidered a block when ornamented to anfwer the fides; it bears a proportion in value of about one-fourth of the other two; fo that, when omitted, it may be deducted from the amount given, which includes it.

SECT. 3. SPRING BLOCKS.

Fig. 13 and 14. Spring blocks are of two forts, which materially differ from each other; the one is to raife the hind fprings, the other the fore ones; and, like the others, are more or lefs ornamented; but thofe reprefented are of the largeft and fuperior kind, from which they may be reduced to any pattern. Long blocks or platforms are frequently fixed between them when a hind budget is not ufed, for the purpofe of filling up a large vacancy acrofs the bars.

SECT. 4. CUSHIONS AND STANDARDS.

Fig. 11 and 12. Footman cufhions were intended to make the fituation of the servant more comfortable, but are now feldom made otherwife than in the form of a cufhion, with boards only, covered with leather, without any fort of ftuffing, to make them more eafy than a common foot-board : their chief ufe is to raife the footman, and to ornament the carriage particularly when flandards and wings are added to them, which are alfo affifted in their ornament and ftrength with the irons that fupport them. The carving introduced in thofe ftandards is alfo a great addition to their appearance; and they are at prefent the principal ornaments to the hind part of a carriage. Their advantage, befides ornament, is to prevent other carriages coming fo clofe behind as to injure the fervant or pannels.

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