3-009-022 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The International Exhibition: patent viceroy hansom cab by Evans, of Liverpool, 1862. 'Mr. James Evans, of Tarlton-street, Liverpool, has just introduced an improved patent cab, the patent of which consists in the application of metallic springs to the shafts near their junction with the front of the vehicle, thus securing a combined action which removes the unpleasant motion common to vehicles of the ordinary construction. Uneven roads produce no effect on the patent cab, as, by means of the patent springs and joint, an equal balance is preserved between the vehicle and the shafts under all circumstances. The draught is also considerably lightened - a very important feature in the street traffic of large towns where such a number of horses are constantly employed. The patent includes several other improvements, an important one being the reduction of the weight of the vehicle, which weighs only 6½cwt. [hundredweight], being less by 2cwt. than those of the ordinary construction. The Viceroy of Egypt, who has purchased one of these cabs, has given the maker permission to call it the Viceroy Cab'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862.