Animal Power.

Viability?

Despite so many technological advances being made in the last two hundred years and humanities reliance upon oil and gas, there are still millions of people who rely on animals to haul themselves and their goods.

We are not just talking about far flung places, but both Europe and the U.S.A. people maintain animals instead of vehicles. The question is are these forms of movement viable to be introduced back into cities in some cases, or is their time gradually coming to an end?

If we look back to the era of the stage coach, we do find a sophisticated method of working. This is not just four horses tied up to a coach or waggon. To operate such a vehicle requires some skill.

Fire Engines. Part-One.

Water Carriers.

Humanity has developed because it has been able to harness fire, to make it and to use it in daily survival. But at times fire can attack us, with devastating consequences. The construction of large villages, towns and cities has lead to the development of mobile water carriers.

The river and bucket system will not work in a large city, so the concept of the first fire carts came with the invention of the pump. London, New York, Paris all developed their take on this horse drawn water tank. Each vehicle had place for water, ropes, ladders and sand. The crew sat on an open cab or hung on to the sides.

Even with the development of the engine this outlay continued, right up to the 1940's era.