xenith | Entries tagged with coaches

I'll finish this off :)

Part 1
Part 2

ANOTHER SERIOUS COACH ACCIDENT.-AS Mrs. Cox's coach was proceeding to Hobart Town on Thursday last, an accident occurred at Oatlands which had well nigh proved fatal. It appears that the horses, after being changed, were, through gross negligence, left to take care of themselves. Mr. Atkinson and another person had resumed their seats on the outside, when the horses started off at a furious rate; the reins being down, and there being a precipitous descent before them, the two gentlemen leaped off the coach. Mr. Atkinson fell on the back of his head and was for some time insensible. After being assisted to the hotel he recovered so far as to be able to proceed to Hobart, where lie has since been under medical treatment, and we hope he is now recovering.
Launceston Examiner, 7 February 1849

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Part 1

MAILS.--We are happy to state that the Postmaster-General, as well as Mr. Browne, will in future embrace every opportunity of forwarding foreign mails by Mrs. Cox's coach. We are also informed that that lady is now negotiating an arrangement with government respecting the trans-mission of the local mails by her coach.
Launceston Examiner, 24 February 1844

In referring to one of the means lately proposed as a remedy for this crying evil — viz., the transmission of the mail by Mrs. Cox's coach, which in that case the spirited proprietress undertakes to convert into a kind of locomotive magazine, manned and garrisoned accordingly — we are afraid it would never answer. Who, in the name of fortune, would like to journey by such a warlike conveyance) with the comfortable assurance forced upon the mind that he would have tonight his way ? The conclusion would be natural enough (more especially to a stranger) upon witnessing such 'awful note of preparation;' and we are therefore of opinion, that any attempt of the kind would inevitably prove a total failure. No, no; let the coach continue to be the coach, and the mail the mail : a passenger who takes his seat in the latter does so with a perfect consciousness of what he may be called upon to suffer;but to think of subjecting ladies, and occasionally children, to the terror and alarm of a roadside encounter, is not only cruel, but absurd.
Cornwall Chronicle, 4 May 1844

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This too far long than I thought. I had a couple of news stories, but I thought I'd have a quick look to see if there were any more. Just a few :) I left out those that complaining about the state of the road or fares, or short references to accidents and some repetitive material, but still there was a lot to correct, fix the formatting on and arrange in the right order with the correct attributions. About 37 pages/14,00 words. So I'm breaking it into three parts. I think the results presents an interesting view of a society before motor cars, not to mention the enterprising proprietress of a well-known company, so they're worth reading.

I'll let the news stories speak for themselves, but first a bit of context from Australian Dictionary of Biography, wherein we find that John Edward Cox established the first coaching service between Hobart and Launceston in 1832. He died soon after, in 1837, but it wasn't the end of his business.

"With great courage and enterprise [his wife] Mary Ann Cox carried on the Cornwall Hotel [in Launceston], and the coaching service with its annual turnover of £4000. By 1840 she had repaid her husband's creditors in full."

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Entries tagged with coaches

Mrs Cox's Coaches, the end

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Mrs Cox's Coaches

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