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CHAPTER III
Hansom invents a cab—Chapman designs and patents the present hansom—Francis Moore's vehicles—The Hansom patent infringed—Litigation a failure—Pirate cabs called "shofuls"—The "Clarence" or four-wheeler introduced—An unpleasant fare—The decoration of cabs—Cabmen compelled to wear badges—The "Tribus"—The "Curricle Tribus"—The "Quatrobus"
The prevalence of "bilking" made the back-door cab such an unprofitable vehicle that a new style of cab became imperative.
At the close of 1834, Mr. Joseph Aloysius Hansom, the architect of the old Birmingham Town Hall and founder of The Builder, patented a cab designed by himself. The body of this vehicle was almost square and hung in the centre of a square frame. The frame enclosed the whole of the body, passing over and under it. The driver sat on a small seat on the top at the front. The doors were also at the front, one on each side of the cabby's feet. The wheels were seven feet six inches in height—a trifle taller
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