He could thus
depend upon their soundness, down even to the linch-pin itself.
He kept on his carving and gilding shop until his car business
had increased so much that it required the whole of his time and
attention; and then he gave it up. In fact, when he was able to
run a car from Clonmel to Waterford- a distance of thirty-two
miles--at a fare of three-and-sixpence, his eventual triumph was
secure.
He made Waterford one of the centres of his operations, as he had
already made Clonmel. In 1818 he established a car between
Waterford and Ross, in the following year a car between Waterford
and Wexford, and another between Waterford and Enniscorthy. A
few years later he established other cars between Waterford and
Kilkenny, and Waterford and Dungarvan. From these furthest
points, again, other cars were established in communication with
them, carrying the line further north, east, and west. So much
had the travelling between Clonmel and Waterford increased, that
in a few years (instead of the eight or ten passengers conveyed
by Tom Morrissey's boat on the Suir) there was horse and car
power capable of conveying a hundred passengers daily between the
two places.
Bianconi did a great stroke of business at the Waterford election
of 1826. Indeed it was the turning point of his fortunes. He
was at first greatly cramped for capital. The expense of
maintaining and increasing his stock of cars, and of foddering
his horses was very great; and he was always on the look-out for
more capital.
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