This is substantiated by a remark in Captain Orme's journal, in
which he states that "The loads of all waggons were to be reduced to
fourteen hundred weight...." Under the same date, June 11, he indicated
that the farmers wagons were smaller than the English wagons when he
wrote "all the King's waggons were also sent back to the fort, they
being too heavy and requiring large horses for the shafts...."[19]
Another communication from Morris states that he "dispatched fifty-two
waggons from this town, each carrying fifty bushels of grain, one half
oats the ether Indian Corn."[20] This makes a load of about 2,200
pounds,[21] quite in agreement with the statement in the _Gentlemen's
Magazine_ of August 1755, that loads were commonly around one ton. A
load of one ton is small in comparison to those hauled by later wagons
that sometimes carried as much as five or even six tons.

An approximate description of the size of the wagon, taken from the
earliest existing specimens of the same type shows a bed about 12 feet
long on the bottom and 14 feet on the top. Depth of the bed ran about
32 inches and the width was approximately 42 to 46 inches. Though there
was little standardization in most features, eight bows usually
supported the dull white homespun cover. The diameter of the front
wheels varied from 40 to 45 inches, while the rear wheels ran 10 to 20
inches larger.[22]

[Illustration: Figure 6.--RESTORED FREIGHT-CARRYING CONESTOGA WAGON,
about 1830, in the collection of the author. The tongue is not full
length. (_Photo by the author._)]

For a 1759 expedition it was recommended that wagon accessories include
drag chains, grass cutting knives, axes, shovels, tar buckets (for
lubricating axles), jacks, hobbles, and extra sets of such items as
clouts (axle-bearing plates), nails, horseshoes, hames, linch pins, and
hamestrings.[23] It is doubtful if many teamsters in the 1755 expedition
had so complete a selection of equipment; campaign experience in the
mountains of western Pennsylvania was necessary to convince them of
this necessity. There is no evidence that the hame bells later to be
found on professional teams were used at this early date. The
advertisement[24] that was circulated for the 1759 expedition mentions a
"slip bell ... for each horse" among the items necessary on an
expedition, so it is possible that some drivers of the 1755 expedition
may have used a single bell on each horse, as was the custom with pack
ho