Copy letter from Frederick Lanchester to L. Pendred, Editor, The Engineer (similar to his letter to T.W. Chalmers at The Engineer - see LAN/2/8/43) concerning his Span idea and Crystal Palace

Lanchester comments that his Span patent had now lapsed but he thinks it is of interest still. Notes that ideas may sound far-fetched at the time but later on become established and gives the pneumatic wheel suggestion for use on wheelbarrows as an example: 'it is a curious fact that ideas that look at first sight fantastic are often found to be of great value. Some six or seven years ago I proposed to the Dunlop Company the fitting of pneumatic wheels to wheel-barrows, which, at that time, sounded rather a lunatic's suggestion, It took me sometime to convince them that it was worth trying. I have the correspondence still. Then they did it, and they sent me a sample wheel which I fitted to a wheel-barrow...' Lanchester adds that someone else unknowingly showed the wheel-barrow to his brother George but did not mention it was Frederick Lanchester's idea.