Rockaway (carriage)
Encyclopedia
Rockaway is a term applied to two types of carriage
: a light, low, American four-wheel carriage with a fixed top and open sides that may be covered by waterproof curtains, and a heavy carriage enclosed at sides and rear, with a door on each side. The name may be derived from the town of Rockaway, New Jersey
, where carriages were made. It is featured in Melville's short story "Bartleby" as the narrator's mode of escape from the landlords and tenants looking for help in kicking Bartleby out.
But the Long Island Museum of Art, American History and Carriages, located in Stony Brook, New York, has a different explanation of the name. According to the Museum, the carriage was designed and built in Jamaica, Queens—a major hub for New York City residents traveling to Long Island for recreation—and was called the Rockaway because it was used to shuttle passengers between Jamaica and the Atlantic Ocean beaches of Long Island's Rockaway Peninsula.
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
: a light, low, American four-wheel carriage with a fixed top and open sides that may be covered by waterproof curtains, and a heavy carriage enclosed at sides and rear, with a door on each side. The name may be derived from the town of Rockaway, New Jersey
Rockaway, New Jersey
Rockaway is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,438.Rockaway was formed as a borough on June 19, 1894, from portions of Rockaway Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous...
, where carriages were made. It is featured in Melville's short story "Bartleby" as the narrator's mode of escape from the landlords and tenants looking for help in kicking Bartleby out.
But the Long Island Museum of Art, American History and Carriages, located in Stony Brook, New York, has a different explanation of the name. According to the Museum, the carriage was designed and built in Jamaica, Queens—a major hub for New York City residents traveling to Long Island for recreation—and was called the Rockaway because it was used to shuttle passengers between Jamaica and the Atlantic Ocean beaches of Long Island's Rockaway Peninsula.