Holding back a vehicle in precipitous terrain by the draught animals alone, was not always possible, consequently various devices for the purpose were brought into practice. According to the American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, "The early records are very sketchy, but it seems clear that brakes originated in the first century. The Latin word for brake was 'sufflamin' mean­ing 'a blow under*. This implies that the first brake was a pole or wedge driven under the