The back-breaking work necessitated by port activities encouraged attempts to save effort whenever possible. One innovation was the Sloven which came into use in mid-century. It was a strange, four-wheeled waggon in which the body was suspended below the axles of the wheels. This allowed for easy loading and unloading and made the waggon unlikely to tip over under heavy loads. This photograph, dated around 1865, is one of the earliest which shows vehicles in use, in this case at Market Square. Tradition suggests that the Sloven was invented in Saint John, but use of it was widespread in Atlantic Canada and even inland. In the United States similar conveyances had other names. Moreover, the essential feature, a patent axle, had been developed in the eighteenth century and was known on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be hard to establish that the Sloven was uniquely a Saint John development. The name "Sloven" appears to be more genuinely Saint John in origin. Thomas Sloven was renowned among the workers in the port for his exploits of bravery and his love of life. He died at a young age in 1865, and it is possible that this humble but useful port vehicle was called by his name, as a monument to his deeds.
