Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-28
AN IMPORTANT INVENTIONS.

| AN IMPORTANT INVENTION
Clarence s. Woodman and his Magic Life
Saving Car Coupler.
Some few weeks since the EAGLE made
brief mention ola car-coupling device be-
ing perfected by Clarence S. Woodman, son
of w. c. Woodman, ESQ. The device was
worked out during the months of last sum-
mer. The young man, who seems possessed
of genuine mechanical genius, being but
nineteen years Of age, went on to Washing
ton with his models in September, where,
after thorough and critical examination of
the models of nearly two thousand inven-
tons in that line, none Of which proved in
any important particular similar to his own,
he went before the commissioner of patents
with his design. That functionary, with
out hardly word, issued him letters of pat
ents.
Among railroad managers and owners
three prerequisites are always looked to in
deciding upon the desirability of any new
coupler brought to their attention. These
are ~ simplicity, (2) durability, (S) con-
formity to present car construction. What
we mean by these three important features
is, in the first place, no complies lated arrang-
ment will stand the rough usage to which
couplers are continually subjected; second
ly, as all can see, any coupler must be sub
stantial in all its parts, and, thirdly, no
invention will ever be adopted which does
not conform to the present Drawbacks OF
bars and bumpers now in use throughout
the United States. Take, for instance, any
trunk line of railroad, and it has thousands
of fiat, box cattle and coal cars. To alter
the general construction Of each kind of
cars or the conformation of the drawbacks,
links, pins or bumpers would entail a cost
Of many hundreds of thousands of dollars,
to say nothing of the time wasted in doing
the work. This fact has nearly always been
lost sight of or gone UNDECIDED by inventors.
Hence the rejection of the thousand and one
devices which have heen invented from time
to time to prevent the many accidents to life
and limb. Many Of the inventions hereto
fore patented would no doubt perform as
specified if all the conditions of the inventor
could have been met by the owners of the
railroads in reconstructing their ears to meet
the idea Of the inventor.
! Wednesday afternoon Mr.. Clarence 5.
Woodman came into our office with box
which he opened. First he took out and
laid OH our table II couple Of sections of II
model railroad, making a track some six
feet in length, by about four inches in the
tread. He then lifted out and placed on
this railway two miniature box cars, complete
in all particulars, each about one
foot long, six inches wide
and eight inches long. Each car
was provided with the "Magic Life Saw
ing Coupler" complete. We shall not at
tempt to give technical description of the
coupler nor ofits manipulation, at least not
such an one as would enable a master me-
chanc to construct one. for the simple ress-
on that we can't. But the device seemed to
us to meet the prerequisites. mentioned,
namely: simplicity, durability, and conform
| ity to construction. We noted the very
| first thing that no change in the present
style of constructing freight cars would be
necessary to apply Mr.. Woodlands patent.
Identically the same draw hesds-with only
notch cut in the under side-the same
links and the same pins are used. The
next thing we noticed was that it is not
what might be termed self-coupler, al
| though it will couple without any attention,
but that a car provided with this coupler
can be bumped against car not SO fitted
| up, or against the car of any other road or
| of any other model, with exactly the same
| results that cars are now bumped; and fur
ther, that car provided with the Wood
man device could be just as readily coupled
onto any car provided or not provided with
a counter or a like coupler, and to any such
car whether its draw head was high or
low. This at once impressed us favorably |
because car from a road using these coup
lers could be sent over any other road in
any kind of train and no Inconvenience
whatever be experienced by the,
train men. This being SO, of course
the cars provided with this attachment can
be coupled by either the device or in the |
present manner. The next point observed !
by us was that the car could be coupled or
uncoupled either from the ground or from |
the top of the car. That is, the brakeman |
making up the train could stand either at |
the side OF the two cars coming together or
on the top of either car and make the coup
ling. In fact, with this coupling it is not
necessary that brakesman should ever go
between the cars when in the act of coup
ling. When we consider the great number
of men annually killed, and the still greater
number crippled for life, to say nothing of
the enormous sums annually paid out by the
railroads of the country because of these
accidents, this one point seems of sufficient
importance to secure the adoption of the
"Woodman Magic Life-saving Coupler"
Not being practical railway man nor an
expert of course we do not pretend to say
that this new coupler may not at some point
prove faulty. What we have said of it was
suggested, seen and comprehended by simply
operating the models before us and without
asking any questions. As to the simplicity
of the device we have only to say that the
common link and common pin, now in ordi-
nary use, are held by simple chains which
are manipulated from the side of the car by
two light levers, some four feet in length
each, bolted on to the car, and extending
out beyond the bed of the cur
Just far enough to be grasped
readily by any one in the act of coupling or
or uncoupling the cars to which they are at
tached. The one lever lifts the pin and the
other the link, neither being rigidly attached
to either link or pin, but both being allowed
all the play that they have now. With this
device the single link or the triplicate links
can be used. In fact there is no change in
the present style of constructing cars neces-
sary to be made for the application of this
new and simple device, and as to the expense
of manufacturing and attaching them, that
would be but a nominal one.
Mr.. Woodman, the inventor, is a very
young man and his invention is not only
great credit but in case it proves all that it
appears to be, will be fortune. If it should
work as surely and satisfactorily in actual use
as it does as model, we can see no possible
chance Of its failure as useful, economical
and a life-saving invention.
We had pleasant call yesterday after
noon from Mr. Geo. o. NJ. Buckner, BROTH
er of our fellow townsman. Mr.. BIS. home
is in Buffalo, New York. In answer to
question as to his personal knowledge of the