AN IMPROVED MEANS FOR UNHOOKING HORSES, AND IMPEDING OR STOPPING VEHICLES ON COMMON ROADS
Year: 1853

page_text: (Void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within the
time prescribed by the Act.)
We, PIERRE SIGISBERT L'HERNAULT and JEAN RICHARD, of Paris,
in the Empire of France, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn, (City,)
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MEANS FOR UNHOOKING HORSES, AND IMPEDING OR STOPPING
VEHICLES ON COMMON ROADS," to be as follows, viz.:-
This Invention consists in the use of a swing bar, mounted so as to
turn easily on its axis, in order to unhook a horse or horses attached
to a carriage, and a method to skid the wheel instantly by a simple
movement which can be effected from within the coach or by the driver.
Fig. 1, is a vertical section, and Fig. 2, is a horizontal plan of a
fore carriage provided with these improvements, which can be applied
to any description of vehicle. For a one-horse coach the new swing
bar can be arranged either in conjunction with the old kind of swing

page_text: bar, or the latter may be displaced by it entirely, by its being arranged
as b, in the annexed drawing. It is furnished with 4 hooks a, (for
2 horses,) and can turn in the two eyelets c; a clamp e, enters a
socket g, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4. This socket is split to receive a pin f, which
crosses the clamp as well as the slit, so that it may slide easily into the
latter; the socket g, is terminated by an eyelet h, which may enter the
opening, of the spring latch, sce Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, in which it will
be observed that the bolt ", is held firm by the spring . The bolt
is connected by a rod n, to a Vaucanson chain, or, preferably, a Galle chain
J, Figs. 1, and 2, which passes and gears with the teeth of a small
wheel, Figures 1, 2, 7, 8, mounted on a support, so that this wheel
may yield and follow all the motions of the fore-carriage, and still gear
on the chain J, the other extremity of which is connected with a
band K', retained against a fixed pulley m, Figures 1, 9, 10; this band
terminates by the handle K, on the foot-board. A similar arrangement
may also be made with the interior of the carriage K", Fig. 1. The
traces of the horses are attached to the hooks a. For the purpose of
backing the carriage, the horses are harnessed to the rings s, Figs. 1,
13, 14. The cap s', is fixed to the pole by means of the spring t, and
remains firm when the carriage is backed; but, should the horses draw
by it when the traces are loose, the spring t, would yield, and the cap
become detached from the pole.
Should the horses become unmanageable, the driver has only to put
the reins on the hook u, Fig. 1, 15, 16. This hook is kept vertical
by a spring v, which allows it to bend downwards; so that if the horses
were to run away, the effort they would make would pull down the
hook u, and let the reins slip off; and by pulling the handle K, or K",
the harness of the horses is unhooked from the carriage, and, conse-
quently, the persons inside would have no accident to fear.
To stop the carriage instantaneously, on level ground, we have the
following arrangement:-The opening ', of the latch i, contains the
heel h, and the extremity of the rod n, Figs. 1, 11, 12: the upper part
has an opening n', into which fits the bolt ; the lower part of the
rod n, is connected by a chain to a cross piece p, having at both
extremities and facing each wheel a frame stand p'. The cross pieco p,

page_text: is connected to two arms q, hinged to the axle at the points r. By this
means, when the bolt is drawn by one of the handles K, the opening h,
is disengaged, and also the opening n', of the piece n, which allows
these two pieces to come out of the opening 2, of the latch i.