IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH TRAMWAY CARS AND OMNIBUSES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Small, of Buffalo, in the State of New
York, United States of America, presently residing in Cambridge Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH TRAMWAY CARS AND OMNIBUSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Small at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th February 1876.
JAMES HENRY SMALL, of Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States of
America, presently residing in Cambridge Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH TRAMWAY CARS
AND OMNIBUSES."
This Invention has reference to a new or improved mode and means or appliance
for protecting outside passengers and top or outer seats of tramway cars and
omnibuses from rain and wet or snow in a more effectual and convenient manner
than has heretofore been done.
And the nature of the Invention consists in dividing the ordinary long seats on
cach side of the central or back rest or rail by a straight or simple curved bar or
division between or from the front of the seat up to the top of the back rail
and a corresponding division or light bar from the seat down to the roof or foot
platform, and in closely attaching to each rod or division one edge of a loose flap or
covering of india-rubber, leather, oil skin, or other equivalent waterproof material
broad enough to extend and overlap each other considerably in the centre of each
seat froin the top of the back down to the floor or feet of the passengers, so that
each passenger in taking possession of a seat can draw these flaps round the lower
part of the body, limbs, and feet, so as to thoroughly protect these parts from wet
weather or cold winds, their umbrella being sufficient to protect the head and
shoulders. Wheh the seats are not occupied these flaps or coverings are folded over
and hooked to each other or to the central back part of the seat so as to hang
loosely over it and prevent it from getting wet by conducting the rain down to the
floor, and in dry weather the seat inay be occupied without unbooking or using the
covering, it being loose and elastic enough to adapt itself to the shape of the seat.
These improvements enable the outside seats of tramway cars to be cushioned or
covered with soft material without being liable to get saturated and spoiled by
•

page_text: water, and instead of these elastic coverings, folding doors hinged to the said bars
or divisions may be used, shaped to suit and leave room for the limbs and feet.
When these flaps overlap in the centre their free edges may have an elastic cord
within them, which, when overlapped, would prevent water or snow entering or
blowing in through the joint, and would conduct the water to the foot platform.
By another improvement these flaps may be made in one piece to cover the
person and reach from one side to the other and be looped on to the bar or
division at the opposite side.
In some cases a slight curved roof of a portable construction might be carried in
standards up from the back rail or rest, capable of being inserted and removed
when required, and projecting sufficiently to cover the heads and shoulders of the
passengers along the whole row of seats, and not as a roof or covering over the
whole width of the car, as has been tried but found to be inefficient.
Under another modification of the Invention the rail carrying the central
longitudinal and lateral covering or projection above the heads of the passengers
might be made narrow and a permanent fixture, instead of the portable arrange-
ment before described, and have angled or curved divisions or stay rods extending
down to the foot platform, and have a short roller underneath the front edge of the
top rail of each division or scat, with a waterproof screen or apron coiled on it, the
full width of the division and seat having rings at its ends or edges running on the
said stays or rods, so that by a loop or loops it could be drawn down in front of
the head and shoulders or chest of the passenger and looped or hooked to notches
or other equivalent on the angled or curved stays or divisions to protect these parts
against rain or storm without obstructing the passenger's view, while the lower
aprons or covers before described protect the limbs and feet; or otherwise these
lower aprons may be dispensed with, and the upper screen or apron brought down
to and hooked or otherwise attached at the floor so as to protect the whole person,
and in this latter case to enable the passenger to see windows of transverse strips
of glass may be inserted in the upper part of the centre of the screen so as to roll
up or down with it upon the roller. These rollers may be made with coiled springs
to wind the screen up themselves in the same manner as patent spring window
blinds are in houses and carriages; or the back longitudinal division between the
two rows of seats may be made double or hollow for weights to work therein for
winding up the screens or aprons by a cord wound round it in the opposite
direction instead of the spring rollers before referred to, or instead of the coiled
springs or the weights mentioned long helical springs or bands of india-rubber
may be used, attached to the reverse coiled cord above, and to the floor or stationary
part within the hollow partition, where it has sufficient length of free play to
enable the screen or apron to be coiled on the roller, or it might be directly drawn
over the roller and down into the hollow division by the said weights or springs;
or a corresponding screen might be drawn up out of a recess below the feet, and up
over the knees and lower parts of the body, while the upper screen could be drawn
down from the top, leaving sufficient space between the two screens to enable the
passenger to see out. When the top screen only is used it may be kept down in
wet weather to keep the seat dry when unoccupied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Henry Small in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August
1870.
JAMES HENRY SMALL, of Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States of
America, presently residing in Cambridge Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH TRAMWAY CARS
AND OMNIBUSES."
My said Invention has reference to a now or improved mode and means or

page_text: appnance for protecting the outside passengers and the top or outer seats ΟΙ
tramway cars and omnibuses from rain and wet or snow in a more effectual and
convenient manner than has heretofore been done.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a transverse section and a side elevation with
the outer rail removed of the top part of a tramway car or omnibuse, shown as
fitted with one arrangement of my improvements, as applied thereto, for protecting
outside passengers in wet and stormy weather, all in accordance with and illustrative
of one modification modification of my said Invention, and Figure 3 is a side or
flat view of one of the flaps or seat aprons, shown as stretched out and detached
from Figures 1 and 2, while Figure 4 shows a transverse section of a tramway car
or omnibus as fitted with a somewhat different modification of my improvements
and Invention from that shown in the former Figures 1 to 3.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the nature, novelty, and mode of performing my
said Invention consist all as follows:-In dividing the ordinary top long seats 1, 1,
on each side of the central or back rest or rail 2 by a straight or simple division or
curved bar or bars 3 between or from the front 1¹ of each seat 1 up to the top of
the back rail 2, and there may be also a continuation or a corresponding division or
light bar 31 from the seat down to the roof or foot platform 4, and there is closely
attached to each rod or division 3 (or 3 and 3¹) one edge a of a loose flap or
covering A, A', of india-rubber, waterproof cloth, leather, oil skin, or other
equivalent waterproof material, preferably duplex, as shown detached in Figure 3,
with the central part a, a, hollow, to be drawn over the rods 3 on the sides of the
seat and drawn up or buckled over the rail 2 by the straps a¹ to the corresponding
covers A, A', on the other side, one half A on one side of the centre a, a, by which
it is attached to the division 3, and the other half A¹ on the opposite side, and
broad enough to extend nearly across the seats 1 between the rods 3, so that the
left side A of each flap (A, A',) overlaps that of A¹ of the next or adjacent flap
very considerably in the centre of each seat 1 from the top of the back 2 down to
very near the floor 4 or feet of the passengers, so that each passenger (at Z) in
taking possession of a seat can draw these flaps A and A¹ round the lower part of
the body below the arm pits and the lower limbs and feet, drawing the strap a² of
the upper flap tight up and hooking it on to a nob 2 at the side of each seat on
the top of the rail 2, the loose parts A" covering the lower parts of the legs and
feet, all so as to thoroughly protect these parts of the passenger from wet weather
or cold winds, while his umbrella y will be sufficient to protect his head and
shoulders, all as shown at A*, in Figures 1 and 2. When the seats are not
occupied these flaps or coverings A, A¹, are still folded over each other by the strap
a² and hooked to the central back at 21 so as to hang loosely across each other over
the seat, as shown at 1x, in Figure 2, and thus prevent it from getting wet with
the rain by conducting it down to the floor 4, while in dry weather the seat may
be so occupied by the passengers sitting on the top of the covering A, A¹, without
unhooking, it being loose and pliable enough to adapt itself to the shape of the
seat and act as a thin cushion. These improvements further enable the outside
seats 1 of tramway cars to be filled with good soft coverings or cushions, as these
new waterproof weather flaps or coverings A, A', will quite protect the seats from
getting saturated or spoiled by water or snow. When these flaps A, A', overlap in
the centre, as described and shown, their free edges may have flexible or clastic
cord within them, which when overlapped either over the seat or the limbs of the
passenger would prevent water or snow entering or blowing in through the joint,
and assist in conducting the rain or water to the foot platforin 4.
By another improvement these flaps may be made in one piece of sufficient
width to completely cover the person and reach across the seat 1 from one side or
division 3 to the other so as to be looped on to this, and to the rail 2 at 21, as
herein before described. Instead of these elastic coverings, folding doors hinged to
each of the side bars or divisions 3, 3', may be used, shaped to suit and leave room
for the limbs and feet of the passenger somewhat analogous to those used in
ordinary "Handsome" cabs.

page_text: Referring to the modification of the Invention shown in Figure 4 the improve-
ments consist in erecting a light narrow roof C carried on standards or partitions
6, 6, projecting up from the back rail 2 or back of the seats 1, and either portable
for being casily attached and removed when required, or of a more permanent
character, with a narrow space between, as shown in this Figure, having the roof C
projecting on each side, only sufficient to cover the heads and shoulders of the
passengers when seated along the whole row of seats 1, 1, and not as a roof or
covering over the whole width of the car, as has been tried, but found inefficient
and inconvenient.
Under this more permanent arrangement of the central longitudinal and lateral
roof or covering C projecting above the heads of the passengers would be made
narrow, as shown in Figure 4, and have angled or curved divisions or stay rods 311
at the sides of each seat, extending down from the outer edge of the roof C to the
foot platform 4, and have a short roller D mounted loose underneath the front edge
of the top rail or roof of each division or seat, with a waterproof screen or apron
E the full width of the division and seat passed over this roller D, and another one
D' behind, over the space 7 at the back of the seats, and having rings e at its ends
or edges running on the said stays or rods 311, so that by these or a loop or loops it
could be drawn down in front of the head and shoulders or cliest of the passenger
and looped or hooked to knobs 3111 or other equivalent on the angled or curved stays
or divisions 31 so as to protect these upper parts of the passengers against rain or
storm without obstructing the passenger's view more than his umbrella y would by
the former arrangement, while the lower aprons or covers before described would
protect the limbs and feet, all as before described in reference to Figures 1 to 3,
and shown at A* on the left hand side of Figure 4; or otherwise these lower
aprons A, A, may be dispensed with and have the upper screen or apron E made
long enough to be brought down and attached to the lower nobs 31 of the rods
31 near to or hooked or otherwise attached at the floor 4 so as to protect the
whole person of the sitter, and in this latter case, as shown particularly in the
right-hand side of Figure 4, to enable the passenger to see out windows e¹ of
transverse strips of glass or narrow slips of wood, or angled louver windows may
be inserted in the upper part of the centre of the screen E so as to roll up or down
with it over the rollers D, D¹, by the power of the india-rubber or other springs F
attached to the end of the screen E above, and to the framing at the lower part of
the recess 7 at the back of the two rows of seats. The rollers D or D¹ may be
made with coiled springs to wind up the screens E (when not long) upon them in
the same manner as patent spring window blinds are in houses and carriages; or,
as shown in Figure 4, the back longitudinal division between the two rows of seats
may be made double or hollow, as at 7, and instead of the springs F have weights
to work in this space, which would wind up the screens or aprons E by their cord
wound round the roller in the opposite direction to the screens instead of the
spring rollers before referred to; but instead of the weights or coiled springs
mentioned the long light helical springs or bands of india-rubber F may be used as
springs attached to the floor below and to cords at top coiled in the reverse
direction round the roller D¹ to that in which the screen is to be coiled round it,
that is, when there is sufficient length within the hollow partition 7 for free play
of these springs F to enable the screen or aprons E to be coiled on the rollers Dĭ,
or, as preferred and shown in Figure 4, to be drawn directly down over these rollers
into the hollow division 7 by these weights or springs, or by the weights before
mentioned; or by another arrangement a corresponding screen E might be drawn
up out of a recess below the feet in the floor 4 and hooked up over the knees and
lower parts of the body analogous to the upper screen, which could be drawn down
from the top, leaving sufficient space between the two screens to enable the
passenger to see out. When the top screen only is used it may be kept down in
wet weather to keep the scat dry when unoccupied.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not confine

page_text: myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters. Patent is, the general construction or arrange:
ment of appliances or loose flaps or coverings and rolling screens and fittings for
5 protecting the outside passengers and top scats of tramway cars and omnibuses,
all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof I, the said James Henry Small, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
W. R. M. TпомSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES HENRY SMALL. (L.S.)