IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF YOKING OR ATTACHING HORSES TO CARRIAGES, PERMITTING THE INSTANTANEOUS UNYOKING OR DETACHING OF THE SAME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon
and Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, South-
ampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF YOKING OR ATTACHING
HORSES TO CARRIAGES, PERMITTING THE INSTANTANEOUS UNYOKING OR
DETACHING OF THE SAME."-A communication from abroad by Jean
Maitre, of 17, Rue Maubeuge, Paris.
Sealed the 21st September 1875, and dated the 27th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-
Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th March 1875.
I, WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan.
Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF YOKING OR
ATTACHING HORSES TO CARRIAGES, PERMITTING THE INSTANTANEOUS UNYOKING OR
DETACHING OF THE SAME," to be as follows:-
Bhi Tantion of:
-

page_text: horses to carriages, permitting the instantaneous unyoking or detaching
of the same, consists in an arrangement by which the carriage may be
rendered instantaneously independent of the horse, so that if the horse
runs away the carriage may be detached and left behind.
The system is illustrated in the Drawings annexed, forming part of 5
this Specification.
Figures 1 and 2 have reference to the application of the system to the
shafts of a one-horse carriage. Figure 1 is a vertical section of a shaft
furnished with the apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.
In the first instance A is a sort of plate with four slots or rings, which 1
plate is furnished with a centre piece or pin B fixed perpendicularly on
it. The upper ring a receives the back band, the ring a¹ receives the
trace, the lower ring a² the belly band, and, lastly, the ring a³ the
breeching. It will therefore be easily understood that if the horse is
yoked to the plate A and that the pin B is connected to the shaft in any 1
appropriate manner the horse can draw the carriage, but if at a given
moment the centre pin B be drawn out of the shaft the horse becomes
free.
For ordinary carriages, cabs, or other vehicles driven by animals
relatively quiet I am satisfied with passing the centre pin into an iron 2
formed with an eye c, and fixing the same with a pin 6, see Figure 3.
:
For private carriages, the horses of which are more dangerous, I use
the system represented in Figure 1, which is composed of an iron D
forming with the hinge cap E an eye for receiving the centre pin; the
projecting C of the hinge cap E forms a sort of hook, held back by 2
a slide bolt G provided with a spring and a knob H.
The horse being yoked to the piece A, as herein-before described, and
which piece being made fast to the shaft by the introduction of its centre
pin in the eye D, E, if the horse runs away it is sufficient to pull on
the knob H by means of a cord or a strap to free the hinge cap E by 3
means of the bolt, the plate A being thus released liberates the horse.
For horses yoked to a single shaft or pole I adopt the arrangement
represented by the Figures 4 and 5. Each of the hooks or buckles M
which receive the traces is provided with a tongue m with a hole bored
through it which enters into the splinter bar, with which it is made fast 3
by means of a pin n mounted at the end of a spring blade P fixed on

page_text: the splinter bar and which enters into the hole with which the tongue
is provided. At the ends of the springs p are mounted cords, straps, or
chains I, united by a cord, strap, or chain S which hooks on the end of
the lever N, articulated on a turning clip Z fixed on the dash board
within reach of the driver.
The end of the pole (Figure 5) is taper, and receives the metallic end
piece L which carries the rings and buckles for the pole chains to hold
back and guide the draught. This end piece is only connected with the
pole by the pin or bolt t adapted at the end of the spring R, and which
enters in the hole bored for the purpose. A cord, strap, or chain T is
attached to the end of the spring which runs along the pole, passes under
the grooved pulley U fixed on. this bolt, and is attached to the single
cord or chain S.
When the horses run away the coachman need only weigh on the
lever N and then the springs P and R are lifted up and withdraw the
hooks of the carriage and of the end piece L, which being free allows
the horses to leave the carriage and run away.
In order to arrest the momentum of the carriage I make use of a
break, acting either on the circumference of the wheels or on the nave,
which break is acted on by the lever N by means of a chain hooked on
like the one S at the extremity of the said lever; thus on leaning on
this lever not only the horses are detached but the break of the coach
is set.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue
O Gaillon, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year
of our Lord One housand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-

page_text: eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Morgan-Brown, Her special
license that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Morgan-
Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF YOKING OR ATTACHING HORSES TO
CARRIAGES, PERMITTING THE INSTANTANEOUS UNYOKING OR DETACHING OF THE
SAME," a communication to me from abroad by Jean Maitre, of
17, Rue Maubeuge, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
The object of the Invention is a system of yoking horses, which has
for result to render the carriage instantaneously independent of the
horse, which if it has run away will leave the carriage behind him.
This system is illustrated in the Drawings annexed to the present
Specification.
Figures 1 and 2 have reference to the application to the shafts of a
onc-horse carriage. Figure 1 is a vertical section of a shaft furnished
with the apparatus; the Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.
In the first instance I have a sort of plate A with four slots or rings,
which plate is furnished with a centre piece B fixed perpendicularly to
itself. The upper ring a receives the back band, the ring a¹ receives the
side straps or traces, the lower ring a² receives the belly band, and the

page_text: ring a receives the breeching. It will therefore be understood that if
the horse is yoked to the plate A, and that the pin B is connected to the
shaft in any appropriate manner, the horse can draw the carriage, but if
at a given moment the centre pin be drawn out of the shaft the horse
becomes free.
For ordinary carriages, cabs, or other vehicles driven by animals
relatively quiet I am satisfied with passing the centre pin in an iron
piece formed with an eye c, and fixing the same by a pin 6 (see
Figure 3).
For private carriages, the horses of which are more dangerous, I use
the system represented in Figure 1, which is composed of an iron piece D
forming with the hinge cap E an eye for receiving the centre pin; the
projecting piece C of the hinge cap E forms a sort of hook, held back
by a slide bolt G provided with a spring and a knob H.
The horse being yoked to the picce A, as hercin-before described, and
which piece being made fast to the shaft by the introduction of its centre
pin in the eye D, E, if the horse runs away it is sufficient to pull on the
Knob H by means of a cord or a strap to free the hinge cap Ẹ by means
of the bolt, the plate A being thus released liberates the horse.
For horses yoked to a single shaft I adopt the arrangement represented
by the Figures 4, 5. Each of the hooks or buckles M which receive the
straps is provided with a tongue m with a hole bored through the same,
which tongue penetrates in the splinter bar with which it is made fast
by a pin n mounted at the end of a spring blade p fixed on the splinter
bar, and which penetrates in the hole with which such tongue is traversed.
At the extremities of the springs p are mounted cords, straps, or chains
united by a cord, strap, or chain S, which hooks on the end of the
lever N, articulated on a turning clip Z, fixed on the seat screen or dash
board within reach of the conductor.
The end of the pole (Figure 5) is taper and receives the metallic end
piece L which carries the rings and buckles for the pole chains and the
direction of the carriage. This end piece is only connected with the
shaft by the pin or bolt t adapted at the end of the spring R, and which
penetrates in the hole bored for the purpose. A cord, strap, or chain T
is attached to the end of the spring which runs along the pole, passes
under the grooved pulley U fixed on this bolt, and is attached to the
single cord or chain S.

page_text: When the horses run away the coachman need merely weigh on the
lever N and then the springs P and R are lifted up and withdraw the
hooks of the carriage and of the end piece L, which being free allows
the horses to leave the carriage and run away.
In order to arrest the momentum of the carriage I make use of a
brake acting either on the circumference of the wheels or on the hubs,
which brake is acted on by the lever N by means of a chain hooked on
like the one S at the extremity of the said lever. Thus on leaning on
this lever not only the horses are detached but the brake of the coach
is set.
Having thus explained the nature of my Invention, as well as the best
means I am acquainted with for putting the same into practice, I claim,
the above described system of harnessing as a whole and in its details
either for the shafts or for horses yoked to a single shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S).