IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINED THILLS OR SHAFTS AND HARNESS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COMBINED THILLS OR SHAFTS AND HARNESS." A communication from
abroad by Royal Bullard Boynton, M.D., of West Townsend, in the County of
Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 7th March 1879, and dated the 23rd September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd September 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINED THILLS OR SHAFTS AND HARNESS."
[A communication from abroad by Royal Bullard Boynton, M.D., of West
Townsend, in the County of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, United States of
America.]
The object.of this Invention is to furnish improved means for connecting a horse
to the shafts or thills of a vehicle, which shall be so constructed as to relieve the
horse from any pressure around his chest to interfere with his breathing and circu-
lation, and which at the same time shall be simple in construction, convenient in
use, and reliable in operation, giving the horse full control over the vehicle.
The Invention consists in the combination of the hinged bow with the forward
ends of the shafts, in the combination of the yoke and breast strap with the hinged
bow and the shafts, in the combination of the martingale and the belly band with
the hinged bow and the shafts, in the combination of the arched bars and the neck
strap with the shafts, in the combination of the steel bar with the shafts to rest
against the horse's hips and serve as a hold-back, in the shafts each made in two
parts having right and left screw threads formed upon their adjacent ends and
connected by a long nut, and in the combination of the gear wheels and sliding
Price 6d1

page_text: toothed shaft irons with the slotted hollow rear ends of the shafts, as herein-after
fully described.
The following is a description of the Invention:-To the forward end of one of
the shafts is hinged a bow, the free end of which is secured to the end of the other
shaft by a swivelled nut, a spring catch, or other convenient and reliable fastening.
To the centre of the bow is pivoted or hinged a semicircular yoke, to the ends of
which are attached the ends of a strap made of a less length than the yoke, and
designed to rest against the breast of the horse and receive the pressure on drawing
the load. The flexibility of the breast strap and the pivot of the yoke allow the
said yoke to accommodate itself to the movements of the horse's shoulders in walking,
and also relieve the horse from the strain when one of the fore wheels passes over an
obstruction. This same effect might be obtained by pivoting the shafts to the axle
in such a way as to give them a slight lateral play. To the lower side of the centre
of the bow is attached by means of a hook and ring or other suitable device the end
of the martingale strap, the other end of which has a loop formed in it to receive
the belly band, and to the ends of the belly band are attached rings to be hooked to
the under side of the shafts. To the shafts near their forward ends are also attached
the ends of two arched bars, which cross each other at the centre, and the forward
arms of which are arranged at right angles with the shafts, or nearly so, while their
rear arms are inclined somewhat to the rearward. To these arched bars at their
point of crossing is attached a knob or other ornament, and to their forward arms
at a little distance above their ends are attached the ends of a strap, which is made
of a less length than the arch of the said bars, and is designed to rest upon the neck
of the horse and support the weight of the shafts and their attachments. To the
shafts are also attached the ends of a bar, the middle part or the whole of which is
made of steel, and which is designed to rest against the hips of the horse when
holding back the load. The middle part of the bar should be padded or covered
with leather to prevent it from chafing the horse. Each of the shafts is made in
two parts, having right and left screw threads formed upon their adjacent ends to
receive the right and left screw threads of a long nut, by which the two parts of
each shaft are united, so that by turning the nuts in one or the other direction the
shafts may be lengthened or shortened to adjust them for use with a longer or
shorter horse, as may be required. The rear ends of the shafts are bent downward
into a vertical position or nearly so, and are made hollow to receive tongues connected
with the axle of the vehicle by clips or other convenient means, and upon the
forward side of these tongues are formed rack teeth, into which mesh the teeth of
gear wheels attached to a rod working in bearings on the shafts, and to one of its
ends is attached a knob or hand wheel for convenience in turning it.
With this
construction, by turning the gear wheels, the shafts may be raised or lowered upon
the shaft irons to adjust them for use with a larger or smaller horse, as may be
required. The movement of the tongues within the cavity of the shafts is limited
by a pin attached to the said tongues, and which passes through a slot on the rear
side of the ends of the shaft. The forward side of the rear part of the shaft is
slotted to receive the gear wheels. The rear parts of the shafts are connected and
held in their proper relative positions by a cross bar in the usual way.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd March 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINED THILLS OR SHAFTS AND HARNESS."
A communication from abroad by Royal Bullard Boynton, M.D., of West
Townsend, in the County of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, United States of
America.
The object of this Invention is to furnish improved means for connecting a horse
to the thills or shafts, which shall be so constructed as to relieve the horse from any
pressure around his chest to interfere with his breathing and circulation, and which
at the same time shall be simple in construction, convenient in use, and reliable in
operation, giving the horse full control over the vehicle. The Invention consists in
the combination of the hinged bow with the forward ends of the thills, in the
combination of the yoke and breast strap with the hinged bow and the thills, in the
combination of the martingale and the belly band with the hinged bow and the
thills, in the combination of the arched bars and the neck strap with the thills, in
the combination of the steel bar with the thills to rest against the horse's hips and
serve as a hold-back, in the thills each made in two parts, having right and left
screw threads formed upon their adjacent ends and connected by a long nut, and in
the combination of the gear wheels and the sliding toothed thill irons with the
slotted hollow rear ends of the thills, as berein-after fully described.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a pair of thills to which
the improvements have been applied, part being broken away to show the construc-
tion; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken through the line ——x, Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A are the thills, to the forward end of one of which is hinged a bow B. The free
end of the bow B is secured to the end of the other thill A by a swivelled nut C,
a spring catch, or other convenient and reliable fastening. To the centre of the
bow B is pivoted or hinged a semicircular yoke D, to the ends of which are attached
the ends of the strap E. The strap E is made of a less length than the yoke D, and
is designed to rest against the breast of the horse and receive the pressure on drawing
the load. The flexibility of the breast strap E and the pivot of the yoke D allow
the said yoke to accommodate itself to the movements of the horse's shoulders in
walking, and also relieve the horse from the strain when one of the four wheels
passes over an obstruction. This same effect might be obtained by pivoting the
thills to the axle in such a way as to give them a slight lateral play. To the lower
side of the centre of the bow B is attached by means of a hook and ring or other
suitable device the end of the martingale strap F. The other end of the martingale
strap F has a loop formed in it to receive the belly band G. To the ends of the
belly band G are attached rings to be hooked upon hooks H attached to the under
side of the thills or shafts A. To the thills A near their forward ends are attached
the ends of two arched bars I, which cross each other at the centre, and the forward
arms of which are arranged at right angles with the thills A, or nearly so, while
their rear arms are inclined somewhat to the rearward. To the arched bars I at
their point of crossing is attached a knob J or other ornament. To the forward
arms of the bars I, at a little distance above their ends, are attached the ends of a
strap K, which is made of a less length than the arch of the said bars, and is
designed to rest upon the neck of the horse and support the weight of the thills and
their attachments.
To the thills A are attached the ends of the bar L, the middle part or the
whole of which is made of steel, and which is designed to rest against the hips
of the horse when holding back the load. The middle part of the bar L should
be padded or covered with leather to prevent it from chafing the horse. Each
of the thills A is made in two parts, having right and left screw threads formed

page_text: upon their adjacent ends to receive the right and left screw threads of the long
-nut M, so that by turning the nuts M in one or the other direction the thills may
be lengthened or shortened to adjust them for use with a longer or shorter horse, as
may be required. The rear ends of the thills A are bent downward into a vertical
position or nearly so, and are made hollow to receive the thill irons N. The thill
irons N are connected with the axle of the vehicle by clips. or other convenient
means, and upon the forward side of their upper parts are formed rack teeth, into
which mesh the teeth of the gear wheels O attached to a rod P. The rod P works
in bearings attached to the thills A, and to one of its ends is attached a knob or
hand wheel Q for convenience in turning it. With this construction, by turning the
gear wheels O, the thills may be raised or lowered upon the thill irons M to adjust
them for use with a larger or smaller horse, as may be required. The movement of
the thill irons N within the cavity of the thills A is limited by a pin attached to
the said thill irons, and which passes through a slot on the rear side of the ends of
the thills A. The forward side of the rear parts of the thills A is slotted to receive
the gear wheels O. The rear parts of the thills A are connected and held in their
proper relative positions by a cross bar R in the usual way.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The bow B carrying the breast strap and hinged to the forward end of one of
the thills or shafts, and its free end detachably secured to the end of the other thill
or shaft, substantially as described.
2nd. The combination of the yoke D and the breast strap E with the hinged
bow B and the thills A, substantially as herein shown and described.
3rd. The combination of the martingale F and the belly band G with the hinged
bow B and the thills A, substantially as herein shown and described.
4th. The combination of the arched bars I and the neck strap K. with the thills A,
substantially as herein shown and described.
5th. The combination of the steel bar L with the thills A to rest against the
horse's hips and serve as a hold-back, substantially as herein shown and described.
6th. The combination of the gear wheels O and the sliding toothed thill irons N
with the slotted hollow rear ends of the thills A, substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)