CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM.
PIDDING, of North Crescent, Bedford Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of
November, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and:
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Pidding, my exors,
adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Pidding, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Pidding, my exors, adiñors, or assigns,.
should at any time agree with; and no others, from time to time and at all.
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Pidding, should cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner ▸
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar mouths next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Pidding, have ascertained and set forth the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists,-
Firstly, as regards carriages for common roads, in a peculiar mode of con-
structing the front or Icading wheels of four-wheeled carriages, whereby the
carriage can turn to the right or left without requiring the position of the front
axle to be altered, and consequently the fore wheels may be of the same
diameter as the hind ones. Figures 1 and 2 exhibit a wheel of this construc-
tion; Figure 1 being a front section through the nave, and. Figure 2 an end
section through the nave. a, a, is the nave, and b, b, the spokes, which are
inserted in the fellocs c, c. These felloes do not, as in ordinary wheels, con-
stitute an entire continuous circle of wood bound together by an iron ring or
tyre, but are composed of detached portions of a circle corresponding to the
number of spokes, and not quite in contact with each other. The spokes are
not fixed immoveably in the nave, but are capable of a slight lateral deflection,
having on each side of them springs d, d, contained in recesses in the nave,
which, yielding to lateral pressure, allow the spokes to be bent out of the per-
pendicular, so as to form an acute or an obtuse angle with the axis. The
spokes and the springs are retained in the nave by a hoop or ring e, having
notches in it to receive the spokes. This ring is slided over the springs, and over
shoulders ff, formed on the spokes, and is secured by another ring g, which
is slided over the projecting ends of the ring e. Whilst the carriage is
proceeding in a right line the spokes are retained in a vertical plane or at
right angles to the axis by the springs; but when the power of the horses is
exerted to cause it to turn, each spoke, as it comes to the ground, is bent to the
right or left, so that they may be considered as making a succession of
diagonal steps, and the front of the carriage is thereby moved in the required
direction.
; I claim, under this head of my Invention, the constructing of wheels with
spokes capable of being each separately deflected, so as to form an acute or an
obtuse angle with the axle, by the action of the tractive power in drawing
round the carriage to which they are applied.
My Invention consists,―
Secondly, in certain combinations of parts, applied to carriages whereby

page_text: the wheels of common road carriages are caused to roll constantly upon or
along metallic plane surfaces, which I call a "portable railway." Figures 3,
4, and 5 represent one arrangement for this purpose; Figure 3 being
a side elevation, Figure 4 a plan, and Figure 5 an end view of one side:
a, a, are two beams or frames connected by bars a¹, a', the upper and under
sides of which frames are parallel, and the ends semi-circular. b, b, are a
series of rollers connected together by the endless chain c, c, which encircles
the frame. Each link of the chain carries a small wheel or rollor'd, d, turning
in the bearings e, e. These rollers stand at right angles to the rollers 'b, b;
and a portion of them rest upon the ground, and support the rollers b, b, at
some distance from the ground, and a portion of the rollers b, b, support the
frames a, a, to which the carriage is connected in any convenient manner.
The horses are attached to the frame, which, as it is drawn forward, rolls over
the upper surfaces of the lower rollers b, b, whilst the lower rollers d, d, remain
stationary upon the ground until by the revolution of the endless chain, pro-
duced by the advance of the frame, the hindmost of the rollers is lifted from
the earth, and another roller is brought down to the earth at the fore end of
the frame. When the force is exerted obliquely upon the frames, the lower
rollers d, d, revolve, and impart to the frames a lateral movement, which;
combined with the forward motion, changes the direction in which the carriage
is advancing. Rims or flanges are formed along the sides and ends of tho
frames to retain the rollers b, b, in contact with the frames.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a modification of the arrangement shewn in
Figures 3, 4, and 5, to adapt it to carriages running upon railroads. In this
case the rollers b, b, come in direct contact with the rail which forms the
road upon which they run (the rollers d, d, shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5,
being unnecessary, and therefore suppressed), and to retain the carriages upon
the rails horizontal guide wheels (or it may be mere guide plates) pressing
against the rails are added, as shewn in Figure 7. I also propose to apply, in
some cases, in combination with this modification, an endless band composed
of steel, wire gauze, felt, leather, or other suitable material, passing between
the lower rollers and the rails, and over the upper surface of the upper rollers;
and round the rollers h, h, introduced for the purpose, as shewn by the red
lines in Figure 6.
,
Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 represent another arrangement for the same
purpose; Figure 8 being a front elevation of the apparatus, Figure 9 a plan of
the apparatus on one side of the carriage; Figure 10 a view of the upper
side of the links or plates as they lie upon the ground, and Figure 11 an end
view of the apparatus on one side of the carriage. a is a wheel of the

page_text: •
of
carriage, upon the axle of which is supported a triangular frame b, which is
retained in its position by a pin c, projecting from the carriage, and working in
a slot in the frame. d, d, are two square rollers revolving in bearings in the
ends of the frame, and carrying round the endless band e, e, composed of tram-
plates of metal connected to each other by hinge joints; and passing under the
wheel a. At each joint is hung a. "shoe" for the purpose of affording a
better bearing to the links upon the ground. The red circles denote a train
spur wliecls by which the motion of the carriage turns the rollers d, d. .g is
a wheel fixed to the carriage wheel which drives the pinions h, h, turning upon
studs in the frame b, which drives the pinions i, i, fixed upon the axis of the
rollers d, d. As the wheel a advances the rotation of the rollers d, d, winds
up the endless band, laying down plates in advance of the wheel, and raising
those in the rear of it. To allow the carriage moving laterally, there is placed
upon the pin of the hinge between the shoe and each side of the plate a
spring k.
I claim, under this head of my Invention,―.
First, the combination of a frame and an endless chain carrying two series
of rollers, by means of which the forward and lateral movement of the carriage
is obtained, as herein-before described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5,
and the modification of the same combination exhibited in Figures 6 and 7, to
adapt it to railway carriages, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the employment of endless bands of plates passing under the
wheels of carriages, to serve as a roadway, and kept revolving by the rotations
of drums. or rollers driven by the wheel of the carriage, as herein-before
.described with reference to Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.
My Invention consists,
Thirdly, in so suspending two-wheeled carriages that the weight of tho
hinder part of the carriage shall be supported at a point before the axle, and
the weight of the fore part of the carriage shall be suspended at a point behind
the axle. Figure 12 shews two arrangements for this purpose.
a is the body
of the carriage, and 6 a T spring placed at the side thereof transversely to the
axis, and mounted either upon the axis or upon the shaft frame. A strap or
link c connects the hinder arm of the spring to an arm or pin d, near the fore
end of the carriage, and a strap or link e connects the fore arm of the spring to
a stud or arm f, near the hinder end of the carriage. The red lines in the
same Figure shew another arrangement for the same purpose. A spring y
attached to the under side of the body at the fore end is connected to an arm h
projecting behind the axle, and another spring i, attached to the hinder part of
the body, is connected to an arm k, projecting before the axle..

page_text: I claim, under this head of my Invention, the suspending of two-wheeled
carriages in such manner that the weight of the fore part of the body shall be
transferred to a point behind the axle, and the weight of the hinder part of the
body transferred to a point before the axle.
My fourth and last improvement in carriages applies to four-wheeled single-
horse carriages driven by a postillion, and consists in an arrangement for
relieving the horse's back from the weight of the postillion. For this purpose
the shafts (which will require to be much stronger than is usual) are not
hinged to the fore carriage, but are firmly supported by it in a fixed position,
as shewn in Figure 13, and the saddle is placed upon an arched frame, which
can be adjusted to any part of the shaft, so as to place it in the proper position
over the horse's back, but without touching his back.
I claim, under this head of my Invention, the application to four-wheeled one-
horse carriages of shafts fixed to the fore carriage or frame over the front axle,
and supporting a saddle for the postillion.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pidding, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
WILD
(L.S.)
FIDDING.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid William Pidding came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforc-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.