Iμ- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE STARTING OF STREET, OR HORSE, RAILROAD, AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "Iμ-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE STARTING OF STREET, OR
HORSE, RAILROAD, AND OTHER CARRIAGES."-A communication from abroad
by Samuel Ward, of New York City, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 30th August 1867, and dated the 8th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
March 1867.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE STARTING OF STREET,
OR HORSE, RAILROAD, AND OTHER CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain by a very simple and economical
means a contrivance by which a team will be very materially assisted in
starting a car on the track, and without at all interfering with the running
gear or mechanism of the car after it has been started.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figure 1 is a half plan or top view
of the running gear of a car with the Invention applied to it; Figure 2, a side

page_text: sectional view of the same taken in the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3, a
detached section of of the Invention taken in the line y, y, Figure 2.
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Similar
A represents the framing of the truck in which the axles B, B, are fitted as
usual with the wheel C firmly secured on thein, the wheels and axles turning
together when the car is drawn along. D is the slide which is fitted between
guides a, a, at one end of the car, and has a spring E* of india-rubber or
other suitable elastic material applied to it, in such a manner as to have a
tendency to keep the slide back within the truck frame as far as it is designed
to go. To the rear part of the slide D there are secured by a pivot bolt b
two bars E, E, the rear ends of which are connected by a bolt c to the upper
ends of two arms F, F, the lower or opposite ends having bosses G, G, which
are fitted loosely on the axle B nearest the slide D, so that they may turn
freely thereon. On this axle B, between the two bosses G, G, there is firmly
keyed or otherwise secured a wheel H, which turns with the axle at all times,
and upon the bolt c which connects the bars E, E, with the arms F, F, and
between said arms there is an eccentric or pendant cam 1, the lower edge of
which is in contact with the wheel H; this eccentric or cam has a spring a*
bearing against it. This eccentric or cam I is simply a plate hanging loosely
on the bolt c, and having its lower edge or face d curved to form a portion of
a circle eccentric with the bolt c, and by this means constitute a clutch to
bind upon the periphery of the wheel H, and cause the same, and consequently
the axle B and its wheels C, C, to turn when the slide D is drawn outward, and
at the same time admit, when the slide D is fully drawn out of the axle B,
its wheels C, C, as well as the wheel H, turning freely under the traction of
the wheels C. The train is connected to the outer end of the slide D, which
before the car is started has a backward position in the truck frame owing to
the influence of spring E*, and in starting the team the slide D is drawn
outward and the eccentric or pendant cam I clutches the wheel H, and the
axle and wheels are turned, and the car consequently started by a direct
application of the power of the team to the axle and wheels, the forward or
outward movement of the slide D coming in contact with a cross bar f of the
truck frame, or by any other suitable means. This device may be applied to
both ends of the car, and in these cases, where the cars are not turned on a
table at the end of the route, it would be necessary to have it applied to
both ends.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, 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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE STARTING OF STREET, OR
HORSE, RAILROAD, AND OTHER CARRIAGES," & communication to me from abroad
by Samuel Ward, of New York City, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the sanie 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 Clark, 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 follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to obtain by a very simple and economical
means a contrivance by which a team will be very materially assisted in
starting a car on the track, and without at all interfering with the running
gear or mechanism of the car after it has been started.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figure 1 is the plan or top view
of the running gear of a car with the Invention applied to it; Figure 2, a
side sectional view of the same taken in the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3, &

page_text: detached section of the Invention taken in the line y, y, Figure 2. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the framing of the truck in which the axles B, B, are fitted as
usual with the wheels C firmly secured on them, the wheels and axles turning
together when the car is drawn along. D is the slide which is fitted between
guides a, a, at one end of the car, and has a spring E* of india-rubber or
other suitable elastic material applied to it, in such manner as to have a
tendency to keep the slide back within the truck frame as far as it is designed
to go. To the rear part of this slide D there are secured by a pivot bolt b
two bars E, E, the rear ends of which are connected by a bolt c to the upper
ends of two arms F, F, the lower or opposite ends having bosses G, G, which
are fitted loosely on the axle B nearest the slide D, so that they may turn
freely thereon. On this axle B, between the two bosses G, G, there is firmly
keyed or otherwise secured a wheel H, which turns with the axle at all times
and upon the bolt c which connects the bars E, E, with the arms F, F, and
between said arms there is an eccentric or pendant cam I, the lower edge of
which is in contact with the wheel H; this eccentric or cam has a spring a*
bearing against it. This eccentric or cam I is simply a plate hanging loosely
on the bolt c, and having its lower edge or face d curved to form a portion of
a circle eccentric with the bolt c, and by this means it constitutes a clutch to
bind upon the periphery of the wheel H, and cause the same, and consequently
the axle B and its wheels C, to turn when the slide D is drawn outward, and
at the same time admit, when the slide D is fully drawn out of the axle B, its
wheels C, C, as well as the wheel H turning freely under the traction of the
wheels C. The team is connected to the outer end of the slide D, which
before the car is started has a backward position in the truck frame owing to
the influence of spring E*, and in starting the team the slide D is drawn
outward and the eccentric or pendant cam I clutches the wheel H, and the
axle and wheels are turned and the car consequently started by a direct
application of the power of the team to the axle and wheels, the forward or
outward movement of the slide D being limited by a stop e on D coming in
contact with a cross bar f of the truck frame, or by any other suitable means.
The device may be applied to both ends of the car, and in these cases, where
the cars are not turned on a turntable at the end of the route it would be
necessary to have it applied to both ends. The above-described apparatus is
also applicable to other carriages.
Having described the nature of this 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-

page_text: First, the slide D connected with the eccentric or cam I suspended between
arms E, F, fitted loosely on the axle, and arranged in rotation with the
wheel H on the axle, or its equivalent, to operate in the manner substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly, in a device for starting cars, the eccentric or cam I, armis F, F,
spring a*, bars e, e, in combination with axle B, constructed, arranged, and
operating in the manner substantially as shown and described.
Thirdly, in a device for starting cars, the combination of the eccentric
or cam I, and step e, and slide D or its equivalent, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
W. CLARK. (L.B.)