IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE SAFE KEEPING AND TRANSIT OF HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS IN SAILING VESSELS OR STEAMSHIPS, AND IN THE MEANS OR ARRANGEMENTS OF APPARATUS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Small, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Tramway Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND CONNECTED WITH THE SAFE KEEPING AND TRANSIT OF HORSES AND OTHER
ANIMALS IN SAILING VESSELS OR STEAMSHIPS, AND IN THE MEANS OR
ARRANGEMENTS OF APPARATUS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED THEREFOR,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Small at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th November 1877.
JAMES HENRY SMALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Tramway Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE SAFE, KEEPING.
AND TRANSIT OF HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS IN SAILING VESSELS OR STEAMSHIPS,
AND IN THE MEANS OR ARRANGEMENTS OF APPARATUS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED
THEREFOR."
This Invention has for its object to give greater facilities for the promotion and
development of trade in the transit of horses, sheep, or oxen, and other live stock or
animals, by sea in all weathers from countries where they are plentiful to supply the
demand in other countries where they are scarce; and it relates to improved modes
and means of stalling or housing the animals on board of steamships or other
vessels, whereby the great loss by death and permanent disablement at present so
frequent by their being shaken and bruised in stormy weather on rough seas will
be wholly avoided.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist in making the usual seperate
fixed strong boxes or stalls in which the animals are placed, each movable, as
children's hanging cradles or as sailors' hammocks, by bow links swinging on a
strong rod or bar jointed or secured longitudinally to the beams of the deck above,
or on standards projecting up from the deck below, over and across the middle of.
the rows of boxes or stalls, preferably arranged transversely along the two sides of
the between decks, or it might be longitudinally.
When the upper bar is fixed to and oscillates with the stall boxes it may have a

page_text: chain wheel on it, with an endless chain passed round it and round a friction chain
wheel carried on a bracket or other equivalent on the deck below, tightened up to
any desired degree of retarding friction to prevent the too free oscillation or
re-actionary motion of the stall box and animal within it by the side rocking or
rolling of the ship.
Or, otherwise, a lever fixed on the said oscillating bar may be coupled by a con-
necting rod to a double-acting closed-in piston and air-regulating cylinder, or it
might be water "cataract" cylinders, preferably secured to the ship at a considerable
angle to the direct line of motion of the lever, with inlet and outlet branches at each
end fitted with regulating taps, so as to automatically retard or prevent the oscilla-
tion of the boxes by the rolling of the ship.
Or an equivalent cylinder might be made close, and have steam or compressed air
admitted to it, controlled by an ordinary slide valve or other valves actuated by the
hand of an attendant, as the steam engines for the steering of the ships are, or auto-
matically by the lurching of the vessel, so as to act or re-act against the oscillations
of the said rocking boxes or their said lever; or the piston of the said cylinder
might be directly connected to the boxes when they are hung or oscillated on a
fixed bar or centres above.
L
Or a close air vessel might be fitted in the hold on either or both sides of the ship,
open to the sea, so as to act like the pneumatic governor for marine steam engines
by the pressure or relief of pressure caused within the air vessel by the water
through the sudden immersion and rising of the ship respectively, and which motion
might be made to actuate a rod and the valves of either the re-actionary cataract
cylinder or that of the positive acting air cylinder.
Another modification consists in fitting the stall boxes on convex segmental
frames and bottoms, made to work on india-rubber covered or other rollers within
a concave segmental sole plate or frame on the deck below it, all to allow them to
rock within this hollow bed; or these segmental supporting and rolling surfaces
might be formed at the sides of the boxes near their centre of gravity, instead of
below, as described, all. in contradistinction to hanging them on hanging oscillating
bars and joints, as described in the first modification, the means of steadiment being
all substantially the same as for the hanging arrangement.
Or, in addition to the air regulating cylinders for retarding the momentum or
oscillation of the heavy stall boxes, spiral or india-rubber springs might be used,
taken at an acute angle from the point of junction with the ship; and in very rough
weather a species of harness could be attached over the breast and round the hips of
the horses, and have strong india-rubber bands or springs attached thereto to the
reverse end of the box, so as to prevent the horse from injuring itself against the
ends of the box.
When the stall boxes are arranged longitudinally a few of them may be coupled
together below by connecting rods aud buffer or other springs, so as to be retarded
and steadied in their rocking motion together by the same controlling hand or auto-
matically acting mechanism herein-before described.

page_text: 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 24th May
1878.
JAMES HENRY SMALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Tramway Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE SAFE-KEEPING
AND TRANSIT OF HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS IN SAILING VESSELS OR STEAMSHIPS,
AND IN THE MEANS OR ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED
THEREFOR."
My said Invention has for its object to give greater facilities for the promotion and
development of trade in the transit of horses, sheep, or oxen, and other live stock or
animals, by sea in all weathers from countries where they are plentiful to supply the
demand in other countries where they are scarce; and it relates to improved modes
and means of stalling or housing the animals on board of steamships or other
vessels, whereby the great loss by death and permanent disablement at present so
frequent by their being shaken and bruised in stormy weather on rough seas will
be wholly avoided.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consists in making the usual separate
fixed strong boxes or stalls in which the animals are placed, each movable, as
children's swinging cradles or as sailors' hammocks, by bow links or eyes swinging
on a strong rod or bar jointed or secured longitudinally to the beams of the deck
above, or on standards projecting up from the deck below, over and across the
middle of the rows of boxes or stalls, which are preferably ranged transversely along
the two sides of the between decks, or they may be ranged longitudinally.
When the upper bar is fixed to and oscillates with the stall boxes it may have a
chain wheel on it, with an endless chain passed round it and round a friction chain
wheel carried on a bracket or other equivalent on the deck below, tightened up to
any desired degree of retarding friction to prevent the too free oscillation or
re-actionary motion of the stall box and animal within it by the side rocking or
rolling of the ship.
Or, otherwise, a lever fixed on the said oscillating bar may be coupled by a con-
necting rod to a double-acting closed-in piston and air-regulating cylinder, or
"cataract" cylinders, preferably secured to the ship at a considerable angle to the
direct line of motion of the lever, with inlet and outlet branches at each end fitted
with regulating taps, so as to automatically retard or prevent the oscillation of the
boxes by the rolling of the ship.
Or an equivalent cylinder might be made close, and have steam or compressed air
admitted to it, and controlled by an ordinary slide valve or other valves actuated by
the hand of an attendant, as the steam engines for the steering of ships are, or auto-
matically by the lurching or rolling of the vessel, so as to act or re-act against the
oscillations of the said rocking boxes or their said lever; or the piston of the said
cylinder might be directly connected to the boxes when they are hung or oscillated
on a fixed bar or centres above.
Or a close air vessel might be fitted in the hold on either or both sides of the ship,
open to the sea, so as to act like the pneumatic governor for marine steam engines
by the pressure or relief of pressure caused within the air vessel by the water
through the sudden immersion and rising of the ship respectively, and which motion
might be made to actuate a rod and the valves of either the re-actionary cataract
cylinder or that of the positive acting air cylinder.
Another modification consists in fitting the stall boxes on convex segmental
frames and bottoms, made to work on india-rubber covered or other rollers within
a concave segmental sole plate or frame on the deck below it, all to allow them to
rock within this hollow bed; or these segmental supporting and rolling surfaces
might be formed at the sides of the boxes near their centre of gravity, instead of
below, as described, all in contradistinction to hanging them on hanging oscillating

page_text: bars and joints, as described in the first modification, the means of steadiment being
all substantially the same as for the hanging arrangement.
When the stall boxes are placed transversely and ranged longitudinally a few of
them may be coupled together below by connecting rods and buffer or other springs,
so as to be retarded and steadied in their rocking motion together, in a set by the
same controlling hand or automatically acting mechanism herein-before described.
Having now described the full nature and novelty of my said Invention, I shall
now proceed to describe the two Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have
hereunto appended for the purpose of showing the mode and means of performing,
and which may be used for putting my said Invention into effect or practice, the
same letters of reference indicating the same parts where shown in both Figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are a midship section and plan of a central part respectively of a
steam or sailing vessel Z, showing the application of my said improvements to two
coupled horse boxes so hung and constructed as to be controlled by cataract
cylinders, all in accordance with and illustrative of one modification of my said
Invention.
Two horse boxes A, A, are constructed with angle-iron side frames a, secured
together by angle transverse irons at the end of the floor, which is formed of strong
plauking D, as is also the inner lining of the sides and ends D¹, D¹, the whole being
hung by eyes at the upper part of the frame from a longitudinal bar B, fixed in
brackets C screwed to the beams Z above, all so as to oscillate freely as the ship
rolls, as indicated to the right-hand side of Figure 1.
Two cataract cylinders E, E¹, vibrating on a trunion frame F screwed or bolted
down to the deck near the centre of oscillation at one side of the boxes, having the
free oscillating end of the plungers or their rods e, e¹, jointed to strong lateral studs
projecting from brackets a² secured at the lower ends of the frames a, and the lower
ends of the cylinders are directly connected through their oscillating trunnions by
the coupling pipe f, all so that as the horse boxes A, A, (coupled by the channel
iron a between them, and controlled by an intermediate tap or valve f¹) oscillates
to the right, as indicated by the dotted lines; the plunger e is forced into its
cylinder E, and so displaces or forces the water or other liquid contained in it into
the cylinder E' while the plunger of the cylinder E' is being drawn out, and tends
to draw the liquid therefrom, the oscillation of the horse boxes in the other direction
producing the reverse or converse action. The tap or valve f¹ being adjusted more
or less open by the attendant, so as to control the time and rate of motion or oscil-
lation of the horse boxes, and to retard or lessen the violence of the vibration in
rough or stormy weather, and prevent injury to the horses and yet allow them to
swing gently to and hang at plumb level in moderate weather whatever may be the
angle to which the ship is heeling or laying over, thus preventing the horses from
being pressed up or knocked against the ends of their boxes, and consequently
saving them from getting bruised on the chests and haunches when the vessel is thus
heeled over.
The water, oil, or other liquid, used in the lower part of these cataract or con-
trolling cylinders E, E¹, may be filled in more or less at pleasure by the funnel tap ell
in one or both cylinders, the liquid being always equalised in both cylinders each
time the vessel and horse box assume their vertical position, as shown on left-hand
side of Figure 1; and air taps e would be fitted near the top or stuffing boxes of
the cylinders to control the admission and emission of air into each cylinder above
the liquid or piston when they are fitted with pistons instead of plungers, and so
give a greater degree of elasticity and softness of action not possible with the liquid
alone; or air might be used both above and below the pistons in some cases.
As an equivalent for or in addition to the air-regulating cylinders E, E¹, for
retarding the momentum or oscillation of the heavy stall boxes A, spiral or india-
rubber springs G may be used, connected to the ship and box at an acute angle to

page_text: its line of motion; and in very rough weather a species of harness could be applied
over the breast and round the hips of the horse, and have strong india-rubber straps
or bands attached thereto and to the reverse end of the box, so as to prevent the
horse from injuring itself against the ends of the box.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the mode of performing the same, I have to state that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but what I
consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The arrangement, construction, and application of swinging, rocking, or
oscillating boxes or stalls A on board of steam or sailing ships or vessels for the safe
transit of horses or other live stock across sea in rough or stormy weather, all sub-
stantially as herein described, and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any
mere modification thereof.
Second. The fitting and controlling of the oscillation of the hanging boxes or
stalls A on board of steam or sailing ships or vessels with and by water, air, or other
fluid positive-acting cylinders or cataracts, and their necessary hanging or automatic
regulating valves or taps, all substantially as herein described, or any mere modifi-
cation thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Henry Small, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-eight.
JAS. H. SMALL. (L.S.)