CERTAIN MEANS AND IMPROVEMENTS ON WAGGONS, CARTS, AND OTHER WHEEL CARRIAGES, WHEREBY FRICTION MAY BE SAVED, LABOUR FACILITATED, AND A GREATER DEGREE OF SAFETY OBTAINED
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,' JOHN
CRAIGIE, of Quebec, in the Province of Lower Canada, now residing in
Craven Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster; the Twenty-sixth day of
March, in the fifty-first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
John Craigie, my exors, admiors, and assigns, special licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Craigie, my exors; admors,
and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should' and 'lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all the Colonies and Plantations abroad,
by Invention of "CERTAIN MEANS AND IMPROVEMENTS ON WAGGONS, CARTS, AND
OTHER WHEEL CARRIAGES, WHEREBY FRICTION MAY BE SAVED, LABOUR FACILITATED,
AND A GREATER DEGREE OF SAFETY OBTAINED;" in which said Eetters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Craigie, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months after the date of the said recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Craigie, do hereby declare that my said Invention consists of the
following particulars :-
The principle of the improvements proposed consists in making the load a
live instead of a dead weight. The object is to be obtained by the placing
transversely braces of leather cordage, iron chain, or other flexible materials,
which may be increased in number or in strenght, so as to support any load
or pressure that can be required. By these braces the load is to be suspended,
and will give temporary way on any impediment to the motion of the carriage,
and thereby operate in the nature of a spring, while the center of gravity
moving forwards there will be a propelling power in the load. We will first
suppose a waggon or carriage on four wheels; on the two axises are to be
placed longitudinally two side pieces of sufficient strength the whole length of
the carriage, kept separate as well by being fixed to the axletrees as by the
iron knees below of sufficient strength; these side pieces may be six inches
or more in height. From the side pieces are to be suspended the braces
which are to support a moveable frame. The moveable frame when suspended
of. must be of some distance from the fixed sides, say two inches or more, and
in the braces must be of length to afford sufficient play, say eight inches at least
d more than the distance betwixt the side pieces. In two-wheel carriages the
same principle is to be observed; the proportions may vary in both. The
body of the waggon placed on the moveable frame may be thereby raised
as to fill the whole space betwixt the wheels. The advantages of springs
to carriages are well known and ascertained. Springs, however, are
expensive, liable to accidents, and cannot be used for very heavy loads. It
is believed that the improvements proposed will be found to possess the
advantages without the inconveniences of springs. Peculiar advantage will be
derived from them on two-wheel carriages. At present, whether on springs or
without, in two-wheel carriages, in ascending a hill, the center of gravity is
thrown back, whereby a part of the weight is taken off the horse's back at the
very moment when it would be more favorable to his draught to have it on.
In coming down a hill, on the contrary, an additional load is thrown upon the
horse when most injurious. By the improvements proposed the centre of
gravity will remain the same.
P
ing

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1811, the aforesaid John Craigie came before our said Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eleven.