IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, of the Conser-
vative Club, Saint James's, Captain, and William Henry Postlethwaite
Gore, of Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, Esquire, both in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF WHEELED CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 15th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant and William Henry Postlethwaite Gore at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 15th April
1864.
We, ANGUISH HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, of the Conservative Club, Saint
James's, Captain, and WILLIAM HENRY POSTLETHWAITE GORE, of Palace
Gardens Terrace, Kensington, Esquire, both in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention applies, firstly, to those carriages which are ordinarily called
"Hansom cabs," and more particularly to such "Hansom.cabs" as are con-
structed according to the Specification of Letters Patent granted to William
Nottingham, dated October 20th, 1863, (No. 2573.)
In constructing these cabs, instead of making the head of the cab in a rigid
form, we propose, to make the top of the head (when the head is thrown

page_text: back) either to slide in grooves at each side close to the back of the cab, or
to wind on to a roller placed in a box below the foot board of the driver's
seat, or elsewhere, the object being to allow of more room for the knees and
feet of the driver than in cabs constructed according to the Specification of
the aforesaid Letters Patent.
This part of the Invention is also applicable to other wheeled carriages
made with a head to turn over on pivots as described in the said Specifi-
cation.
Another part of our Invention applies to "Hansom cabs" generally, and
also to other wheeled carriages and perambulators, and consists in constructing
the door of cabs or carriages, or a portion thereof, and the apron of peram-
bulators, in the form of a flexible shutter sliding in grooves at the sides, and
capable of being pushed down so as to wind on to a roller placed in a box
upon or beneath the floor of the carriage, and having catches or fastenings to
secure the same when drawn up. A great advantage in employing doors of
this kind in "Hansom cabs" is that a trunk may be placed between the
door and the dash board, without interfering with the opening or closing of
the door; the catches or fastenings also secure the rider from being thrown
out in case of accident.
a flat
A third part of our Invention, applicable to all kinds of wheeled carriages,
consists in dispensing with the ordinary plate springs, and placing
coiled spring between the axle and the body of the carriage, or between the
axle and the box of the wheel, so as to give the required elasticity and ease of
movement thereto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 2
by the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant and William Henry
Postlethwaite Gore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th October
1864...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ANGUISH
HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, of the Conservative Club, Saint James's, Captain, 3
and WILLIAM HENRY POSTLETHWAITE GORE, of Palace Gardens Terrace, Ken-
sington, Esquire, both in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date, the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her 3
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,

page_text: the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant and William Henry Postle-
thwaite Gore, Her special licence that we, the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant and William Henry Postlethwaite Gore, our executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant and William Henry Postlethwaite Gore, our executors, adminis
trators, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED CAR-
RIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Anguish Honour
Augustus Durant and William Henry Postlethwaite Gore, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same 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 we, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant
and William Henry Postlethwaite Gore, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to
say:-
"
Our Invention applies, firstly, to those carriages which are ordinarily called
"Hansom cabs," and more particularly to such "Hansom cabs as are con-
structed according to the Specification of Letters Patent granted to William
Nottingham, dated October the Twentieth One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three (No. 2573.)
In constructing these cabs (which we propose to name the "Albert cab ")
we make the framework of the cab of corrugated iron, for the purpose of com-
bining strength and lightness, and when a rigid head is used, as described in
the said Specification,. we mount the same on an excentric hinge, or we place
the pivots (upon which the head turns over) in grooves or slots, so that as the
head is turned down it shall at the same time slide forwards so as to be
out of the way of the driver's knees; or, instead of making the head of the
cab in a rigid form, we propose to make the top part of the head flexible, and,
(when the latter is thrown back) either to slide in grooves at each side close
to the back of the cab, or to wind on to a roller placed in a box below the

page_text: footboard of the driver's seat, or elsewhere, the object being to allow of more
room for the knees and feet of the driver than in cabs constructed precisely
"according to the Specification of the aforesaid Letters Patent:
This part of the Invention is also applicable to other wheeled carriages
made with a head to turn over on pivots as described in the said Specification.
Another part of our Invention applies to "Hansom cabs" generally, and to
other wheeled carriages and perambulators, and consists in constructing the
door or doors of cabs or carriages (or a portion thereof), and the apron of
perambulators, in the form of a flexible shutter, sliding in grooves at the sides,
and capable of being pushed down so as to wind on to a roller placed in a box
fixed upon or beneath the floor of the carriage, and having suitable catches or
fastenings to secure the same when drawn up: A great advantage in em-
ploying doors of this kind in "Hansom cabs" is that a trunk or other luggagé
'may be placed between the door and the dashboard without interfering with
the opening or closing of the door; the catches or fastenings also secure the
rider from being thrown out in case of accident.
A third part of our Invention, applicable to all kinds of wheeled carriages,
consists in dispensing with the ordinary plate springs, and placing a flat coiled
spring between the axle and the body of the carriage; or between the axle
and the box of the wheel, so as to give the required elasticity and ease of
movement thereto.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improvements
in the Construction of Wheeled Carriages," we will now proceed to describe
more in detail the manner in which the same is to be (or may be) performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be distinctly
understood, we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative
thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say,
Figure 1 in the annexed Drawing represents a side view of our improved
"Hansom cab" with the head up, and Figure 2 a similar view with the head
down. Instead of making the whole of the head rigid, as mentioned in the
Specification before alluded to, we propose to make the top part of the same
(from about the point a to the point b) flexible in the manner of a revolving
or folding shutter, the sides c, c, of the head being still-made rigid, and having
internal flanges overlapping the flexible top, so that when the head is thrown
back, as in Figure 2, the flexible top shall slide down in grooves at each side
at the back of the body of the cab, as represented by the dotted lines b, d, in
that figure; whilst the rigid sides c, c, and the front framework of the head,'
merely turnover on the pivots e, e, as shown in the Drawings. Instead of the

page_text: flexible top sliding in grooves, as represented by the dotted lines, it may be
inade to coil itself, as before mentioned, on to a roller placed beneath the foot-
board of the driver's box, or in any other convenient position.
The second part of our Invention is illustrated in the Diagram, Figure 3,
representing a partial front view of a cab, in which f,f, is the flexible door
running in grooves g, g, at the sides, and capable of being pushed down so as
to wind or coil itself on to a roller placed in the box h, h, (see Figure 1,)
beneath the floor of the cab or carriage.
The third part of our Invention is illustrated more clearly in the detached
view, Figure 4, in which i is the axle, and k, k, a coiled spring, the inner end
of which is attached to the axle, and the outer end is .confined within a box
1, 1, fixed to the body of the cab or carriage.
Having now particularly described the nature and object of our said Inven-
tion for "Improvements in the Construction of Wheeled Carriages," together
with the manner in which the same is to be (or may be) performed or carried
into practical effect, we have to state, in conclusion, that we claim as our
Invention the several improvements in wheeled carriages above described and
exhibited in the annexed Drawings, or any mere modification or imitation
thereof, constructed in substantially the same or a similar manner.
In witness whereof, we, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant and
William Henry Postlethwaite Gore, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
A. H. AUGUSTUS DURANT. (L.S.)
W. HENRY P. GORE.
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE DAVIES,
Patent Agent,
1, Serle Street,
Lincoln's Inn.