IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. CHRISTOPHER
NICKELS, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fourth day of December, in the third year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Christopher Nickels,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Christopher Nickels, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Christopher Nickels, my exors, adññiors, 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, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES," communicated to me
by a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Christopher Nickels, shall cause a parti-
cular description of the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference 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
Christopher Nickels, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say -
The Invention relates to a mode of applying flexible tubes to act on the
perepheries of wheels, and to cause them to move or roll onwards, such wheels
having suitable framings to constitute the carriages carried by the axletrees
of such wheels, according to the object to which the carriages are to be
applied. And in order to give the best information in my power, I will
proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed, where the Invention is
suitably arranged for propelling carriages on railways or tram roads; and I
shall afterwards make such observations in respect to the Invention as to
enable it readily to be applicable to the towing of vessels or barges on canals
or inland waters, and also for other purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In applying the Invention to rail or tramways, I prefer to apply a central
rail to carry the flexible tube or tubes, and that the rail or tramway should
otherwise be constructed according to any of the ordinary means.
Figure 1 represents a section of the central rail on which the flexible tube
is carried. Figure 2 shows a similar section of the rail, together with a broad
wheel which runs thereon, the section of the tube being taken at a distance
from the wheel. Figure 3 shews another section of the rail, the section of the
tube being taken immediately under the pinch of the wheel. Figure 4 shows
two sections of the flexible tube. Figure 5 shows a portion of the central
rail and the flexible tube, together with the carriage wheel propelled thereby.
Figure 6 shows the propelled wheel with a suitable side framing for a
carriage to draw passenger or other carriages on a railway or tramroad, as
is indicated at Figure 7, Figure 8 being a transverse section of Figure 7.
And it should be here stated that the same letters of reference are employed to
indicate similar parts in all the Figures; A being the central rail of wood or
other suitable material; B, B, being two side rails affixed thereto, and serve as
the guiding rails for the wheels F, which are used to prevent the driving wheel
being lifted off by the tube in its being expanded from a flat state to a cylin-
drical one, and represents the flexible tube which is made of suitable air and
waterproof fabric or leather. And I prefer such as is rendered water and air

page_text: proof by india rubber, as is well understood.
D is what I call the propelled
wheel of the carriage. The perephery of this wheel at all times rests on the
tube, and it will readily be understood that if the pipe or tube C extends
along the rail A from one place to another, which I would prefer should not
be of greater length than two miles,-and if the two places between which a
railway may be laid be at a greater distance apart than two miles, then I
divide the length into distances of two miles or less-supposing the tube C to
be so laid, and a carriage with its wheel D to be at one end, it will be evident
that if a blowing machine be connected with that end of the tube C, and air
be thereby forced into the tube C, the same, in expanding, will constantly be
acting under and against the perephery of that wheel D, in like manner to a
travelling inclined plane or wedge, which will drive the carriage forward with
a speed depending on the speed of filling that part of the tube C which is
behind the wheel; and it is such mode of acting by means of flexible tubes
which constitutes the Invention secured by the present Letters Patent. And
I would remark, that although for most purposes atmospheric air will be the
best fluid for expanding the flexible tubes used, in order to drive forward
carriages by their wheels D, yet it will be evident that other fluids might be
used for such purposes. Thus supposing there to be a head of water at each
terminus of a railway which could be allowed to run into and fill up the tube
which for the time being is behind the wheel D, the water, thereby expanding
the tube, would drive forward the carriage with which the wheel D may be
connected, whatever be the arrangement of that carriage or the purpose for
which it may be applied. And it will only be required to remark, that when
the tube C has become full of air, water, or other fluid, and the carriage has
arrived at the end of the tube, the further supply of air or water will be cut off,
and that contained in the tube will be allowed to flow away; and then, if air
be forced in, or water flow into the other end of the tube C, the carriage may
be caused to return by the same tube, or there may be double lines of
way similar to what are now employed, so that the up and down trains
of carriages may have their respective lines; and in such cases, where
the distance between the two terminii is considerable, then it will be desirable
to have a succession of tubes C, so that when the wheel D runs off one
it shall immediately pass on to another, having a proper arrangement made
that the air, water, or other fluid used may be caused to flow immediately
into the succeeding tube on the wheel. Having got thereon by this means.
and having proper signals to indicate to the person attending the further
end of the tube C, in order that he may cut off the supply of air or water used

page_text: just before the wheel passes off, a particular tube or carriage may be propelled
to any desired distance. In some cases, where the trains of carriages vary in
weight, I recommend the use of two or more flexible tubes side by side, in
which case the propelled wheel D may be of sufficient breadth to be acted on
by the whole of the tubes, or one axle may have as many wheels thereon as
there are tubes. By this arrangement, when a comparatively light train is to
pass, then only one tube may be used, but if a heavy one then two or more
tubes might be used. And, further, there is an advantage in having two or
more tubes to one line of way, as, in the event of any imperfection in respect
to one, there would be another or others ready for use.
In case this Invention is applied to towing barges or vessels, then in a
suitable way would be laid down at the side of the water, and a proper carriage
or frame would be connected to the wheel D, and by a tow line connected
to the barge or vessel and such carriage. The propelling of the carriage
according to this Invention would tow the barge or vessel.
In cases where this Invention is desired to be applied to parts of machinery
where a carriage with a wheel similar to D (for whatever purpose it may be
applied) be required only to traverse along a short length of tube or tubes, in
such cases steam may be employed, having inlets and outlets for steam, which
can be changed, so as at one moment to be filling when driving the carriage
in one direction, and allowing the passage off of the steam when it is required
to cease pressing in that direction. By this mode of propelling carriages by
acting on wheels such as above described by means of flexible tubes, the
tubes are not required to be straight, for they may be formed to any desired
curve, depending on the requirements of the country or other localities, and
according to the purposes to which the Invention is applied.
Having thus described the Invention, and also the best means of applying
the same, I would remark, that I lay no claim to the construction of railways
or tramroads, nor do I claim any particular construction of carriages to run
thereon, and the same may be varied; and such is the case with respect to
other carriages having similar wheels to D, for whatever purposes they may be
applied; and they may be constructed according to the best means practised;
But what I claim is, the mode of propelling carriages by means of flexible
tubes, and acting on wheels D, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Nickels, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.
CHRISTOPHER (L.S.) NICKELS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of June, in the year
of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Christopher Nickels came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
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.
Inrolled the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty.