A MACHINE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIMINISHING THE LABOUR AND FATIGUE OF PERSONS IN WALKING, AND ENABLING THEM AT THE SAME TIME TO USE GREATER SPEED, AND WHICH HE INTENDS TO DENOMINATE THE PEDESTRIAN CURRICLE
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DENIS
JOHNSON, of 75, Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex, Coach Maker, 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-second day of
December, in the fifty-ninth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Denis Johnson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Denis Johnson, 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, my Invention of "A MACHINE FOR THE
PURPOSE OF DIMINISHING THE LABOUR AND FATIGUE OF PERSONS IN WALKING,
AND ENABLING THEM AT THE SAME TIME TO USE GREATER SPEED, AND WHICH HE
INTENDS TO DENOMINATE THE PEDESTRIAN CURRICLE;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Denis Johnson, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and.
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly
cease, determine, and become void, 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
Denis Johnson, do hereby declare that the machine herein-before mentioned,
and for which the said herein-before recited Patent has been granted and
obtained, is fully and faithfully described, as well as the manner of con-
structing and using the same, in the following description, and the Drawing
thereunto annexed (that is to say):
Fig. 1 in that Drawing represents the machine as it appears without its
furniture or trimmings, and when not in use; and Fig. 2 shews the same
machine with its furniture or trimmings, and with a person upon it, and in
the act of using it, by which such manner of using will be sufficiently obvious.
The machine in its naked state, as shewn at Fig. 1, consists of a beam
A, B, made of wood or metal of sufficient strength to bear the weight of the
person who is to ride or use it.
This beam is supported upon two light wheels C, D, by means of the light
iron work e, e, and f, g, the hinder wheel D being so fixed as only to revolve on
its axle or centre pin-in the direction of the beam, while the front wheel C not
only turns in like manner upon its center, but has a motion for turning the
carriage by a pivot or axle passing through the beam, and secured by a key
or screw at g; h is a saddletree or seat, supported by the two long screws i, i
passing through the beam and fixed by two nuts upon each screw, one above
and the other below the beam, and by these the seat may be raised or lowered,
and fixed at a convenient height to the person using the machine, who, for this
purpose, must stride the same, as if on horseback, the height of the seat
having been previously adjusted to the length of his legs, so as to allow con
venient foothold upon the ground, which will best be determined by trial.
"
The person thus seated leans his body forward, as in Fig. 2, resting his
elbows upon the cushion k, so as to support himself with the full muscular use
of his legs, and with one or both hands he holds the handle 7, which commu-
nicates by the light bar m with the axis, or axis carriage of the front wheel C;
and thus he will be able to guide himself and the machine, and to turn the
same when going at the greatest speed.
The dimensions of this machine must depend upon the height and weight
of the person who is to use it, as well as the materials of which it may be
formed, consequently no specific directions can be given about them, further
than saying that the lighter and more free from friction the whole can be
made, and the larger the diameter of the wheels, the better and more expe-
ditious the machine will be. The more effectually to obtain these ends the
bam A, B, may be considerably curved or bent downwards at the part where

page_text: the saddle or seat is placed, and thus it will still pass over the tops of the
wheels, through their diameter may be considerably increased.
The wheels C, D, may be placed nearer or further asunder, but must not
be so close as to interfere with the legs of the person using the machine while
turning it out of its straight direction.
In witness whereof, I, the said Denis Johnson, party hereto, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and nineteen.