IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES AND CARRIAGE WHEELS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hardacre, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES AND CARRIAGE WHEELS."
Sealed the 17th October 1856, and dated the 25th April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hardacre at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
April 1856.
I, JAMES HARDACRE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES AND CARRIAGE
WHEELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the construction of a carriage or vehicle, so
that the hood or cover may be raised by the driver or person in charge of the
carriage; and, secondly, to the construction of the wheels, in which the nave or
boss has a recess for the reception of a thick circular layer or cushion of india-
rubber or other elastic material, the arms also being springs, one end of each
being fastened to the rim of the wheel and the other end to the sides of the
boss or nave.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying outline Drawing, in which a represents the hood or cover of the

page_text: carriage, to be raised by the driver or person in charge turning the handle b,
which acts on the lever c, to which the hood or cover is connected. When the
carriage is covered with the hood, a door or window is drawn from the body of
the carriage to enclose it more perfectly. d represents the circular cushion of
elastic material; e, the spring arms; the curved part f of each resting on the
elastic cushion, and their further ends fastened to the rim of the wheel g.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hardacre in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HARDACRE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by. Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Hardacre, Her special licence that I, the said James Hardacre,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Hardacre, my executors, administrators, 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 ARRANGE-
MENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES AND CARRIAGE WHEELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Hardacre, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 andiimmediately after the date of the said Royal
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW. YE, that I, the said James Hardacre, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in. what manner the same is to be-per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in. the construction of a carriage or vehicle, so that
the hood or cover may be raised by the driver. or. person in charge of the

page_text: carriage without removing from his seat, and in the construction of wheels and
breaks acting thereon. I also make carriages with several sides, so as to forni
several seats, which can either be boxed up or open. My improved wheels are
made with elastic or flexible arms or spokes; of any number suited to the pur-
pose to which the wheels are applied; the arms or spokes may be made of any
desired curve, so that their elasticity be maintained. I fasten bushes or collars
to the ends of axles in general for the purpose of allowing the wearing parts
to be replaced when necessary, the said bushes or collars fitting the naves or
bosses of metallic wheels, or the bushes for naves of wood. In order to supply
oil either to my improved wheels or to those in general use, I attach to the end
of the metal nave or the bush for the nave an oiling apparatus, furnished with
a plug, kept in its place by a spring when not pulled out for the purpose of
admitting oil.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference thercon,
in which the said letters refer to each Figure separately.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of a carriage, shéwing a mode of raising the
cover or hood, and also my improved break; Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3
a section, of my improved wheel for general purposes; Fig. 4 is a front view,
and Fig. 5 a section, of my improved wheel for railways; Fig. 6 is a front
view of my improved wheel adapted for artillery; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections of
the same in detail; Figs. 9 and 10 are detached views of part of the apparatus
for raising the hood or cover; Figs. 11 and 12 are detached views of break;
Fig. 13 is a section, and Fig. 14 an external view, of a bush or collar to be
placed upon the ends of axles; Fig. 15 shews part of an axle, having on its
end a bush or collar placed within the bush for the nave, to which is attached
the oiling apparatus; Fig. 16 is a section of a bush divided into two parts, with
a tube or collar between them; Fig. 17 is an external elevation of my many-
sided carriage; Fig. 18 is a section of the same, and Fig. 19 a plan thereof.
In Fig. 1, a is the body of the carriage, upon both sides of which are placed
the chain wheels b, having crank pins c, to which one end of the connecting
rods d are attached, their other ends being connected to the hood or cover e;
from the chain wheels 6 the chains f pass to other chain wheels or pinions g,
fixed to a shaft h, extending across the carriage. To the shaft h (seen detached
at Fig. 9) another chain wheel i is attached, the chain k which encircles
it passing to the chain wheel 1, fastened to the spindle m, supported in bear-
ings n, the spindle m being furnished with a handle o, within easy reach of
the driver. It is evident that by turning the handle o the chains give motion
to the chain wheels b, the cranks of which, by means of the connecting rods d,

page_text: raise the hood or cover e, or instead of chains, levers or screws may be used for
the same purpose. The breaks are simply hoops or rings of metal p, acting
either alone or in conjunction with wood, leather, or other material upon
turned surfaces on the naves of the wheels, one end of the rings p being held
fast to the axle or frame of the carriage, and their other ends attached to
levers r on the shaft s, having a crank or lever t (seen detached at Figs. 11
& 12). From the crank a chain or rods pass to the bent or L lever u;
furnished with a plate or stirrup for the foot of the driver to press on.
b
My improved wheels are represented in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The arms
or spokes a are made fast to the rim b and boss or nave c by bolts or rivets ;
they are curved to any desired form, and gradually taper in thickness or width
from the boss to the rim, as seen in Fig. 3; they are of tempered steel, so that
each arm or spoke is a spring in itself. The rim of the wheel may either be
in one piece, or composed of segments, and made of any width or shape, to suit
the various requirements. The rim may also be a compound of wood and
metal, as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8, 6 being the metal, and e the wood. In
Figs. 13 and 14 I shew the bush or collar; and in Fig. 15 the end of an axle,
having a bush or collar kept in its place by a screw and nut.
When a part
becomes flattened by wear, it can be shifted to another position and so changed,
until fairly worn out, when it can be replaced by a new one, the parts of
the axle itself generally exposed to wear remaining in the same condition as at
first. g represents the axle; h, a screw at the end of it; k, the bush, which
is recessed at the end, so that the washer and nut m may not project beyond
the end of the bush on the axle, the bush being kept in its place by means of
the screw h and nut m, and placed within the bush n for the nave or the metal
bosses, which are kept to their places on the axle in any approved manner;
the bushes or collars can be easily shifted when worn, and cause a great
economy by preventing the wear of the axles. The said bush or collar may be
made in one or more parts, as shewn in Fig. 16, and kept in its place by a
screw, nut, or other suitable contrivance. The oiling apparatus is shewn con-
nected to the end of the bush for the nave, or a recess may be cast, and consists
of a receiver o, made of any suitable material, having at one side a screw p
with a passage through it; at another side there is a pipe q, recessed at the
end; the recess being well fitted with a plug or valve r, scooped on one side,
and kept up to its place by a spring s, to which it is connected by the rod or
pin t, such rod working loose in the spring, so that when the carriage is
stopped, if the scooped part should be downward, it may be turned up to
receive oil. For the admission of oil, the plug has simply to be removed from the
recess, the passage is then open to the axle or bush, and the parts lubricated.

page_text: In Figs. 19, 17,, and 18 my improved arrangement of carriage is repre-
sented. It consists of six sides, any of which can be open or boxed up at
pleasure. In Figs. 19 and 17 the carriage is boxed up, all the seats being
closed. In the section, Fig. 18, the front is open, and the back and sides seen
are closed.
a is the inner frame or body of the carriage; b, the top, the
corners of which, c, are bent downwards, joining the outer sides d at e; the
outer sides work on joints f, connected with the frame g; the corners c turn on
joints h, attached to the top b. When the seats are required to be opened,
the outer sides are pushed outwards, as seen at i, and held in their places by
rods k in the eyes or staples 1; the corners c are also pushed over upon the
top, as seen at m; the combined operations providing seats and places for the
legs. Within the sides are coils o, of any suitable material, to be used as
wrappers or aprons. Although in the Drawings six sides are shewn, five or
more may be used.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which it is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth, as such
may be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but I
claim as my Invention, and which, to the best of my knowledge and belief, has
not been hitherto used within this realm, the arrangement and construction of
apparatus for raising the hood or cover of carriages, the peculiar construction
of wheels with elastic arms or spokes, the break, oiling apparatus, bushes or
collars, and construction of the many-sided carriage, as all such improvements
are herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hardacre, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES HARDACRE. (L.s.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named James Hardacre, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.