CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING COACHES, CARRIAGES, MAILS, AND OTHER VEHICLES FROM OVERTURNING
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HIRST, of Leeds, in the County of York, Woollen Cloth Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of August, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Hirst, and also to HENRY HIRST and WILLIAM HEYCOOK, of Leeds
aforesaid, Woollen Cloth Manufacturers, and SAMUEL WILKINSON, of Leeds'
aforesaid, Mechanic, His especial licence that we, the said William Hirst,
Henry Hirst, William Heycock, and Samuel Wilkinson, our exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Hirst, Henry Hirst,
William Heycock, and Samuel Wilkinson, our exors, admors, 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, our Invention of "CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING
COACHES, CARRIAGES, MAILS, AND OTHER VEHICLES FROM OVERTURNING;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging us, the said
William Hirst, Henry Hirst, William Heycock, and Samuel Wilkinson, or .
any one of us, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at largo appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hirst, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention to consist
in fixing to the top of the coach, carriage, mail, or other the like vehicle, a
proper support, which, so long as the said vehicle maintains an upright position
remains close to its side, but as soon as it inclines beyond a certain point to one
side or the other flies out from the said vehicle into a perpendicular line and
supports it. And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hirst, do hereby describe the manner in which our said Invention is
to be performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing annexed and the figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure i is the side elevation of an ordinary stage coach with our said
apparatus affixed thereto, and which said apparatus is distinguished from the
other parts of the said coach by being colored blue. The parts marked (a) con-
stitute a wrought-iron framework with a wheel (6), turning on an axis at its
lower extremity. This framework hangs upon two hinges or pivots (", ",)
fixed to the top of the coach, and is acted upon by two springs (c, c,) fixed to
the body of the coach, as more clearly shewn in some of the other Figures.
(f) is a perpendicular rod of iron, which lifts the horizontal rod (c) up and
down as required, to disengage or retain a catch which confines the frame (a),
from flying out when the coach is not sufficiently inclined to require support.
This catch will be more fully explained in the next Figures that will come under
description.
Figure 2 is a back view of part of a coach, and of our said apparatus,
shewing the position of the frame (a) when retained from flying out by the
catch herein-before mentioned. (d) is the said catch, and is rivetted to the
middle bar of the frame (a), and when in the position shown in this Figure,
hooks over or catches upon the horizontal bar (e), before described. () is a
stay or support for the sliding guide rod (), which is furnished at its end (m)
with a catch and spring to prevent its return when once drawn out to a certain
point, and thus insures the keeping out of the frame (a) to support the coach
when necessary.
Figure 3 shows the position of the coach and of our said apparatus
when the inclination of the coach beyond a certain point has caused the

page_text: frame (a) to fly out. Under these circumstances it will be seen that the
catch (d) has been disengaged from the bar (e), and the guide rod (k) has
been drawn through the stay (1) as far as the spring on the end (m) of the
guide rod would permit, and the catch or stop on the under side of the guide
rod immediately below the said spring acts against the stay (7), and prevents
the return of the frame (a), keeping it steady to perform its duty in preserving
the coach from upsetting. It should here be observed, that similar letters refer
to similar parts in all the Figures; it should also be observed, that the appa-
ratus being exactly alike at each side of the coach, I have only thought it
necessary to describe it at one side.
Having now described the principal parts of our said apparatus when in a
quiescent state, and its effect and operation when put in action, I will now
proceed to describe the particular manner of putting it in execution, which, it
will be remembered, has herein-before been stated, is only to take effect
when the coach inclines to one side or the other beyond a certain point;
in order to accomplish and regulate this a long box:(9) is placed across the
top of the coach at the back of the front top seat.
Figure 4 is a section of the said box (g), and shews that it is deeper at its
centre than at its two sides, which slope down at a regular angle from the parts
marked (h) to the centre; and the degrees of these angles will determine the
inclination which the coach must take before the catch (d) will be disengaged
to let the frame (a) fly out. (i) is a ball of iron or other heavy metal, and it is
evident from the shape of the bottom of the box (9), that, as long as the coach
remains in a horizontal position, the ball will remain in the centre of the box;
but if the coach inclines sufficiently to allow the ball to roll over the point (h)
at either side it will at once fall with increased velocity against one or other,
as the case may be, of the points (9. g.) of the rods. (f,f), and the effect of
this will be to disengage the rods (f, f.) from their hold on the bottom of the
box; for it will be seen that these ends (9, 9,) of the rods (f,f,) are formed as
catches, which in fact hold on to the bottom of the box. Now, when these
catches are in the position shown at Fig. 4, the perpendicular rods (f, f.) are
kept up, and the horizontal bar (e) is thereby raised into the position to retain
the catch (d); but, if either of the catches (9,9,) are knocked away from their
hold by the fall of the ball (i), then the perpendicular rod (f) on that side
falls, and this lets down the horizontal bar (e) sufficiently to disengage the
catch (d), when the frame (a) of course flies out and props out the falling
coach. Now, whereas there are other modes (as by a pendulum) by which
the catches (9, 9.) may be disengaged so as to liberate the catch (d), but we
prefer the mode here suggested with a ball in such a box as aforesaid, which

page_text: box, however, it should be stated, may be placed with equal advantage across
the bottom of the coach; but, whereas such an apparatus as is herein-before
described for the purpose of preventing coaches, carriages, mails, and other
vehicles from overturning is, to the best of our knowledge and belief, entirely
new and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called England, His said Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do therefore hereby declare this to
be our Specification of our said Invention.
I do verily believe this our said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully
and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore we do hereby claim
to maintain exclusive right and privilege to our said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hirst, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.