CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS TO TRAVELLING CAR- RIAGES OF VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CORNELIUS
TONGUE, of Gatacre Park, in the County of Salop, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the fifth year of
His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Cornelius Tongue, His especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Cornelius Tongue, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Cornelius Tongue, my executors,
administrators, 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, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS TO TRAVELLING CAR-
RIAGES OF VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said Cornelius Tongue, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, 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
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Cornelius Tongue, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascer-
tained as follows, that is to say :-
(1.) Figure 1 represents a plate of metal, to be fixed to the axle of a car-
riage, or in other convenient situation, and it has projecting pieces (a) for
receiving the upper end (b) of the arm or lever (2), and forming therewith a
joint, about which the arm or lever may turn.
(2.) represents an arm or lever, at the upper end of which is formed a knuckle
(b), which, being connected by means of a bolt or pin with the pieces (a),
Figure 1, forms the joint before mentioned. The lower end of this arm (c) is
forked, and the extremities (d) of the forks properly formed for attaching to
the drag, herein-after described.
(3.) represents a drag, somewhat similar to those in general use, but differing
from them by having two projections thereon (e), for the purpose of connecting
the drag with the extremities (d) of the forked end (c) of the arm (2), and at
the same time forming therewith joints, about which the drag is moveable.
The fore end or nose of the drag is formed into a loop or hoop (f), whereby it
may be connected with a chain of the usual kind, and towards the other end
of the drag, and on each side thereof, are projections (9), which serve as
guides for assisting in conducting the drag to its proper position beneath the
wheel, when required to impede the progress of a carriage.
The arm or lever (2) requires to be curved or bent into such a shape as
may cause it, when moved in its joint (b), to conduct the drag attached to it to
its proper position with regard to the carriage wheel. And it is necessary to
observe that, although the arm is represented as jointed to the piece (1) near
to the axle, I do not confine myself to a joint in that position, but connect
them at any suitable distances from the axle.
Figure 2 is a representation of my apparatus applied to a carriage, the same
parts being thereon denoted by the same letters as in the other Drawings.
(h) is a chain or cord, connected to the forked end (c) of the arm, and passing
over a moveable puiley or snatch block (i), is also conducted by means of
rollers () to the driver's box or seat. To the side of the box or seat is
firmly fixed a nob or hook (l), upon which the chain or line is suspended
whilst the lever or arm and the drag is required to be kept from contact with
the wheel; but which, being released, suffers the drag to fall into the proper
position for impeding the progress of the carriage by what is called locking or
preventing the revolution of the wheel. The wheel may again be released or
.

page_text: unlocked by a person on the box raising the chain, and therewith the drag,
and suspending the same upon the nob or hook (l), attached to the seat or
box. By a suitable alteration in the direction of the chain and rollers, the
drag may be placed under the controul of the guard or person occupying the
seat at the back of the carriage, or by a person withinside the carriage. A
similar apparatus may be applied to wheels on opposite sides of a carriage,
and placed under the controul of persons in different situations, as, for
instance, one drag under the controul of the driver, and another under the
controul of the guard, or person at the back or withinside the carriage, and
either or both drags used at the same time, as circumstances may require.
To the loop or hook (f), at the fore end or nose of the drag, one end of a
chain is attached, the other end of the chain being fastened to the fore part
of the carriage, and the drag is thereby prevented passing too far under the
wheel in the usual way. This part of the arrangement, however, forms no
part of my Invention.
By the use of my apparatus, the wheel or wheels of a carriage may be
locked without the necessity of any person descending from or stopping the
carriage, and safety in travelling is thereby encreased in a very considerable
degree.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would remark that I am aware that various
contrivances have already been resorted to for placing the skid pan or drag
under the wheel without any person descending from the carriage, and in
some instances a similar arm (2) to that used by me has been affixed to the
skid pan;
but in these instances they have never been successful, owing to the
skid pan not having been hung on moveable joints or axes, and thus
swinging loosely on such arm (2); and it is the application of such moveable
joints or means of connecting the skid pan to the arm (2), which constitutes
my claim of Invention, and I do entirely disclaim any exclusive right to any
other of the parts shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Cornelius Tongue, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
CORNELIUS (L.S.) TONGUE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of March,
in the year of our Lord 1835, the aforesaid Cornelius Tongue came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, 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 Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.