IMPROVE- MENTS IN PASSENGER CARRIAGES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
BISHOP, of Piccadilly, Warehouseman, and THOMAS WOOD, of Upper
Barnsbury Street, Islington, Gentlemen, both in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of
August (One thousand eight hundred and forty-six), in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Bishop and Thomas Wood, our exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said James Bishop and Thomas Wood, our exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said James Bishop and Thomas Wood, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PASSENGER CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a. proviso that we, the said James Bishop and Thomas Wood, or one of
us,.shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us, and cause the same to be inrolled in or said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six months next and immediately after the date
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Bishop and Thomas Wood, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be carried into
effect, are fully described in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our improvements relate to that description of passenger carriages generally
called omnibuses, and they have for their object the so arranging parts of such
carriages that persons riding therein may more readily be able to witness
external objects, and at the same time be more conveniently seated than by the
present arrangement of such carriage.
And our improvements also relate to a novel arrangement of the external
seats, and of the means of obtaining access to the seats on the roof of such
carriages. But in order that our Invention may be fully understood we will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of
which the same letters indicate similar parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view, Figure 2 a front view, Figure 3 a back view,
Figure 4 a plan, Figure 5 a longitudinal section, and Figure 6 a sectional
plan showing the interior of a carriage constructed according to our Invention.
a, a, are the two fore wheels, and b, b, the two hind wheels, which, with the
way in which they are attached to body c, are similar to those parts of other
carriages of like kind, the fore wheels being capable of locking, as is well
understood. With respect to the bodies of such vehicles it is well known that
for the most part the seats are arranged so that persons riding therein sit with
their backs to the sides, with the exception of a few who are obliged to sit
with their backs to the horses, whereby but little is capable of being seen by
them beyond the interior of the carriage. It will, however, be seen by
reference to the Drawings, that we have so arranged the parts of our carriage
that the front thereof is almost entirely open to view, which constitutes a
peculiarity of our Invention. And we would here state, that we are aware
that omnibuses have been constructed with a small window on each side of the
coachman's footboard, but as far as we have been able to ascertain they have

page_text: never been constructed with the whole of the front open or glazed, as shown;
d, d, representing two frames (but the number may be varied) of glass, which
may be capable of sliding in the framing of the carriages, as is well understood,
the coachbox with the footboard being raised out of the way, as is shown;
and, in place of having the interior seats 6, e, arranged longitudinally of the
carriage, we arrange them across from side to side thereof, so that persons
setting thereon face the direction in which the carriage is moving forwards.
f.f, are the seats extending only partly across the width of the carriage, in
order to admit of access being more readily obtained to the interior through
the doorways 9, 9. on either side. We would here remark, that we are
aware of its having been proposed to arrange the scats inside omnibuses so
that each person had a separate seat with his face towards the front, and there
was a passage way up the middle, but in such cases persons riding in such
vehicles could only see out sideways. h, h, are steps to the interior. The
seat i, in front, is similar to those at present in use (having a box for the driver
in the centre, and places for passengers on both sides), except that, with the
footboard j, it is raised higher so as not to impede the view from the
interior. k,,, are other seats on the roof for outside passengers. The
front one of which may be ascended to by the steps by which ascent is got
to the seat i, and then by getting over the seat i; but in order that the ascent
may more readily be obtained to the seats k¹, k, we have arranged a series of
steps at the back of the carriage, and there is a hand rail m to assist persons
in ascending or descending. This rail will also serve to prevent their being
at such times thrown off by any sudden movement of the carriage.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise details shown and described, as they may be
varied according to the taste of the builder or otherwise, and in some cases we
divide the interior into one or more compartments, the front then having the
form of a coupé, and the hinder part may be arranged as is now the case with
omnibuses or otherwise. But what we claim is,-
First, the so arranging parts of that class of passenger carriages commonly
called omnibuses, that, the driving or front seat being raised out of the way for
that purpose, the whole width of the front thereof may be open for external
view.
Secondly, we claim the arranging the interior of that class of passenger
carriages called omnibuses, so that the seat or seats thereof are placed in
a direction across the width of the carriage (and persons sitting thereon face
the front of the carriage) when the front is open to view, as herein described.

page_text: Thirdly, we claim the arranging two or more seats in the direction of the
width on the roof, and behind the driving or front seat of that class of
passenger carriages called omnibuses, as herein described. And,
Fourthly, we claim the applying steps behind in order to obtain ascent or
descent to a seat or seats on the roof of that description of passenger carriages
commonly called omnibuses.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bishop, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.