IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREAKS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Gerard de Witte at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th January
1866.
I, GERARD DE WITTE, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Esquire, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF BREAKS FOR CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain combinations and arrangements of
mechanism whereby the retrograde action of the horses or other animals by
which the vehicle provided with such mechanism is drawn or actuated
operates upon the same, and applies the break blocks to the wheels. An
iron bar is placed beneath the pole of the carriage, such bar being capable of
moving longitudinally in guides, and acting upon a cross or transverse bar
or shaft, to which the break blocks are attached. The forward end of the said
longitudinal bar is connected with the harness of the horses or other animals
employed in such manner that upon any retrograde movement or backward
pressure of the latter the said bar is actuated. The other end of the said bar
is articulated by means of a segment or plate or other analogous contrivance
to a corresponding segment or plate or other analogous contrivance attached
to the end of a longitudinal bar or shaft, which latter carries at the other end..

page_text: thereof the before-mentioned transverse bar or shaft to which the break
blocks are attached. The said last-mentioned segment or plate is provided
with a slot, through which passes a pin fixed by any suitable arrangements
to the carriage, and upon which pin the said segment or plate will freely
turn. Upon the recoil of the longitudinal bar being occasioned by the
retrograde motion or backward pressure of the horses or other animals the
break blocks carried by the before-mentioned transverse bar will be pressed
against the tyres or peripheries of the hind wheels, such pressure being equally
imparted to both wheels, whatever may be the position of the front carriage,
by reason of the articulation by which the longitudinal bar beneath the pole
is connected with the shaft carrying the transverse bar and break blocks as
before mentioned; and by which the pressure is carried in a direct line and
in an equal degree to the break blocks. A spring is fixed to the hind
carriage of the vehicle, by means of which the transverse bar and break
blocks are restored to their normal position immediately the backward
pressure ceases. By the use of a system of levers such as will be well
understood by persons acquainted with mechanical contrivances additional
break blocks may be applied to the opposite portions of the tyres or peripheries
of the wheels, and actuated by the arrangements before described. In order
to prevent the break blocks being applied to the wheels when it is not
desirable that such should be the case an arrangement is employed by which
the mechanism is placed entirely under the controul of the driver of the
vehicle. A bolt plate is fixed to the shaft carrying the transverse bar and
break blocks, such bolt plate, having a hole or aperture formed therein
for the passage of the pin upon which the said segment or plate attached to
the said shaft works, as before mentioned. A pedal is placed in a convenient
position for the use of the driver, and which pedal acts upon a series of jointed
levers, as will be well understood by persons acquainted with mechanical
contrivances, and thereby lifts the said bolt plate until the before-mentioned pin
passes through the hole or aperture therein, and thus locks the whole of the
mechanism, which will not resume its, normal condition until the, pressure is
removed from the pedal, when the bolt plate is restored to its original
position by the action of a spring suitably placed. It will be, manifest that
when the mechanism is so locked the back ward pressure, and movement of the
said longitudinal bar is prevented from exerting any force upon the shaft, by
which the break blocks are carried. In order to prevent the break blocks
being liable to displacement by the pressure of the wheels upon the tyres or
peripheries of which they are forced by the mechanism aforesaid they are
tapered, that is to say, are made of less transverse diameter at the bottom than

page_text: at the top, so that the pressure of the wheels is calculated to retain them in
the block holders attached to the before-mentioned transverse bar, and in
which they are fitted and held by corresponding dovetails, all necessity for bolts
or screws being thus dispensed with. Although in the above description of
this Invention vehicles drawn or propelled by animal power only have been
mentioned, yet it is equally available in the cases of all vehicles to which it
can be advantageously adapted, whatever may be the nature of the motive
power employed,