Improvements in and relating to Coursing or like Sports.
Year: 1896

page_text: . Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Coursing or like Sports.
I, STEPHEN ELLIS Moss, of Cleburne, Johnson County, State of Texas, United
States of America, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has relation to improvements in race courses or face tracks and
consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts to be more fully
hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan diagrammatic view of a race track provided with my
improvements;
Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section on the line -- of Fig. 1, taken through
the body of the "dummy" animal propelled along the track; and
Fig. 3 is an elevation in detail of the gate swung in the path of the track for
the interception of the live animals giving chase to the dummy.
The object of my invention is to construct a race course in which dummies or
artificial animals may be substituted for the natural ones, a particular object being
to substitute a dunimy jack rabbit for the live rabbit on a course or race where
such rabbit is pursued or chased by hounds or other dogs; and as such a rabbit
under my present invention is given a speed of travel greater than that which the
dogs can ever attain, provision is made to intercept or cut off the dogs at the proper
moment, permitting them to enter their kennels before they become too much
It is a well known fact that a
exhausted in attempting to catch the dummy.
jack
rabbit is a very tender animal and more or less stupid; and as its eyes naturally
bulge out from their sockets, these organs are apt to become injured should the
rabbit inadvertently or in the heat of the race run against the wall or fence enclosing
the race or track. To avoid these dangers and yet preserve the natural features of the
sport, I substitute for the live rabbit, a dummy or stuffed rabbit, and provide suitable
mechanism for impelling such dummy along the race course. The preferred form of
mechanisin to accomplish these results is an electric propelling device of the order
of that employed in the propulsion of electric cars, riz., an electric trolley system. In
detail the improved track may be described as follows:
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a race course or track of approximately a
threequarter mile stretch, 2 the center field thereof, and 3 and 4 respectively the
inner and outer walls and fences between which the course or track is confined, the
track being wide enough to admit of several hounds or other species of dog.
5 represents the grand stand, and 6 the judges' stand located within the center field.
Leading from the wall 3 to one side of the judge's stand and approximately opposite
one end of the grand stand, is a chute 7 leading to a kennel 8 for the dogs. The
opening to the chute is controlled by a swinging gate or door 9 hinged at the
entrance to the chute, the gate being adapted to be operated from the judges' stand by
a controlling lever 10 pivoted at its base, and connected by a link 11 to an arm 12
carried at one end of the hinge rod 13 of the gate. By manipulating the controlling
lever 10 in one direction or the other, the gate may be swung to either close or open
the entrance to the chute from the race track, at the will of the operator. The door 9
is adapted when swung open to close against the free edge of a wall or fence 14
projecting at an inclined angle from the wall 4, the object of closing the gate against
such wall 4 being to intercept the dogs and cause them to enter the chute 7 and enter
the kennel 8, before the dogs come into actual contact with the dummy rabbit and
discover its artificial nature, and before the dogs become too much fatigued in
attempting to catch the dummy.

page_text: The track or rail on which the artificial rabbit 15 is impelled, is preferably in the
form of a rail 16 disposed approximately medially between the walls 3 and 4, but also
adapted to take a sinuous or wave course as seen in the diagrammatic view in Fig. 1,
so that the dummy may imitate as closely as possible the course of the natural animal.
The electric motor 17 forms part of or is carried by the dummy animal or rabbit, the
shaft 18 of the motor carrying a terminal pinion 19 meshing with a gear-wheel 20
secured to or forming part of the travelling and supporting wheel 21 which has a
peripheral groove embracing the rail. The current is led from the motor to the
wheel 21 through the wire 31 when it is grounded through the rail 16, the current
first entering the motor through the trolley wire 22, trolley wheel 23, and connecting
wire 24, the trolley wire receiving its current from the shunt wire 25 leading from
any suitable contral station. The grand stand is provided with a switch mechanism 26
by the turning of the lever 27 of which to different degrees or notches, the intensity of
the current propelling the rabbit can be varied, thus varying the speed of the rabbit.
The race is made the more interesting in that the speed of the dummy rabbit can be
increased to such a degree that the dogs will never overtake the dummy; and to avoid
any danger of the dogs coming in contact with or overtaking the dummy, they are
cut off by the swinging gate at the proper moment and made to enter the kennel
located in the center field.
To avoid any danger of the dogs coming in contact with the live trolley wire, I
cover the full length of the wire with a hood 28 of wood or other non-conducting
material, the same being provided with suitable openings to allow for the fastening to
the wire of the lower ends of the vertical members 29 depending from the guy rods 30
stretched at intervals between the walls 3 and 4 of the race course.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what [
claim is,
1. In a race course, a suitable track or race for the entry of live racing animals,
and means forming a part of or disposed along said race for guiding and impelling
artificial or dummy animals in advance of the living animals giving chase, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a race course a suitable track or race for the entry of live race animals,
means forming a part of or disposed along said race for guiding and impelling
artificial or dummy animals in advance of the living animals giving chase, and
suitable means for intercepting the live animals before the same overtake the dummies,
or before they become too exhausted, substantially as set forth.
3. In a race course, a suitable track or race for the entry of live race animals, means
forming a part of or disposed along said race for guiding and impelling artificial or
dummy animals in advance of the living animals giving chase and at variable speeds,
and suitable means for intercepting the live animals before the same overtake the
dummies, substantially as set forth.
4. A race course comprising a suitable course or race, bounding walls for the same,
a center field enclosed by the track, a chute leading from the race to the center field,
a kennel at the further end of the chute, a wall projecting from the outer wall of the
race a suitable distance across the width of the race, a gate hinged to the opposite wall
and adapted to be swung alternately to either close the mouth of the chute or open
the latter by closing against the free edge of the projecting wall and thus intercepting
the animals giving chase and obliging them to enter the kennel, a suitable rail or
track forming a part of the race and adapted to guide a dummy animal, and suitable
means for impelling the dummy on the rail in advance of the live animals giving
chase, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of Anril 1806
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.