IMPROVEMENTS APPLI- CABLE TO DRAGS' AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McDowell, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Coach Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
CABLE TO DRAGS' AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 4th November 1864, and dated the 4th May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John McDowell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th May 1864.
I. JOHN MCDOWELL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Coach
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO 'DRAGS' AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES," to be as
follows (that is to say):-
This Invention is chiefly applicable to "drags" or other two-wheeled
passenger carriages, to prevent or partially prevent the jolting motion of the
horse or other animal of draught being imparted to the body of the carriage,
and consists in jointing the shafts a little in front of the rear end of the body
of the vehicle, or to a scrolled stay affixed to the body and attached to the
rear end of the shaft, a flat longitudinal spring which may be linked to the
body of the carriage, or to a C spring attached to the stationary stay, or to
the body of the carriage. When these stationary scrolls stays are used, it is
preferred to form the inner ends thereof with cup heads to receive the front
ends of the side springs of the vehicle. In lieu of the longitudinal springs
at the end of the shaft, the shaft itself may be sufficiently elongated to be
immediately linked with the C spring, or to the body of the vehicle, or it may
CP Q77

page_text: be connected with the upper and lower portion of the vertical C spring by
straps of india-rubber or helical springs. When these india-rubber straps or
helical springs are applied they may be connected to the body of the vehicle,
in which case the C spring or stationary stay or both may be dispensed with
by jointing the shafts to the fore part of the body of the carriage, and allowing
the hindermost end of the shaft to extend sufficiently backward to give the
requisite play to the springs connected with the inner end thereof.
The second part of this Invention consists in the construction of "drags"
or other open vehicles in which passengers sit back to back, with a body
having a scrolled back resembling the front, and jointing the back foot-board
to the body of the carriage by a rule or table joint, so that the same may be
turned up when not in use, and covering the under side of the joint with
leather or other suitable material to hide the opening which would otherwise
be visible when the hinder foot-board is turned up. By the use of the rule
or table joint, the ordinary straps or chains used to
in such vehicles are dispensed with.
support the foot boards
The third and last part of this Invention consists in fitting the front and
back seats and the back rests which are on the frame with spring lever
catches, so that it can be readily moved backward or forwards a given
distance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John McDowell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MCDOWELL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Coach Builder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John McDowell, Her special licence that I, the said John
McDowell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John McDowell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO DRAGS' AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John McDowell, my executors or
administrators, by, an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great. Seal Patent. Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said John McDowell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention is chiefly applicable to "drags" or other two-
wheeled passenger carriages, to prevent or partially prevent the jolting
motion of the horse or other animal of draught attached thereto being
imparted to the body of the vehicle, and consists in jointing the shafts a little
in front of the rear end to the body of the vehicle, or to a scrolled stay
affixed to the body, and attaching to the rear end of each shaft a flat.
longitudinal spring, which may be linked to the body of the carriage, or to a
C spring attached to the stationary stay, or to the body of the carriage.
When these stationary scroll stays are used it is preferred, to form the inner
ends thereof with cup heads to receive the front ends of the side springs of
the vehicle. In lieu of the longitudinal springs at the end of the shaft, the
shaft itself, may be sufficiently elongated to be immediately linked with the
C spring, or to the body of the vehicle, or it may be connected with the
upper and lower portion of the vertical C spring by straps of india-rubber or
helical springs. When india-rubber straps or helical springs are applied,
they may be connected to the body of the vehicle, in which case the
C spring or stationary stay or both may be dispensed with by jointing the
shafts to the fore part of the body of the carriage, and allowing the hinder-
most end of the shaft to extend sufficiently backwards to give the requisite
play to the springs connected with the inner end thereof.
The second part of this my said Invention consists in the construction of
drags" or other open vehicles in which passengers sit back to back with a.
body. having a scrolled back resembling the front, and jointing the back foot-
board to the body of the carriage by a rule or table joint, so that the same
may be turned up when not in use, and covering the under side of the joint
with leather or other suitable material to hide the opening which would other-
wise be visible when the hinder foot-board is turned up. By the use of the

page_text: rule or table joint the ordinary straps or chains used to support the foot-
boards in such vehicles are dispensed with.
The third and last part of this my said Invention. consists in fitting the
front and back seats and the back rests, which are on one frame, with spring
lever catches, so that it can be readily moved backwards or forwards a given
distance.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and understood,
I have hereunto annexed Drawings illustrating several modifications of the
application of my Invention, like letters and figures marked thereon being
used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a Hansom cab with one modification of my
improvements applied thereto, and which consists in jointing the shaft to the
stationary stay, and connecting the rear end of the shaft to a C spring.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a "drag" with another modification of my
Invention applied thereto, the shaft of which is attached by a joint to the
stationary scroll on the body of the vehicle, and on the rear end of which shaft
is fixed an horizontal spring, the rear end of which is connected to a C spring
or a rigid C scroll, and which drag is fitted at the back with a folding foot-
board, which is attached thereto by a rule joint, which joint is covered on the
under side with a strip of leather or other suitable material to hide the opening
of the joint when folded up, which is seen enlarged at Figure 3.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a "basket trap" with another modification
of my improvements applied thereto, the shafts being jointed to the fore part
of the body, and which shaft extends backwards as far as the axle of the
vehicle, and the inner end of which shaft is held in position by means of two
helical or india-rubber springs above and below the shafts.
Figure 5 is a partial section of another vehicle, with another modification
of my Invention, and which consists in jointing the shaft to the fore part of
the body of the vehicle, and extending it backwards so as to be between the
jaws of a double action C spring, to which it is connected by straps or india-
rubber bands. Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of a "drag" seat fitted with
my improved catch or spring bolt. A, body of the vehicle; B, (Figures 1 and
2), rigid metal stays, to which is connected by means of b, a joint, C, the shafts,
which in Figure 1 are connected to D, a C spring which is attached to the
rigid stay (B) E (Figure 2) is a flat longitudinal spring, the front of which
is attached to the rear end of the shaft, and the rear end of which spring is
connected to F, a stationary scroll, or if preferred it may be a C spring, as
in the modification shown in Figure 1; G (Figures 2 and 3), the hinder foot-
board, which is attached to the body of the vehicle by H, a rule or table joint,

page_text: and which joint is covered by I, a strip of leather or other suitable material to
hide the opening; C' (Figures 4 and 5), are the shafts, which are jointed to the
body of the vehicle at b', and the rear end of which shafts at Figure 4 are
held in position by helical or india-rubber springs K and K', and at Figure 5
the rear end of the shaft is held in position between the jaws of L, a double-
action C spring, attached to the body of the carriage by means of M and-
M', leather or india-rubber straps. N (Figure 6), a stationary hinder seat of
a drag; P, the back rests for the front and rear seat, both of which are
attached to Q, the front seat, which is fitted on the sides with R, a curved lever
catch, which has its fulcrum at r, and the inner end of which takes into holes
formed in the surface of the ledge in which the seat rests, and which is kept
in position by S, a spring attached to the seat of the vehicle and which acts
on the under side of the outer end of the curved lever catch (R).
The object of this arrangement is, that by pressing on the outer ends of
the curved levers. one being placed on each side of the seat, the inner end is
withdrawn from the hole in the slide, when the seat may be drawn forward or
pushed backwards to any position desired within the range of the guides in
which the seat slides, when by merely relieving the outer end of the lever from
pressure the inner end thereof will take into holes formed in the surface of
the lower rib of the slide and hold the seat firmly in position.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, relative proportions or dimensions herein-before described and set
forth, as it will be readily seen the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the Invention, but what I claim is,-
First, jointing the shaft a little in front of the rear end thereof to the
body of the vehicle, or to a rigid scroll stay attached to the body, and apply-
ing to the rear end of each shaft an horizontal flat longitudinal spring, which
is linked to the body of the carriage, or to a C spring attached to the
stationary stay, or body of the carriage, substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
cup
Secondly, forming the inner ends of the stationary scroll stays with "
heads" to receive the front ends of the side springs of the vehicle, substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
Thirdly, extending the shafts sufficiently backwards from the point where
they are jointed to the body of the carriage or the rigid scroll stays attached
thereto, so as to connect the inner ends of the shafts to the C springs,

page_text: substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and
set forth.
Fourthly, jointing the shaft to the body of the carriage, or to stationary
scroll stays, and extending the shaft sufficiently backwards, and connecting
them to a double action C spring by means of straps of leather or india-
rubber, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described
and set forth.
Fifthly, jointing the shafts to the body of the carriage and extending them
a given distance backwards, and holding them in position by means of india-
rubber straps or helical springs attached to the body of the vehicle,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and
set forth.
Sixthly, attaching the curved hinder foot-board of drags, or other like
vehicles in which the passengers sit back to back, by means of a rule or table
joint, that the same may be turned up when not in use, and covering the
under side of the said joint with a slip of leather or other suitable material to
hide the opening which would otherwise be visible when the foot board is
turned up, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and set forth.
Lastly, the peculiar spring lever catch for holding the moveable seats of
drags and other vehicles in position, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof. I, the said John McDowell, have hereunto set, my
hand and affixed my seal, this Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JOHN (S.) M DOWELL,