IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS FROM PERSONS ENTERING OR LEAVING RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Chignell Clark, of Chipping Ongar, in
the County of Essex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS FROM PERSONS ENTERING OR
LEAVING RAILWAY CARRIAGES.”
Sealed the 24th June 1873, and dated the 30th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Chignell Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th December 1872.
I, WILLIAM CHIGNELL CLARK, of Chipping Ongar, in the County of
3 Essex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS FROM PERSONS
ENTERING OR LEAVING RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the prevention of accidents on rail-
ways caused by persons attempting to enter or leave railway carriages

page_text: when the train is in motion at the time of departure from or arrival at a
station, or when otherwise exposed to danger by getting in or out of a
railway carriage. For this purpose, according to my Invention, when
all the passengers have entered a train of carriages and the doors have
been closed no one can either enter or leave again without the consent
of the guard or attendant who controls the apparatus which releases or
withdraws the bolts of all the doors of a train of carriages simultaneously,
so as only to permit the passengers to alight or leave the carriages when
the train has fully stopped opposite the platform of a station or clse-
where.
Each carriage is provided with a rod or bar extending from end to end,
and capable of sliding to and fro in brackets or supports, the ends of the
rods or bars of each adjoining carriage being connected by means of a
short chain or screw coupling which will admit of sufficient movement
between them when turning curves or otherwise. The end of the last of
the series of rods or bars thus connected together is connected with
apparatus placed in the guard's van, and by which he can draw back
the whole series of rods or bars when required by means of a winch,
lever, or other suitable mechanical contrivance.
Each rod or bar is connected by means of a chain, lever, or otherwise
to spring bolts or other self-locking contrivances for securing each of the
doors of a carriage when closed (a bolt forced into position by a spiral
spring being a simple and efficient form of fastening for this purpose).
The bolts or fastenings of each door admit of its being closed indepen-
dently of the other doors, but they are all so arranged as to be readily
opened simultaneously by the guard actuating the apparatus, which
withdraws the whole series of bolts simultaneously. Or each door may
be opened by means of a key in the possession of an attendant to with.
draw or release either of the bolts separately should it be necessary to
do 60.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Chignell Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
› CHIGNELL CLARK, of Chipping Ongar, in the County of Essex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give.
and grant unto me, the said William Chignell Clark, Her special license
that I, the said William Chignell Clark, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Chignell Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, excrcise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS FROM PERSONS ENTERING OR
LEAVING RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Chignell Clark, 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 I, the said William Chignell Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and-by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has for its object the prevention of accidents on rail-
ways caused by persons attempting to enter or leave railway carriages
when the train is in motion at the time of departure from or arrival at a
station, or when otherwise exposed to danger by getting in' or out of a
railway carriage. For this purpose, according to my Invention, when

page_text: all the passengers have entered a train of carriages and the doors have
been closed no one can either enter or leave again without the consent
of the guard or attendant who controls the apparatus which releases or
withdraws the bolts of all the doors of a train of carriages simultaneously,
so as only to permit the passengers to alight or leave the carriages when
the train has fully stopped opposite the platform of a station or clsc-
where.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood I will
proceed to describe the same, reference being made to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, which shows two railway carriages having apparatus
applied thereto arranged in accordance with my improvements.
Each carriage is provided with a rod or bar a extending from end to
end, and capable of sliding to and fro in brackets or supports, the ends
of the rods or bars of each adjoining carriage being connected by means
of a short chain (or screw coupling) a', which will admit of sufficient.
movement between them when turning curves or otherwise. The end
of the last of the series of rods or bars a thus connected together is con-
nected with apparatus placed in the guard's van, and by which he can
draw back the whole series of rods or bars a when required by turning
the winch handle b, or by means of a lever or other suitable mechanical
contrivance, as is well understood.
Each rod or bar a is connected by means of a chain or cord c, as
shown, or by a lever or otherwise to spring bolts & or other self-locking
contrivances for securing each of the doors of a carriage when closed (a
bolt a forced into position by a spiral spring, as shewn in the Drawing,
being a simple and efficient form of fastening for this purpose). The
bolts or fastenings & of each door admit of each door being closed inde-
pendently of the other doors, but they are all so arranged as to be readily
opened simultaneously by the guard actuating the apparatus which
withdraws the whole series of bolts a simultaneously. Or each door
may be opened by means of a key in the possession of an attendant to
withdraw or release either of the bolts & separately should it be necessary
to do so.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein-before

page_text: described, but what I claim is, the improved arrangement of apparatus
for securing and releasing the doors of railway carriages simultaneously,
substantially as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawing
annexed, for the purpose of preventing accidents caused by persons
entering or leaving railway carriages whilst the train is in motion, or
when starting or stopping a train.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Chignell Clark, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
W. C. CLARK. (L.S.)