DE MULTICATION. A Wagon or Omnibus Starter.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
MOTIONAL DE MULTICATION.
A Wagon or Omnibus Starter.
I, CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON of Number 40 Devonshire Place Brighton
in the County of Sussex, retired Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to give an impetus or start to wagons omnibuses
and similar vehicles immediately upon the forward movement of the horses before
any pull commences upon the trace thus alleviating the great strain usually
experienced upon the horse collar.
For this purpose I affix to the inner side of the felloes of the hinder wheels a circle
of metal having angular teeth of requisite size & strength upon the axle and between
the said angular toothed wheel and the vehicle I place a lever which turns freely on
the axle to which is attached a ratchet also of metal & so balanced as to auto-
matically adjust itself; this lever & ratchet is strengthened guided and regulated
in its rise & fall by a groove & frame attached to the side of the vehicle, which
frame, following in shape the curve of the wheel is thereby covered &
concealed.
Just behind the splinter bar & at a suitable height below its level I place a
roller or rollers substantially a pulley block or blocks, attached either to the body
of the carriage or to the splinter bar itself at will. The normal position of the
lever when not in use, that is to say, immediately after its work has been accom-
plished & the vehicle is in motion will be pointing towards the horses. Lastly
from each lever head when so inclined forward I attach a subsidiary trace which
passes from the lever head under the aforesaid roller or pulley block, the other
end of this subsidiary trace being secured to the ordinary trace about six inches
ahead of the ordinary trace loop which drops over the trace hook. When the
vehicle comes to a standstill the lever being automatically balanced falls back-
wards inclining its head towards the rear of the vehicle; this action not only
picks up the slack of the subsidiary trace which in travelling hangs freely, but
also sets the lever ready for use that is to say it drops the ratchet already
described into active position, & as soon as the horses make a slight forward
movement they commence the pull, (not as usually from the ordinary trace, which
drawn backwards by the subsidiary trace, now in turn hangs loose,) but upon
the subsidiary trace which drawing the lever head towards the perpendicular
forces the ratchet against the angular wheel & by the leverage thus obtained
gives the first start to the vehicle without communicating any strain upon the
ordinary trace & consequently before the pull is experienced upon the horse
collar; & by the time that stage is reached the effort has passed from the
subsidiary trace on to the ordinary one the lever heads being inclined forwards
& the ratchet having dropped clear of the toothed wheel already described.
Dated this 26th day of September 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Wagon or Omnibus Starter.
I, CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH BEETON, of Number Sixteen North Place, Brighton,
in the County of Sussex, retired Schoolmaster, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to give an impetus, or start, to wagons,
omnibuses, and similar vehicles, immediately upon the forward movement of the
horses, before any pull commences upon the trace, thus alleviating the great
strain usually experienced upon the horse collar.
For this purpose I affix to the inner side of the felloes of the hinder wheels,
(marked A in the accompanying figures,) a circle of metal, having angular
teeth, of requisite size and strength, marked B. Upon the axle, C, & between
the said angular toothed wheel, B, and the vehicle, I place a lever, DEF,
(which turns freely on the axle, C,) to which is attached a ratchet, G, also of
metal, and so balanced, on the pivot H, as to automatically adjust itself; this
lever and ratchet is strengthened, guided, and regulated, in its rise and fall, by
a groove and frame, attached to the side of the vehicle, which frame, following
in shape the curve of the wheel, is thereby covered and concealed. This groove
and frame is shown in Fig. 2 (marked I, on the hard outer line, which indicates
the extent of the frame, & J along the dotted lines, which denote the limits of
the groove,) but is omitted in Fig. 1 in order to show the position of the
ratchet G, in the angular toothed wheel B.
Just behind the splinter bar K, and at a suitable height below its level, I
place a roller, or rollers, L, substantially a pulley block, or blocks, attached
either to the body of the carriage, or to the splinter bar itself at will. The
normal position of the lever, DE F, when not in use, that is to say immediately
after its work has been accomplished, and the vehicle is in motion, will be
pointing towards the horses as shown by Fig. 2. Lastly, from each lever
head, E, when so inclined forwards, I attach a subsidiary trace, M, which
passes from the lever head, E, under the aforesaid roller, or pulley blocks, L;
the other end of this subsidiary trace, M, joins the ordinary trace, N, about
six inches ahead of the loop which drops over the trace hook, O.
When the vehicle comes to a standstill, the lever, being automatically balanced,
by a slight weight, at F, falls backwards, inclining its head, E, towards the
rear of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 1. This action not only picks up the
slack of the subsidiary trace, M, which, in travelling, hangs freely, but also
sets the lever ready for use; that is to say, it drops the ratchet, G, already
described, into active position; and, as soon as the horses make a slight forward
movement, they commence to pull, (not, as usually, from the ordinary trace, N,
which, drawn backwards by the subsidiary trace, M, now in turn hangs loose,).
but upon the subsidiary trace, M, which, drawing the lever head, E, towards
the perpendicular, forces the ratchet, G, against the angular toothed wheel, B,
(Fig. 1.) and by the leverage thus obtained gives the first start to the vehicle,
without communicating any strain upon the ordinary trace, N, and consequently
before the pull is experienced upon the horse collar; and by the time that
stage is reached the effort has passed from the subsidiary trace, M, on to the
ordinary trace, N, the lever heads E being inclined forwards as in Fig. 2, and
the ratchet, G, having dropped clear of the toothed wheel, B, already described.
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 I
claim is
The invention of a wagon, or omnibus starter, by means of a subsidiary
trace, joined to the ordinary trace a short distance in front of the trace hook,

page_text: and passing therefrom beneath a roller, or pulley block, to the head of an auto-
matic lever, acting upon an angular toothed wheel, attached to the hinder
wheels of wagons, omnibuses, and similar vehicles, substantially as described in
this Specification, and shown on the drawings.
Dated this Twenty-second day of June One thousand eight hundred and
410001