AN APPARATUS TO RELEASE OR SEPARATE CARRIAGES ON RAILROADS IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, GIVING AT THE SAME TIME A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS
Year: 1852

page_text: of Denmark, now residing at Leadenhall Street, in the City of
London, Land Surveyor, for the Invention of "AN APPARATUS
TO RELEASE OR SEPARATE CARRIAGES ON RAILROADS IN CASE OF
ACCIDENT, GIVING AT THE SAME TIME A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1853, and dated the 1st October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Laurentius Ma-
thias Eiler at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 1st October 1852.
I, LAURENTIUS MATHIAS EILER, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN APPARATUS TO RELEASE OR SEPARATE CARRIAGES
ON RAILROADS IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, GIVING AT THE SAME TIME A SIGNAL
OF DISTRESS," to be as follows:-
The chain or link by which the tender is attached to the locomotive
engine or the carriages, attached one to the other, is to be made fast to
one of a pair of swivel bars, placed horizontally and parallel to each
other across the front of the carriage or tender. The front bar, to which

page_text: the forward carriage is attached, hangs perfectly loose; the second bar
turns on its axis in fixed bearings. These swivel bars are connected
together by straps or chains at their ends, which straps or chains are
fastened to the front bar, and hooked to the second bar by links pass-
ing on to studs fixed in that bar. This second bar is held fast with its
studs or pins erect, and prevented from turning over by means of a bolt
from a spring lever dropping into a mortise hole cut in the upper
side of the bar.
When it is required to disengage or throw off the front bar with
its link or chain, by which the carriages are connected together, the
spring lever must be raised up so that the bolt shall be withdrawn
from the mortise hole in the second bar; this may be effected by the
driver, as will be hereafter shewn. The withdrawal of the bolt being
effected, the draft of the forward carriage acting on the loose front bar
will cause its straps or link to pull against the studs of the second bar,
and to turn that bar on its axis, by which the studs or pins will then
be placed in horizontal positions, and the links immediately slip off the
studs or pins. The connection of the two carriages will be then
instantly severed, the forward carriage proceeding onward, whilst the
backward carriage is left at rest.
The tail of the lever which carries the locking bolt is acted upon by
a powerful spring, conveniently placed for the purpose of raising the
bolt out of its mortise when the connection of the carriages is to be
broken, that is, when they are to be separated; but this spring is
raised from the tail of the lever when the bolt is inserted into the
mortise of the second or retaining bar, and the connection of the
carriages is then held fast. This powerful spring may be raised by a
screw key or other convenient means, and when so raised the end of a
horizontal lever or wedge is to be brought round under the spring for
the purpose of holding it up, the screw key being, when that is done,
withdrawn. The reverse end of this horizontal lever or wedge is acted
upon by a tooth at the bottom of a vertical shaft, which shaft being
turned round by a winch at its upper end by the hands of the driver
causes the tooth to push the horizontal lever sideways, and thereby
withdraw the wedge from supporting the spring. The spring then

page_text: being-released immediately falls powerfully upon the tail of the bolt
lever, and by raising the opposite-end of the lever withdraws the bolt
from its mortise, by which the holding bar is enabled to let off the
holding straps or links from the studs, and the connection of the
carriages is broken, as before described.
In the event of the locomotive running off the line, I have a con-
trivance by which this apparatus will be made self-acting. Besides the
means already described of disengaging the forward carriage through
the agency of the driver, I adapt a catch, connected by a strap or
straps, which take hold of the horizontal lever or wedge, before
described; this catch being connected by straps to the locomotive or to
the tender or first carriage, in the event of the locomotive or_first
carriage running off' the line, the catch will, by the angular direction of
the draft, be made to draw the horizontal lever or wedge aside; and
thereby release the main spring, in the same way as by the turning of
the tooth upon the vertical shaft, before explained.
In order to break the running wheels, and impede the progress of
the hinder carriage when liberated from the fore carriage, there is a long
lever under the floor of the carriage, which may be a continuation of the
tail of the bolt lever first described, or in some convenient way con-
nected to the tail of that lever, so that when the powerful spring falls to
withdraw the bolt, as described, the long end of this lever under the
carriage is forced down also.
To the end of this long lever loose straps are attached, which are
connected to a sliding spring bolt, supported in a socket under the
carriage. This spring bolt is intended to hold up a horizontal bar, at
the ends of which are the breaks that are to act upon the peripheries
of the running wheels. This break bar lies across the carriage, sliding
up and down in slotted bearings, and has powerful spiral springs to
press it down against the periphery of the wheels, but may be raised
up from the wheels by a strap under the command of the engineer;
and when this break bar is so raised the sliding spring bolt below will
pass under the bar and prevent it falling.
The depressing of the long lever, before described, when the disen-
gagement of the carriages takes place, will cause the spring bolt to be

page_text: withdrawn from under the bar, and the spiral springs will immediately
force the bar down, and bring the breaks to act upon the peripheries
of the running wheels.
When any accident occurs upon the railroad, of which it may be
desirable to give notice at a distance, I throw up a beacon by means
connected with the before-described machinery.
I place a perpendicular tube as a case in the tender, and within this
have a series of smaller telescope tubes sliding into each other, and
carrying a fire basket at top. These telescopic tubes are surrounded by
a long spiral or helical spring within the outer tube or case, and which
spring is kept down and in tension by means of a pawl taking into a
ratchet wheel at the side of the tender; by the depression of the long
spring under the carriage, before described, when the connection of the
carriages is broken off, the pawl is, by a strap, raised out of the teeth of
the ratchet, and the spiral spring immediately throws up the telescopic
tube with the fire basket at top. This beacon, with its telescopic
tubes and spiral spring, may be brought down again, and the spring
put into tension ready for action, by turning the shaft of the ratchet
wheel, from whence straps pass to the top of the beacon tubes under
the basket.
The basket is to be filled with combustible matters, and these may
be ignited by percussion or by a gun, discharged by the rising of the
beacon
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Laurentius Mathias Eiler in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 31st March 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
LAURENTIUS MATTHIAS EILER, of the Kingdom of Denmark, now
residing at Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Land Surveyor,
sent greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for

page_text: Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Laurentius Matthias Eiler, Her special license that I, the said
Laurentius Matthias Eiler, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Laurentius Matthias Eiler, ny executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the termi
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN APPARATUS
TO RELEASE OR SEPARATE CARRIAGES ON RAILROADS IN CASE OF ACCIDENT,
GIVING AT THE SAME TIME A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Laurentius Matthias Eiler, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Laurentius Matthias Eiler, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
The object of the apparatus which forms the subject of the Invention
for which I have obtained Letters Patent as aforesaid is twofold, and
consists, first, of a novel or improved construction of coupling for
connecting together railway carriages, such coupling being arranged
and adapted in such a manner that the carriages may be detached or
released one from another instantaneously and with great facility, with-
out the necessity of stopping the train for the purpose. My improve-
ments are carried out in such a manner that the carriages may be
detached or disconnected either through the intervention of the guard,
driver, or other attendant on the train, when any necessity for so doing
may arise, or in the event of any part of the train running off the rails
the apparatus will become self-acting, and will at once come into action,

page_text: and by disconnecting the remaining carriages those that have run off
the rails will prevent the others from running off likewise as long as
the line of rails remains undisturbed. In connection with my improved
coupling I have also adapted an improved visible signal, which will be
brought into action simultaneously with the forcible release or discon-
nection of the carriages by any derangement of the train.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1, is a plan view of part of the
framework of two railway carriages, with my improvements adapted
thereto. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal vertical section of a carriage and
part of an engine tender, shewing also the manner in which the
visible signal is brought into operation by the forcible disconnection
of the carriages. Fig. 3, is a cross section of the carriage, shewing
the manner of bringing the self-acting brakes into action upon the
running wheels of one of the carriages. The tender is attached to the
carriages, or the carriages are attached one to the other, by means of
chains or links, which are made fast to one of a pair of swivel bars B,
and C, placed horizontally and parallel to each other between the two
carriages. The front bar C, to which the forward carriage is attached,
hangs perfectly loose, and the second bar B, is mounted in fixed
bearings in such a manner that it may turn freely therein. The
connection between the two carriages is effected by the straps or
chains a; one end of the straps or chains are fastened permanently to
the front bar C, and the other end is hooked on to the second bar B,
by links or rings, which are passed over hooked studs fixed in that bar.
This second bar B, is held fast with its studs or pins erect, and is
prevented from turning over in its bearings by means of a bolt or hook
at the end of the spring lever A, which bolt or hook is inserted or
allowed to drop into a mortice hole cut in the upper side of the bar B.
The lever A, is mounted on a pin as its fulcrum, and the inner end is
held up by the lever E, as will be presently more fully described.
When it is required to disengage or throw off the front bar C, with its
link or chain a, which the carriages are connected together, the
spring lever A, must be raised up, so that the bolt or hook at its end
shall be withdrawn from the mortice hole in the swivel bar B. Thi
object may be effected by the driver, guard, or other attendant on the

page_text: train, or will take place without the assistance of the attendants (as
will be hereafter shewn), should part of the train by any accident be
driven or run off the line. The withdrawal of the bolt or hook of the
lever A, from the mortice in the bar B, being effected, the draft of the
forward carriage (acting on the loose front bar C,) will cause its straps
or link a, to pull against the studs of the second bar B, and to turn
that bar on its axis; the studs or pins will then be placed in a horizontal
position, and the links or rings at the end of the chains a, will imme-
diately slip off the studs or pins. The connection of the two carriages
will be then instantly severed, the forward carriage proceeding onward,
whilst the backward carriage will be left behind.
The tail of the lever A, which carries the locking bolt, is acted upon
by powerful springs D, conveniently placed for the purpose of raising
the bolt out of its mortice in the bar B, when the connection of the
carriages is to be broken, that is, when they are to be separated. When
the two carriages are to be coupled these springs must be raised from
the tail of the lever A, to allow of its bolt being inserted into the
mortice of the retaining bar B, and the connection of the carriages is
then held fast. These powerful springs D, may be raised by a screw b,
which passes through a nut on the bar A, or by any other convenient
means; and when the lever A, has been raised, the end of a horizontal
lever or wedge E, is to be brought round under the head of a pin c, (sec
Fig. 3,) for the purpose of holding up the lever A, and keeping the
hooked end in the mortice of the bar B; when that is done the screw b,
may then be withdrawn. The reverse end of this horizontal lever or
wedge E, has a rack of teeth, as seen in plan in Fig. 1. This rack is
acted upon by a pinion at the bottom of a vertical shaft F, which shaft
is furnished at its upper end with a winch, whereby it may be turned
round by the hands of the driver or guard, and thereby cause the
pinion to move the rack and push the horizontal lever E, sideways,
and thereby withdraw the wedge of the lever E, from under the
supporting pin c. The springs D, then being released, immediately act
powerfully upon the tail of the bolt lever A, and by depressing it will
raise the opposite end of the lever A, and thereby withdraw the bolt
from its mortice in the holding bar B, which being thus released is

page_text: enabled to turn in its bearings and let off the holding straps or
links a, from the hooked studs of the bar B, and the connection of the
carriages is broken, as before described.
This apparatus may be made self-acting, so as to come into operation
in the event of the locomotive engine running off the line. Besides
the means already described of disengaging the forward carriage
through the agency of the driver or guard, I adapt a strap or straps a,
which are wound round and take hold of a hooked stud projecting
from the vertical shaft F, Figures 1, and 3. These straps a, are
connected to the locomotive, or to the tender or first carriage, and in the
event of the locomotive or first carriage running off the line, the strap
will, by the angular direction of the draft, be made to pull round the
shaft F, and through the intervention of the pinion on the shaft will
cause the horizontal lever or wedge E, to be moved aside, as shewn by
dots in Fig. 1, and thereby release the powerful springs D, in the same
way as by the turning of the pinion upon the vertical shaft F, by hand,
in the manner before explained.
In order to stop the revolution of the running wheels, and impede
the progress of the hinder carriage when liberated from the fore
carriage, two brakes H, are attached to a cross piece G, which is acted
on by a long lever under the floor of the carriage. This long lever
may be a continuation of the tail of the bolt lever A, first described, or
in some convenient way connected to the tail of that lever, so that
when the powerful springs D, act thereon to withdraw the bolt from
the mortice of the bar B, as described, the long end of this lever A,
under the carriage will be forced down also, and carry down the bar G.
This brake bar lies across the carriage, and is made to slide up and
down in slotted bearings, and being acted upon by the powerful spiral
springs D, as before mentioned, will press the brakes down against the
peripheries of the wheels, and thus impede their rotation. When
required, the brakes are raised up from the wheels by a strap, acted
upon by some mechanical power under the command of the engineer,
and when this brake bar is so raised the bolt of the lever A, will be
free to descend into the mortice of the bar B, and be locked therein, as
before described.

page_text: The mere unlocking of the long lever A, when the disengagement of
the carriages takes place, will allow the spiral springs D, immediately
to force the brake bar G, down, and bring the brakes to act upon
the peripheries of the running wheels, so that all the parts act
simultaneously.
When any accident occurs upon the railroad, of which it may be
desirable to give notice at a distance, a beacon or visible signal may
be raised or hoisted by means connected with the before-described
machinery. My method of effecting this object is shewn in Fig. 2,
and is as follows:-A perpendicular tube 'm, is secured to some con-
venient part of the tender, and within this tube there is any suitable
number of smaller telescope tubes n, sliding into each other, and
carrying a fire basket o, or some visible signal at top. These telescopic
tubes are surrounded by or are made to enclose a long spiral or helical
spring within the outer tube or case, and this spring is kept down and
in tension by means of a cord or chain, which is coiled round a barrel
furnished with a ratchet wheel at one end. The barrel p, is kept by
the pawler, from uncoiling the chain or cord, and this pawle being
connected to the cord q, it will be at once seen that by the depression
of the long. lever A, under the carriage, as before described, when
the connection of the carriages is broken off, the pawle will, by
the strap or cord 7, be raised out of the teeth of the ratchet, and the
barrel p, being released, will run back and allow the spiral spring
immediately to throw up the telescopic tube with the fire basket o,
at top. This basket o, is to be filled with combustible matters, and
these may be ignited by percussion or by a trigger t, which will be
discharged by the rising of the beacon. This beacon, with its tele-
scopic tubes and spiral spring, may be brought down again, and the
spring put into tension ready for action, by turning the shaft of the
ratchet wheel, from whence a strap or cord passes, as shewn by dots,
to the top of the beacon tubes under the basket.
Having now described my improvements, and the best means with
which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I
claim, in conclusion, the arrangement shewn and described, or any mere
modification thereof, for connecting and disconnecting railway carriages.

page_text: I claim, particularly, the use of the slotted swivel bar B, and lever A.
I claim also the arrangement shewn, or any mere modification
thereof, for making visible signals.
In witness whereof, I, the said Laurentius Matthias Eiler, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
LAURENTIUS MATTHIAS EILER. (L.S.)
Land Surveyor.
Signed and sealed by Mr. L. M. Eiler,
to me personally known, in this
British Vice Consulate Office, in the
Royal City of Copenhagen, date. as
Fec, 1 Dollar.
=2 Rixdollars.
(L.S.) P. T. FERRALL.