IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SHOCKS OR ACCIDENTS ON RAILWAYS, OR IN: LESSENING THE DANGEROUS EFFECTS ARISING THEREPROM
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of August; in the eighth year of Her reign..
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said William Newton, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and-
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SHOCKS OR ACCIDENTS ON RAILWAYS, OR IN:
LESSENING THE DANGEROUS EFFECTS ARISING THEREPROM," being a communication:
from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, obliging me, the said William Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the:
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause

page_text: the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
The Invention for which I have obtained Letters Patent as aforesaid, and
which has been communicated to me by my correspondent abroad, is described
by him in the following manner :-
It consists, in the first place, in a novel mode of connecting together the
carriages of a railway train so that the unpleasant jerks or shocks which take
place when a train stops or starts may be prevented, and the employment of
buffers may be in a great measure obviated.
The second part of the Invention consists of a means of lessening the
liability of one train running up against another, or, if such an accident should
take place, the danger likely to arise therefrom would be considerably
lessened.
Figs. 1 and 2 represent plan and side views of the improved apparatus for
connecting the carriages together. It consists of a jointed rod furnished with
a vertical and horizontal joint, so as to allow it to bend in either direction.
The jointed rod consists of two bars C, C*, connected together by a joint A,
which allows the apparatus to bend in a horizontal direction, thereby rendering
the train flexible, which will be found necessary when traversing curves. The
iron pin a is fixed loosely in the joint A, and may be easily removed when it
is necessary to detach the carriages. One end of the rod C is attached to the
part F by means of a pin working in a vertical slot, as seen in the side view,
for the purpose of allowing for any difference in the height of the carriages.
The other end C* of the rod C, C, is held in the frame D, D, by means of
the collars E, E, see plan view, Fig. 1. These collars are prevented from
turning round more than a certain distance by means of a stop, which, while
it allows the rod to turn sufficiently to. yield to the vibration or oscillation of
the carriages, will nevertheless prevent the breakage of axles and wheels, as
in such case the carriage remains suspended, and cannot deviate from the
perpendicular more than one or two inches. F is a piece of iron, about a foot

page_text: long and six inches broad, fixed to the carriage, on which the jointed 'end G of
the rod C.is fixed by means of a pin, which pin is capable of moving up and
down in the vertical slot as shewn, so as to prevent any inconvenience arising
from a difference in the height of the carriages. The apparatus is about
three feet long; the diameter of the rod will of course vary, according to the
strain it is required to withstand. The apparatus is to be fixed between two
carriages in the centre, by means of strong bolts, as shown in the Drawing!
By means of this apparatus (which is constructed entirely of iron), carriages
running upon railways will be prevented from jolting against each other, as is
the case in stoppages, &c., and at the same time will be free to move in every.
direction; the danger of breaking axles and wheels will also be prevented, and
the buffers and connecting chains, now in use are suppressed.
In order to prevent tho evil consequences arising from the collision of one train
with another or with any other obstacle, the apparatus shewn in Figures 3, 4,
and 5 is employed. This apparatus is placed before the engine, and consists
of a double inclined plane made of iron, running upon wheels, and furnished
with rails of the same width as those of the way upon which it runs.
In case
of a collision, the engine will be forced up this inclined plane, which is furnished
with a raised edge at both sides of sufficient height to prevent the engine being.
thrown off. This apparatus is pushed forward by means of rods or buffers
attached to the engine. The ends of these rods are of a convex form, and
come in contact with rods or buffer heads of a similar form, which are attached
to the inclined plane by means of a vertical plate of metal acting as a spring,
which, in case of the apparatus meeting with any obstacle, would bend back
and allow the engine to pass over. The apparatus is also attached to the
engine carriage by means of a connecting chain of such a length as to
prevent the engine from running more than a certain distance up the inclined
plane; I also attach an ordinary carriage in the same manner in front of the
inclined planes. The inclined planes have a rise of six inches to the foot,
cach side being thirty feet in length, and the apparatus consequently fifteen
feet in height at the apex; and although in the Drawing the apparatus is
shewn as being in front of the engine, yet it may, if required or thought more
desirable, be placed behind the engine and tender.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
WILLIAM (L.S.) NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of February,
in the eighth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said
William Newton came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth
year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.