IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Humphrey Roberts, of No. 17, Bedford
Street, Plymouth, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RETARDING AND STOPPING CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 2nd June 1865, and dated the 9th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Humphrey Roberts
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th December 1864.
I, THOMAS HUMPHREY ROBERTS, of No. 17, Bedford Street, Plymouth, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for retarding
and stopping carriages. For these purposes when apparatus according to my
Invention is to be applied to an omnibus or other carriage having a pole and
locking apparatus, a bar is applied in front of the fore wheels, and such bar is
arranged to be fixed to the back end of the pole, so that it may be moved
outwards a short distance with the pole when the horses are drawing. At the
ends of this bar the outer traces of the horses are attached, by which the ends
of the bar will be drawn away from the fore wheels. Near the ends of the
bar and at the back surface thereof two breaks or friction blocks are affixed,
one to break each of the fore wheels. The ends of the inner traces are fixed

page_text: as heretofore.
Hence it will be understood that when the horses are drawing
a carriage the breaks will be away from the wheels, but immediately the
speed of the horses is reduced, whether on a level road or going down hill, the
fore wheels of the carriage will come against the breaks, and will thereby be
retarded from turning. In a similar manner may apparatus be applied to two
or four wheeled carriages when shafts are used. When applying the Invention
to railway carriages then the apparatus is combined with the buffers in such
manner, that when the speed of the locomotive engine is reduced the breaks
of each carriage will be caused to act on the wheels by the momentum of the
carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Humphrey Roberts in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HUMPHREY ROBERTS, of No. 17, Bedford Street, Plymouth, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Humphrey Roberts, Her special licence that I, the
said Thomas Humphrey Roberts, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Humphrey Roberts, 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, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING
AND STOPPING CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Humphrey Roberts, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under ny, 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 Thomas Humphrey Roberts, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: 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 improvements in apparatus for retarding
and stopping carriages. For these purposes when apparatus according to my
Invention is to be applied to an omnibus or other carriage having a pole and
locking apparatus, a bar is applied in front of the fore wheels, and such bar is
arranged to be fixed to the back end of the pole, so that it may be moved
outwards a short distance with the pole when the horses are drawing. At the
ends of this bar the outer traces of the horses are attached by which the ends
of the bar will be drawn away from the fore wheels. Near the ends of the
bar and at the back surface thereof two breaks or friction blocks are affixed,
one to break each of the fore wheels. The ends of the inner traces are fixed
as heretofore. Hence it will be understood that when the horses are drawing
a carriage the breaks will be away from the wheels, but immediately the
speed of the horses is reduced, whether on a level road or going down hill, the
fore wheels of the carriage will come against the breaks, and will thereby be
retarded from turning. In a similar manner may apparatus be applied to two
or four wheeled carriages when shafts are used.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of an omnibus having applied to it a brake arranged
according to my Invention.
a is the pole, the rear end of which is capable of moving forwards or
backwards between the futchels 6 of the locking apparatus; the rear end of
the pole is for this purpose made parallel instead of tapering towards the end
as is usual; to the pole is fixed a horizontal bar c by the centre pin c¹; the
bar c has upon it two break blocks d, one opposite each of the fore wheels; to
this bar the traces are connected, so that when the horses are drawing forward
the omnibus, the bar is drawn forwards until it bears against the fixed splinter
bar e, which is carried by the futchels, and also by the tie-rods or stays f, f,
the break blocks are thus drawn away from the wheels. The ends of the bar
c are also supported by the tie-rods f, the bar being furnished with rings or
eyes which run upon the rods. When the omnibus is descending an incline
or when the horses are stopping, the pole is forced back, and the break blocks
on the bar c are forced against the wheels, so aiding to retard or stop. the
omnibus. In order that when the horses again draw the omnibus forwards
the bar c may not be pulled forwards with a jerk by the horses, the bar is

page_text: constantly pulled towards the axle by springs g; these springs also aid in
pressing the break blocks against the wheels when the horses are not drawing
forwards, and so increase the break power. The break may, if desired, be
retained out of action by a catch preventing the pole moving backwards; an
arrangement for effecting this is shewn in the Drawings. Ratchet teeth are
formed in the under side of the pole, into which a pawl carried by the lever h
can be caused to enter and so prevent the pole moving back; the lever is for
this purpose connected by a cord to the shorter arm of the lever k; the other
arm of this lever is furnished with a footboard; when the driver places his foot
on this board the pawl is caused to enter between the ratchet teeth in the
pole, and so hold it fast; but if he requires the break to act he lifts his foot
off the board and the pawl then drops out of the teeth. When the omnibus
or carriage is to be used in very hilly country, then the power of the break
may be increased in the manner shewn by red lines in the under side view,
Figure 2. In the arrangement there shewn the rear end of the pole has pin
jointed to it two rods l, which when the pole is moved back force two cups
or cones on to the naves of the two fore wheels; the cups are connected to
the bar c by chains, and when the cups are forced on to the naves and so have
a tendency to rotate with them, the break blocks on the bar c are drawn by
the chains against the wheels. The cones are supported by guide rods carried
by the axle, and the ends of the rods are received in grooves around the
cones, so allowing the cones to revolve.
break arranged
On Sheet 2 is shewn a two-wheeled tipping cart having
according to my Invention applied to it. Figure 1 is a side view of the cart,
and Figure 2 a side view shewing part of the cart when tipped; Figure 3 is
a section of part of cart; and Figure 4 an under side view of the same.
a, a, are the shafts connected by pin joints to the lower ends of iron
plates 6 at the sides of the cart; these plates carry break blocks c, as is shewn
more clearly at Figures 5, which shew the iron plates b and the break blocks
separately. When the horse draws forward the shafts, the break blocks are
drawn away from the wheels until the rod d which passes below the bottom of
the cart from one plate 6 to the other, bears against the bottom of the cart,
and so prevents the shafts being drawn more forwards; the two plates are also
connected together by a rod e, which prevents the plates from twisting when
the break blocks are pressed against the wheels; the break blocks are pressed
against the wheels when the shafts are pressed back by the horse stopping or
the cart descending an incline. The shafts can be retained in any position
when desired, so as either to retain the break out of action or to hold the break
blocks against the wheels; this is effected by a lever handle f being connected

page_text: by a rod k to the rod d, which passes from one plate 6 to the other, so that by
holding the upper end of the lever f by a pin g inserted into one or other of
a row of holes in the side of the cart, the break blocks can either be retained
against or away from the wheels; l, l, are the tipping eyes which are fixed to
the shafts, these eyes prevent any cross strain coming on the plates b.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Humphrey Roberts, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS HUMPHREY ROBERTS. (L.S.)