IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO VEHICLES FOR STOPPING RUNAWAY HORSES, PREVENTING THEM FALLING, AND PREVENTING OTHER ACCI- DENTS ON ROADS, TRAMWAYS, AND RAILWAYS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th September 1878. A commu-
nication from abroad by François Folacci, fils, and Etienne Orsini, both of
Paris, France.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO VEHICLES FOR STOPPING
RUNAWAY HORSES, PREVENTING THEM FALLING, AND PREVENTING OTHER ACCI-
DENTS ON ROADS, TRAMWAYS, AND RAILWAYS." [A communication from abroad
by François Folacci, fils, and Etienne Orsini, both of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates, 1st., to apparatus to be attached to locomotives, tramway
cars, omnibuses, and other vehicles, for clearing. or gently removing from the line
or road over which the vehicle is travelling any person or object who or which
may be in the way, and thus avoid a frequent cause of accident on railways and
in the public streets; secondly, to means for instantaneously stopping runaway
horses; and thirdly, to means for preventing horses falling when in harness.
The safety apparatus to be attached in front of the locomotive or other vehicle
consists of a guard or fender, preferably formed of two flat or curvilinear surfaces,
inclined towards each other and meeting near the centre of the line so as to form a
more or less acute dihedral or shaped figure whose slanting sides will tend to
throw off to the one side or the other any object which may be accidentally in the
way; or these inclined surfaces instead of meeting may be carried only a short
distance towards one another in order to prevent persons from getting under the
wheels.
Guards or fenders of modified forms may also be employed in certain cases but
with less advantage than the -shape above described; one of these consists of a
guard or fender having a single plane surface extending in an oblique direction
across the whole breadth of the line; another consists of a guard placed in front of
each wheel, inclined forwards towards the centre of the line, and made sufficiently
large to prevent any injury by the wheels.

page_text: A third is a single plane normal to the direction of the vehicle, equal to it in
width, between the front wheels and fixed at its front end; a fourth is a single
plane surface normal to the direction of the vehicle placed in front of each front
wheel and made of sufficient size to prevent accidents. These two latter arrange-
ments however have the disadvantage of pushing forward any obstacle which may
come in their way instead of throwing it aside as in the first and second arrange-
ments. The wheels may also be caged in with a similar object of preventing
anything getting under them, but this plan presents the same objections as No. 4
above mentioned.
When the safety apparatus first herein described is used simply to protect
persons from falling under the wheels it is fixed to the fore carriage of the vehicle
which should be sufficiently extended and strengthened for the purpose. The hind
wheels may also be similarly protected by small inclined guards or by a cage
simply.
When the apparatus is intended to prevent persons being run over by the horses
as well as by the wheels, a curvilinear guard is used which is to be attached to the
end of the pole and extend from about a level with the chest of the horse to within
a few inches of the ground. The guard or fender would be attached to the fore
carriage on either side by any suitable connection to allow of the horses being
readily harnessed and unharnessed. The wheels would also be provided with
inclined guard plates. The guard may be composed of any material possessing
the requisite strength, lightness, and elasticity, so as to enable any body with which
it may come in contact to glide smoothly over its surface.
Another part of the Invention relates to means of stopping runaway horses, and it
consists in the employment for this purpose of a bar hung just in front of the fore
legs of the horses, padded to prevent their receiving any injury by striking it. A
spring on the end of the pole holds the bar in such position as will allow free move-
ment of the horses' legs.
a
A chain is attached at the under part of this bar which is continued along the
pole and wound upon a small barrel provided with a crank handle within reach of
the driver. In the event of the horses running away the driver simply turns the
handle so as to wind up the chain which causes the bar to fall suddenly in front of
the horses' legs and so prevents their further movement. This improvement may
also be applied to the shafts of single horse vehicles. The horses may in this
manner be again brought under control, and when quieted the driver by releasing
pin allows the chain to run off the barrel and the bar is then again raised to
position by the spring, to enable the horses to resume their journey.
improvement relates to means for preventing the horses from falling.
purpose two strong vertical legs or struts are attached to the pole of a two-horse
vehicle in about the same position as the horses' fore and hind legs and of the same
height as the horses. To these uprights are attached broad bands of about eight
inches in width which pass under the horses' bellies, and are each attached to
buckles upon the uprights.
Another
For this
Thus if a horse should stumble the belt affords an immediate support and the
horse readily regains his footing without assistance. The belts hang loose and do
not impede the movement of the horse in any way.