CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF CARRIAGES UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FULLER, of the City of Bath, Coachmaker, 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 Seventh day of July, in the fifth year. of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs. and successors, give and grant to me, the said Thomas
Fuller, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Thomas Fuller, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Thomas Fuller, 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 Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RETARDING THE
PROGRESS OF CARRIAGES UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging, me, the said Thomas Fuller, by
an instrument in writing under my, hand and seal, particularly, to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be-performed, and to cause the same to, be inrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery, within six.calendar months next and immediately after the
day of 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
Thomas. Fuller, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are 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:-
My invention of improvements in retarding the progress of carriages under
certain circumstances consists, in the construction and adaptation to carriages,
of a novel or improved apparatus to act as a drag, whereby the progress of the
carriage may be retarded when going down hill without stopping, and after-
wards the drag may be disengaged from its holding position when it has arrived
at the bottom of the hill, also without interrupting the progress of the carriage,
the apparatus being enabled to be brought back into its original quiescent
position, ready to come into operation a second time, by its peculiar construc-
tion and that of its appendages, in consequence of which considerable time is
saved in travelling, and the horses not so much strained as when they are sub-
jected to frequent stoppages for placing and displacing any of the ordinary
drags, such stoppages being particularly objectionable in coming down hills, the
carriage having by its descent acquired some momentum. It is obvious, that
if the drag can be disengaged without stopping the carriage, the momentum
gained in descending the hill will considerably assist the horses for some dis-
tance along the level ground, or in ascending a contiguous hill, and the time
required for stopping and backing the carriage (as is the case in order to dis-
engage ordinary drags), is, by my improvement, totally saved to the traveller,
for, from the momentum gained in descending the hill, the carriage will run
on a considerable distance with but little exertion from the horses.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a cab
phaeton, two of the wheels being removed in order to prevent confusion, and
shew the dragging or retarding apparatus more distinctly. In this Figure the
drag is represented as it would appear when in use. Fig. 2 is an end view of
the hind pair of wheels and their axletree, shewing the manner of attaching
the drag to the hinder axle of the carriage; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation
of the carriage with the wheels removed, as in Fig. 1, the drag being shewn as
Similar letters of reference denote cor-
it would appear when out of use.
responding parts in all the Figures.
The improved carriage drag (shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4), is not intended
to be applied to either of the wheels, and has no connection whatever with them;
but when brought into operation it is lowered by means of a strap, and allowed
to come into contact with the ground under the axletree, to which it is attached,
and immediately it touches the ground it acts as a crutch to the axletree, raising
it and holding it up in the position shewn in Fig. 2, until disengaged by releasing

page_text: the tension of the drag chain, as will be hereafter described. The skid, shoe,
or drag iron a, a, is connected by joints to pendant levers b, b, and the reverse
end of the levers by other joints to bars c, c, which are firmly attached by clips
to the hind axletree d. The skid, shoe, or drag iron a is retained in its proper
5 place whilst dragging (as in Fig. 1) by means of the drag chain e, one end of
which is attached to the drag iron or skid, and the other end to a tumbling
lever f. A front view of this tumbling lever f is shewn detached at Fig. 4.
This lever is fixed to a short shaft g, mounted in bracket arms or bearings h, h,
attached to the under part of the carriage, and to the other end of the shaft g
there is also affixed a similar lever i, but in an opposite position to the former.
The lever i is attached at its upper end by a joint to a curved rodj, which rod
is also connected in a similar manner to the tail of a bent lever k, k, which
turns on a fulcrum pivot l, fixed to the framing of the carriage. When tho
drag is not in use, the skid iron a and chain e are drawn up and suspended
under the carriage in the positions shewn in Fig. 3, by means of a strap or
cord m, m, m, passed over and under carrier pullies n, n, n, the upper end of
the strap having two rings or hooks, by which it is held upon two pins or studs;
as at o and p, in Figures 1 and 3. When the drag is required to be brought
into operation, the ring o on the strap or cord m must be taken off its holding
stud or pin, and the levers 6 carrying the drag iron a be allowed to fall, by
which the skid will be brought to the ground. The progress of the carriage
immediately brings the levers b, b, into a straight line with the stationary
arms c, c, as represented in Fig. 1; and as the length of the arms c, c, the
pendant levers b, b, and the thickness of the drag iron a together amount
to rather more than the radius of the wheel, the axletree to which this appa-
ratus is attached becomes slightly raised at one end, thereby lifting one of the
running wheels off the ground; by these means the weight of that side of the
carriage becomes now supported by the arms c, c, and pendant levers b, b, and
skid a, as represented at Fig. 2, and the carriage is immediately dragged. In
order to release the drag from its holding position on the ground it is
necessary
to slacken the tension of the drag chain e sufficiently to allow the drag to pass
into the position shewn by dots in Fig. 1, on doing which the wheel will imme-
diately come into contact with the ground, and commence revolving again. To
effect this object, the lever k must be released from the spring catch which holds
it by touching the handle g, and when so released the lever k immediately flies
back and assumes the position shewn by dots in Fig. 1. By the connection of
this lever / with the tumbling levers f and i, above described, the tumbling
levers are made to turn on their axis and assume the horizontal position shewn
by. dots, thereby slackening the drag chain and allowing the skid iron to pass

page_text: behind, as shewn in the Figure. Then, in order to bring the apparatus into its
original position, as in Fig. 3, to be ready for operation again, the driver or
person on the box has only to pull the strap or cord m, m, m, and hook the
lower ring on to the stud o, and the drag iron will be drawn over into the
position shewn in the last mentioned Figure, when the lever k must be replaced
in its former situation. The skid iron, in its revolution, has described the circle
shewn by dots in both Figures, the peculiar shape and arrangement of the
pendant levers b, b, and rods c, c, as represented in Figure. 2, allowing the skid
iron to swing through between them:
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent a modification of the above-described
apparatus, in which a skid shoe, in place of the drag iron, is applied to
the wheel as in ordinary drags. The skid or shoe is lowered when required
for use, and released and brought again into its original position, in a
similar manner to that of the apparatus above described, it will thereforo
only be necessary to explain such parts as differ in construction. from the
apparatus shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. Fig. 5 represents an end. eleva-
tion of a pair of wheels and their axletree, with, the apparatus attached
thereto, the skid shoe being applied to one of the wheels as in the act of
dragging. Fig. 6 represents a horizontal view of the apparatus in the same
position as in Fig. 5, the wheels and part of axle being removed in order to
exhibit the apparatús more distinctly. The skid, shoe, or 'drag iron is shewn
at a, a, attached to one end of the drag chain e, e, às in the other Figures.
The skid a is also connected by a joint to a bent arm or lever b, which turns
upon a centre pin fixed near the end of the stationary arm ċ (as seen in Fig. 7)
which arm c is firmly affixed to the axletree by clips, as shewn in the Drawing.
The bent lever b has a lateral branch or arm r extending from its side, having
at its end an 'upright pin s, to which a strap m, m, is connected; this strap m
passes over a carrier pulley, attached to the under side of the carriage at any
convenient part. When the apparatus is not in use it is held up or suspended
by means of the strap m, in the position represented in the horizontal view,
Fig. 8, and when required to be brought into operation the skid is lowered by
loosening the strap m, as in the former case, its own gravity bringing it down
under the wheel, where it is retained by the drag chain, as before, until the
latter is slackened in the manner described in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4, when the drag immediately passes behind the wheel, and is raised into
its original position by pulling the cord or strap m, which makes it describe an
oblique circle, as shewn in Figures 6, 7, and 8, by dotted lines, the skid iron in
its revolution having passed over the carrier pulley m, as scen in Fig. 7..
Immediately that the skid iron attains its greatest altitude it is drawn over the

page_text: dead point by the weight of the chain e, and, being also aided by its own gravity,
the skid iron falls into the position shewn in Fig. 8, where it is held up or
retained by the strap or cord m, as before mentioned, until again required to
be brought into operation.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the precise form, position, or arrangement of the parts hererein
shewn, as the apparatus might perhaps be varied in some particulars, to suit
different circumstances, without departing from the principle of my improve-
ments in carriage drags. I therefore claim, as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the construction of apparatus as
above described, whereby a drag may be released and brought into its original
quiescent position by the driver, or any other person, without stopping or
arresting the progress of the carriage for the purpose of saving time in
travelling, and preventing the horses being strained, as frequently occurs, from
stoppages in using the ordinary drags.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fuller, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
at hundred and forty two
HUMAS (L.B.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of January,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas Fuller came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore.
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Seventh day of January, in the year above written.