New or Improved Safety Appliance for Preventing Horses in Shafts from Running Away when left Unattended.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1894-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Safety Appliance for Preventing Horses in Shafts
from Running Away when left Unattended.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON KIRKMAN of 85 Woodville Terrace, Breck Road,
Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Numerous accidents are occasioned through carters, parcel delivery men and
others leaving their horses standing in the street and the latter taking fright and
running away while unattended.
This invention is designed to prevent such accidents.
It consists in a device for loosely strapping a spoke or the rim of a wheel to
the shaft, spring or other fixed part of the vehicle, and also passing the reins
through the loop round the spoke or rim and tying them to some other stationary
part of the vehicle. By this means the wheel can only revolve the distance of one
or two spokes and in so doing brings the requisite pressure on the horses mouth to
stop him, but cannot pull any further. If then the horse backs a still less pressure
or none at all will be brought on the horse, as the loop can be so arranged that in
the backward motion it shall not bring any pressure on the rein. This overcomes
the disadvantage of the plan frequently adoptel of tying the reins to the wheel.
When this is done and the horse moves on he feels a severe pull on the mouth, he
backs, and the wheel going in the reverse way drags him down in all probability
breaking the shafts and doing other damage. The arrangement I prefer is a strap
having a buckle on one end so that it can be buckled over the shaft; on the other
end is a swivel eye and spring clip, and at a considerable distance from this end
a D shaped ring. By passing this end round the spoke or round the rim and
attaching the spring clip to the D ring the wheel is firinly chained or strapped to
the shalt with the allowance of a sufficient amount of motion to pull the reins to
the requisite tightness and no more. The device can be made of chain or jointed
metal.
Dated the 10th day of May 1804
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
New or Improved Safety Appliance for Preventing Horses in Shafts
from Running Away when left Unattended.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON KIRKMAN Traveller of 85 Woodville Terrace Breck
Road Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Numerous accidents are occasioned through carters, parcel delivery men and
others leaving their horses standing in the street and the latter taking fright and
running away while unattended.
This invention is designed to prevent such accidents.

page_text: Figure 1 is a detail view of the appliance; and
Figure 2 the appliance in use.
The invention consists in a device for loosely strapping a spoke or the rim of a
wheel to the shaft, spring or other fixed part of the vehicle, and also passing the
reins through the loop round the spoke or rim and tying them to some other
stationary part of the vehicle. By this means the wheel can only revolve the
distance of one or two spokes and in so doing brings the requisite pressure on the
horse's month to stop him, but cannot pull any further. If then the horse backs, a
still less pressure or none at all will be brought on the horse, as the loop can be
so arranged that in the backward motion it shall not bring any pressure on the rein.
This overcomes the disadvantage of the plan frequently adopted of tying the reins
to the wheel. When this is done and the horse moves on he feels a severe pull on
the month, he backs and the wheel going in the reverse way drags him down, in all
probability breaking the shafts and doing other damage. The arrangement I
prefer is a strap A having a buckle B on one end so that it can be buckled over
the shaft; on the other end is a swivel eye and spring clip C, and at a considerable
distance from this end a D-shaped ring D. By passing this end round the spoke
or round the rim, and attaching the spring clip to the D-ring, the wheel is firmly
chained or strapped to the shaft with the allowance of a sufficient amount of motion
to pull the reins to the requisite tightness and no more. The device can be made
of chain or jointed metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of preventing horses in shafts from running away when left
unattended, which consists in loosely strapping a spoke or the rim of the wheel to
the shaft, s ring or other fixel part of the vehicle, and also passing the reins
through the loop round the spoke or rim and tying them to some other stationary
part of the vehicle, whereby the wheel can only revolve the distance of one or
two spokes and in so doing brings the requisite pressure on the horse's mouth to
stop him.
2 An appliance consisting of a strap chain or the like, so arranged that at one
end it can be buckled to the shaft or other fixed part, and at the other formed into
a loop which can be passed loosely arcmd a spoke or the rim of the wheel, and
also around the reins substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 30th day of November 1894.
WILLIAM THOMPSON KIRKMAN.