Improvements in Shackles or Hooks for Harness and other Purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shackles or Hooks for Harness and other Purposes.
I, SAMUEL JAMES PRESCOTT, of 33, Church Street, Camberwell, London, S.E.,
Pawnbroker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved spring shackle, hook, or other named
device adaptable for haulage purposes generally, but more especially for quickly
and easily connecting the traces and draft chains of horses and other beasts of
burden to, and disconnecting them from the splinter-bar, whipple-tree, or shafts
of road vehicles, and has for its object to provide a means for quickly and easily
releasing horses and other beasts of burden from such vehicles when they have
fallen or become otherwise incapacitated.
My invention consists of certain improvements upon and modifications of
the hook or shackle forming the subject matter of my previous l'atent No. 7937
of A.. 1896, as I have since the date of that patent found that although the
hook or shackle therein described and shewn is admirably adapted for the pur-
poses specified, viz., for quickly and easily connecting the draft traces or chains
to and disconnecting them from the hames or supporting frames of the collars
of horses and other beasts of burden, and the breeching straps to and from the
breeching lugs upon the shafts of a vehicle, they were not adapted nor intended
to be used for connecting the opposite ends of the traces and draft chains to
the splinter bar or whipple tree of such vehicles as stage-coaches, omnibuses and
like road vehicles to which my present invention is more particularly adapted.
My present invention consists of a device or apparatus wrought or cast from
any suitable metal and of varying dimensions, according to its intended uses,
the back end of which is adapted for connection to a metallic plate fixed upon
the splinter bar of a pair horse vehicle either in place of or by the same means
as that by which the present trace lugs are fixed in position thereon, while the
fore-end of the said device may take the form of a hook, the space between
the end of the said hook and the solid and swollen centre part of the device
being occupied by a metallic tongue pivotally connected to the said centre part,
the said centre part having a passage in which is placed a suitable spring
adapted to impinge upon the heel of the said tongue and keep the oppo-
site end of the said tongue normally in connection with the end of the said
hook, the said tongue being easily raised by hand, for connecting to the hook
the draft chain or trace of the harness, and disconnecting it therefrom, not-
withstanding that the said trace or draft chain may be very taut as obtains
when the animal is down. The back end of the said device is also capable of
connection to a whipple tree by a bolt or other suitable means, or and to the
By a slight
pole end of a pair horse vehicles for receiving the pole chains.

page_text: modification the said device may also be employed for suspending pulley blocks
and for connection with sail hanks and for other purposes of haulage.
Dated this 7th day of December 1898.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Shackles or Hooks for Harness and other Furposes.
I, SAMUEL JAMES PRESCOTT, of 33, Church Street, Camberwell, London, S.E.,
Pawnbroker, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved spring shackle, hook, or other named
device adaptable for haulage purposes generally, but more especially for quickly
and easily connecting the traces and draft chains of horses or other beasts of
burden, to and disconnecting them from the splinter-bar, whipple-tree, or shafts
of road vehicles and the hames of their collars and has for its object to provide
a means for quickly and easily releasing horses and other beasts of burden from
such vehicles, when they are fallen or become otherwise incapacitated.
My invention consists of certain improvements upon and modifications of
the hook or shackle forming the subject matter of my previous Patent No. 7937
of A.D. 1896, as I have since the date of that patent, found that although the
hook or shackle therein described and shewn is admirably adapted for the pur-
poses specified, viz., for quickly and easily connecting the draft traces or chains
to and disconnecting them from the hames or supporting frames of the collars
of horses and other beasts of burden and the breeching straps to and from the
breeching lugs upon the shafts of a vehicle, they were not adapted nor intended
to be used for connecting the opposite ends of the traces and draft chains to
the splinter-bar or whipple-tree of a vehicle such as a stage coach, omnibus or
like road vehicles to which my present invention is more particularly adapted.
To enable my invention to be more clearly understood I have hereunto
appended two sheets of drawings in which
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating one form of
device constituting my invention.
Fig. 2 is a view illustrating in enlarged details the action of a spring the
tension of which is exerted through the medium of a steel ball upon the tongue
of the said device.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation (similar to Fig. 1) of an alternative method of
construction.
Fig.
are details of Fig. 3 similar to Fig. 2 in relation to Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation similar to Figs. 1 and 3 of a further modification of
construction.
Fig. 6 are details similar to Figs. 2 and 4.
!
Fig. 7 Sheet 2 is a perspective view of my improved device, one end of which
is shewn attached to the hame of a horse collar, and the other to a trace for
purposes of haulage.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of device shewing
its use in connection with sails.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the connection of my

page_text: said device to the splinter bar of a two horse vehicle, and the attachment of the
traces or draught chains thereto.
My present invention consists of a device or apparatus wrought or cast from
any suitable metal and of varying dimensions, according to its intended uses,
the back end of which consists of two extensions A B or as a slight modifica-
tion (Fig. S Sheet 2) of a single extension C both arrangements being adapted
for the purposes of fixation according to their respective uses, the fore end of
the said device being in the form of a hook D, the space between the end of the
said hook and the solid or swollen middle portion E of the said device being
occupied by a metallic tongue F pivotally connected at G to the said middle or
centre portion E, the said centre portion having a passage H in which is placed
a suitable spring J the tension of which through the medium of a steel ball M
is exerted upon the heel K of the said tongue F, and at the other end, against
the end of a screw L inserted in the said passage H and by which the tensional
force of the said spring is regulated as it operates for keeping the fore end of
the said tongue F normally in connection with the hook end D, the said tongue
being easily raised by hand for the purpose of connecting to the hook end D,
the draft chain or trace N of harness (Figs. 7 and 9 Sheet 2) or the eyelet Ü
of a sail P as at Fig. 8 and disconnecting the same therefrom notwithstanding
that the said draught chain or trace N or sail 0 may be very taut as obtains
when a horse has fallen or the said sail P is in the wind.
In the device illustrated by Fig. 1 Sheet 1 the heel portion K of the tongue F
has formed thereon a curved extension R (shewn more particularly by Fig. 2)
upon which impinges the ball M by reason of the tension of the spring J and
owing to the curvature of such extension It, the tongue F has a continuous
action, that is to say when the said tongue is raised by hand to the position
shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and full lines in the right hand detail view
Fig. 2, the ball M finding no impediment to its movement along the smooth
extension R, operates by the tension of the spring J to force the said tongue F
back to its normal position against the hook end D), immediately the upward
pressure of the hand is released, whereas in the alternative method illustrated
by Figs. 3 and 4 Sheet 1, by reason of the side of the angular projection S
formed upon the heel portion K of the said tongue engaging with the ball M
actuated by the tension of the spring J when the said tongue F has been raised
by hand to the position shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and full lines in the
right hand detail view Fig. 4, the said tongue F would be thereby retained in
this position until the tension of the spring is overcome by the downward
pressure by hand of the tongue F, and the ball M again rests upon the top of
the said projection S, and so retains the tongue F in its normal position against
the hook end D.
As a further alternative method illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6 Sheet 1 the heel
portion K of F has a smooth inclined surface T against which the ball M always
impinges and as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, a continuous action is given to the
tongues F, when the same is lowered as shewn in Fig. 5 and right hand view
Fig. 6, no impediment being offered to the ball M acting under the tension of
the spring consequently the tongue F is closed immediately upon release.
For attaching the said device to the hame V of a horse or other collar the exten-
sions A B of the former would be caused to embrace an extension upon the
said hame, and securely fastened thereto by a bolt and nut as shewn in Fig.
passages A B being provided in the extensions A B (Figs. 1, 3 and 5 Sheet 1)
for this purpose, a similar passage C₁ being also provided in the single exten-
sion C (Fig. Sheet 2) for attachment to a rope hank or the like C3, while in
Fig. 9 is shewn the attachment of the device to a metal plate W fixed upon
the splinter bar X of a pair horse vehicle, by means of the usual trace lug Y,
the bolt of the latter first passing through the said plate W and then through
the splinter-bar X to be fastened in the usual way, the forward end of the said
plate W being embraced by and bolted to the extensions A 13 of the said device.
Notwithstanding, only three examples of the employment of my improved

page_text: device have been described and shewn it is obvious that the same is capable of
use in connection with the whipple trees of unicorn and four horse teams, and
the pole ends of pair horse vehicles for connecting the pole chains with the
collars, and by a slight modification similar to that shewn in Fig. 8 Sheet 2 for
many and various purposes of haulage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1st. The improved spring shackle or hook for harness and other purposes of
haulage, substantially as herein described and shewn.
2nd. In an improved spring shackle the combination of a body portion E
having at one end a connecting lug such as C or lugs such as A B and at the
other a hook like extension D, the gap provided between D and E being occu-
pied by a tongue F pivotally connected at a point G with E, the heel K of the
said tongue being formed as at RS or T and operated upon by a ball M and
spring J enclosed within a passage H in E, the tension of the said spring being
regulated and retained in position by a screw L, the whole connected combined
and operating in the several ways and as and for the several purposes, herein
set forth and shewn.
3rd. In an improved spring shackle or hook as characterized by the preceding
claim the combination of a pivotted tongue such as F actuated by a ball M
and spring J, concealed within a chamber H in said shackle for actuating
the said tongue substantially as herein described and shewn.
Dated this 7th day of October 1899.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.