Improvements in and relating to Electrically Propelled Hose Carts or Carriages.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
MUIFICATION
Improvements in and relating to Electrically Propelled Hose Carts
or Carriages.
I, MARK WESLEY DEWEY, of the City of Syracuse, in the County of
Onondaga, in the State of New York, United States of America, Electrician, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 certain improvements in electrically propelled vehicles
and also in hose carriages.
The object of my invention is to electrically propel a hose carriage to and
from a fire, so that it will not be necessary to employ horses for this purpose,
to save time heretofore lost in hitching them to the carriage, allowing the
carriage to be started the instant the alarm is sounded, and to provide a suitable
and efficient hose carriage for my electric fire engine, patented February 17, 1891
No. 2862.
The object of my invention also is to operate the hose reel on the carriage
electrically, preferably by the propelling motor, and to operate said reel whenever
desired, and whether the carriage is in motion, or at rest. By doing this I am
enabled to wind upon said reel a very long length of hose without uncoupling or
separating the hose into short lengths, as usual, and without dragging it over the
rough pavements, thus saying time and unnecessary wear upon the hose.
To this end my invention consists in the combination of a wheeled vehicle
having two axles and a frame, a hose reel mounted upon the frame, and an
electric motor supported upon the vehicle and connected with the reel to revolve
the same.
My invention consists also in the combination in an electrically propelled vehicle
of an electric motor mounted thereon and connected with the axle or wheels to
propel the same, a secondary battery carried by the vehicle below the horizontal
plane of the axis of the driving wheels, and electric connections between the battery
and the motor.
My invention consists further in the combination of a wheeled vehicle having
two axles and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery
carried by the vehicle, electric connections between the battery and the motor, a
hose reel mounted upon the frame having its axis above the horizontal plane of the
axis of the wheels of the vehicle, and suitable means whereby the motor may
propel the carriage or revolve the reel thereon, or both.
And my invention consists still further in certain other combinations of parts
hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the claims.
Referring briefly to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved
hose carriage with a part of its frame broken away and a wheel removed to show
the gearing clearly, Figure 2 is a plan view of the same carriage with the seat and
steering wheels removed, and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of certain parts of the
apparatus, together with the circuits, etc., that may be employed.
In the drawings A represents the electric motor suitably secured to and supported
by the frame B or rear axle C of the vehicle, or both, but preferably with its
armature shaft A' extending parallel to the rear axle C of the vehicle, and above
the horizontal plane of the axis of said axle to allow a secondary or storage
battery or its receptacle D to be placed below said axle or below the horizontal
plane thereof, which in turn allows the hose reel to occupy its usual and preferred
position above said plane.

page_text: The battery is preferably placed low also, in order that its weight may not render
the vehicle top-heavy, and to allow it to be removed and replaced easily.
E is the hose reel mounted upon the frame B with its axis or its driving-shaft E'
above the plane of the axis of the rear axle and preferably parallel with the sanie.
On an extension of the reel shaft is a pulley and this pulley is shown connected
with a smaller pulley upon the armature shaft A' of the motor by a belt or
chain and is a belt or chain connecting another pulley upon the armature
shaft with a pulley or preferably a compensating gear e upon the rear axle C of the
carriage to facilitate in turning corners, or to allow the relative movement of the
wheels carried by the said axle. I do not limit myself, however, to the belt or
chain connections as other suitable and well known gearing may be employed
instead.
G is a lever to operate the clutch mechanism on the motor shaft to disconnect
the motor A from the axle, and H is a lever to operate the clutch mechanism e on
the opposite end of the motor shaft to connect the motor with the pump, or
rice versa, when desired.
The said levers are connected with the clutches through rotable rods G¹ and H¹
journaled in the frame B and extending lengthwise of the carriage between the
steersman's seat and the motor shaft.
Cis the front axle of the carriage, U is the fifth wheel having one of its parts
or circles rigidly or flexibly secured to said axle, and having a rack h thereon for a
gear wheel to work in.
is an upright shaft extending upward from the said
gear wheel to a large hand wheel directly in front of the steersman's seat S.
The carriage may be provided with the usual braking apparatus and a gong
in a convenient position to be operated by the steersman while steering the
vehicle.
It is preferred to keep two sets of batteries D charged at the engine house, one
being upon the carriage and the other held in reserve so that the carriage may be
supplied with a fully charged battery upon its return to the house to be in readiness
for the next run.
.
The connection of the circuit a with respect to the motor A, the battery D and
the switching apparatus I and J is shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. Any suit-
able switching devices, may of course, be employed for controlling the motor but
for the sake of simplicity I have shown an ordinary current reverser ] for changing
the direction of rotation of the armature and an adjustable resistance J for
regulating the speed of said armature. By operating switch I the current flowing
in the circuit a connected to the battery has its direction reversed through that
portion of the circuit containing the armature coils, whereby the direction of
movement of the armature is reversed.
The switch J is an ordinary adjustable resistance in the circuit to regulate the
speed of the motor and may be placed on the front part of the engine in a
convenient position to be operated by the hand or foot of the steersman, or in any
other suitable position.
The velocity of the motor may be also regulated if desired by rotating the
brushes of the commutator more or less around the shaft of the armature. This
may be effected by the steersman by the movement of the lever K in front of the
seat S. The said lever is supported and pivoted on one of the rods extending
between the frame B and the seat and is connected with the brushes by means of a
sliding rod K and a link k.
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 combination in an electrically propelled vehicle of an electric motor
mounted thereon and connected with the axle or wheels to propel the same, a
secondary battery carried by the vehicle below the horizontal plane of the axis

page_text: of the driving wheels, and electric connections between the battery and
motor.
LIC
2. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle having two axles and a
frame, of an electric motor mounted thereon and connected with the rear axle
or wheels to propel the vehicle, a secondary battery carried by the vehicle below
the horizontal plane of the axis of said wheels, and electric connections between the
battery and the motor.
3. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, a hose reel mounted upon the frame, an electric motor supported upon
the vehicle and connected with the reel to revolve the same, a battery mounted
upon the frame of the said vehicle, and electric connections between the battery
and the motor.
4. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of an electric motor
mounted thereon and connected with the axle or wheels to propel the same, a
secondary battery carried by the vehicle, electric connections between the battery
and the motor, and a hose reel mounted upon the frame of the vehicle supporting
the battery.
5. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle having two axles and a
frame, of an electric motor mounted thereon and connected with the rear axle or
wheels to propel the vehicle, a secondary battery carried by the vehicle below the
horizontal plane of the axis of said wheels, electric connections between the battery
and the motor, and a hose reel mounted upon the frame of the vehicle above the
said plane.
6. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery supported
by the frame of the vehicle, electric connections between the battery and the
motor, a hose reel mounted upon the frame of the vehicle supporting the battery,
and suitable means whereby the motor may propel the carriage or revolve the reel,
simultaneously.
7. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery carried and
supported by the vehicle, electric connections between the battery and the motor,
a hose reel mounted upon the frame of said vehicle having its axis above the
horizontal plane of the axis of the wheels of the vehicle, and suitable means
whereby the motor may propel the carriage or revolve the reel thereon, or both.
8. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery carried by
the vehicle and suspended from the frame below the horizontal plane of the axis of
the rear wheels, electric connections between the battery and the motor, a hose reel
mounted upon the frame having its axis above the horizontal plane of the axis of
the wheels of the vehicle, and suitable means whereby the motor may propel the
carriage or revolve the reel thereon, or both.
9. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery mounted upon
the frame of the vehicle, electric connections between the battery and the motor,
a hose reel mounted upon the frame above the battery having its axis above the
horizontal plane of the axis of the wheels of the vehicle and parallel to said axis,
and suitable means whereby the motor may propel the carriage or revolve the reel
thereon, or both.
10. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a secondary battery also supported
thereon, electric connections between the battery and motor, a reel for winding and
holding hose supported on said vehicle, and suitable means whereby the motor may
propel the vehicle and operate the reel simultaneously.
11. In a hose carriage, the combination of a wheeled vehicle having two axles
and a frame, means connected to the front axle or wheel to steer the vehicle, a

page_text: reel for winding and holding the hose mounted upon the frame, and an electric
motor supported upon the vehicle and connected with the reel to operate the same.
Dated this 10th day of November 1891.
MARK WESLEY DEWEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.