CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES, AND ON HARNESS TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHEREBY GREATER SAFETY TO THE PERSONS RIDING IN SUCH CARRIAGES, AND OTHER ADVANTAGES, WILL BE OBTAINED
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
Cook, of Upper Sussex Place, Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Lieutenant
in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George tho Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-five, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Cook, His especial
licence that I, the said Thomas Cook, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Cook, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, uso,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES,
AND ON HARNESS TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHEREBY GREATER SAFETY TO THE
PERSONS RIDING IN SUCH CARRIAGES, AND OTHER ADVANTAGES, WILL BE OBTAINED;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Thomas Cook, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particu-
larly 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
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and

page_text: by the same, reference being thereunto bad, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Cook, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by tho Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):-
In the said Drawing Fig. 1 is an inside view of the machine, forming part
of one of my said improvements; Fig. 2 is an under view thereof; Fig. 3, an
end view; and Fig. 4, a bevel wheel affixed to the nave of a carriage wheel; in
all of which said Figures, as well as in the others to be hereafter referred to, the
same letters of reference indicate the similar parts. A, part of the nave of the
wheel; B, the toothed bevel wheel, having ears C, C, &c., which are to be
Ict into the nave under the hoop, and to be secured by screws passing through
holes made in the hoop and cars to receive them. This bevel wheel works into
a bevel pinion D, which turns upon a crank axis E, the necks or pivots of
which act in holes made in bosses affixed to the inside of a metal box or case
F, which is securely affixed upon the axletree of a carriage by screwed bolts
and nuts passing through the holes G, G, &c., made in one side of the box F,
and embracing the axletree above and below, and it may either be also let
into the axletree bed or not, as required. H is the other side of the box I',
which is made to take off occasionally. I and J are two ratchet wheels,
affixed upon another axis K, the necks of which also turn in holes made in
bosses aflixed to the sides of the box F. L is a crank rod, having half holes
at one end to fit upon the neck of the crank E, and a mortice M (shewn by
dotted lines in Fig. 1, and as will be shewu hereafter in reference to Fig. 15),
at the other end, which is lodged upon the upper edge of the ratchet wheel I,
and turns it one tooth at each revolution of the crank. N is a hooked lever
turning upon a stud at O, affixed in the side F of the box, and catching in the
teeth of the other ratchet wheel J, detains it between each revolution of the
crank. P is a spring affixed to the box to press upon the catch lever N, and
keep it to its work. Q is a mortise made through the axis of the ratchet
wheels, and R a cross hold to receive a screw; through this mortise the end of
a strong leather strap or chain S is to be passed and secured by the screw at R.
T is a lever turning upon the axis of the ratchet wheels, and passing through
a mortise U, mado in the end of the box F, has a metal ball or weight V
affixed upon it, with an eye or loop W, baving a chain or line secured to it
for a purpose to be described hereafter. On the other end of the lever T is
made a hook X, which, on the weight V being disengaged or allowed to

page_text: descend, acts against the crank rod L, and raises it, so as to prevent it from
taking hold of the teeth of the ratchet wheel I.. Y is a hole made in the end
of the box F, H, as shewn in Fig. 3, for the leather strap or chain S-to pass
through.
Having thus described the several parts, I shall next proceed to shew their
application in use by referring to Fig. 5, which represents the side view of a
four-wheeled carriago fitted up with my said improvement, and Fig. 6, which
is a hind view of the fore axletree and wheels thereof, in which latter Figure
I represents the box affixed to the axletree; S, the leather strap proceeding
from the end of it, and through a hole made near the middle of the axletrco
bed, and having a friction roller mounted at the corner of the hole, to easo the
passage of the strap through the hole. This passage of the strap is better
seen in Fig. 7.
In Fig. 5, a represents the seat of the driver of the carriage W, the line
proceeding up to it from the weight on the lever T, and passing through a
hole or loop at b, and another at e, to the end of the driver's seat. This line
has a ring d at its upper end, which can be hung upon a stud or hook e affixed
to the seat a. It is also furnished with a helical or spiral wire spring, to
render it elastic, and prevent it from being broken by any shocks, &c. Upon
the axletree bed, see Fig. 6, a crank similar to a bell crank is affixed, from
which a wire f proceeds at one end to the lower end of the hooked lover or
catch N, and another line or chain g descends to the lower part of the driver's
seat a, where a ring or ball at its upper end is lodged upon an eye or loop
affixed to the lower parts of the seat. In caso of the horses running away, or
any other circumstance occurring which may render it desirable to stop their
progress, the ring d on the upper end of the line W is to be raised and hung
upon the stud e, by which the lever T will be depressed, as shown in Fig..1,
and the crank L be permitted to fall, so as to be engaged with the teeth in tho
ratchet wheel I; and as the bevil wheel B on the nave of the wheel A is
constantly turning the bevil pinion D whilst the carriage is in motion, so the
crank rod L, while thus at liberty, will continually move the ratchet wheel, and
wind the strap S upon the axis of the ratchet wheels; and as this strap is
lengthened, and furnished with side branches or straps, as shewn at h, h, &c.
in Fig. 5, which are connected with the bridle bits in the mouths of the
horses by hooks, billets, or straps, as shewn at i, i, so the horses are made to
exert their strength in arresting their own progress, and must in consequence
have their heads gradually drawn in by the winding of the strap S upon the
axis of the ratchot. wheels: A. stop or enlargement j is provided upon the
strap S,.which, upon being wound upon the axis of the ratchet wheels, will

page_text: encounter the crank rod L, and lift it up out of contact with the ratchet wheel,
and prevent the horses being pulled in too much in case of the carriage going
down a hill at the time. In order to release the horses after stopping them,
the driver has only to pull the line or wire g, which will raise the catch lever N,
and allow the strap S to run off the axis of the ratchet wheels, Should it be
wished for the parties seated in the carriage to have it also in their power to
stop the horses, another line k may be connected with the line W at its lower
part, which may pass to the inside of the carriage, as shewn.
Another of my said improvements is shown in Fig. 8, which is an elevation
of part of carriage, hind axletree, and bed, and of the nave of one of the wheels,
with part of my said improvements affixed to them. Fig. 9, a side view of
part of the perch, axletree, and bed of a carriage, having other parts thercof
affixed thereto; and Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, some of the parts
shown separately.
and admit the neck or pivot within it,
In Figs. 8 and 9, 1 is the axletree; m, the axletree bed; n, one of the side
forks of the pirch; and o, part of the pirch. Upon the nave A of the wheel a
toothed wheel P, , shewn separately in Fig. 12, is affixed by ears C, C, &c., in
the same manner as in Fig. 1. This toothed wheel p works into a pinion q
(shewn separately in Fig. 13), affixed upon a crank axis r, the necks or
pivots of which turn in pivot holes made in two iron supports s, s, which are
bolted to the axletree l. One neck of the crank axis is passed through the
hole t, and secured by a screwed nut u. The other pivot hole v is halved, and
made to turn upon a hinge at w, to open
and is secured by the screws a. Upon the crank ra crank rod L, having a mor-
tise M in it, is hung by its half holes, and its other end passess through a hole
made in the end of a metal box y, which box is shewn sideways in Fig. 9 as
bolted to the perch o, and endways in two opposite directions in Figs. 10 and 11..
in Fig. 10 is the hole above mentioned, for the crank rod L to pass through.
This crank rod acts in the teeth of a ratchet wheel 1, shewn by dotted lines in
Figs. 9 and 10, and by Fig. 16, which is mounted upon the middle of a hollow
socket 2, turning upon a cylindrical pin 3 affixed in the box y.
Two strong
leather straps S, S, are secured to a pin 4, which is passed through holes made
in this ratchet wheel and the rims of the socket 2. These straps pass out of
the box y through two hole 5, 5, made for that purpose. A catch lever N,
with a spring p, similar to those described in the references to Fig. 1, is affixed
in the middle of the box, so as to catch in the teeth of the ratchet wheel, but
in place of the hooked lever T in Fig. 1 a forked lever 6, shewn separately in
Fig. 14, is employed. This lever 6 has a hole through it at 7, through which
and two cars 8, 8, aflixed to one end of the box y, a pin passes, upon which.

page_text: the lever 6 turns as a fulcrum. A ball or weight V is affixed upon the outer
or longer end of this lever, and two cylindrical parts 9, 9; are formed at its
forked end, which apply themselves on the lowering of the weight to tlie
under side of the crank rod L, and raise it out of contact with the teeth of the
ratchet wheel, as already described in the references to Fig. 1:
Fig. 17 represents a carriage with the box y, shewn as affixed to the pirch
near the hind axletree. The leather straps S, S, pass from it, in the manner
already described, to the roller 10, where they are united by a ring, and a singlo
strap passes on from that ring between the horses, in the manner already
described, and as shewn in this Figure. The line W, W; &c.; leading from
the two eyes or loops 11, 11, on the sides of the ball or weight V; being also
united, passes through a pulley or sheare 12 fixed in the pirch o, and has a
spiral spring affixed to it. It then runs along to the middle of the front of the
carriage, when it passes through another shear 13, and then ascends through
another sheare 14 affixed in the foot board to a hook or stud 15 within reach
of the driver of the carriage. Another line or wire 9, 9; &c. also passes from
the catch lever N in the box y to a bell crank 16. affixed to the perch o.. It
then proceeds to another bell crank, also affixed to the pirch at 17. It then
turns in a line with the axletree to a bell crank at 18, from whence it passes
up through the loops 19 and 20 within reach of the driver, there being a ring
or handle at the upper end of it to rest upon the upper loop. The line W is
represented in this Drawing as being pulled up to throw the various parts
described into action to stop the horses, in the manner already mentioned.
When they are to be released, the ring on the line W falls down to and rests
upon. the sheare 14 at the bottom of the footboard.
Fig. 18 exhibits the toothed wheels p and q of Fig. 8, as being enclosed
within and covered by a sand box or hoop 21, to secure them from injury.
Figs. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 represent another of my said improve-
ments, as applied to a gig or other two-wheeled carriages, although by a slight
modification it may be also applied to a four-wheeled carriage. A, part of the
nave of one of the wheels; 22, part part of the axletree; 23, one of the blocks
for the gig springs to be affixed to, as usual; 24, a circular box or casing
affixed upon the axletree. Besides the cylindrical part 25, another portion of
the axletree 26 is also made cylindrical, and a little larger in diameter than
the part 25. Upon this latter part 26 a pumping or sliding collar 27, shewn
by dotted lines in Fig. 19, and separately in Fig. 22, is placed, and another
collar 28 is slipped upon the axletree, to prevent the nave of the wheel from
coming too near the sliding collar 27. Two pairs of ears 29, 29, as shewn in
Fig. 23, are affixed upon a loose halved ring, which turns upon the sliding

page_text: collar 27, and have holes in them, through which a screwed pin is passed,
and also through two other holes made in two connecting rods 30, which are
placed one on each side of the axletree, and are connected with the lower ends
of a forked lever 31 by other screwed pins. This forked lever 31 moves upon
a screwed pin 32, which passes through a brackett 33 affixed to the axletree,
and it is lengthened above as required, and furnished with a bandle 34 at top,
to move it by. The sliding socket or collar 27 has two circular sides 35, 35,
through which a screwed pin 36 is passed, to affix a strong leather strap to;
and there are besides two projecting catches 37, 37, upon one of the sides 35,
which when the sliding collar 27 is driven towards the nave by the lever 31
encounter two studs 38, 38, which are formed upon a cap of metal 39, which
is shewn separately in Fig. 21, and is firmly secured to the inner side of the
nave of the wheel. When the studs and projecting catches are thus brought
into contact. with each other the sliding collar is turned round by the wheel,
and winds the strap S around it, in a similar manner to those already described,
and thereby draws in and checks the horse, in the manner shewn in Fig. 25,
where the strap S is shewn as passing along by the side of the shafts 40, through
a ring 41, placed by the side of the horse's collar, and through a pully or.
sheare 42, connected with the bridle bit, to another ring 43, fixed upon tho
other side of the collar. A spring 44, affixed to the block 23, throws back the
lever 31, and the sliding collar united with it, and disengages it from its
contact with the nave of the wheel, allowing the strap S to unwend itself and
release the horse. The hole 45 in the fixed box 24 is for the strap S to pass
through into the box.
Another of my said improvements I shall describe by referring to Figs. 26,
27, 28, 29, and 30, in which Fig. 26 represents part of the axletree 22 of a
carriage; 23, one of the blocks which support the springs of the carriage; and
A, part of the nave of one of the wheels. To the nave or bevel wheel B, similar
to that described in the references to Fig. 1, is aflixed; this wheel works
into a bevel pinion D, which turns upon a stud 46 affixed in the axletree. A
sliding socket 27, similar to that shown in Fig. 22, is placed upon a prolonged
cylindrical part of the stud 46, and has a groove 47 at its end, in which the
fork 48 of a bent lever 49, turning upon a screw bolt at 50 as a fulcrum, and
which is affixed to the block 23, is lodged, and by moving the prolonged arm
51 of the lever 49 by means of its handle 52, two catches 53, 53. upon the
sliding socket 27 are either brought into contact with two studs 54, 54, which
are affixed to the back of the pinion D, by which a leather strap, affixed to a
pin 36, as before described, is wound around the sliding socket, to stop the
horses, or released by a contrary movement, and which said latter movement is

page_text: assisted by a spring 44, affixed' underneath. the lever.
The bevel wheel,
pinion, &c. are to be enclosed in metal boxes or casings, to preserve them froni
injury, similar to those shewn at H, H,'in Fig. 29..
Fig. 27 shews the bevel wheel B separately, and Fig. 28 the bevel pinion D.:
Fig. 30 exhibits the manner. in which the leather strap S proceeds from its
fixture on the side of the block 23, around a sheare or pulley 55, to be wound:
upon the sliding socket in the box H. This sheare 55 is affixed to one end of
a strap, which passes around a roller 56, affixed to the centre of the axletree,
and has a ring 56 at its other end, by which it is connected with a pair of reins
led through the pulleys or sheares 58, 58, which are affixed to the shafts of the
carriage.
Fig. 31 exhibits a modification of the improvement shewn in Fig. 26,
consisting in changing the positions of the bevel pinion D and the sliding
socket 27, so as to place the pinion at the outward end of the stud 46, and thus
contracting the size of one of the boxes H containing the bevel pinion and
sliding socket. The position of the bent forked lever 49 is also changed, it
moving upon fulcrums on each side of the axletree, one of which is shewn at
59, and the fork is connected with a halved collar, with ears on each side of it,
as already described in the references to Figs. 19, 22, and 23, by means of two
jointed upright bars, one of which is shewn at 60, in Fig. 31.
Fig. 32 represents the boxes or cases H, H. Figs. 33 and 34 represent
the manner of affixing the box y of Figs. 9, 10, and 11, between the futchels
61, 61, of a four-wheeled carriage, the box being also rounded at top as well
as below. The two straps S, S, pass over a roller 62, affixed to the futches,
and thence to a ring, as before described. Instead of the leather straps S, S,
I can substitute either flat or round chains if necessary.
Having thus described several modes of carrying my said improvements
into effect, I hereby declare that I do not mean or intend hereby to limit
myself to the employment of those methods only, or to the modes of fixing them
shewn, but, on the contrary, to avail myself of any and every other mode by
which my said Invention or improvements of causing the horse or horses in
carriages of every description to exert their strength in contributing to control,
rein in, or stop themselves upon any emergency at the will of the drivers, or
such other person or persons as may be entrusted with the power of bringing
5.my said improvements into operation, can be carried into effect.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cook, have hereunto set my band
and seal, the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.
THOS (L.E.) COOK.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1896, the aforesaid Thomas Cook came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified; in form above written.
And also the Specification, aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose..
Inrolled the Sixteenth day. of January, in the year of our Lord One-
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.