IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO VEHICLES FOR STOPPING RUNAWAY HORSES, PREVENTING THEM FALLING, AND PREVENTING OTHER ACCIDENTS ON ROADS, TRAMWAYS, AND RAILWAYS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th March 1878. A communication
from abroad by François Folacci, fils, and Etienne Orsini, both of Paris,
France.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO VEHICLES FOR
STOPPING RUNAWAY HORSES, PREVENTING THEM FALLING, AND PREVENTING OTHER
ACCIDENTS ON ROADS, TRAMWAYS, AND RAILWAYS." [A communication from abroad
by François Folacci, fils, and Etienne Orsini, both of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates,―
1st. To apparatus to be attached to locomotives, tramway cars, omnibuses, and
other vehicles, for clearing or gently removing from the line or road over which the
vehicle is travelling any person or object, who or which may be in the way,
and thus avoid a frequent cause of accident on railways and in the public
streets.
2ndly. To means for instantaneously stopping runaway horses.
And, 3rdly. Means for preventing horses falling while in harness.
The safety apparatus to be attached in front of the locomotive or other vehicle is
illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying Drawings, and consists of a guard
or fender, preferably formed of two flat or curvilinear surfaces inclined towards
each other and meeting near the centre of the line, so as to form a more or less
acute diliedral or shaped figure, whose slanting sides will tend to throw off to
the one side or the other any object which may be accidentally in the way; or
instead of meeting these inclined surfaces may be carried only a short distance
towards one another in order to prevent persons from getting under the wheels.
The guards or fenders of the modified forms shown in Figures 6 to 14 may also
be employed in certain cases, but with less advantage than the > shape above
described.
One of these consists of a guard or fender having a single plane surface extending
in an oblique direction across the whole breadth of the line.
Another consists of a guard placed in front of each wheel inclined forward

page_text: towards the centre of the line, and made sufficiently large to prevent any injury by
the wheels.
A third is a single plane normal to the direction of the vehicle, equal to it in
width, between the front wheels, and fixed at its front end.
A fourth is a single plane surface normal to the direction of the vehicle placed
in front of each front wheel, and made of sufficient size to prevent accident. These
two latter arrangements however have the disadvantage of pushing forward any
obstacle which may come in their way instead of throwing it aside, as in the first
and second arrangements.
.
The wheels may also be caged in with a similar object of preventing anything
getting under them, but this plan presents the same objections as plan No. 4 above
mentioned.
When the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 5 is used simply to protect persons
from falling under the wheels, it is fixed to the fore carriage of the vehicle, which
should be sufficiently extended and strengthened for the purpose.
The hind wheels may also be similarly protected by small inclined guards, or by
a cage simply.
When the apparatus is intended to prevent persons being run over by the horses
as well as by the wheels, the curvilinear guard shown in Figure 1 is used, which is
to be attached to the end of the pole and extends from about a level with the chest
of the horse to within a few inches of the ground. The guard or fender would be
attached to the fore carriage on either side by any suitable connection to allow of
the horses being readily harnessed and unbarnessed. The wheels would also be
provided with inclined guard plates as shown.
The guard may be composed of any material possessing the requisite strength,
lightness, and elasticity, so as to enable any body with which it may come in
contact to glide smoothly over its surface.
Another part of the Invention relates to means of stopping runaway horses, and
it consists in the employment for this purpose of a bar hung just in front of the fore
legs of the horses padded to prevent them receiving any injury by striking it; a
spring on the end of the pole holds the bar in such position as will allow free
movement of the horses' legs.
A chain is attached at the under part of this bar which is continued along the
pole and wound upon a small barrel provided with a crank handle within reach of
the driver.
In the event of the horses running away the driver simply turns the handle, so
as to wind up the chain which causes the bar to fall suddenly in front of the horses'
legs, and so prevents their further movement.
The horses may in this manner be brought under control, and when quieted, the
driver by releasing a pin allows the chain to run off the barrel, and the bar is
then again raised to position by the spring to enable the horses to resume their
journey.
Another improvement relates to means for preventing the horses from falling.
For this purpose two strong vertical legs or struts are attached to the pole of a
two-horse vehicle in about the same position as the horses' fore and hind legs, and 4
of the same height as the horses.
To these uprights are attached broad bands of about eight inches in width, which
pass under the horses' bellies, and are each attached to buckles upon the uprights;
thus, if a horse-should stumble, the belt affords an immediate support, and the horse
readily regains his footing without assistance.
The belts hang loose and do not impede the movement of the horse in any
way.