IMPROVEMENTS IN WHIPS EMPLOYED IN THE DRIVING OR URGING OF HORSPA
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Holding and William Henry Nicholson,
both of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHIPS EMPLOYED IN THE DRIVING OR URGING OF
HORSPA"
Sealed the 28th April 1874, and dated the 19th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Holding and
William Henry Nicholson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th November 1873.
We, JOSEPH HOLDING and WILLIAM HENRY NICHOLSON, both of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHIPS EMPLOYED IN THE DRIVING
OR URGING OF HORSES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to such driving whips as are used by coachmen
and drivers of cabs and omnibuses. In such whips it is of importance
that the thong shall have an amount of resilience at and near the point
of connection with the whip, and previously to our said Invention quills

page_text: have principally been employed to furnish or to add to the resilience at
the said point. When a whip is much used the said quills soon cease to
act beneficially, and the object of our said Invention has principally
been to provide a more durable substitute for the said quills. To this
end, we employ metallic springs to furnish the said resilience.
In the arrangement which we now consider to be suitable the end of
the thong and the end of the whip are embraced by a spiral spring. The
said spring is or may be made of a tapering form, and preferably of
tempered steel.
In a modification of this arrangement we braze or otherwise attach
the said spring by one end to a steel or metal tube or sheath which
encloses the ends of the whip and of the thong. The said spring, or the
said spring and tube or sheath, may be electro-plated or coated with a
metal or alloy, which will add to the appearance of the whip, and will
also prevent or lessen deterioration of the parts by oxidation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Holding and William Henry Nicholson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
HOLDING and WILLIAM HENRY NICHOLSON, both of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Joseph Holding and William Henry
Nicholson, Her special license, that we, the said Joseph Holding and
William Henry Nicholson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Joseph Holding and William Henry Nicholson,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iм-

page_text: PROVEMENTS IN WHIPS EMPLOYED IN THE DRIVING OR URGING OP HORSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Joseph Holding and
William Henry Nicholson, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Holding and William
Henry Nicholson, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to such driving whips as are used by coachmen
and drivers of cabs and omnibuses. In such whips it is of importance
that the thong shall have an amount of resilience at and near the point
of connection with the whip, and previously to our said Invention quills
have principally been employed to furnish or to add to the resilience at
the said point. When a whip is much used the said quills soon cease to
act beneficially, and the object of our said Invention has principally
been to provide a more durable substitute for the said quills. To this
end we employ metallic springs to furnish the said resilience.
Our Invention will be better understood when reference is made to the
accompanying Drawings, made about the full size, and marked with
letters of reference.
In the said Drawings Fig. 1 represents a portion of a whip, and
illustrates one of the arrangements which we may adopt when carrying
our Invention into effect. In the said Figure a is a portion of the
thong or lash, and b is a portion of the whip stock. In the example,
the end of the whip stock and the butt end of the thong are secured in
a metal sheath c, and a spiral steel spring d is brazed or otherwise
secured to the said sheath, and embraces the thong and gives support
and imparts resilience to the said thong at and near the point of con-
nection with the whip stock.
Another arrangement is illustrated by Figures 2 and 3. Fig. 3.

page_text: to receive the ends of the whip stock and of the thong, and with tubular
parts at ff, to embrace the said thong, the said socket and tubular
parts being formed by bending the strip of metal at those parts until
the edges meet. The blank from which the said spring is formed is cut
with wider portions to form the said tubular parts and socket, and with
narrow portions at 9, 9, which principally constitute the spring. Per-
forations are formed in the socket to facilitate the connection with the
thong and whip stock by means of rivets, or by sewing, or by other
suitable means.
The spring is represented in position on a whip in Fig. 3, in which
a is a portion of the thong or lash, and 6 a portion of the whip stock.
The spring however formed may be tempered so as to render its
resilience more permanent, and may be electro-plated or coated with a
metal or alloy, which will add to the appearance of the whip, and will
also prevent or lessen deterioration by oxidation.
Having now fully described and indicated the nature of our Invention,
and means whereby the same may be carried into practical effect, we
would in conclusion have it to be understood that we claim the employ-
ment of metal springs, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Holding and William
Henry Nicholson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
Signed and sealed by the said
Joseph Holding and William
Henry Nicholson, in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentees,
3, Princess Street,
JOSEPH HOLDING. (L.8.)
W. H. NICHOLSON. (L.s.)
Manchester.