A CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING STAGE COACHES AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES PROM OVERTURNING
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL, COME, I, JouN.
ROBERTS, junior, of Llannelley, in the County of Carmarthen, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by.
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of'
January, in the fifty-ninth year, of the reign, give and grant unto me, the said
John Roberts; my exors, adññiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Roberts, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and law-
fully might make, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions. abroad, my Invention of "A CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING STAGE
COACHES AND OTHER WHEELED CARRIAGES PROM OVERTURNING;" in which said:
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said John Roberts,
shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my .said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and 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 Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all, liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, may, more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Roberts, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described and
ascertained in and by the annexed Drawings and following description thereof,
that is to say:
My Apparatus for Preventing Stage Coaches and other Wheeled Carriages
from Overturning consists of a transverse bar, with a spring box at each end
thereof, and a locker or catch to each spring box to lock the same fast occa-
sionally; also a gravitating slider to run upon the bar when the carriage is
inclined, to which apparatus I attach the wheel horses by means of traces or
webs; all which parts are represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
which will be fully explained herein-after. By means of this apparatus the
gravity, weight, or power of the horses, or one of the horses, drawing a stage
coach or other carriage is brought into action to prevent such carriage being
overturned, whenever the carriage inclines so far sideways as to be in
danger of oversetting; in that case the weight or power of one of the horses is
made to act on that side of the carriage which is rising from the ground in
such manner, às to prevent the carriage from being overturned.
The application of my apparatus is as follows:-The transverse bar is
fixed fast to the coach box or other most convenient part of the fore
part of the carriage in a transverse direction, that is to say, horizontally
and across the coach, and at as a great a height from the ground as the
construction of the carriage will admit it to be fixed with convenience. The
length of the transverse bar is such that the spring box at the ends of the
same will be extended to the full length of the splinter bar of the carriage, as
is shewn at the letter A in Figure 1 of the Drawings. Each of the said spring
boxes has a trace or strap of leather, or a web of girth fastened, to it and
rolled round it, which straps or webs are carried obliquely, as shewn by B,
down to each of the wheel horses, or those two horses which are nearest to the
carriage, and pass beneath the bodies of these horses, and the ends are fastened
to those parts of their collars which are nearest to the pole of the carriage, as
shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The action of the spring boxes A is to
wind up the straps B, and draw them always tight. By the elasticity of the
springs in the boxes they will yield and allow the straps to unroll from the
boxes whenever they are pulled, so as to accommodate to all the motions of
the horses, but without pulling the strap so tight as to occasion any incon-
venience to the horses.
The operation of my apparatus to prevent the carriage overturning is as
follows:Whenever the carriage is inclined to one side so far as to be in
danger of passing the equilibrium, and overturning, the gravitating slider

page_text: before mentioned, which is situated upon the transverse bar, runs along the
said bar towards one end, in consequence of the inclination thereof, and when
it has run a certain distance it operates upon the locker belonging to that
spring box which is at the elevated end of the transverse bar in such manner
as to lock that spring box fast, so that it cannot turn round or move upon the
transverse bar, in consequence the strap cannot unroll from it, but becomes
firmly attached to the extremity of the transverse bar, and being also attached
to the horse as aforesaid as weight, will act to prevent the coach from over-
turning. But as soon as the danger is passed, and the coach gets upright,
then the gravitating slider will return along the transverse bar to the middle
thereof, and will disengage the locker from the spring box, leaving the same
at liberty to yield freely, and allow the strap to draw off at every motion of the
horse, as before described.
I now proceed to specify all the parts of my apparatus which is represented
in the Drawing.
Fig. 2 shews the apparatus detached from the carriage. C is the transverse
bar of iron, steel, brass, or any other proper material. 9, 9, are projections or
prongs by means of which the bar is to be fixed behind the coachman's or
driver's seat, as shewn in Fig. 1, or it may be placed beneath the foot-
board; but I recommend it to be placed at the highest and most con-
venient point of the fore part of the carriage that the construction and use
of such carriage will admit. This transverse bar is to be about the same
length as the splinter bar of the carriage, and about one and a half inch square,
more or less, according to the strength required. It is formed round at each
end to receive the circular spring boxes or rollers A, A, one at each end.
The round part at each end serves as an axis for the spring box to revolve
upon. The roller or spring box is made hollow, with a spiral steel spring
coiled up within it, the inner end of the spring being attached to the
axis, and the outer end being attached to the box, in the same manner
as a common watch main spring (see Fig. 6). The spring box may
be about eight or ten inches diameter, more or less, and the spring must be of
sufficient length and strength to wind up about three feet (more or less) of the
trace, strap, or web B, which is to be fixed to it, and to be rolled round its
circumference. The box must be of sufficient width to receive the said strap,
and the side plates of the box must project a few inches beyond the outside of
the box to form a deep grove or roller to receive the strap when it winds or
rolls up round the box, which action will take place in consequence of the
spring expanding itself, and turning the box round, in the same manner as the
main spring of a watch winds up the chain thereof. The flat surface of one of
the side plates of each spring box is cut with grooves radiating from the center,

page_text: as shewn in (Fig. 5 and 8); and of a proper form to receive the end or
catch (e) of the locker (E); which will lock the spring box fast; so that
it cannot turn round. Each locker (E) is moveable on a center pin, so that
its catch (e) can be moved away. from the spring box to allow it to turn, or it
may be pressed against the.box so as to catch in the notches thereof and lock
it fast. The center pins for these lockers may be fixed to the' transverse
bar (c); as shewn in the Figure, or to the side of the carriage, according to the
construction of the carriage, at the discretion of the workman, but they must be
made sufficiently strong to lock the spring boxes. quite securely. There must
be a communication from each locker to the gravitating slider herein-after
described, by means of wires, rod, bell cranks, or any suitable means of com-
municating the motion: (G) is the gravitating slider. It is a moveable
weight or slider placed upon the transverse bar, so as to run or slide freely
thereon, and with friction rollers to make it move easily.
of sufficient dimensions and weight to slide along the transverse bar from 'the
middle towards.one end thereof, whenever the carriage is so 'far inclined side-
ways so as to be in danger of overturning (see Fig. 4). The weight of the
gravitating slider must be sufficient to make it run along the bar with as much
force as to move the lockers by means of the connecting rods and wires, and
thereby to lock the spring box fast which is on that side of the carriage that is
rising from the ground, therefore the communicating wires must be applied in
such manner that the locker on the rising side of the carriage will be operated
upon by the motion of the gravitating slider when, it runs down towards the
latter end of the transverse bar,' but the other locker will not be affected by the
motion of the slides. The communication from the two lockers to the gravi-
tating slider may be made in various ways, at the discretion of the workman.
The slider must be
In (Fig. 2) the two lockers are represented as being connected by the
wire m, which, being pulled in either direction, will lock one of; the spring
boxes fast. There are two nuts or knobs fixed on the wire-at (n), (n), and the
wire passes through holes in two collars r, r, fixed to the slider, but these holes
are so large that the wire does not touch them. "(s) is a straight spring which
is fixed to the transverse bar, and the upper end is connected with the wire (m);
the tendency of this spring is to keep the wire in such position that neither of
the lockers will be engaged with the 'spring boxes, but if the wire is moved
either way, so as to lock one or other of these spring boxes, 'then the-spring
will tend to draw it back again and disengage the locker; but when the gravi-
tating slider runs from the middle of the bar towards either end it intercepts
one of the nuts (n), overcomes the spring (s); and draws 'the wire (m) so as to
lock that spring box from which the slider récedes.
Fig. (3) shews a different mode of communicating from the lockers to the

page_text: gravitating sliders," in which there are two separate wires (m; m); one for
each locker;nthese wires pass through sockets (r, r), affixed to the slider; each
wire has a nut (n) upon it, which is intercepted when the slideri runs to one
side. Each locker has a separate spring (s) to withdraw it from the spring box
when the gravitating slider cases to act upon.it.: There must be some power.to
restore the gravitating slider to the middle of the transverse bar when the car-
riage returns to its original position, and the transverse bar. becomes again
horizontal. This may. be. effected in different ways, at the discretion of the
workmen.
Fig. (2) shews how two inclined planes may be fixed on the top of the trans-
verse bar for the friction wheels of the slider to run upon. These planes rise
each way from the middle of the bar towards its end, as shewn at (h, h),
Fig. (2), and the inclination of such planes will cause the slider to run to the
middle of the bar whenever it stands horizontally, as in (Fig. 2)...:Screws (i, i,)
may be applied to the ends of the inclined panes to elevate them more or less
as is found requisite to make the slider run..toward the middle, and also to
cause the slider to act at the moment when the inclination of the transverse
bar is such that that the carriage is. in. danger of overturning, or otherwise
the same end may be attained, as shewn in Fig. 3, by a small cord (w)
attached to the slider, with a balance weight (h) suspended to the end of it.
The cord (w) to pass: between two pulleys: (t; t); in the middle of the transverse
bar, and the weight to hang in a tube fixed beneath the bar. When the
carriage is inclined, as shewn in Fig. (4), and the slider runs towards one end
of the transverse bar, it draws up this weight, and the gravity of the balance
weight (h) will restore the slider to its proper position on the middle of the
bar, as shewn in Fig. 3, as soon as the bar is put horizontal again. The
balance weight (h) must be regulated so that the gravitating slider will run
towards one end of the transverse bar as soon as it attains a dangerous inclina-
tion. This apparatus being fixed as aforesaid to the fore part of the carriage,
a strap of leather, or any other suitable material of sufficient strength and
length, must be fixed to each spring box, that is, one on each side of the
carriage, and about three feet of each strap wound round the boxes; the other
end of each connecting strap is to be passed under the body of the wheel horse
and made fast to the collar, on the inside thereof, or that side next the pole of
the carriage. The strap should be conducted through a loop (d), Fig. (1),
fixed to the coach box to guide the strap in drawing on or off the spring box.
By this apparatus the weight of one of the horses will be brought into action
whenever the inclination of the carriage is such as to put it in danger of being
overturned.

page_text: My apparatus for applying the gravity of power of one of the horses drawing
a carriage for the purpose of preventing the carriage being overturned may be
constructed in a great variety of forms, proportions, and dimensions, according
to the construction of the carriage and harness, which modifications may be
left to the discretion of the workman, provided he keeps in view the nature
and properties of my Invention as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, 'the said John Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and nineteen.