AN APPARATUS FOR THE MORE EASILY AFFIXING THE DRAG TO A CARRIAGE WHEEL
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
JAMES CLARK, of Bath, in the County of Somerset, Working Cutler, 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 Twelfth day of No-
vember in the fifty-ninth year of His reign give and grant unto me, the said
George James Clark, my exors, admors, and assigns,, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said George James Clark, my
exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein expressed, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN APPARATUS FOR THE
MORE EASILY AFFIXING THE DRAG TO A CARRIAGE WHEEL;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said George James Clark,
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, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George James Clark, 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 the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say) :-
M, is the coachman's seat; N, the foot-board; A, B, is a chain, which may
be termed the conducting chain; this chain passes thro' an aperture in the
foot-board, formed like Figure 4, the wider end sufficiently, large to let the
plug B, (formed like a double cone is a convenient shape, and made either of
brass or iron,) pass easily thro' the smaller end, not permitting the plug to
pass thro'; C, a brass or iron plate secured to the bottom of the boot, or to
the front spring bed, or any other convenient place in the front of the carriage,
and having two friction rollers, between which the chain passes in the direction
of the perch of the carriage thro' another friction roller D, horizontally
placed, and which friction roller is conveniently secured to the perch, if no
perch, then it must be attached to the bottom of the coach; G, is a friction
roller, perpendicularly placed, in order to change the direction of the chain to H,
passing over an horizontal roller Z; K, H, F, is a lever or conductor, moveable
on a joint K, and is secured to the under part of the perch or the axle in the
centre between the two hind wheels. The joint K is is made of an oval hole,
to allow the lever or conductor to descend in proportion as the shoe is worn
away, and is attached to the perch or axle, as seen in Fig. 5. I is a friction
roller to be used to direct the chain under the foot-board of the guard or
servant, when required, for the management of the drag, to be behind the
carriage instead of before. The same roller will also answer for having the
conducting chain to enter the inside of the carriage, when so required.
Fig. 1 represents the shoe or drag when not in use, the lever or conductor
K, H, F, becomes nearly parallel to the perch. The conducting chain A, B,
being drawn up, and the plug, after passing through the larger opening, is made
to rest on the smaller opening.
Fig. 2 represents the shoe or drag when in use, the plug B having passed
through the larger opening. The lever or conductor K, H, F, immediately
falls down, and the shoe R, by the progressive motion of the carriage, is brought
under the hind wheel. To remove the drag from under the wheel, the carriage
is slightly backed, as usual, the pressure of the wheel on the shoe is taken
off, the chain is drawn up till the plug B passes thro' the larger opening, and
made to rest in the smaller opening, and it becomes then in the position as
represented in Fig. 1. E, O, is the drag chain, and should be of the usual
strength; A, B, C, or the conducting chain, is made considerably lighter, and

page_text: in some instances cord covered with leather, or leather by itself, may be sub-
stituted. In such carriages, where the sway bar might interfere with the drag
chain E, O, such is prevented by a small bar or rod of iron a few inches in
length being substituted for a corresponding length of chain in th
that part
towards E.
Fig. 3 represents the lever or conductor with the shoe attached to it.
N.B. The letters refer to the same corresponding parts in each Figure.
In witness whereof, I, the said George James Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and nineteen.
Inrolled the First day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and nineteen.