IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY AXLES AND BREAKS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bessemer, of Baxter House, Old
Saint Pancras Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
AXLES AND BREAKS"
Scaled the 1st February 1854, and dated the 9th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bessemer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th December 1858.
I, HENRY BESSEMER, of Baxter House, Old St. Pancras Road, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
AXLES AND BREAKS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its objects the construction of railway axles
and breaks, in such manner as to obtain greater safety in travelling by
railways, and consists, first, of means of preventing the metal of the
axles becoming crystalline by the vibrations consequent on using the
A

page_text: same; and, secondly, of means of using fluids to apply breaks to
the wheels, or on bosses on the axles of railway carriages.
My improvements in the construction of railway axles have for
their object the greater durability and safety of such axles, by wholly
or in part preventing that change from the fibrous to the crystalline
structure of the iron composing them, caused by the rapid state of
vibration to which the axle is exposed when in use. In order to
prevent that violent molecular disturbance which is caused by incessant
vibrations of the metal, I combine two or more metals in the con-
struction of railway axles, one of which is much less sonorous than the
other, and the times of whose vibrations do not accord, so that all
tendency to vibration in the combined mass, is nearly or quite de-
stroyed by their mutual counteraction. In applying this principle of
matter to the construction of railway axles, I first tin or galvanize
the surface of the axle from end to end, and having heated it in a
suitable oven, I place it in a mould, and cast upon it a coating of lead
or other metal or alloy; the heated state of the axle will cause such
covering to be firmly soldered thereto. A second method is to
bore a hole through the axle from end to end, or to form it hollow,
and tin or galvanize the interior, and while the axle is in a heated
state, to fill the interior of it with the fluid metal. A still more
perfect mode consists both in the internal and external application
of a less sonorous metal to the iron axle, which will be found, when
so treated, to have entirely lost that peculiar shrill sound when struck
with a hammer which is produced by an intensely rapid vibration of the
particles of metal forming an axle of the kind now in use; that part
of the axle which is enclosed in the nave of the wheel I prefer to coat
with zinc or some alloy equally hard, and to perform the operation as
follows: The interior of the nave of the wheel should also be tinned
or galvanized, and a space which is left between the axle and the nave
is to be filled with zinc or other fluid metal, the wheel having first been
heated so as to shrink when cooling, and closely embrace and bind the
whole together; keys or feathers may also be used to add to the
security of the work; that part of the axle which works in the brasses
is not to be coated exteriorly with the metals or alloys before referred

page_text: to, but the interior of this part should be barred up and plugged with
lead or other metal.
1.
A further improvement in the construction of railway axles con-
sists in allowing all lateral strain of the carriages upon them to be
borne by the end of the axle, and not by the annular part at each
end of the sunk journal as at present, because the quick wearing
away of the brasses at these points allows of much vibration in tho
carriages. I therefore case harden or steel the ends of the axles, and
allow a brass or steel piece to press close up to them, and be either
adjusted by wedges or screws, the abutment of which is formed by the
axle guard; but to prevent any giving way of the axle guard, I carry
along a small girder from one guard to the other on each side of the
carriage, and tie them together across the carriage frame with tension
rods and diagonal braces, or in lieu of this I leave a holo through the
centre of the axle from end to end, and pass a tension rod through it,
whereby the axle guards on each side of the carriage will be tied
together; in either case much friction and wearing of journals will be
prevented, as the shoulders of the journals will not be used, while the
whole of the lateral strain being borne on the ends of the axles which
abut against the adjustable brasses, in such a manner as to prevent
much of the lateral oscillation of the carriages.
My improvements in breaks I denominate the "liydrostatic break"
depends for its action on the same physical law as the well-known press
of Bramah, viz, that property which all fluids possess of transmitting
force equally in every direction, and in exact proportion to the super-
ficial area on which such pressure is exerted. In constructing breaks
on this principle, it is desirable to obtain the greatest possible degree
of simplicity consistent with the efficient working of the breaks, and
to dispense, as far as possible, with pistons, plungers, stuffing boxes,
hydraulic leathers, and valves, all of which are subject, more or less,
to leakage or derangement, but which, nevertheless, may be used under
the various modifications which may be given to the hydrostatic break,
without departing from the principle of my said Invention. I will now
proceed to describe that form of apparatus which I consider most
suitable for general purposes. Firstly, I construct a small metal box,

page_text: the interior of which may be about ten or twelve inches long, and from
three to four broad, and about six inches deep; into this box is fitted
a friction block formed of ash, elm, or other suitable substance, which
is intended to be pressed against the wheel of the carriage; this block
may protrude about an inch from-the-box, and reach to the bottom of
it within an inch or so; into the space between the block and the
bottom of the box is fitted a hollow rectangular piece or chamber of
vulcanized india-rubber, having a tubular part projecting on one sido
of it which is connected to a cross or branch pipe leading from a
central supply pipe; boxes such as I have described are bolted to the
framing of the carriage over the top of each of the wheels, and at
such a distance above them that when not in action the friction blocks
will be suspended a short distance away from the wheels by springs-or
by pieces of vulcanized india-rubber. A wrought iron or gutta percha
tube is fixed to the under side of the carriage frame passing down the
centre thereof, and in the direction of its length from this main pipe
are cross pipes- leading to each of the four boxes before described;
the central pipe is provided with suitable couplings at each end
and a piece of elastic pipe, by which a tubular communication may
be established from carriage to carriage throughout the train, and
by means of the cross pipes a communication is also established with
the vulcanized india-rubber chambers through the tubular projections
before referred to.. The chambers formed of india-rubber are to be
filled with water or other fluid, and the main and branch pipes are also
to be filled; the apparatus will then be so far ready for use. If water
is forced into the main pipe it will immediately cause the india-rubber
chambers to expand, and pressing upon the back of the friction blocks
bring them in contact with the wheels, with a force in proportion to the
pressure employed; by this means an equal amount of force will be
applied to each wheel of the respective carriages, but without causing
any increased strain on the axles of them, as the upper side of the
wheels will, in this case, form the abutment on which the hydrostatic
force is sustained. Whenever the pressure of the water in the main pipes
_is_removed, the friction blocks will resume their former position, and
the apparatus will be in a condition to be again used at any required

page_text: moment. It will be readily understood how the expanding vulcanized
india-rubber chambers will exert a force on the friction blocks, in a
similar manner to the rams used in hydrostatic presses, but without
that nice mechanical fitting which would be required if plungers or
pistons were employed; at the same time the liability of all such
arrangements to leak is wholly avoided, as the india-rubber chamber's
have no packing or joints to be kept water-tight. The mechanical
force required to act on the breaks is made to operate by either of the
following methods:-Firstly a plunger pump is to be attached to any
convenient part of the locomotive engine, so that the reciprocating
motion of the steam piston may be made to work the plunger of it;
this pump should take its supply of water from the tender at each
strike, and return it back again at such times as the breaks are not in
action, but a valve or sluice cock is provided by which the engineer or
other person in charge of the train may rapidly shut the communication
by which the water is returned to the tender, and simultaneously open
a communication with the main pipe leading to the breaks, and thus
by the ordinary principle of pumping the breaks will be brought into
contact with the wheels and the trains stopped, pressure so to be trans-
mitted being regulated by a loaded valve; but as it is desirablo to bring
down the breaks in as short a space of time as possible. I prefer to
use the following method in lieu of the force pump before described :-
In this case I place on the tender or engine an upright cast iron
cylinder, the interior of which is truly bored and has a piston fitted to
it; this piston may be made heavy for the purpose of lowering itself by
its own gravity in the cylinder, when required; the upper part of the
cylinder is always in communication-with the main water pipe leading
to the breaks, and the lower side of the cylinder is provided with a pipe-
communicating with the locomotive boiler, and has a cock or slide by
which the steam can be instantaneously turned on or off. When the
piston is at the bottom of the cylinder and the space above it filled with
water in communication with the breaks, if the cock be then opened
and steam admitted below the piston, a force equal to the pressure of
the steam acting on 'the piston will 'be' almost instantaneously trans-
mitted to the friction blocks, which will be forced down so long as the

page_text: steam is allowed to act upon the piston, but as soon as the steam cock
is reversed and the steam allowed to escape, the heavy piston will
descend, and thereby tend to cause a vacuum on the upper side of
it, but will be prevented from doing so by the water being with-
drawn in part from the main pipes, and thus release the friction blocks
from the wheels, and allow the whole apparatus to assume its former
position.
I have hitherto described only the application of the friction block
above the wheel, but it will be obvious that it may be conveniently
applied between the two wheels on each side of the carriage, or upon a
drum placed on each axle expressly for that purpose; it may be made
also to act direct upon the rails instead of upon the wheels. It will be
found desirable to prevent, as far as possible, the loss of water from the
pipes when disengaging the carriages of a train; for this purpose, the
ends of the main pipe should be lent upwards a shot distance at each
end; the coupling also which connects them should be provided
with a spring catch, so constructed as to press upon the elastic tube
and cause a collapse of the part so pressed, and thus prevent the escape
of water from the pipe; valves might be employed in lieu of this col-
lapse of the tube, but I greatly prefer the latter, as the force of the
water from within would always lift these catches, and act equally well
upon the breaks; in any case where the catches had been neglected to
be put up before starting a train, however, a cock at the end of the pipo
in the last carriage should be opened and some water blown through, as
a proof that the whole apparatus is in order.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Bessemer in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 9th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY BESSEMER, of Baxter House, Old Saint Pancras Road, in the g
County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Bessemer, Her special
licence, that I, the said Henry Bessemer, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Bessemer, my execu-
tors, 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY AXLES AND BREAKS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Bessemer, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said Henry Bessemer, 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 thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object the greater safety of railway
travelling,
Firstly, by constructing the axles of the carriages in such a manner
as to render the material of which they are composed less liable
to change from the fibrous to the crystalline state, by the intensely
rapid vibrations to which they are incessantly exposed while in use;
and,
Secondly, by an improved system of breaks acting rapidly and
simultaneously on all the wheels of every carriage in the train,
and thereby arresting its progress in a much shorter distance than
can be accomplished with the ordinary breaks now in use, and
whereby many of the collisions and other accidents which arise

page_text: from the difficulty of stopping the train within a short distance will
. lie avoided. .
It is well known that axles of railway carriages constructed wholly
of malleable iron undergoes a great change in the arrangement of
the particles of which they are composed, the fibrous structure
produced by the rolling or forging of the metal gradually becoming
-less distinct, and by long use entirely changing the iron into a
crystalline mass, having a great tendency to snap in two with much
less amount of strain than would suffice to break it while it rc-
'tained its original fibrous condition. Now in order to prevent that
violent molecular disturbance which is caused by intensely rapid
vibrations, I combine.two or more metals in the construction of railway
.axles, one of which metals is much less sonorous than the other, and
the time of whose vibrations do not accord, so that all tendency to
vibrate in the combined mass is nearly or quite destroyed by their
mutual counteraction. In the construction of railway axles on this
principle I first tin or galvanize the external surface of a wrought iron
-axle from end to end; with the exception of that part which forms the
bearing or journal, and having heated it in a suitable oven I place it in
a sand or metal mould, and cast upon it a coating of lead or other metal
or alloy. The heated state of axle will cause the tin or galvanized coating
to assume a nearly fluid state, and cause the melted lead or other metal
to unite with it, and become firmly soldered to the iron. On Sheet A,
of the annexed Drawings an axle so constructed is shewn in section at
Figures 6 and 7, where a is the iron, and b, the coating of lead or
other metal.
In some cases the axle may be made hollow, and have the interior
tinned or galvanized as in the former case; the axle being made hot
may then be filled with the fluid metal, which will adhere firmly to
the iron. On Sheet A, an axle so constructed is shewn in section at
Figures 4 and 5, where c is the iron part of the axle, and d, the internal
core of lead or other metal.. The axle in some cases may have so large
a hollow formed in its interior as to form a tube or pipe of iron, as
represented in section at Figures 2 and 3, Sheet A, where e is the iron
tubular portion, and ƒ, the internal core composed of lead or other metal,

page_text: which in this case bears so large a proportion to the iron as very effec-
tually to prevent the vibratory motion which might otherwise affect it;
but.in order to attain a still more perfect prevention of the vibratory
motion of the iron, I construct an axle as represented in section at
Figures 8 and 9, Sheet A, in which a coating of lead or other metal g
is cast on the exterior of the iron axle h, and an internal.corc-n of other
metal is also used in combination therewith. An axle so constructed, if
struck with a hammer, or subject to any similar violent concussion, will
be found to have entirely lost that peculiar shrill sound which is pro-
duced in the ordinary axle by a succession of intensely rapid vibrations
of the particles of iron of which it is composed. In fixing the axle into
the wheel I prefer to leave a small space between the interior of the
nave and axle. The wheel is to be made hot, and the space surround-
ing the axle is to be filled with fluid metal, which will be firmly
gripped by the iron wheels when it cools; the axle may be further
secured by the use of keys in a manner well understood.
A further improvement in the construction of railway axles con-
sists in causing the whole of the lateral strain produced by the
oscillation of the carriage to be borne by the end of the axle, and
not by the sides of the journals or bearings, as heretofore practised.
The mode of carrying this part of my Invention into effect is repre-
sented in Figures 1, 10, and 11, on Sheet A, of the annexed
Drawings, where Figure 1 is a transverse section of the lower
part of a railway carriage frame, some of the parts being shown
in elevation; Figure 10 is a side elevation of a railway carriage,
showing a girder j, referred to under this head of my Invention; and
Figure 11 is a plan of the same girder; i, represents the axle, the end
of which may be made of steel, or it may be bored up a short distance
to receive a plug of hardened steel 1, which is firmly fixed therein, and
is intended to receive the end pressure on the axle i, which revolves in
the brasses k, k, and which it will be perceived do not fit into a recess
mado around the axle as usual, but merely support the weight or
pressure downwards into the end of the brasses k, k; a piece of
hard brass s, is fitted, which receives the rounded steel end of the
axle,,to, which it is kept in close contact by the screw 1, which serves

page_text: to adjust the brass s, as it wears, and to prevent all lateral move-
ment of the axle in its brass bearings k, k; the screw passes
through the wrought iron girder j, which is rivetted at j', to the
axle guard m; a similar girder extends across the face of both
wheels. On each side of the carriage 7, 9, are tension rods, which pass
through brasses j, in the girders j, and also pass through one of the
main timbers P, of the carriage frame, to which they are braced tightly
up by screwed nuts t, t, and thereby prevent any bending outward
of the axle guards, and will consequently prevent much of that violent
oscillatory motion of the carriages which is so much increased by
the end play, which axles of the usual construction soon acquire by
the wearing away of brasses at the shoulder of the journal, and
which cannot be prevented in the ordinary construction of the axles
in consequence of the brasses not admitting of any adjustment
endwisc.
With regard to breaks for stopping railway carriages, it is well known
that by the ordinary system now in use a very small proportion only of
the carriages are provided with breaks, that the system of levers used from
various strains and from unequal wear of the friction blocks do not press
equally on all the wheels of one carriage, and that when it is found
necessary to stop a train, a considerable distance is traversed before the
breaks are fully applied to any of the carriages, and further that this
application of the breaks to different carriages does not take place
simultaneously, whereby a great strain is thrown upon various parts of
the train, the free carriages pushing violently against tho back of tho
retarded break carriage, while those in front of it are pulling it along
with the whole force of their unchecked momentum; thus in a traiu
consisting of twelve carriages, each of six tons weight when loaded, if
two of the carriages are provided with breaks, a check will be put on
the momentum of twelve tons of the moving load, while sixty tons will
be kept unchecked, and hence it is that so great a distance is traversed
by a train after the breaks have been applied; the distance traversed
by the train after it has been found necessary to stop it is greatly aug-
mented by the time required for the guard to screw down the break,
thus when a train is moving at the rate of thirty miles per hour, and

page_text: the guard has to turn round the handle six times to bring the breaks
into action, if he makes each turn of the handle in a second of time tho
carriages will have traversed a distance of two hundred and sixty-four
feet between the period of his commencing to put on the break and
the period when the break first begins to act.
Having pointed out some of the more prominent disadvantages
of the breaks at present in use, I will proceed to describe the mode
by which these defects can be remedied by a system of breaks acting
simultaneously and with great rapidity on every wheel in the train.
This part of my Invention, which I denominate the "hydrostatic
break," is represented in section on Sheet A of the annexed Draw-
ings, at Figure 10, which is a side elevation of a carriage, part of the
frame being broken off above the wheel J., in order to show the
position of the break; it is also represented on Sheet B of the an-
nexed Drawings, where Figure 1 represents one of the modes by
which this Invention may be carried into effect. Figure 2 is a
horizontal plan of the under frame of a railway carriage provided
with breaks of the construction shewn also at Figure 10, Sheet A;
and Figures 3, 4, and 5, arc details of the same. I will first premise
that the hydrostatic break depends for its action on that law of fluids
by which pressure communicated to any portion thereof is trans-
mitted to all surfaces communicating with the fluid with an equal
degree of force for equal areas, and is therefore analagous to tho
hydrostatic press of "Bramab," but differs from it essentially in one
point, for iu Bramah's press a great force is obtained at the expense
of time, small increments of force being accumulated and ultimately
made to exert an immense force slowly, whereas in the hydrostatic
break a comparatively small amount of force is transmitted to a great
many points of operation with great rapidity from an already accumu-
lated source of power (viz, the locomotive boiler). On Sheet B, I have
shewn at Figure 1, a portion of the under framing of a railway car-
riage. A, A, are the axles shewn in section. B, B, the wheels which
run upon the rails. C, C, are drums keyed on the axle midway
between the wheels B, B. D, is an iron frame bolted in the timbers
E, which form part of the carriage frame. F, is a cylinder cast with

page_text: the frame D, and bored out to receive the solid piston G, which are
attached to rods H, and are guided through bosses D' and D², formed
on the frame D; the outer ends of these rods have attached to them the
friction blocks I, I; the rods H have formed upon them a collar against
which the spiral springs J, J, press so as to force the friction blocks
away from the druins C, C, at those times when the break is required
not to be in action; the pistons G, G, are kept water-tight by "hydraulic
leathers," that is, the peculiar packing by which the "rams" of hydro-
static presses are kept from leaking; they are shewn at Figures 3, 4, 5,
and 6. K, is the main supply pipe which extends beneath all the car-
riages and is coupled in a manner afterwards explained, so that the
carriages may be detached and their number increased or diminished
with facility; at K', a short vertical branch pipe communicates with the
interior of the cylinder F, so that whenever water is forced into the
main pipe K, it will exert an equal force on both the pistons, and cause
the friction blocks to come in contact with the drums C, C, and thereby
stop their rotation, and consequently-stop also the four running wheels
of the carriage; whenever the pressure on the water is removed, the
springs will force back the pistons, and relieve the drums from the
force exerted upon them. Although I have shewn in this Figure
the application of hydrostatic pressure transmitted through pistons to
the drums C, C, it will be obvious that they may be made to act on the
running wheels of the carriage if it is thought desirable, but I prefer
the use of drums beneath the carriage, because two breaks thus act on
four wheels, and also because these drums may be made wider than the
wheels, and present more frictional surface, and also because they are
always dry and free from snow, and may in consequence be much better
depended upon than the wheels which run upon the rails, which fre-
quently become wet, and lose much of their hold on the breaks.
I will now describe the mode before referred to of acting on breaks
by hydrostatic pressure, which is accomplished without the use of
any pistons, cylinders, stuffing boxes, or water-tight packings of any
kind, and which, from its cheapness, simplicity, and certainty of action,
I prefer to the former method herein described. In order that this
part of my said Invention may be fully understood, I have represented

page_text: a section of this form of break on Sheet A of the annexed Drawings,
where Figure 10 is a side elevation of a railway carriage, with a
portion of it shewn as broken off, in order to expose the position of
the break above the wheel L. A horizontal plan of the under
framing of the carriage and breaks is also shewn at Figure 2, on
Sheet B, where other details are represented at Figures 3, 4, and 5,
in all of which the same letters of reference are used to denote a
repetition of the same parts. M, M, represents two of the main
timbers of the carriage frame, to which there is securely bolted an iron
frame N. The central part of this frame is formed into a rectangular
chamber open on the under side only. Into this chamber is fitted
the friction block P, which is shown in contact with the wheel L.
The block P may be made of hard wood, and protected by iron, if
thought necessary; it is made to fit closely into the hollow chamber, but
sufficiently loose to be able to move freely up or down when required.
In the upper part of the chamber there is a hollow rectangular vessel
or piece of vulcanized india-rubber R, which is of such a form as to
fit into and fill up the space between the upper part of the chamber
and the block L. The hollow piece of india-rubber has a tubular pro-
jecting part formed on one side of it, by means of which the interior
of it is made to communicate with the main water pipo S, shewn at R*,
in Figure 2, Sheet A, where the curved branch pipe S is joined to it
by forcing into the aperture a conical piece of iron X, provided with a
flange X', which is bolted to a projection N', formed on the frame N.
The interior of the piece of india-rubber R is filled with water, as
shewn at Q, so that whenever the water in the pipe S is put under
pressure, the piece of india-rubber R will expand and allow the water to
press with its full force on the whole area of the upper side of the block P;
and force it downwards in contact with the wheel L, where it may be
retained for any required period of time. As soon as the pressure of
the water is removed from the pipe S, and a small amount of exhaustion
is produced therein, as will be explained herein-after, the elastic
action of the piece of india-rubber R will cause it to contract and
carry with it the block P, and thus relieve the wheel from any further
pressure. The block P, may be fastened to the piece R, by which it

page_text: .
will be drawn up, or it may be lifted by springs in any convenient
manner; each end of the main pipe S, is made to screw into a projecting
metal piece T, which is bolted to the ends of the carriage frame and is
provided with a sluice cock U, for the purpose of retaining the water
in the pipe S. When the carriages are disconnected, the metal picco
T projects beyond the cock, and bas a groove V, made around it,
into which a raised rib, formed on the interior of gutta percha pipe W,
is made to fit; each end of the pipe W, has four or more incisions
made in it in the direction of its length, which allows it to expand, so
that the attendant may force it into the part T. He then slips the
expanding ring Y, see Figure 4, Sheet B, over the part where the
incisions are made, and by turning the screw handle Z, a firm grip is
given in the gutta pereha tube, and a sound water-tight joint formed
with great facility. The cock T, is then opened, which will establish
a communication from the main pipe of one carriage to another. In
consequence of the corrugations or rings, formed on the gutta percha
pipe W, it will admit of an elongation or contraction of its length, and
will bend into a curve with facility; but it will be obvious that an
elastic pipe of any other suitable material may be used, if thought
preferable. I would also remark, that in lieu of the cock T, any
suitable self-acting valve may be used, or it may be entirely dispensed
with, and the water be allowed to run out of the main pipe whenever
the carriages are not in use. In order to put on the pressure requisite
to stop the train, two modes may be employed. The first one consists
in attaching the plunger of a force pump, of rather large dimensions,
to the crosshead or other parts which move with the steam piston of
the locomotive engine. The force pump so applied may be made to
take in water from the tank or tender at every stroke, and to return
it again through an open cock; but when it is desired to act upon
the breaks, the engineer, by turning a handle one fourth of a turn,
will shut off the passage by which the water was returned at each
stroke to the tender, and by the same movement of the handle he
will open a communication with the main pipe S, whereby the breaks
will be forced down on all the wheels throughout the train with
an amount of force which may be regulated by a loaded valve, which

page_text: will allow the water to return to the tender when it exceeds the desired
amount. I have not given any Drawings of this mode of forcing the
water, as it will be readily understood, but I have given a Drawing of
the second method referred to at Figure 8, Sheet B, and which will be
found to act upon the breaks with greater rapidity. Figure 3, Sheet B,
is a vertical section of this apparatus which may be placed below
the footboard of the engine or tender; 1, is the footboard to which the
cylinder 2, is suspended by bolts; 3, is the top cover of the cylinder into
the centre of which the pipe S is fixed; 4, is a metallic piston fitting
accurately to the cylinder, and resting on an angle formed by a slight
contraction of the lower part of it, and thus the cylinder is divided into
two parts, the upper one being occupied by water and the lower ono
by steam when required; 5, is a hollow copper vessel, which is made as
light as possible in order that it may float when any accumulation of
water takes place cither from leakage or condensation; this latter is
prevented as far as possible by a piece of non-conducting material 4*,
which entirely covers the under side of the piston; 6, is a small conc
valve attached to the float 5, by which any accumulation of water may
at any time empty itself, but which will close by its own weight as the
water leaves the float, and thus it will prevent the escape of steam; the
pipe 7 is made to communicate with the steam boiler, and the pipe 8
with the atmosphere. A cock is placed on each of these pipes, which
have one handle 10, common to both; the handle is placed at a con-
venient height, above the footboard, and is supported by a bracket 11,
to any adjacent fixed part of the engine or tender. The action of the
apparatus is as follows:-The whole of the hollow india-rubber pieces
and the branch pipes are supposed to be filled with water, all the
carriages of the train connected, and the cock at the end of the last
carriage closed; the upper part of the cylinder 2 is also full of water,
and the cock 13 open to the atmosphere. In this state the train inay
proceed, as no obstruction whatever will be offered by the breaks to its
progress, but on the instant that the engineer or other person in charge
of the breaks, sees the necessity of stopping the train, he has only to
move the handle to one quarter of a turn, which will close comniuni-
cation with the atmosphere, and open the cock 14, when the steam will

page_text: act with its full force on the piston 4, and propel it upwards, by which
means its pressure will be instantaneously transmitted to the breaks by
means of the non-elastic fluid occupying the pipes, so that in an instant
of time the retardation of the train will commence, and in consequence
of its action on all the wheels simultaneously, the train will be stopped
in as short a distance as a single carriage. By reversing the handle 10;
the cock 14 will be shut, and the cock 13 will be opened, when the
weight of the piston will immediately expel the steam into the atmo-
sphere and draw in the water from the main pipe S, and thus-relieve
the breaks from pressure. A small pipe 16, also communicates with the
cylinder, and is for the purpose of keeping up the supply of water
therein; it communicates also. with the water chamber of the tender,
and is to be provided with a valve to prevent the return of water to the
tender when it is under pressure in the cylinder; by this means the
cylinder will always be supplied with a full charge of water. Before a
train is started, the cock on the end carriage should be opened, when
the engineer-is-to turn on a small-quantity of steam so as to force a
stream of water through the whole line of pipes, and thus prove that all
is in proper condition for the journey; the whole of the pipes may be
made of stout gutta percha, unless iron be preferred, and should be
protected from the cold in winter by a covering of felt or other bad
conductor of heat. During severe frosts common salt or other well
known matters may be put into the water to prevent the possibility of
the water freezing, or warm water may be blown through the pipes
once or twice during a long journey. It will be obvious that breaks of
this kind may be made to act on the engine and tender as well as on
the carriages, and thus the whole moving mass may be brought to a
state of rest in a very short distance as compared with trains on which
breaks of the ordinary construction are used, and consequently in many
cases a collision may be avoided by bringing up the train before the
obstruction is reached.
]
Having thus described the nature. of, my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have: it understood that I do
not confine myself to the detail so long as the peculiar character of
any part of niy Invention be retained. But what I claim is,

page_text: First, the combination of iron as herein explained with other dis-
similar metals in the construction of railway axles.
Secondly, I claim the construction of railway axles in such manner
that the pressure produced by the lateral oscillation of the carriages
may be sustained by the ends of the said axles.
Thirdly, I claim the application of hydrostatic pressure to railway
breaks.
Fourthly, I claim the use of elastic or expanding chambers whereby
hydrostatic pressure may be applied to railway breaks without tho
intervention of pistons and cylinders.
And, lastly, I claim the arrangement or combination herein-before
described for transmitting the pressure of steam in locomotive boilers to
the breaks of railway carriages.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bessemer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
B. GOBBY,
12, Cursitor Street,
Chancery Lanc.
HENRY BESSEMER. (L.s.)