Improved Means for Actuating Road or Tram Cars, and Lake or other Boats.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left. 21st Apr.. 1892-Accepted. 21st Mav. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Actuating Road or Tram Cars, and Lake or
other Boats.
I MILES SETTLE, Colliery Proprietor of Darcy Lever near Bolton in the
County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improved means for actuating road or tram cars, and
boats or launches for river, lake or other similar traffic, the object of the invention
being to dispense with the carriage of heavy fuel and to prevent the nuisance
arising from the smoke caused by the consumption of such fuel.
According to our invention we propose to actuate the car cr boat by means of
an engine or engines driven by inflamniable gas and for this purpose we fit the car
or boat with a cylinder or tank or two or more cylinders or tanks capable of
containing a sufficient quantity of gas to supply the engine or engines for a full
journey or any desirable portion thereof, means being provided at each terminus
and at each intermediate station on the route (if any) for charging the cylinders
or tanks with the requisite supply of gas by temporarily connecting the said
cylinders or tanks with the fixed main pipes or other source of supply.
The gas may be supplied at the normal pressure or it may be compressed so as
to carry an increased supply without additional weight the gas cylinders or tanks
being provided with means for keeping up the pressure, and also with means for
temporarily connecting them with the gas mains or other source of supply, and
temporarily or permanently with the engine, so that each car or boat shall carry
its own gas engine or engines and the requisite supply of gas for actuating the
same.
Dated this 20th day of Tul. 1001
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Actuating Road or Tram Cars, and Lake or
other Boats.
1 MILES SETTLE of Darcy Lever near Bolton in the County of Lancaster
Colliery Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to improved means for actuating road or tram cars, and
boats or launches for river, lake, or other similar traffic the object of the invention
being to dispense with the carriage of heavy fuel and to prevent the nuisance
arising from the smoke caused by the consumption of such fuel.
This I propose to effect by employing for the purpose of actuating such cars
vehicles or vessels an engine or engines driven by means of inflammable gas, as
hereinafter described.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed will be readily understood on reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
and the following explanation thereof.
For road or tram traffic the driving apparatus may be fitted onto the car or
vehicle itself when convenient but I prefer to mount the same on a separate traction

page_text: car as represented on the annexed drawing on which Fig. 1 is a partial vertical
section and Fig. 2 a partial horizontal section of a traction car illustrating the
application thereto of my improved means of actuating the same.
For the purposes of my invention I propose to fit the car a (or the boat, or
other vessel or vehicle) with an engine (or engines) driven by inflammable gas,
and for this purpose I fit the car with a cylinder c (or with a tank, or two or more
cylinders or tanks according to requirements) capable of containing a sufficient
quantity of gas to supply the engine for a full journey, or any desirable portion
thereof, means being provided at each terminus, and at each intermediate station
on the route (if any) for charging the said cylinder c (or the cylinders tank or
tanks) with the requisite supply of gas by temporarily connecting the same with
fixed main pipes, or other source of supply.
The cylinder e is connected up to the gas engine by means of the pipe e through
the valve of the gas cylinder, and the valve 9 which cuts off the supply to any
suitable regulator to reduce the gas to a pressure suitable to the consumption of
the gas engine, cylinder, or gas bag i.
To start the engine with this appliance the valve 9, and the valve fon the
cylinder, are opened and the valve k allows the gas to issue by the gas bag ! to
the firing arrangement, the regulator controlling the pressure of gas from
the cylinder c. Then in turn the valve m is opened to the cylinder of the gas
engine b.
When the cylinder c is required to be charged, connection is made to the source
of supply by means of the valve n and the requisite pressure is watched in a pressure
gauge situated on the pipe e.
The gas may be supplied at the normal pressure or it may be compressed so as
to carry an increased supply without additional weight the gas cylinder a (or
cylinders tank or tanks) being provided as above described with a regulator or
other means for keeping up a normal pressure and also with suitable means for
temporarily connecting them with the gas mains or other source of supply as
before mentioned..
b
The engine may be connected in any convenient manner with the driving axle
of the car, and any suitable arrangement may be employed for connecting,
disconnecting, stopping starting and reversing the same, due regard being had to
the fact that the gas engine can only be driven in one direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved means for actuating road or tramcars and lake or other boats,
which consists in fitting the same with a gas engine or engines, combined with a
cylinder, cylinders, tank or tanks for supplying the gas for driving the same,
provided with means for temporarily connecting the same with the gas mains or
other source of supply, and with means for connecting the engine or engines with
the driving axle of the car vehicle or vessel, and disconnecting, stopping starting
and reversing the same, all substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 20th day of April 1892.
GEO DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.