IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FRY WILKEY, of Mount Vernon, Saint Leonards, near Exeter, Commission
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Fry Wilkey, Her special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Fry Wilkey, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Fry Wilkey, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John
Fry Wilkey, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Fry Wilkey, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: improvements. Figure 2 is a back view thereof. Figure 3 is a plan of the
carriage, the body being removed; and Figure 4 shows some of the parts on
a larger scale, in order that the same may be more readily understood. In
these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts; a being the main axle
on which the two main wheels b, b, are applied. To the axle a is affixed the
hind framing c, c, the nature of which is clearly shown in the Drawing, and its
construction may be varied. To the hind framing c is applied the third
wheel e, as will be hereafter explained; but it is important first to call
attention to the circumstance, that the body of the carriage d (of whatever
shape it may be, and the shape and character of the body may be varied)
is placed on to the carriage a, c, c, in such manner that there is the elasticity of
springs between it and the three wheels, consequently any shock to either of
the wheels will be conveyed to the body through springs. The hind wheel e
turns on the axis f, which is affixed in the frame g, which may be called the
locking frame, as the frame turns on an axis h, and has a circular locking
plate i, which turns in the hollow locking plate ; which is affixed to the
framing c, c, as is clearly shown, there being a recess for oil at j', which is
covered by a screw at j; by this arrangement the axle h will be constantly
lubricated, all which will readily be understood on examining the Drawing.
The axle of the hinder wheel is a fixture to the locking frame g, it being
received into the square recesses or forks formed into the ends of the arms of
which that frame is composed, the axle being retained therein by the filling
pieces k, which enter the forked ends of the frame g, and the same are
retained by the bolts and nuts k', or by other convenient means. The axle
f, which is shown separate, has two collars thereon, one fixed and the other
moveable, in order to allow the axle to pass through the box of the wheel,
and, when through, the other collar is placed on the other end, and the wheel
is retained on the axle by means of the plates 1, 1, and the screw bolts m, m.

page_text: I do not, however, confine myself to any particular arrangement of axle and
box, or the mode of retaining the hinder wheel thereon, as my Invention
relates to the mode of applying a hinder wheel, together with a frame or.
carriage c, in connexion with the main axle a, in such manner that the body of
the carriage may have the elasticity of springs between it and the carriage,
produced by the main axle a and the frame c, the springs being affixed in any.
convenient manner to the said carriage a, c, c. It will be readily seen that by.
thus applying a hind wheel, the body of the carriage will be supported by
three wheels; and in the event of the horse falling, the body will not be tilted
forwards, thus rendering the carriage more safe, and at the same time the
draft of the carriage will not be materially encreased over a two-wheel carriage.
According to the arrangement here shewn, there are three springs used, two
elliptical springs n, n, and the hinder spring o; but the arrangement and
shapes of the springs may be varied, so long as the mode of applying a
framing c, and a hind wheel e, be retained, and the body of the carriage be
applied to the carriage so produced, through the elastic medium of springs.
And I would remark that the locking parts by which the frame g is applied
to the frame c, may be varied, and the extent of motion of the wheel about the
axis h may be limited; and in order to show that such may be the case, I have
added the carriage shewn by Figures 5, 6, and 7; Figure 5 being
view, Figure 6 a back view, and Figure 7 a plan, of the carriage with the
body removed. In this arrangement the frame c, c, is very similar to that
before described, it being connected with the main axle a; but in place of
having a circular hollow locking plate affixed thereto, as before described, the
locking frame g is attached to the frame c by a bolt p, as is shewn, such bolt
having a hollow head to receive oil, as is shewn; in other respects this carriage
is similar to that before described, and the various parts are marked with the
same letters of reference.
a side
It will thus be seen that the object of my Invention is, to apply a hind
or third wheel in such manner that the frame c, to which it is applied,
shall be in connection with the main axis a, and they together form a
carriage for receiving the body which is to be connected to such carriage
by the intervention or medium of springs; I do not, however, confine myself
to the particular details by which such new combination of parts are shewn to
be carried out, as they may be varied. And I would remark, that I am aware
that it is not new generally to apply a third or hinder wheel to carriages, but
in former cases where hinder wheels have been used, the hinder wheel has not
been applied in conjunction with a frame c in conjunction with the main axle
of the carriage, and therefore no such carriage as that produced by the com-