IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTINGS FOR STABLES, HARNESS Rooms, AND COW HOUSES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Musgrave at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 3rd April
1867.
I, JAMES MUSGRAVE, of Belfast, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTINGS FOR STABLES, HARNESS Rooms,
AND COW HOUSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of improvements in fittings for stables. I
form the pillar of the open stall or loose box division with a vertical slit
through it from front to back, about 2 inches wide and the height of the solid
part of the division. The iron cill and top moulding rest in the pillar in the
ordinary way, but I cast in the upper surface of the former and lower
surface of the latter two grooves lengthwise about 2 inches apart to receive
the ends of iron plates instead of the ordinary wood sheeting so as to form a
hollow partition the length of the stall; in the base of the pillar below the slit
I insert a roller about 6 inches diameter and 2 inches thick, the upper edge
rising a little above the upper surface of the iron cill. Into the hollow par-
tition thus formed I introduce a door of wood or of stout sheet iron, with a
strengthening rim of flat T or angle iron all round it, and at the top and
bottom corners of the back end I attach a friction roller, the object being to
produce a sliding door, which pulls out of the division either to lengthen the
stall division to prevent horses kicking roud the heel post, or to form a tem-
porary loose box, or to serve in lieu of a hinged door for a loose box. When
this sliding door is not necessary I use the ordinary pillar, but cast the cill
and top moulding with a waved groove to take the ends of vertical corru-
gated iron plates, or I make the groove plain and cast corrugated plates

page_text: of iron with a plain strip along the top and bottom to fill the groove; if
I use corrugated plates I make the joints half lap over each other, and
if plain I use a strip of iron of H section to make good the vertical
joint. For ease in fitting the vertical plates I omit the raised moulding of the
iron cill for about 18 inches along one side, and fit into it a flat plate, which
drops into a hollow in the cill, and having holes for screws to attach it to the
division, whether of iron or wood. Instead of the ordinary termination to the
iron pillar, I make the top of the pillar a parallel tube about 8 inches high,
and slip over it a hollow thimble with harness bracket projecting from on
side, and fitted so that the harness bracket turns freely round if the horse
come against it in passing.
My Invention includes the following valuable improvements upon the
manger, water bowl, and hay rack for which I obtained Letters Patent,
No. 1711, dated July 29th, 1858. I cast a small bevilled projection on the
front of the tumbling water bowl (or manger), and suspend inside the manger
top a small catch weighted at on side, so that the front of the catch inclines
towards the bowl and catches the projection cast on the face of the same
when it is let down and thus fastens it. The catch is relieved by touching the
point, which for that purpose passes through the top (or front) of the
I dispense with the rim which projects over
manger top as most convenient.
the manger and bowl to prevent the horse throwing out his food, and instead
cast the tumbling manger or bowl wider at the bottom than the top, the sides
gently sloping inwards to the top, so that the food cannot be thrown out, and
yet there is no projection to injure the horse or entangle his head gear.
Instead of the usual method of enclosing the manger with wood sheeting,
or leaving it open to the danger of the horse, I fit below the manger an iron
chamber the entire length of the stall, about 20 inches deep, and to that part
of the chamber directly under the manger and water bowl I fit a division at
each end, so as to form a water-tight compartment to receive the waste from
either vessel when upset, and from the bottom thereof (at the centre of the
entire length of the manger top) I fit an iron pipe, which conveys the waste
water to my new surface gutter hereafter described. The remaining portion
of the chamber I perforate with oblong slits in the front and bottom, to serve
as a low hay rack, or I cut a large oblong hole out of the front and fit it
with vertical rails. To avoid any projection to the inside of the bay rack
I fasten an iron plate (or vertical rails) from the inside edge of the manger
top to meet the bevil of the front of hay rack, and where the hay rack is to be
placed above the manger top I fit into the manger top a perforated plate
inclined backwards at an angle of about 45° as a bottom for the rack, and

page_text: omit the perforations in the chamber beneath, which thus becomes a receiver
for the hay sced, to remove which I cut a circular hole in the front of the
chamber and fit it with a loose cover which fastens by two pins like an ordi-
nary man-hole cover. Both of these arrangements of mangers I can make
angular instead of straight to fit into the corner of a loose box. For loose
box mangers
I also make the manger top and chamber beneath it the entire
length of one end of the loose box, and form a hay rack at each end by
means of two upright iron plates, which support a swing guard to shut off the
horse from the food when necessary, as described in my Patent of 1858 already
referred to; but I place the bearings for the centres on which this swing guard
is suspended above the top of these division plates, so as to throw the guard
more out of the way of the horse's head when open; with this exception the
swing guard forms no part of my present Invention.
As to the manger and water bowl I wish it to be understood I do not confine
myself to my Patent tumbling manger, but can employ fixed mangers screwed
below the top plate; the merit of this part of my Invention being that the
chamber below (whether to receive the overflow water or not) presents a
smooth surface outside, and thus there is no projection either inside or outside
the manger to injure the horse; all mangers hitherto made if flush outside
having a rim projecting inside, or if flush inside having a projection outside.
Neither do I confine myself to the particular form of chamber below the bowl &
manger, so long as the chamber extends below both, so as to require only one
waste pipe for both in the centre of the stall.
My Invention includes an improvement in the sliding latch of the loose
box door to prevent the horse opening it with his mouth, which I accom-
plish by forming a hook on the lower edge of the sliding bar, with a hole
in the upright rail of the loose box door to receive same when pulled
back by the horse, and on the end of the sliding bar outside the vertical
rail I put an oval button, which turns round against the rail and locks
the latch; or I make the bar round with a pin on one side, which fixes it till
lifted opposite a cut in vertical rail. Also an improvement in my Patent
sliding hay grid, by making the grid turn vertically on the horizontal bar
which slides on the vertical guide at the back of the hay rack.
My improvements in the method of tying the horse are as follow:-In the
manger front I insert two bushings of an oblong form of "porcelain," "hard
wood," or "metal," having through each a hole of oblong shape to suit for a
flat leather strap to run through (and cupped in front), and at the wall
opposite each tying I place an iron bracket (on the top of a half tube which
passes up through the water chamber); this bracket is also fitted with an

page_text: oblong bushing, as described, through which the leather strap runs down
by the wall. I make the leather strap of sufficient length to reach from the
.floor to the bushing in front of the manger, and at that point I attach a chain
(with book for fastening the horses) by means of a triangular piece of metal, with
one of the flat faces outwards; the point of the last link of the chain passes
through the angular metal with a rivit on the end like an ordinary swivel,
and the leather strap is passed round the angular piece also and fastened by
sewing or otherwise so as to form a wedge to stop the chain from passing
through the bushing. Upon the bottom end of the strap I fit a metal or wood
ball or sinker with an oblong hole to fit the leather strap cast vertically through
it, but passing out at an obtuse angle at the bottom of the ball; opposite this
angle I fit a metal thumbscrew with a flat or sharp point, the thumb piece
being let flush into the ball. When the strap is passed through the sinker a
turn or two of the screw fastens it firmly, and should the horse get caught in
the tying he can be relieved instantly.
For a loose box tying I use only one cupped bushing inserted into an iron
bracket screwed to the wall about 3 feet 6 inches above the floor, the under
side of the bracket has a rim about 2 inches deep to receive a loose half tube
which covers the leather tying; and at the floor I place an iron moulding with
a similar rim standing upwards to take the half tube or cover; the cover is of
such length that when pushed up inside of the rim of the bracket and the
bottom dropped into the rim of bottom moulding it still remains caught, by
the top rim. The strap, chain, and sinker are the same as those already
described for the manger tying.
In frout of the horse I place a name plate in the form of a circular ribbon,
garter, or other device, the improvement in which consists in fitting a moveable
plate of iron to the face of the framework, on which the name can be painted.
The plate is fastened by means of a catch hooking into a mortise at the top
and by two turnbuttons at the bottom.
My improvements in the surface drainage are as follow:-I employ an iron
gutter something of the usual form with loose cover, but instead of the cover
resting on the top edge of the gutter I make the sides of the latter straight
down for about 1 inc", where I form a flat surface for the edge of the
cover to rest on, and the remainder of the bottom is hollowed as a water
way.
The gutter is laid in the floor flush with the pavement, and the edges
diced to prevent the horse slipping into the gutter; thus formed I fit short
lengths of iron cover with deep edges and of a waved section on top, having a
solid piece along the centre with perforations along each side of same, and a
r..ised surface between each perforation to prevent slipping. In that part of

page_text: the gutter below the manger, and extending 2 or 3 feet under the front feet
of the horse, I make the loose covers without perforations, but similar in
appearance to the others. The sides and bottom edges of each loose cover I
make with corrugations, so as to allow the urine to pass down between it and
the edge of the gutter, and the last piece of the cover below the manger I cast
with a rim standing upwards to receive the point of the "run-off" pipe
from the the manger. The stench trap I make square or circular with a loose
cover having deep corrugated sides fitted into a frame having deep edges of
similar section to that already described for the gutter. In the centre of the
bottom I have a circular hole about 4 inches diameter, the lower edge of
which extends downwards about 3 inches and dips into the water, which is
retained in the trap beneath it. The trap I make oblong in form with a round
hole cast in the cover to receive the rim projecting from the frame above, and
with a horizontal slit or outlet close to the top edge to fit into the side of an
underground sewer. The hole in the centre of the frame I cover with a loose
convex circular grating having the lower edges corrugated and with a flange to
keep it in its place, formed of 2 plates crossing each other cast on the lower
surface.
My Invention does not consist in intercepting the smell from the sewer by
the edge of the flange dipping into the water in the trap that being commonly
practised, but in the form of the cover & frame and inside grating, and in the
plan of the trap, which can be set at any angle to suit the underground sewer,
and yet it becomes air-tight when the upper frame is bedded on it with a little
oil putty.
My improvement in ventilator consists in making the fixed frame with a
rim projecting towards the stable about 2 inches at the top, tapering to nothing
at the bottom, so that when the valvular front is closed it inclines to open by
its own weight. The valvular front is attached to the frame by two centres or
hinges at the bottom, each end is fitted with a taper piece of iron or wood,
so that when the front is opened the air in entering is diverted upwards
against the ceiling; these ends have each a projection to stop the front from
opening too far. To the centre of the under side of the top of the frame I
attach a bracket in the form of a half circle, with a groove wrought on the
upper surface, over which I pass a rope, one end of which goes through a
hole in the centre of the upper part of the valvular front, and the other end
passes down through an oval hole in the bottom of the same front and
terminates in a balance weight placed at such height that it cannot be touched
by the horse. By pulling this weight the ventilator is closed, and by pushing it
up the ventilator can be opened to and will remain at any required angle. I

page_text: sometimes place the balance weight behind the valvular front, and open or
close the latter by means of a knob or ring attached to its face.
The second purt of my Invention refers to improvements in fittings for
harness rooms, and consists, firstly, in making my Invention of saddle &
harness brackets (already registered in the Designs Office under the numbers
178954, 173955, and 173956) entirely of iron in a manner that will gain
most of the advantages of those with wood cappings at a great reduction in
cost. For this purpose I make patterns for casting them by carefully
beating a sheet of lead about one one-eighth of an inch thick over the outside
surface of each size of the wood-capped brackets, so as to produce the exact
external form. That part of the hollow between each raised bar having been
cut away, a casting is then taken off the lead and dressed up as a casting
pattern, from which I can make brackets in annealed or malleable cast iron of
great lightness and strength, which when enamelled or galvanized will not rust,
and which offer no sharp edges to injure the harness that rests upon them;
or I can accomplish the same result by making a wood pattern of the same
external form, or as n ar thereto as may be desired, and scooping out the
surface from beneath until it is of a uniform substance of th to th inches
throughout every part, and from this cast an iron pattern as already described.
Secondly, an improvement in the form of the collar holder and the harness
bridle holder, either "all iron" or for "wood capping;" the first I make semi-
circular in elevation, with two-round bars at each side, without any swell
on the front and with one bar at the top with a swell at the front and a high
curve rising backwards to the wall, so as to keep the top of the collar away
from the wall, and the second I make semicircular in front. and side elevation,
and also on plan, with 5 half-round bars (having each a swell on the front) for
the headstall to rest on, and a curved strip of iron (fat or slightly rounded
in section) in front for the forehead strap to rest on, the back plate being
arranged so that the whole frame can be cast in one piece.
And, thirdly, the corn shoot and meter for delivering the oats from the loft
overhead I make of a half round or flat tube attached to the bottom of the
corn bin above, and passing down close by the wall to within 5 or 6 feet of
the floor of harness room or stable, where it is attached to a meter, con-
sisting of a flat plate attached to the face of the wall, behind which is screwed
a vertical chamber. The plate has two holes each about inches broad by 2
inches high, one at top and bottom, behind which is a plate sliding vertically
and having two holes to correspond with those in the front plate. In
the centre of the sliding plate is a recess about 4 inches high x 2 inches
broad, with a rack on one side acted on by a pinion wheel, the centre of

page_text: which passes out through the front plate, and is fitted with a small lever
handle, the point of which has a hasp which is secured by a lock to the front
plate. The action is this:-By depressing the lever arm the lower hole iş
closed and the top one opened, when the corn runs in and fills the tube-;
then by raising the lever arm the upper hole is first closed and the lower one
opened, which discharges the contents of the tube, and so on for any number
of feeds that may be wanted. .
:
The last part of my Invention has reference to improvements upon the
iron fittings for cow houses included in the Patent granted me on July 29th,
1858, already referred to, and consists, firstly, in casting the iron stall divisions
and dwarf divisions with an additional breadth of plate projecting about 8 inches
towards the feeding passage at the level of the head rail and sloping to nothing
at the trough, the outer edges being furnished with flanges, to which a fixed
sloping head plate is bolted. I also add to the beight of the stall division,
about the centre and immediately over the top of the vertical rods to which
the cattle are tied, I cut a triangular hole through the plate and replace it
by a piece of iron on each side of the plate, these are attached at the top
by a rivit through the plate on which they swing, and on the bottom by a
rivet fastening both together, so that they secure the vertical rods from being
lifted out; the object is to enable the cow to be instantly set free, which
can be done by pushing the swing plates aside and lifting the rod (on which
the cow chain slides), when the chain is disengaged.
Secondly, I make the feeding trough 8 or 10 inches broader in the bottom
than usual, to enable me to form part into a water trough along the back, but
in the centre of each stall a space of about 2 feet long is devoted entirely to
water, and is covered by a hinged lid, which can be opened or closed at
pleasure from the feeding passage by means of a rod or chain. The back of
the feeding trough is formed by the rib 6 or 8 inches high, separating it
from the water trough, and I attach to it the sloping fixed head plate already
described, above which I place a sloping fodder rack formed of vertical rails
of iron rivited to a horizontal rail at top and bottom, the ends of the upper
rail rest loosely in the sides of the stall division, and the bottom lies on the
head plate, so that when fodder is filled in from the feeding passage the edge
of the rack towards the cattle (which is slightly bent downwards) rises and
remains pressing on the fodder until the latter is gradually pulled out by
the cattle. At seasons when fodder is not used the rack may be turned up
and fastened vertically to the stall divisions, so as to form a barrier between
the stall and feeding passage.
When it is not desirable to have a continuous
water trough, I retain that portion in the centre of stall with the cover as

page_text: already described, and use an iron tube for the bead rail, to which I lay on
the water, and from which I take a vertical branch pipe with ordinary water tap
to supply each water trough. In that part of the water trough projecting
into the feeding passage below the head plate I fit an overflow or a plug of
metal or wood.
I reserve the right to vary the details of my Invention, the foregoing is
however substantially a description of the same.