AN IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harris, of Woodside, near Darlington, Civil
Engineer, and Thomas Summerson, of Haughton-le-Skerne, near Dar-
lington, aforesaid, Ironfounder, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS."
Sealed the 30th September 1858, and dated the 15th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harris and Thomas
Summerson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 15th April 1858.
We, JOHN HARRIS, of Woodside, near Darlington, Civil Engineer, and THOMAS
SUMMERSON, of Haughton-le-Skerne, near Darlington, aforesaid, Ironfounder,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY
CHAIRS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in railway chairs, and
consists in forming recesses on the under sides of chairs, in such manner as to
receive hollow pieces of wood, through which and through the upper surfaces
of the chairs the pins or bolts are driven, so that the wood forms bushings
around the pins or bolts, which are driven through to hold down the chairs.
The recesses for holding the wood are of larger diameter than the holes
through the upper surfaces of the chairs, so that the wood cannot be drawn
through from the under surfaces of the chairs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Harris and Thomas Summerson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARRIS, of Woodside, near Darlington, Civil Engineer, and THOMAS SUM-
MERSON, of Haughton-le-Skerne, near Darlington, aforesaid, Ironfounder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Harris and Thomas Summerson, Her special licence that we,
the said John Harris and Thomas Summerson, our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Harris and Thomas
Summerson, our executors; 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,
the Channel Islands, 'and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Harris and Thomas Summerson, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us. or them, 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 Thomas Summerson, on behalf of myself
and the said John Harris, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what inanner 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 an improvement in railway chairs, and
consists in forming recesses on the under sides of chairs in such manner as to
receive hollow pieces of wood, through which and through the upper surfaces
of the chairs the pins or bolts are driven, so that the wood forms bushings
around the pins or bolts, which are driven through to hold down the chairs.
The recesses for holding the wood are of larger diameter than the holes

page_text: through the upper surfaces of the chairs, so that the wood cannot be drawn
through from the under surfaces of the chairs.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a side view of a chair having our Invention applied thereto,
Figure 2 is a plan thereof, Figure 3 is an end view, and Figure 4 is a
vertical section thereof. The chair is made with a recess to receive a cushion
of wood below the rail, but no claim is made thereto, nor is it necessary to the
carrying out our present Invention; and we would state that the form of the
chairs to which our Invention is applied may be varied. On the under side
of each chair, where the holding-down bolts or pins pass through it into the
sleeper or bearer below, recesses a, a, are made (by preference cylindrical) to
receive wood bushings or fillings b, b, through which the pins or bolts c, c, are
driven. The wood bushings or fillings b, b, do not come through to the upper
surface of the chair, there being a sufficient thickness of metal left to receive
the heads of the pins or bolts b, as shown.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is, the
construction of railway chairs with recesses a, a, and applying wood bushings
or fillings b, b, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Summerson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
THOMAS CHARLTON,
Darlington.
THOMAS SUMMERSON. (L.S.)