IMPROVEMENTS IF APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE CONVEYANCE OF MAIL BAGS AND OTHER PARCELS ON RAILWAYS OR ROADS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHANIEL
WORSDELL, of Crown Street, Liverpool, Coach Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of January, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Nathaniel
Worsdell, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I; the said Nathaniel Worsdell, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Nathaniel Worsdell, my exors, adñiors, 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 IF APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE
CONVEYANCE OF MAIL BAGS AND OTHER PARCELS ON RAILWAYS OR ROADS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Nathaniel
Worsdell, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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
Jarge appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Nathaniel Worsdell, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:-
At present in taking up or leaving mail bags or other parcels conveyed by
railway or railroad carriages it is necessary to stop the train of carriages, or so
much to reduce the speed of the train that the persons at the station may hand
up the bags, and that the guard may deposit the bag or bags to be left on the
ground, or with a person placed to receive them, and according to both
these means much delay necessarily takes place in the conveyance of mail
bags, as well as loss of time to the whole train; and, further, when the speed
is only reduced (in place of stopping the train of carriages) the bags are liable
to be missed by the guard, and such has often been the case, and the bags
have fallen to the ground, and in addition to the delay caused by the stopping
of the train, and backing the same to the spot where the bag had been left, or
otherwise waiting until the same is brought to the train, the bag has, in
some instances, been found to be materially injured and cut by the wheels
passing over it, and from this reason, in case the stations were numerous along
a line of railway, which it is very desirable should be the case, in order to give
the utmost extent of quick communication, the time lost even in diminishing
speed to take up and put down letter bags, and again to get up the speed of
the train, when compared with the whole running time of the train of carriages
between two places would be found to be a most serious loss of time, and will
be found to offer almost a barrier to numerous stations being had on a line of
railway or railroad for mail bags and for parcels. Now my Invention consists
in applying mechanical means to railways or railroads, and the carriages
which run thereon, whereby mail bags may be taken and left at any deter-
mined places or stations with the greatest facility without stopping or retarding
the motion or speed of the train of carriages, and by such means the number
of places for taking and leaving mail bags may be encreased very materially,
and the general system of conveyance of mail bags facilitated, and although I
have here spoken of mail bags I mean it also to apply to bags containing parcels,
for it is better to put small parcels in bags.
D

page_text: of a carriage (or mail) of a train of carriages; Fig. 8, side view of a
carriage, and the improvement applied thereto and to a railway; and the
other Figures of the Drawing show suitable apparatus separately. And I
would here remark that the principal of action of the apparatus applied is such
that a bag containing letters or parcels being held in such a position as to be
in the way of suitable means or instruments for taking the bag, and, on the
other hand, where it is desirable to leave bags, there is connected with the
carriage of the train suitable apparatus or instruments to support the bag in a
position to be intercepted by apparatus or instruments for taking the bag so
placed. Now it will be evident that the apparatus in both cases may be varied
as to its particular action or formation, to produce the desired effect, and yet
remain in substance the same. I do not, therefore, confine my Invention to
the instruments here shown, though I believe they are the most simple which
can be employed, and the best for the purpose. a, a, is a bar applied at the
back of a railway carriage. This bar is capable of sliding to and from the
carriage in the staples b, b, affixed to the back of the carriage, usually that
carriage of a train of railway or railroad carriages called the mail when the
same is intended for mail bags; but it will be evident that the apparatus may
be applied to other of the carriages when intended for the delivery of parcels,
and the apparatus for parcels may be separate from the apparatus for mails.
c is a set screw by which the guard (when he has slided the bar a to its
position) to fix the bar for the time till it has taken up or left the bags held
thereby. d is a prong projecting from the bar a at right angles thereto. This
prong is curved upwards in order when a mail bag has been taken by it that
the same may not fly off by any motion or swing which may take place by the
same being put suddenly into motion with the train of carriages. At each
station or place where it is desired to take or leave mail bags there is to be an
apparatus suitable for holding the bags to be taken by the train of carriages
when passing, and if bags are to be left at the same place, then there is to be
fitted up suitable apparatus for receiving the bags which are carried by the
bar a on the projecting prongs e, e, as is shown in the Drawing. The appa-
ratus applied to the railway or railroad at the determined stations or places is
similar to that applied to the railway or railroad carriage, and the parts are
marked with the same letters of reference (but capitals are used for distinc-
tion), and the apparatus is sustained by a post or upright, on which may be
placed a lamp, as is shown in the Drawing.
Having thus explained the nature of the apparatus which I prefer for
carrying out my Invention, and which I have found fully to answer for taking
and leaving mail bags and parcels when travelling at high speeds, I will

page_text: describe the manner of using the same. The guard places the cord, strap, or
chain on to the prongs e, e, of the bar a, or a number of bags may be strung
on to a strong strap, cord, or chain, or other convenient means or instrument,
and together securely placed on the prongs e, e. He then slides out the bar a,
and fastens it by the screw; it will consequently follow that when the train
of carriages passes the station or place where there is a suitable apparatus the
bag or bags on the bar a will be taken by a prong D or other suitable instru-
ment; and if it be desired that there should be a bag or bags taken by the
train as well as left at a station, then such bag or bags are to be supported by
suitable means, such as the prongs E, E, and the prong d of the bar a will
take such bag or bags, all which is clearly shown in the Drawing, and will
readily be traced thereon.
And it only remains for me to remark, that I lay no claim to any parts
separately, nor to their use for any other purpose than for carrying out my
Invention, which I declare to consist of the application of mechanical means,
such as are herein explained, to railways or railroads, and carriages travelling
thereon, for taking and leaving mail bags and parcels, whereby much time
will be saved, and certainty of action obtained, and whereby the conveyance
of mail bags and parcels will be materially facilitated, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathaniel Worsdell, have hereunto set 2
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
NICOLSON, Extra.
NATHANIEL (L.B.) WORSDELL.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of June, in tho
year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid Nathaniel Worsdell came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statuto made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-eight.