Improvements in Means for Releasing Draught Animals from Road Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Releasing Draught Animals from Road
Vehicles.
1, Sit ARTHUR SEYMOUR SULLIVAN, of 1, Queen's Mansions, Victoria
Street, S.W., London, Knight and Doctor of Music, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effectual method for
releasing draught animals from carriages and other road vehicles, in case of
bolting" or falling, or for other reasons, and, in the case of falling, to obviate
the usual delay and danger, as at present experienced.
66
This invention may be applied without any difficulty to all existing vehicles,
or vehicles can be specially constructed for the adaptation of this invention
thereto.
In applying the invention to an existing pair-horse carriage, a second splinter
bar is employed with the pole, and this splinter bar is attached to the ordinary
bar by means of rocking hooks, which are secured in the holding position by a
notched bar, which is capable of sliding horizontally by means of a lever within
reach of the hand of the driver.
This lever is provided with means for locking it in position, so that it shall
not be used unwittingly, or accidentally, such means being of a simple and
easily workable character.
When required to be used, this lever is raised, and pushed to one side, which
action slides the bar, and brings the notches into the position necessary to allow
the hooks to rock, so that the splinter-bar is released.
In the case of a single-horse vehicle, the shafts will be attached to a bar,
which will fit into the rocking hooks like the splinter-bar, and will be released
in the same manner.
If the form of brake with which the vehicle is supplied be not sufficient to
bring it (the vehicle) to a standstill, after the horses have been released, the
driver can still guide the machine by retaining hold of the lever, and working
it in any direction required.
Dated this 16th day of December 1898.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
•
Improvements in Means for Releasing Draught Animals from Road
Vehicles.
I, Sir ARTHUR SEYMOUR SULLIVAN, of 1, Queen's Mansions, Victoria
Street, S.W., London, Knight and Doctor of Music, do hereby declare the nature

page_text: of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effectual method of
releasing draught animals from carriages and other wheeled vehicles, in case
of "bolting" or falling, or for other reasons, and, in the case of falling, to
obviate the usual delay and danger, as at present experienced, in detaching
fallen horses from the carriages.
This invention may be applied without any difficulty to four-wheeled vehicles
generally, or vehicles can be specially constructed for the adaptation of this
invention thereto.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shewn my invention as applied to a
one-horse carriage and also to a pair-horse carriage, the object being, in each
arrangement, to enable the driver of the vehicle to release the shafts, or the
draught pole, from the carriage, at the moment that danger is apprehended,
from the fright or fall of the horse or horses attached to the vehicle.
Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, so much of a one-horse carriage with my
improvement applied thereto, as will serve to illustrate the nature of the
invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fore carriage, detached, with the releasing
mechanism and shafts in place.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line A-B, Fig. 2, of the releasing
mechanism.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the releasing mechanism, with the shafts detached
from the carriage.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same, taken on the line C-D of Fig. 4; and
Fig. 6 is a front view of the releasing mechanism.
aa are the shafts, hinged to a frame b, which is formed with a pair of necks c,
that are embraced by a coupling apparatus attached to the fore-carriage d.
Projecting from the front of the fore-carriage is a pair of brackets e, which
form bearings for a transverse shaft f. Keyed to this shaft f is a pair of locking
discs g, which are slotted tangentially (as at 1) to receive and catch on to the
necks c of the frame b. These discs are notched (as at 2) to allow a sliding
bar h, which is supported in the brackets e to lock into the notches 2 of the
dises g, and hold them firmly in position, and in this bar h are formed notches 3,
corresponding in length to the breadth of the discs, and of a depth which will
allow of the discs turning when the notches are brought opposite to the discs
or equivalent locking devices. is a rock lever pivotted to one of the brackets e,
and terminating at its lower end in a fork, which embraces a pin projecting
laterally from the locking bar h. This lever carries a bolt k, which serves to
lock the lever in its upright or normal position, by dropping into a hole in the
bracket which carries the lever, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 6.
The use of the lever is to impart an endway motion to the locking bar h,
and thereby to present the notches 3 in that bar to the notched discs g (see
Figs. 4 and 5), when a disengagement of the carriage from the shafts is desired.
In order to attach the shafts to the carriage, the necks c of the frame bare
inserted in the tangential slots 1, 1, of the discs g, and the discs are then forced
round, to catch upon the necks c, and lock the frame in position, as shown in
Fig. 1.
To prevent the frame 6 from being pushed too far inwards when connecting
up the apparatus, vertical pins 17 are fitted to the locking bar h, to act as stops,
and arrest the further movement of the frame. The shafts being now in position,
the lever is rocked from the dotted position of Fig. 6 to the drawn position of
that figure, and by reason of its connection with the sliding bar h, as above
explained, that bar will be caused to lock into the notches of the discs, and thus
secure the shafts to the fore carriage: at the same time, the bolt will drop,
and fix the coupling apparatus in its locking position.
m is a standard corresponding in form and position with the lever and bolt i, k,

page_text: its use being to give the driver a purchase on the carriage, when the horses are
suddenly detached and there is still an impetus, on the carriage that renders
steering necessary.
n, n, are studs to which the traces are attached, and which form also the hinge
pins for connecting the shafts with the frame b.
Fig. 7 shows, in plan view, the releasing mechanism as applied to the splinter
bar of a two-horse carriage.
Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line E-F of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a front view of the same.
Fig. 10 shews, in plan view, the splinter bar and pole as released from the
carriage; and
Fig. 11 is a vertical section of the same on the line G-H of Fig. 10.
In these figures, o is the ordinary splinter bar, carrying the brackets e, which,
in the former arrangement, were attached directly to the fore carriage. In these
brackets is mounted the transverse shaft f, which carries the notched dises g,
for coupling to the fore-carriage a second or additional splinter bar p. Fitted
to this splinter bar is the pole 7, which extends rearwards, and fits a slot formed
to receive it in the fore-carriage. Rounded portions of the splinter bar enter
(like the necks e of Fig. 4) the tangential slots 1, 1, in the discs, and they are
held fast therein when the discs are rocked, by means of the locking bar h and
the bolt of the lever i.
In order to release the draught pole g from the carriage, it is only necessary
to lift the bolt &, and depress the lever i to the dotted position of Fig. 9, when
the locking bar will be caused to present its notches to the coupling discs g,
and leave them free to turn, and release the splinter har and draught pole from
the carriage.
In this example, also, a standard m may be provided for deflecting the run
of the carriage, when the detachment of the horses from the carriage has taken
place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
The application to the fore-carriage or under-frame of wheeled vehicles, of a
locking device for securing the shafts or draught pole to the vehicle, and
releasing the same therefrom, for the purpose above set forth, such apparatus
consisting in a pair of slotted or notched discs, or their equivalent, keyed to a
transverse shaft, which is free to turn in fixed bearings, when freed from a
locking bar, which receives an endway motion for locking and unlocking the
discs, by a rock lever set adjacent to the hand of the driver, such slotted discs
engaging with an attachment of the shafts or draught pole of the carriage, as
the case may be, and also with the locking bar slidden by the rock lever."
Dated this 14th day of April 1899.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.