Improved Means for Releasing Runaway Horses from Vehicles to which they are Attached.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1887
Complete Left, 30th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 1st June, 1888
Improved Means for Releasing Runaway Horses from Vehicles
to which they are Attached.
I ANNE DURELL DURELL of 1 Spanish Place, Manchester Square in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to provide means for rapidly detaching horses
when they, from any cause, become unmanageable, from the carriages to which they
are attached, at the same time locking the fore carriage of the vehicle so as to prevent
its being overturned.
In applying the invention to a pair horse carriage, mount in suitable bearings
secured to the splinter bar of the vehicle, a rock shaft, which is provided with four or
more short arms projecting horizontally therefrom, and to the short arms are pivotted
bolts which slide vertically through sockets provided for that purpose on the front of
the splinter bar.
The rock shaft is actuated by a hand lever, which is placed near the driver's seat.
Plates having a hole bored through them to correspond with the holes in the sockets,
and provided with a trace block, fit into the sockets, and they will be securely held in
place by the vertical bolts.
The pole fits into the chop block in the usual manner, and it is kept in place
by means of a metal plate which is secured to the pole. This plate fits over the
sockets on the splinter bar, in which position it will be securely held by two of the
vertical bolts.
It will now be understood that should the horses from any cause, became unmanage-
able, and beyond the control of the driver, he has only to pull over the hand lever on
the end of the rock shaft, and thereby draw up all the vertical bolts, when the
pole and trace blocks will become detached, and the horses will be freed from the
carriage.
In order to prevent the fore carriage of the vehicle from turning round on the
release of the horses, and thereby risking its overturning, a short rock shaft is mounted
in suitable bearings below the turntable. The outer end of this rock shaft is fitted
with a vertical arm,
which is connected by a link rod to the hand lever beside the

page_text: driver's seat. The inner end of the rock shaft is similarly fitted with a short arm,
which stands out horizontally, and to this short arm is pivotted to a bolt standing up
vertically, and entering a hole bored for its reception through the undermost of the two
plates of the turntable."
In its normal position, this bolt enters the lower plate only of the turntable,
thereby leaving the fore carriage free to turn, but on pulling over the hand lever for
the purpose of releasing the horses, the bolt will be thrust up through one of a
series of holes bored close together in the upper plate of the turntable. This will
have the effect of bolting the two plates together in whatever position they
may be at the time, and will thus prevent any further locking of the fore
carriage.
I have thus far described the application of my invention to a pair horse carriage,
but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to a single horse vehicle, in which case
the shafts would be connected to the splinter bar or its equivalent in the same way
that the pole is connected, and the trace blocks would be dispensed with.
If thought desirable, the rock shaft and its bearings may be placed below the
splinter bar, the rock shaft being actuated by means of a rod passed through a
hollow perch bolt, and connected to the hand lever and rock shaft respectively
by links.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Releasing Runaway Horses from Vehicles
to which they are Attached.
I ANNE DURELL DURELL of 1 Spanish Place, Manchester Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of the present invention is to provide means for rapidly detaching horses,
when they, from any cause, become unmanageable, from the carriages to which they
are attached, at the same time securing the fore carriage of the vehicle so as to prevent
its "locking," and thereby obviate the risk of the carriage being overturned.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the front part of a carriage with my invention applied
thereto, and
Fig. 2 is a plan of the fore carriage.
In applying the invention to a pair horse carriage, I mount in suitable bearings
secured to the splinter bar A of the vehicle, a rock shaft. B, which is provided with
four or more short arms C projecting horizontally therefrom, and to the short arms
are pivotted bolts D, which slide vertically through forked sockets E provided for that
purpose on the front of the splinter bar.
The rock shaft B is actuated by a hand lever F,which is placed near the driver's seat.-
Plates G having a hole bored through them to correspond with the holes in the forked
sockets, and each provided with a trace block G¹, are inserted between the prongs
of the forked socket, and they will be securely held in place by the vertical bolts D.
The pole H fits into the chop block in the usual manner, and it may be kept in place
by means of a metal plate H', which is secured to the pole. This plate fits into the
forked parts of the sockets on the splinter bar, in which position it will be securely
held by two of the vertical bolts D.
It will be now understood that should the horses, from any cause, become un-
manageable and beyond the control of the driver, he has only to pull over the hand
lever Fat the end of the rock shaft B, and thereby draw up all the vertical bolts D,
when the pole H and trace blocks G will become detached, and the horses will be freed
from the carriage.
In order to prevent the fore carriage of the vehicle from turning round or "locking "
on the release of the horses, and thereby risking the overturning of the vehicle, I
secure the fore carriage in the following manner :-A short rock shaft I is mounted
in suitable bearings below the turntable. The outer end of this rock shaft is fitted
with a vertical arm I', which is connected by a link rod 12 to the hand lever F beside
the driver's seat. The inner end of the rock shaft is similarly fitted with a short arm I³,
which stands out horizontally, and to this short arm is pivotted a bolt I standing up
vertically, and entering a hole J' bored for its reception through the two plates of the
turntable J.

page_text: In its normal position, this bolt may just enter the hole in the lower plate of the
turntable, thereby leaving the forecarriage free to turn, but on pulling over the hand
lever F for the purpose of releasing the horses, the bolt I will be thrust up through
the holo J in the upper plate of the turntable J. This will have the effect of bolting
the two plates together, and will thus prevent any further "locking" of the fore
carriage. It will be obvious that a series of holes may be provided in the top plate of
the turntable J, so that when the horses are released, the travel of the carriage in any
desired direction may be secured.
I have thus far described the application of my invention to a pair-horse carriage,
but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to a single horse vehicle, in which case
the shafts would be pivotted to plates which would be inserted between the prongs
of the forked sockets on the splinter bar, or its equivalent, and secured by the bolts D
as above described.
The rock shaft B and its bearings may be placed below the splinter bar, the rock
shaft being actuated as before described, or by means of a rod passing through a
tubular perch bolt, and connected to the hand lever and rock shaft respectively through
any suitable or convenient arrangement of links and bell crank levers.
In this case, the actuating lever may be placed either in front or by the side of the
driver's seat, and the bolts B will be made to rise through the forked sockets; or in
place of a hand lever, a treadle may be used to work the rock shaft.
I would here remark that in Fig. 2, my invention is shown as applied to a carriage
which may be used either as a pair horse or a single horse carriage, but when applying
the invention to either one or the other, a slight modification in some of the parts will
be made; for example, the plate H' may be shortened or dispensed with altogether, and
the inner retaining bolts and sockets be shifted nearer the pole, and provided with trace
blocks, as in the case of the outside sockets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1.
claim is
1. The means substantially as herein shown and described for releasing runaway
horses from carriages.
2. The means substantially as herein shown and described for preventing the
locking" of the fore carriage when the runaway horses are released.
3. In means for releasing runaway horses from carriages, the combination with
forked sockets attached to the splinter bar or its equivalent, and adapted to receive trace
blocks or shaft plates, of vertically acting bolts to secure the said blocks and plates, a
rock shaft in connection with said bolts, the said shaft being actuated by a lever handle
or treadle, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of parts substantially as herein shown and described for
releasing runaway horses from carriages, and preventing the "locking" of the fore
carriage.
Dated this 30th day of April 1888.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.