CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS AND CARRIAGE-WAYS, RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES, AND IN THE MODES OF PROPELLING THE SAID CARRIAGES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE REDUCATION OF FRICTION IN OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY JAMES, of Martin's Lane, Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,.
the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and forty-two, in the sixth year of Her reign, did give and grant
unto me, the said William Henry James, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
William Henry James, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and such others as I,
the said William Henry James, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great
and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, and also in all the Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS AND CARRIAGE-WAYS, RAILWAY AND OTHER
CARRIAGES, AND IN THE MODES OF PROPELLING THE SAID CARRIAGES, PARTS OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE REDUCATION OF FRICTION IN OTHER
MACHINES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I,
the said William Henry James, shall particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is be performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry James, do hereby declare the nature of the said improvements,
and in what manner the same are to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being
had to the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, marged A, B, C.
⚫ IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS AND CARRIAGE-WAYS.
My improvements in railways and carriage-ways are two in number.
The first consists in forming an elevated railway or carriage-way for the
conveyance of passengers and goods by means of a series of parallel rods,
bars, wires, or strips of metal, or other suitable materials a, a, (Figures
4, 6, 7, and 9, Sheet A,) carried over a series of horizontal intermediate spring
bearings b, b, placed at intervals across the line of railway on posts, pillars, or
other suitable supports c, c, firmly fixed in the ground; such rods, bars, wires,
or strips a, a, being constantly kept in a state of tension by mechanical means,
and the passengers and goods being conveyed in carriages in manner after-
wards described. The details of this improved system of railway construction
and conveyance are represented in the Drawings, Figures 2 to 9, Sheet A.
The parallel bearers I prefer being of flat iron bars, each about two inches in
width and half an inch in thickness, such bars as are ordinarily manufactured
in lengths of from fifteen to twenty feet; they may be either welded together end
to end so as to form bars, each of several hundred yards in length, or they may
be firmly joined together end to end by short bars rivited to them underneath the
joints, so as to leave the upper surface free from obstruction for the wheels or
rollers of carriages to run upon. I lay these rods on their flat surfaces in separate
lines, about six inches apart, so that, supposing the width of the railway to be five
feet six inches, then nine such bars would be required. But in addition to
these bars I employ two other similar bars (d, d,) running along and attached
to the sides of the horizontal spring bearings (b, b), about six inches below
the top bars, to allow of certain guide rollers (e, e), affixed to the carriages as
afterwards described, impinging against them for the purpose of constantly
keeping such carriages in their proper position on the line of railway. The
horizontal spring bearings b, b, are placed at given intervals of distance, say
from fifteen to twenty yards across the line of railway, for the purpose of
supporting the flat iron bars a, a, and rest upon strong beams of wood f, f,

page_text: securely fixed upon posts, pillars, or piles firmly driven into the ground. The
spring bearings (b, b,) may be composed of cast iron, and should be about
three inches square; they may be made to extend not only across the railway
but to turn downwards at right angles about nine inches over the ends of the
beams f, f, so as to allow of the side bars or rails being affixed to or sup-
ported thereby. In the upper portion of the spring bearings (b, b), at equal
distances, are formed a series of dovetailed grooves 9, 9, as seen more parti-
cularly at Fig. 8, each about an inch in depth and of similar width, so as to
allow the tenon-shaped bars (h, h), which are rivetted or otherwise attached
to the longitudinal bars or rails underneath, to slide to and fro therein without
rising or being thrown out of their places; similar grooves are formed in the
angular extremities of the spring bearings b, b, for also allowing the side bars d,
similarly shaped, to slide therein, so that the upper parts of the bearing bars or
rails, together with the side rails, should present a surface free from obstruction
for the wheels or rollers (i, i,) of the carriages to move upon. These
spring bearings (b, b), instead of resting directly upon the wooden cross beams,
may have their turned-over angular extremities so constructed as to slide
in grooves in the ends of the beams, and thus to allow springs j, j, to be
placed upon the beams f, f, beneath their wooden surfaces, for the purpose of
rendering the motion of carriages easier and more uniform when passing over
them. The posts, pillars, or piles (c, c,) which support them may also be
made of various heights to suit the irregularities of the ground over which
the railway is carried, whereby the necessity of deep cuttings and high
embankments will be obviated or lessened. For the purpose of lessening
friction I place small roller wheels under the bars or rails (a, a,) at the
several cast-iron bearings (b, b), to enable them more freely to slide through
the grooves (g, g.) thereof. The mode of giving the requisite tension to the
bars or rails before mentioned is as follows:-Suppose that stations (B, B.)
are placed at every mile of distance throughout the line of railway, I form at
each station a solid foundation of masonry built on piles (m, m,) driven
firmly into the ground, and to this foundation is fixed a strong framework of
wood (n, n), which in the case of the first station should be raised to the
level of the intended railway. To this framework, beginning with the first
station, there are to be firmly attached, by means of screw bolts, and nuts, the
several bars or rails (a, a,) at their respective distances from each other,
which bars or rails are then to be passed over the several bearings before
described, until they reach the second station, when they terminate in a chain
of bars or links, which passes over a series of circular ares (0, 0, 0, 0,) which
form the upper portions of the short arms of a corresponding series of bent

page_text: levers (p, p), the axes of which rest in bearings (q, q,) attached to the frame-
work (m, n), which at the second station is made considerably lower than the
level of the railway, to suit the lengths of the short arms of the bent
levers employed. The longer arms are ranged in an opposite direction to
the short arms or arcs, and weights w, w, are suspended from them for
the purpose of producing the requisite tension of the bars or rails (a, a);
while at the same time, by the rising and falling thereof according to
their contraction or expansion, the tension of the bars or rails (a, a,)
is kept uniform, notwithstanding any change of temperature, or any slight
depression from the action of the carriages passing over them. To carry
forward the line of railway to a third station, another similar set of weighted
bent levers are placed in an opposite direction to, and at only
a short
distance from, the first set of levers. Between these two sets of levers the
framework rises, with corresponding bars or rails fixed thereon, to meet the
tension bars (a, a,) before mentioned, both on the first and second set of bent
levers, to which also another series of bars or rails (t, t, t, t,) are attached as
before, and carried over and through the several grooved bearings until they
also arrive at the third station, where they are firmly attached to a framework
elevated to the level of the railway. To this framework is also attached
another series of bars or rails extending (in a similar manner to that before
described in reference to the first station) to the fourth station, which contains,
as before, another set of weighted bent levers and framework, and so on, by
similar alternations of stations, the line can be carried forward to any required
distance. Whenever it is necessary to change the direction of the line of rail-
way, it is only necessary to extend the distance at the extremities of the bars
or rails, and then, by means of curvilinear framework with rails fixed thereon,
or of intermediate turn-tables, any deviation from a straight line may be
effected, or carriages transferred from one line of railway to another.
be proper here to observe, that the tension to be given to the line of bars, and
the weights to be employed for that purpose, must, as is well known to every
person acquainted with these subjects, be varied according to the peculiar
nature of the general arrangements. To prevent the deflection of the bars or
rails as much as possible from the carriages passing over them, I form such
carriages of sufficient length to extend over more than half the distance of the
rails from one support or bearing to another, so that at no time will the
pressure of the carriages exceed one half of their gross weight upon any
particular transverse section of the railway. By having more than four wheels
or rollers even this pressure may be still further diminished. It may also be
mentioned that the various stations described as necessary for this kind of rail-
It may
.

page_text: way may be conveniently employed for taking up or letting down passengers or
goods from the carriages used thereon.
The second of my improvements in railways and carriage-ways consists in
forming an elevated rail or carriage way, Fig. 1, (A. Sheet,) similar in appear-
ance to an elevated footway or causeway, by building two walls a, a, composed
of bricks, stones, or other suitable material, parallel to each other, and of
equal height (which height may be varied according to circumstances), and
placed at such a distance apart that when covered over the width of the struc-
ture, walls included, shall equal the breadth of the proposed rail or carriage
way. The space between the walls may be left vacant, or arched over, as
shewn in Fig. 3; but I prefer having it filled up, as shewn in Fig. 2, with
concrete, earth, rubble, stones, or other suitable materials, which may be
cemented together, so that the entire structure shall form one solid wall.
When the intermediate space is left vacant, it should be covered over with
two layers of planks, one laid transversely, and the other laid over the first
lengthwise of the roadway; and this double planking should be firmly secured
by bolts and nuts to piles b, b, driven at intervals into the ground. And in
any case, whether the intermediate space is left open, or arched over, or filled
up, the carriage-way above is to be formed of stone, wood, cement, or other
hard materials, so as to form an even surface for carriage wheels to travel
upon, or to have rails of iron, wood, or other suitable material laid upon it.
To the outer side of each line of rail there is firmly attached a side projec-
tion c, c, so as to form an overhanging side rail, not only for the guide
rollers e, e, attached to the carriages to impinge against, as afterwards
explained, but also to allow of the flanges thereon, or a portion of the frame-
work of the carriages, to pass underneath without coming in contact with the
side walls a, a, so as to prevent the carriages from being thrown off the rail or
carriage way. Instead of forming the rail or carriage way upon walls, as
before described, it may be laid upon parallel rows of iron pillars or wooden
piles, as seen in Figure 4, or on a framework of similar materials, as shewn in
Figure 1; but then also the carriage-way should project on both sides beyond
the supports, to act as side rails for the guide rollers of the carriages to
impinge against.
IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES.
The first of my improvements in railway and other carriages consists in
forming carriages adapted to the elevated rail or carriage ways before
mentioned. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Sheet A, represent carriages of this
description running upon rollers, roller wheels, or other formed wheels (with or

page_text: without the relief wheels hereafter mentioned. The framework of each of
these carriages is so constructed as to hang down considerably below the sur-
face of the rail or carriage way on each side thereof, as shewn at x, x. At
each end of the framework there is fixed a roller, with a flange and vertical
spindle moving in collars or brasses b, b. These rollers are intended to keep
the carriages in their proper position upon the rail or carriage way, by means
of the side rails or projections against which they roll or impinge, and also to
prevent the carriages being thrown off the rail or carriage way by means of
the roller flanges which pass below these side rails or projections. For further
security part of the framework of the carriages is made to project underneath
the same, so as to prevent the possibility of any such accident taking place.
Seats may also be fixed upon the framework, as shewn at 1, 1, for persons to
occupy who may be employed to propel these carriages by manual labor.
My second improvement in carriages consists in adapting to their axles
certain wheels, which I call relief wheels, as they tend to lessen the friction of
the said axles. Of these relief wheels I propose to employ three varieties.
Figure 1, Sheet B, represents a side elevation of part of a carriage having the
first variety of relief wheels adapted thereto. Figure 2 is a cross section
thereof, with a cross section also of a railway of the ordinary construction.
a, a, represents one of the running wheels of the carriage, which are of the
usual construction, though I prefer making them of greater diameters than
those in general use. b is an axle which passes through a box c, and is pro-
longed beyond it so as to allow of bearings d, d, being formed therein, and
likewise a small wheel with double flanges e, e, being fixed upon the extremity
thereof, so that the inner circumference of the ring-formed nave of the relief
wheel r, r, may rest thereon, that is, between the double flanges. These relief
wheels are so constructed that their spokes are made to enter, and are fixed in
one side of, their ring-formed naves, near the outer circumferences thereof.
The spokes are then bent over and fixed in their centres or boxes, through
which short axles or boses f. f, are fixed, and upon the extremities of these
axles there are bearings formed, which revolve in elbows or brasses g, g, fixed
upon supports i, i, underneath the framework h, h, that surrounds the carriage,
so as to admit of the upper portions of the relief wheels r, r, passing below the
same. Immediately over the axles of the relief wheels brasses are fixed within
the inner supports, a top view of one of which is shewn at Figure 7, between
which brasses the bearings d, d, upon the axles b, b, revolve, for the purpose of
keeping such axles vertical over the axles of the relief wheels, and also for
preserving them in their proper position. Springs may be fixed upon this
framework for the better support of the carriage body. The effect of the

page_text: preeding arrangement is, that when the carriage is put in motion the small
double-flanged wheels fixed upon the extremities of the axles of the running
wheels are caused to roll against the inner circumferences of the ring-formed
naves of the relief wheels, and to communicate motion thereto, and to perform
several revolutions during the time the relief wheels perform but one revolu-
tion, the number of revolutions being determined by the difference between
the diameters of the inner circumferences of the relief wheels and the outer
circumferences of the smaller double-flanged wheels upon which they rest.
Figures 1 and 3, Sheet A, shew the application of this variety of relief
wheels to the axles of wheels or roller wheels of carriages adapted to the
elevated rail or carriage way before described, which admit of the relief wheels
being made much larger in proportion to the runing wheels than when
employed upon railways of the ordinary description. But instead of causing
the inner circumferences of the naves of the relief wheels to rest upon small
double-flanged wheels fixed upon the extremities of the axles of the running
wheels as just described, there may be. attached to the framework of the
carriage large pulley or band wheels connected with the small double-flanged
wheels by means of bands or straps running over the same, as shewn at
Figure 4 and 5, Sheet A, and this constitutes the second variety of these
wheels. The bands or straps may be made elastic, so as to answer the
purpose of springs to the carriage. Relief wheels of this variety produce, when
the carriage is put in motion, similar effects to those before pointed out, and
are particularly adapted for carriages used upon the elevated rail or carriage
ways, as shown in the Drawings, but they may be applied to carriages of any
other form, provided only the wheels are of sufficient size to allow of their
being fixed to the framework below the axles. Large band wheels may also
be attached to the framework of the carriage, if placed between the running
wheels; the small doubled-flanged wheels in that case being fixed upon the
axles, also between the running wheels, and suspended by bands or straps, and
the axles being retained in their proper position by brasses fixed in upright
standards attached to the framework below, and through which they may
slide so as to accommodate the action of the springs, spring bands, or straps, as
before mentioned.
In the third variety of relief wheels, large pulley or band wheels are fixed
to framework as before, and connected by bands or straps with pulley-formed
rings or naves, or cylinders without axles, through which the axles of the
running wheels pass. These pulley-formed rings or naves take their bearings
on the axles by means of their inner circumferences, within which such axles
roll when the carriage is put in motion, and as the carriage wheels revolve,

page_text: the pulley-formed rings or naves also revolve, and by means of the bands or
straps communicate motion to the large pulley or band wheels attached to
the framework below. The connexion between the framework and axles
may be made either on the outside of the running wheels or within them, and
in either case proper standards must be fixed thereon, with brasses to slide
vertically over the bearings formed upon the axles, for the purpose of keeping
all the parts in proper position, as explained in describing the second variety
of relief wheels.
My third improvement in carriages relates to a particular mode of adapting
rollers instead of wheels to carriages when employed upon rail or carriage
ways, such as before described, and consists in forming a carriage frame,
Figure 3, Sheet B, with a horizontal platform a, a, underneath, nearly as
long as the carriage itself, and of sufficient strength to bear the same when
resting upon rollers b, b, underneath. The upper surface of this horizontal
platform is made concave, and its ends semi-cylindrical, to allow of a series of
rollers connected together at their axles by endless chains c, c, hanging over
the same, after being made to pass underneath and around the semi-cylindrical
ends of the platform, so that the weight of the rollers shall at all times tend
to keep the chains sufficiently tense to retain them in their proper position;
or, the upper surface may be made slightly convex, but elastic, by means of
springs, so as to produce a similar effect of tightening the chain of rollers.
Short axles d, d, are also to be fixed at the centres of the semi-cylindrical
ends of the platform, and made to project therefrom sufficiently to carry guide
wheels e, e, of sufficient diameters to allow semi-circular cavities to be formed
in their circumferences at a sufficient distance apart from each other to reach
from axle to axle of the several rollers, so that after they have passed under-
neath the horizontal platform, and as they roll over the semi-cylindrical
ends thereof, their axles may take into a portion of the semi-circular cavities
ff, formed in the circumferences of the guide wheels, which also tend to keep
the chains and rollers in their proper position. The carriage body may then
be made to rest upon springs attached to the sides of the platform before
described.
A fourth improvement in carriages consists in forming the springs upon
which the carriage body rests of a series of air beds or cushions a, a, as
shewn applied to Figure 4, Sheet B. The beds or cushions are composed of
cloth combined with caoutchouc, leather, or other suitable material inflated
with common air, or any other suitable elastic fluid, and are to be placed
upon and attached to a platform or platforms resting upon the axles of the
running wheels; over this platform or platforms the lower portions of the

page_text: carriage bodies, which are made in the shape of inverted open boxes, are
made to slide by means of guide rods, and they rest upon the inflated beds or
cushions, which may extend under the whole length of the carriage bodies, or
may be placed under the seats in separate portions, as shewn in Figure 4, to
the under parts of which they may be also attached. The guide rods are so
arranged as to prevent the sides of the beds or cushions from coming in contact
with the inner surfaces of the boxes which enclose them; and for the purpose
also of preventing any injury to them from dust or dirt, the edges of the
platform and the interior surfaces of the box seats are connected by caoutchouc
cloth or other suitable materials in folds, so as to allow the free action of the
springs.
My fifth and last improvement in carriages consists of an improved
description of omnibus for the conveyance of passengers and goods, either upon
common roads or upon elevated carriage-ways, herein-before described under
the second head of my improvements, when forming part of a train of carriages,
propelled thereon by manual labor or other power. I construct this omnibus,
Figure 4, Sheet B, with 8 wheels, as seen in Figure 5, Sheet B, each pair
of which revolve upon short axles k, k, k, k, through which there are centre
pins to turn upon, similar to the fore wheels of common omnibuses; two pairs
of these wheels are fixed across the fore part of the carriage, and two similar
pairs across the hinder part, as shewn in Figure 5, Sheet B. The centre pins
are fixed to the framework above, to which springs may be attached for sup-
porting the carriage body. It is not absolutely essential that the two pairs of
bind wheels should turn upon centres, as the axles of these wheels may be
fixed to the framework instead of having centre pins, as before described, but
I prefer making them turn upon centres, because it enables me to place the
same under the double seats of the omnibus, as shewn at Figure 4, whereby
they can turn upon their centre pins without interfering with openings between
the seats for admitting the legs of the passengers, and the omnibus may be
also turned in smaller circles than it could otherwise be. One end of the
pole of the carriage is attached, by means of a centre pin c, to the framework,
exactly over the centre of the fore wheels, and to the centre of the axles of
these wheels there are affixed bars d, d, d, at right angles, the extremities of
which extend beyond the naves of the wheels and are jointed to a cross bar e, e
through which a centre pin projecting downwards from the pole passes, so
that whatever angular motion is given to the pole itself is communicated
thereby to the wheels below. Similar bars d', d, are fixed to the hind wheels
of the carriage when turning upon centres, and these wheels are caused to
assume similar angles, but in an opposite direction to the length of the carriage,

page_text: improvement in omnibuses so constructed consists in having all the wheels
covered over by means of seats, as shewn in the side elevation, Figure 4,
Sheet B, or by extending the sides of the carriage downwards over them, so as
to form with the bottom of the carriages an inverted box.
IMPROVED MODES OF PROPELLING RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES.
My improvements in propelling railway and other carriages are two in
number.
The first improvement consists in applying manual labor or other power,
through the medium of cranks or other suitable agents, to the several relief
wheels before described, the said relief wheels, by means of the friction or
adhesion of their inner circumferences, producing rotation in the wheels or
roller wheels which travel upon the rail or carriage way, as shewn at Figures
1, 3, 4, and 5, Sheet A, whether such carriages arc propelled singly or in trains.
The second improvement consists in certain methods of propelling carriages
calculated for the conveyance of letters and parcels only, by means of an arti-
ficial current produced by forcing in and drawing out the air by mechanical
means, as herein-after described. I first form two circular or other shaped
culverts, tunnels, or tubular passages a, a, or carriage-ways (as shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, Sheet C), running parallel or otherwise from one end of
any given distance to the other, which tubular carriage-ways may be composed
of metal, wood, brickwork, or any other suitable materials. At one termi-
nation of these tubular carriage-ways, and between the two, I fix an air
exhausting and forcing machine (A, Figure 2), connecting the exhausting
portion of it, by means of a curved tube b, with the extremity of one tubular
carriage-way, and the forcing portion with the termination of the other tubular
carriage-way. If the tubular carriage-way is of too great length to be worked
by one machine, another exhausting and forcing machine may be placed at the
opposite termination of the carriage-ways, and connected with them in a
similar manner, as before described, and as shewn in Figure 2, Sheet .C,
excepting that the exhausting portion is attached to that end of the carriage-
way to which the forcing portion is attached at the other, and the forcing
portion to that end which is attached to the exhausting portion at the other,
so that when both terminal machines are put into action they shall cause the
air passing through them to flow throughout the said tubular carriage-ways
in opposite directions, and in a continuous stream. When the distance is
great, I employ any additional number of exhausting and forcing machines
which may be found requisite, placed at intermediate stations, and connected

page_text: with the tubular carriage-ways in the same way as before described, for the
purpose of keeping up a rapid circulation of the air within them. The letter
and parcel carriages to be propelled through these hollow carriage-ways should
consist of hollow spheres made of some elastic substance or substances. The
carriages with their contents may be introduced into the tubular carriage-ways,
or extracted therefrom, either at the terminu or at intermediate stations, and for
this purpose, at each point of receipt and delivery, there is an enlargement of
the carriage-way equal in size to a double carriage-way, as shewn at e, e, Figures
1 and 2, and composed of wood, metal, stone, or other suitable materials, made
in the shape of a long flat rectangular box, one half of which would form the
continuation of the tubular carriage-way, while the other half, which projects
horizontally therefrom, should be appropriated to the letters and parcels.
In the upper portion of this latter half there is formed an opening lengthwise,
which is fitted with an air-tight lid or cover, and is partly formed of strong
plate glass, for the purpose of allowing any object to be seen with the box
underneath it; and in the upper portion of the other half of the box there
are similar glasses i, i, i, fixed for the purpose of viewing any object in the
tubular carriage-way below. The ends of that portion of the box projecting
beyond the tubular carriage-way are to be made double, but with openings
into the same with sufficient spaces between to form casings for. containing
slides made of metallic bars or gratings, which are to run in grooves hori-
zontally to the opposite side of the tubular carriage-way, so as to allow of their
being moved to and fro therein by means of rods f, f, attached to them, and
passing through stuffing boxes fixed upon the backs of the casings, which backs
form part of the side of the projecting portion of the box. There is also fixed
another stuffing box g, g, to allow another rod to pass through the same, which
is connected to a sliding drawer or receptacle, which is formed open above without
any end pieces, and made so as to fill up half the space of the box containing
it, and which, by means of the rod, can be moved to and fro so as to pass
within that portion of the box forming the tubular carriage-way, or with-
drawn therefrom into the other portion of the box which forms a casing for
it. The end of this drawer next to the tubular carriage-way is bevilled at its
edges, so that when drawn into its case it forms an air-tight partition, and
thereby prevents the air from the tubular carriage-way entering this portion
5 of the box. By these arrangements it will be perceived that when the slide
bars or gratings and the open-ended drawers or receptacles are made to slide
by means of these rods across the tubular carriage-way, the current of air
will pass through the same, but if any roller carriages are moving with it

page_text: they will be stopped by the slide bars or grating h, Figure 2, on one side of the
box, and if the same is withdrawn they will then enter the open-ended drawer
and may be examined from above, when they can be either passed onwards
or extracted from the tubular carriage-way. When passed onwards it will only
be necessary to close the slide gratings h, by which they were admitted, and
withdraw into its casing the slide grating at the other end of the box, when
the roller carriages will be immediately carried forward by the current of air.
Or if it should be necessary to extract one or more of such carriages from
the open-ended drawer, the same must be drawn into its case and the glazed
lid above it opened, and such carriages taken out, and so at any other
stations where these boxes and receptacles are situated, excepting only that
at the end stations; as the roller carriages are altogether taken out or merely
then introduced into the tubular carriage-way, the bars or gratings contiguous
to the exhausting and forcing machines may be permanently fixed across the
tubular passages. Instead of the double tubular carriage-ways before described,
a single line may be employed, but in that case the current of air must be
made to flow during given periods of time in opposite directions, according as
the letter and parcel carriages are required to be propelled to and fro, and
one machine must be employed for forcing the air at one end of the tubular
carriage-way, and another for exhausting it at the other. The boxes or
receptacles for taking out or putting in the roller carriages may, in the case of
a single line, be similar to those before described, and so formed as not to
interfere materially with the current of air. A continuous current of air for
any given period of time may be also produced by means of jetts or blowers
of high-pressure steam projected upwards into funnels or chimneys connected
with the termini of the tubular carriage-way and opening to the atmosphere,
gratings being inserted in the bottoms of the funnels to prevent the roller
carriage-ways from being drawn into them. In this case I prefer employing
the exhaustion principle only. For long distances a series of such funnels
may be employed, adapted to a series of similarly constructed carriage-ways,
one being erected at each of the various stations where it may be necessary
to take out or put in roller carriages; or, if thought preferable, jets of steam
may be projected downwards within the funnels or chimneys at one end of the
carriage way or ways and upwards at the other end or ends thereof, to produce
the effect of forcing as well as of exhausting the air at the same time.
When it is only required to send a despatch occasionally, and that with great
rapidity, or when cheapness of construction is a matter of importance, then,
instead of producing a continuous current of air, as before described, through

page_text: the tubular carriage-ways, a much smaller carriage and carriage-way may
be employed than usual (for the system admits of their being constructed of
any convenient size); in that case intermediate stations may be dispensed with,
and the carriage-way may be made of one long air-tight tube extending
throughout the whole of the required distance, having at the termini, as before
described, boxes and receptacles with fixed gratings to stop the roller carriages
on their arrival. But at the termini of this small tubular carriage-way it will
be necessary to have two strong vessels connected therewith; one to contain
as great a quantity of highly compressed air as will exceed, when in an
expanded state, the capacity of the tube, and the other, of sufficient size also
to equal, or rather exceed, the capacity of the same, which last should, at
starting, be exhausted of air as far as practicable, so as to produce nearly a
perfect vacuum therein. These vessels must each be connected with the
tubular carriage-way by means of pipes with slide valves or stopcocks therein,
the latter being made to unite with the carriage-way before or in front of the
letter carriage receptacles, and the latter behind them. The compression and
exhaustion of these vessels may be effected by any of the methods and appa-
ratus usually employed for such purposes, and being so prepared, may be kept
for any length of time in a state ready for propelling a small letter carriage
through the said tubular carriage-way from one end to the other. Arrange-
ments should of course be previously made as to the times of transmission from
either end to its opposite. The mode of operation would be as follows:-
The small letter carriage being introduced into the receptacle provided at
either end of the tube, that end should be then closed and a communication
opened between the vacuum chamber and the tabular carriage-way by means
of the slide valve or stopcock fixed therein, whereby a large proportion of the
air is immediataly withdrawn from the tube into the air-exhausted reservoir
before mentioned. The communication with that reservoir is then closed, and
that from the compressed air reservoir opened, the air from which immediately
rushes with great velocity against the letter carriage and propels it into the
receptacle at the opposite end of the carriage-way. It may be also made to
touch in its course a spring which shall ring a bell to announce its arrival.
Instead of employing large vacuum chambers, such as before mentioned, the
tubular carriage-way itself may be kept in a state of exhaustion by a proper
apparatus applied at either end to effect that object, so as at all times to be
in readiness for the transmission of a dispatch by the pressure of the
atmosphere only, or by means of compressed air, as before described. But
for the purpose of better ensuring the transmission of the letter and parcel

page_text: carriage into the receptacle at the opposite end of the carriage-way, by causing
the current of air to continue till that is effected, I employ, if necessary,
another vessel at each end of the carriage-way, connected therewith by stop-
cocks or slide valves (and of sufficient capacity when partially exhausted of air
to produce the necessary continuation of the current, the communications
being closed at that end of the carriage-way from which the dispatch is to be
forwarded. The carriage-way, together with the air vessel last mentioned, may
be exhausted to such an extent by the exhausting apparatus formerly described,
that when atmospheric or compressed air is admitted behind the letter and
parcel carriage, it has not only to fill the said carriage-way but also the supple-
mentary air vessel before the current can cease, by which time the carriage
will be deposited in the receptacle at the opposite end. But it is generally
better to have two tubular carriage-ways, with an exhausting apparatus at the
opposite end of each, instead of one only, as before described, as in such case
dispatches may be transmitted in either direction without depending upon any
particular time for alternate transmission.
THE PARTS OF MY IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO REDUCTION OF FRICTION
IN OTHER MACHINES.
The relief wheels herein-before described and represented in Figures 1 and 2,
Sheet B, admit of extensive application to other purposes than already men-
tioned; for example, they may be applied with great advantage to the axles of
water wheels, Figure 6, Sheet B, in manner following:--The axles of such
relief wheels being made to work in suitable bearings fixed upon framework
adapted thereto, then in the lower part of the inner circumferences of these
relief wheels the axles of the water wheels or double flanged wheels (a, a.)
fitted thereon may be made to revolve. But through the inner portions of the
framework there must be brasses to confine in their proper position the axles
of the water wheel, as shewn at Figure 2, Sheet B. In a similar manner
these relief wheels may be applied to the axles of steam engines and their fly
wheels, and generally with more or less advantage to the axles of rotary
machines.
And having now described the nature of my said improvements, and the
manner in which the same are to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not claim the exclusive use of the several parts or apparatus herein-
before mentioned or referred to, except so far as the same may be applied in
furtherance of my said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in the
applications, adaptations, combinations, and arrangements for the purposes and
in the manner herein-before particularly described and ascertained under the

page_text: WILLIAM HENRY (L.S.) JAMES.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of March,
in the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid William Henry James came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Spe-
cification 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 Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.