Improvements in Cross-bars for Supporting the Poles of Colonial Carriages, which Improvements are also applicable to Curricle- bars and Swingle-bars.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1891-Accepted. 21st Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cross-bars for Supporting the Poles of Colonial
Carriages, which Improvements are also applicable to Curricle-
bars and Swingle-bars.
I, THOMAS MIDDLEMORE, trading as Wm. Middlemore, of Holloway Head,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Saddle and Harness Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference principally to the cross bars used for supporting the
poles of colonial carriages but the improvements constituting my invention are also
applicable to curricle bars and swingle bars.
I will describe my invention in connection with a cross bar for supporting the
pole of a colonial carriage.
The said cross bars as ordinarily constructed are made of wood by the turning
process, being provided at their ends with collars between which is a loose ring to
which neck straps are secured.
My invention has for its object to make cross bars for supporting the poles of
colonial carriages more lasting stronger and more convenient in use than cross bars
as usually made.
In making a cross bar according to my invention I employ a cylindrical metallic
tube preferably of a weldless steel or iron tube, although tubes of other strong
and ductile metals or alloys may be used. The said steel or iron tube has nearly
the length of the cross bar to be made. I give to the middle of the tube a figure
nearly elliptical in cross section. This middle portion has a length of about nine
inches.
From the said middle part, the tube is tapered towards each end, the elliptical
figure of the middle part passing into a cylindrical figure as the ends are
approached, the said ends being cylindrical and of about the same diameter as
the shortest diameter of the middle part.
Loops or rings for the neck straps are attached by means of lugs to the ends
of the middle part and the extreme ends of the bar respectively, the said loops
being on the side of the bar which when in use is the upper side, that is, on the
narrower face of the elliptical tube the longer diameter of the said tube when in
use being situated vertically. Loops for the pole strap are fixed by means of lugs
on the underside of the bar at a distance of about four inches apart. The end
lugs are of a cup or cap like figure closing the ends of the tubular bar. The other
lugs are hollow or tubular and of a size and shape suitable for fitting on the parts of
the bar on which they are to be fixed.
The figure of the tube gives great rigidity to it in the direction in which the
greatest strain is put upon it in use and the loops described afford a much more
convenient means of attaching the neck straps and pole strap than is afforded by
cross bars as ordinarily made.
Although I prefer to make the cross bar of the sectional figure described yet I
do not limit myself thereto as other sectional figures such for example as circular
or square may be used with like effect.
The application of my invention to curricle bars and swingle bars differs in no
essential respect from its application to the cross bars for supporting the poles of
colonial carriages as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 2nd day of May 1890.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cross-bars for Supporting the Poles of Colonial
Carriages, which Improvements are also applicable to Curricle.
bars and Swingle-bars.
I THOMAS MIDDLEMORE trading as Wm. Middlemore of Halloway Head
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention has reference principally to the cross bars used for supporting the
poles of colonial carriages but the improvements constituting my invention are
also applicable to curriele bars and swingle bars.
I will describe my invention in connection with a cross bar for supporting the
pole of a colonial carriage.
The said cross bars as ordinarily constructed are made of wood by the turning
process being provided at their ends with collars between which is a loose ring to
which the neck straps are secured.
My invention has for its object to make cross bars for supporting the poles of
colonial carriages more lasting, stronger and more convenient in use than cross bars
as usually made.
In making a cross bar according to my invention 1 employ a cylindrical metallie
tube preferably a weldless steel or iron tube although tubes of other strong and
duetile metal or alloys may be used. The said steel or iron tube has nearly the
length of the cross har to he made. I give to the middle of the tube a figure nearly
elliptical in cross section. This middle portion has a length of about nine inches.
From the said middle part the tube is tapered towards each end the elliptical figure
of the middle part passing into a cylindrical figure as the ends are approached, the
said ends being cylindrical and of about the same diameter as the shortest diameter
of the middle part.
Loops or rings for the neck straps are attached by means of lugs to the ends of the
middle part and the extreme ends of the bar respectively, the said loops being on
the side of the bar which when in use is the upper side that is, on the narrower
face of the elliptical tube, the longer diameter of the said tube when in use being
situated vertically, Loops for supporting the pole strap are fixed by means of lugs
on the underside of the bar at a distance of about four inches apart. The end Ings
are of a cup or cap like figure closing the ends of the tubular bar. The other
lugs are hollow or tubular and of a size and slipe suitable for fitting on the parts
of the bar on which they are to be fixed.
The application of my invention to curriele bars and swingle bars differs in au
essential respect from its application to the cross bars for supporting the poles of
colonial carriages as hereinhefore described.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure represents in side elevation a metallic tubular cross bar for supporting
the pole of a colonial carriage, the said cross bar being constructed according to my
invention;
Figure 2 represents in edge view or plan of upperside, the said cross bar without
its straps:
Figure 3 represents a cross section of the bar taken at the middle on the dotted
line a Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 represents another cross section of the bar taken at the tapering part
on the dotted line & Figure 1 and
Figure represents.another cross section of the bar taken at the cylindrical end on
the dotted line ee Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the cross bar taken at the
cylindrical end.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
The cross bar represented is made of a metallic tube, preferably of a weldless
steel or iron tube, marked d, e, f the said tube having different sectional figures at
different parts. That is to say, the middle part d has an elliptical figure in cross
section and tapers towards each end (see the cross sections Figures 3 and 4), the
elliptical figure of the middle and tapering part d passing into a cylindrical figure
at each end marked e, f (sec Figure 5). It will be seen by an examination of the
drawing that the longer diameter of the tubular cross bar when in use is situated
vertically. I make the said cross bar by a drawing process from a cylindrical tube
of the required diameter. The cylindrical ends ef of the tubular cross bar are of
about the same diameter as the shortest diameter of the elliptical middle part d;
are the neck straps by which the cross bar is attached to the necks of the horses.
These neck straps are secured to the loops or rings hi hi carried by the tubular
lugs the lugs k, being situated at the ends of the middle part d of the bar
and the lugs I, l at the ends of the cylindrical parts e, f of the said bar. The neck
straps g, gare secured by loops to the inner rings h, h and buckled to the outer
rings ii.
It will be seen by an examination of the drawing that the loops h, i of the
lugs k,l are situated at the upper part or narrow face of the elliptical tube of the
cross bar. The inner lugs kk are of an elliptical figure (see Figures 3 and 4) and
fit closely upon the elliptical part of the cross bar while the end lugs 1, 1 are
cylindrical and of a cap like figure for closing the ends of the tubular cross bar
(see Figures 5 and 6); m is the strap by which the outer end of the pole of the
colonial carriage is supported by the cross bar. This strap is secured in the manner
represented to the under or narrow side of the tubular cross bar by the loops or
rings n, n on the elliptical lugs pp fitted upon and fixed to the middle elliptical part d
of the cross bar (see Figures 3 and 4).
The lugs kk; and p, p are secured in their places on the tubular cross bar by
soldering or brazing cr by shrinking them upon the said bar.
The figure of the tube described and represented gives great rigidity to it in the
direction in which the greatest strain is put upon it in use; and the loops described
and represented afford a much more convenient means of attaching the neck straps
and pole strap than is afforded by cross bars as ordinarily made.
Although prefer to make the cross bar of the sectional figure described and
represented yet I do not limit myself thereto as other sectional figures such for
example as circular or square may be used with like effect.
Figure 7 represents in plan a swingle bar for a carriage constructed according to
my invention. The said swingle bar is made of three bars q, r, s hooked together,
the middle bar being provided with a loop by which to hook it to the pole of the
carriage. Each bar is made of a tube elliptical at its middle and tapering towards
its ends which ends are circular in cross section as described and represented with
respect to the cross bar of the pole of a colonial carriage. The middle bar 1 is
provided with a middle lug and an eye or loop 9' by means of which loop the
Swingle bar is connected to the hook at the fore end of the pole of the carriage.
Its ends are provided with caps and hooks at g 7. The side bars r, s have nearly
similar lugs and loops 2 at their middles and the ends of the bars r, s have caps
and hooks at t. The hooks ', ' are engaged with the eyes or loops t³, at the
middle of the side bars r, s and the harness lugs of the leading horses are engaged
with the hooks t³, t on the ends of the said side bars.
q
Figure 8 represents in side elevation a curricle bar constructed according to my
invention. It consists of a cylindrical metallic tube u having a tubular lug v fixed
at its middle and terminal cap like lugs at its ends, the middle lugu being
provided with a loop y on its underside by which the curricle bar is connected to
the pole of the carriage by a strap passed through the said loop y. The curricle
bar as is well understood crosses the backs of the horses and is supported in a
horizontal position by being passed through eyes or upstands on the harness saddles.

page_text: The tubular metallic swingle bars Figure 7 instead of being made elliptical at
the middle and tapering to the cylindrical ends may be made of cylindrical metallic
tubes or metallic tubes square or other figure in cross section: and the curriele bar
Figure 8 instead of being made of a cylindrical tube may be made of a tube of
other figure in cross section.
When make the tubular bars of iron they may be finished by japanning or
painting and when I make the said tubular bars of steel they may be finished by
polishing their surface or plating them with nickel or other metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention :-
First—The improvements in cross bars for supporting the poles of colonial
earriages hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawings; that is to say, making the said cross bars of metallic tubes
preferably of a nearly elliptical figure in cross section at the middle and tapering
towards each end, the elliptical figure of the middle and tapering parts passing
into a cylindrical figure as the ends of the cross bar are approached: and the com-
bination with the metallic tubular cross bars of metallic tubular lngs and loops by
which the neck straps and the straps for attaching to the pole are connected to
them substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly Making swingle bars for carriages of metallic tubes provided with
metallic tubular lugs carrying eyes or loops and hooks substantially as hereinhefore
described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly :—Making curriele bars of metallic tubes provided with metallic tubular
Jugs and eyes or loops and metallic tubular closing caps substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 13th day of January 1891.
THOS. MIDDLEMORE.