IMPROVEMENTS IN DRAGS OR APPARATUS APPLI- CABLE TO CARRIAGES
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WHITCHER, of Ringwood, in the County of Hants, Carrier, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighth day of November, in the seventh year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Whitcher, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Whitcher, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Whitcher, my exors, admors, 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 IN DRAGS OR APPARATUS APPLI-
CABLE TO CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said John Whitcher, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in His 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 large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Whitcher, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the

page_text: :
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the ngures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents so much of the elevation of a waggon as will enable me
to explain the improvements applied thereto. Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.
In each Figure the same letters indicate similar parts, a, a, being the four
wheels. is a cross beam or bar affixed on the hind axle. c is a rod or bar
attached by a pin joint to the skid d, as is shown in the Drawing, and is
attached by another pin joint to the beam or bar b, b, by which means the
skid can be lowered and raised as occasion requires. e is a bar or rod moving
on a pin joint at f, and at the other end on the same pin joint as connects the
rod c to the skid.
9 is a third rod which at one end is on the pin joint of the
other rods c and e, which connects them with the skid. On the other end of the
rod g is a friction roller or wheel, which works between two guides h, h, (affixed
to the bar 6) in the rising and falling of the skid. i is a short chain which
prevents the end of the rod g moving too far. j is the drag chain of the skid.
It will be seen that this chain ; is attached to the front of the skid which
passes over a pulley k, is attached to a hoop or open bar 1, and a further chain
connected therewith passes over the pulley m, which move on an axis affixed
to the bar c, as is clearly shown in the Drawing. The blue lines n, n, n,
represents chains, which, passing over a series of guide pulleys, as is clearly
shown, and may readily be traced in the Drawing; and such chain n, n, is
fastened to the upper end of the rod g, and the two other ends of the chain
n, n, are attached to the sliding plates o, o; hence when the horse is drawing
in the collar the skid will be at all times off the road, the tug chains from the
collar being hooked to the plates o, o. The red lines p, p, represent chains
also conducted over a series of guide pulley q, q, as is clearly shown in the
Drawing, one end of which is affixed to the upper end of the rod g, as
is shown, and the other ends to the plates o, o. And it should be stated, that
the breeching is made fast to the plates o, o, whereby when the horse is
descending a hill, and bears against the breeching, the chains p, p, will draw
down the skid to the road and produce friction, or a drag to retard the
waggon, and the drag will remain in action on the road so long as the horse is
holding back from the collar, but the moment the horse draws in the collar
the skid will be raised off the road.
Having thus described my Invention as applied to waggons I would

page_text: remark, that it is equally applicable to carriages of other descriptions. And in
order to point out the alteration which will be required for applying my
Invention to a stage coach or a gentleman's carriage, where a pole in place of
shafts is used, I have given a plan and side view of the pole of a stag coach,
in order to point out the mode of connecting the chains n and p, the only
difference being that the chain which lifts the skid from the road is attached
to the traces, and the chain which draws down the skid on to the road
is attached to the pole chains, as will readily be understood. It will be seen
that the skid is not placed under either of the wheels, nor is either of the
wheels stopped, in order to retard the carriage in its descending a hill. r is a
lever and hook to hook up the chain when it is desired to retain the skid off
the road, as in the case of backing the carriage.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would remark, that
variations may be made so long as the property of combining the action of the
skid with the movement of the horse or horses is retained; and I would wish
it to be understood that I lay no claim to the skid, nor to the rods to which it
is attached, they being similar to others which have heretofore been proposed.
But I do claim the combining the working of the skid by the action of the
horse or horses, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Whitcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord