IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE POWERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas, Mann, of Aldbrough, near Boroughbridge,
in the County of York, Millwright, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HORSE POWERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Mann at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
April 1857.
I, THOMAS MANN, of Aldbrough, near Boroughbridge, in the County of
York, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE POWERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of horso
power, which consists of an 'upright shaft fitted with a platform at its lower
end, upon which the horse or horses walk. This platform is supported by
suitable suspension rods, connected with a boss on the shaft. The horse or
horses are yoked to a bar, which is fixed to a collar or socket revolving loosely
round the upper portion of the shaft, so that as the horses attempt to walk,
the motion of their feet will cause the platform to rotate in one direction,
whilst their shoulders will push the bar or power lever round in a contrary
direction. In order to combine their two opposite movements, a spur wheel
is keyed on to the upper end of the shaft, and a set of internal toothed
seginents are fixed to a set of arms, radiating from the loose collar or boss,

page_text: and revolving with the power lever. Between this internal and external
gear is a pinion, which gears into both wheels simultaneously, and as they
both revolve in opposite directions they will impart one uniform motion to the
pinion, which through its shaft transmits the movement to any desired locality
for any required purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Mann in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TпоMAS
MANN, of Aldbrough, near Boroughbridge, in the County of York, Millwright,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Mann, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Mann,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Mann, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HORSE POWERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Mann, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Mann, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
horse power, which consists of an upright shaft fitted with a platform at its
lower end, upon which the horse or horses walk. This platform is supported

page_text: by suitable suspension rods, connected with a boss on the shaft. The horse
or horses are yoked to a bar, which is fixed to a collar or socket revolving
loosely round the upper portion of the shaft, so that as the horses attempt to
walk, the motion of their feet will cause the platform to rotate in one direction,
whilst their shoulders will push the bar or power lever round in a contrary
direction. In order to combine these two opposite movements, a spur wheel
is keyed on to the upper end of the shaft, and a set of internal toothed
segments are fixed to a set of arms radiating from the loose collar or boss,
and revolving with the power lever. Between this internal and external gear
is a pinion, which gears into both wheels simultaneously, and as they both
revolve in opposite directions they will impart one uniform motion to the
pinion, which through its shaft transmits the movement to any desired locality
for any required purpose.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures:-
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a plan of the upper portion of my
improved horse power; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken
through the centre thereof; and Figure 3 is a plan of the lower portion thereof,
shewing the platform on which the horse or horses walk.
A is the vertical shaft, working at its lower end in the footstep B, and at
its upper end in the bearing C, bolted to the side of the supporting beam D.
This vertical shaft has fitted to it near its lower end a set of radiating arms E,
carrying the platform F, on which the horse or horses walk; these arms arc
themselves supported by the diagonal tension rods G, G, attached at their
upper ends to a fixed collar H, fitted on to the vertical shaft A, whilst their
lower ends are passed through suitable shoes or sockets G' in the arms E, and
secured therein and tightened up by means of keys or nuts, as shewn. On
the underside of the platform F may be fitted friction pullies for the purpose
of supporting and steadying the same. I is a loose collar or socket, which
revolves freely in the upper portion of the vertical shaft A. To this loose collar
or socket are fitted the inner ends of the radiating arms J, which are supported
by the rods K. To one or more of these arms the horse or horses are
attached. On the arms J are bolted the internal toothed segments L, into
which gears the pinion M keyed on the motion shaft N. This pinion also
gears into a spur wheel. O, keyed on to the shaft A. It will be obvious on
referring to the Drawing, that the motion of the horses' feet in walking will

page_text: cause the platform F to rotate in one direction, giving motion to the spur
wheel O, whilst the shoulders of the horse or horses being yoked to the
armis J, to which the toothed segments L are bolted, cause them to rotate in a
contrary direction, thus giving a uniform motion to the pinion M, and trans-
mitting motion for any desired purpose through its shaft N. I would here
observe, however, that although I have mentioned and illustrated spur gear
for transmitting the motion, bevil gear may be used with the same facility.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of horse power, as herein-
before described.
Second, the combination in horse powers of a rotating beam or lever with a
rotating platform, and the mode of transmitting their contrary motions to one
shaft, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Mann, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-soven.
THOMAS MANN. (L.S.)