IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS AND FASTENINGS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LOTT, of Whitchurch, in the County of Southampton, Saddler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Lott, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Lott, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Lott, my exors,
adiñiors, 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 and
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HARNESS AND FASTENINGS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said James Lott, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her 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 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
James Lott, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
Firstly, my Invention consists of an improved fastening, which I propose to
employ as a substitute for the buckle ordinarily used for forming connections
between parts of harness, and for tightening and loosening the same, and
generally speaking, in most cases where buckles have been and are adopted.
Figure 1 is a side and Figure 2 an edge view of the said improved fastening
as applied to a trace. A is one of the two portions of the trace to be con-
nected together, and B the other portion or draught end of the trace. The
parts A and B are fitted on their inner sides with rectangular projections or
stops a, a, placed at distances apart corresponding exactly to the length or
width of the projections, so that when the two portions of the trace are
brought together, the projections on the one portion shall fit into the spaces
between the projections on the other portion. In order to enable them the
better to resist the strain to which they are subjected, I make these projections
or stops of metal, or some other hard unyielding material; or I protect their
edges when composed of leather with an angle piece of metal. C is a slide or
holder, by which the ends of the trace when brought together as above men-
tioned, are held securely and prevented from becoming disengaged. D is a
spring catch for retaining the slide or holder C in its place. When it is desired
to tighten or slacken the connection of the two ends of the trace, it is only
necessary to pass the slide clear of the two mecting ends, and to shift either
end of the trace in the required direction, after which the two portions are
pressed together and the slide brought over them, when a secure fastening is
eflected. A fastening of this sort will be obviously much more capable of
resisting strain than the buckles ordinarily used, because instead of being
weakened by piercing holes through the parts to be connected to receive the
tongue or tongues of the buckles, the trace is absolutely strengthened by the
attachment of the stop pieces, and the facility of fastening and unfastening
the parts is at the same time rather increased than diminished.
Figures 3 and 4 shew a modification of the fastening just described, in
which screws are used to retain the slide or holder in its place. A and B are
the two ends of the trace or other part of harness to be connected together;
a, a, the stop pieces or projections; C, the slide or holder, and b, b, screws by
which the holder is retained in its proper position over the connected ends of
the trace. By turning the screws the holder or slide is readily moved when it
is desired to tighten or slacken the connection, and the screws are prevented
from turning, except when the trace is required to be adjusted, by means of

page_text: pins c, c, which pass through the heads of the screws and take into sockets in
the side of the holder.
Figures 5 and 6 are edge views of two modifications of the fastening firstly
before described, which differ only from it in the method adopted of holding
the slide from slipping. In Figure 5 this is effected by means of a spring d
attached to the shifting end of the trace or other part of harness to be con-
nected. The ends of the spring d take into slots e formed in both sides of
one end of the slide and hold it securely. When the slide is to be moved the
spring is pressed out of the slots e, after which the slide can be passed freely
off the two parts of the trace. In Figure 6 the slide is held in its place by
means of a projection f and hook g formed on the shifting end of the strap.
The slide or holder I generally construct of metal, plain or ornamented, but it
may also be made of metal covered with leather. Other means than those above
mentioned may also be adopted for holding the slide in its place.
Secondly, my Invention consists in fitting to the end of a trace, a joint or
swivel, by which I am enabled to dispense with the usual cock eye.
Figure 7 shews this part of my Invention. A is the end of the trace; B,
the joint; the part C is composed of metal covered with leather, and turns
freely on the joint B.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of an improved shaft tug stop.
Figure 8 is a side view of this tug stop. A is the sling formed in the end
of the back band for supporting the shaft; B is a piece of metal in the upper
part of the sling, which has a female screw formed in its centre to receive the
screwed end of the tug stop C. By turning the tug stop it will be raised or
lowered in the sling to suit the size of the shaft and keep it from jerking. a is.
a catch attached to the tug stop, and b is a slot or recess formed in the side of
the sling to receive the catch a and prevent the tug stop from turning or
becoming disengaged after it has been adjusted to the shaft in the sling. By
releasing the catch from the slot the tug stop can be readily turned, and its
hold on the shaft tightened or relaxed at pleasure. Figure 9 shews the tug
stop detached, and Figure 10 shews the piece of metal B, with the screw
tapped in it, for the reception of the end of the tug stop; the parts c, c, are
attached to the ends of the piece B to provide for its being fixed to the
interior of the sling, which is done by first introducing the parts c, c, between
the two thicknesses of leather of which the sling of the back band is composed,
and then sewing around the edges so as to secure the piece B in its proper
position. The piece B is capable of being turned so as to bring it to a more
convenient position for introducing the screwed end of the tug stop C.
Fourthly, my Invention consists of an improved dee piece (as it is technically