AN IMPROVED COMBINATION. CARRIAGE FOR COMMON ROADS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joshua Nickerson Rowe, of Rockland, State of Maine,
United States of America, but at present of Tue Brook, in the County of
Lancaster, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED COMBINATION. CARRIAGE FOR
COMMON ROADS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Nickerson Rowe at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd July 1881.
" AN
JOSHUA NICKERSON ROWE, of Rockland, State of Maine, United States of
America, but at present of Tue Brook, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVED COMBINATION CARRIAGE FOR COMMON ROADS."
This Invention relates to a novel combination of bicycles or other velocipedes
with a carriage, as and for the purposes hereinafter described.
In carrying out my Invention I employ two or more bicycles or other suitable
velocipedes; these bicycles or other velocipedes are adapted to carry a light
skeleton carriage provided with a number of seats. The bicycles and the carriage
are constructed in such a manner that the carriage can be connected with or
separated from the bicycles or other velocipedes to allow of the bicycles being used
independently of the carriage and in the ordinary manner, at the same time
allowing the bicycles when connected to the carriage being ridden and driven as
usual, and at the same time propelling or driving the carriage. By this combina-
tion and arrangement a number of ladies or other persons may take seats in the
hercin-before described carriage to which the bicycles are connected, and the
carriage may be driven to any desired place (such, for example, as a race course) by
the bicycles, which are ridden and driven in the ordinary manner.
The carriage
can at any time be detached, and the bicycles be employed for the purpose of
racing and the like, the carriage remaining until the bicyclists return for it.
For attaching the bicycles to the carriage where, say, three bicycles are employed,
one bicycle would be placed at each side of the rear of the carriage, the frame of
which would be provided with two clamps, by which the side of the carriage is
מ'

page_text: clamped to the top and bottom part of the fork of the bicycle at each side. For
connecting the front bicycle to the carriage, the latter is provided with a pair of
shafts which form the back of the front seat, and the shafts are brought together at
the front and clamped to the backbone of the front or guide bicycle near the head
of the fork. The clamps are of any suitable construction, which will allow of
being easily and quickly fastened or unfastened, such as by the use of bolts and
nuts.
A distance bar is provided for the purpose of keeping the two bicycles upright,
and to cause them to run parallel with each other.
To assist the progress of the vehicle up hill side levers are provided to be
worked by the passengers, and which levers are easily thrown out of gear when not
required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joshua. Nickerson Rowe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th January 1882.
" AN
JOSHUA NICKERSON ROWE, of Rockland, State of Maine, United States of
America, but at present of Tue Brook, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVED COMBINATION CARRIAGE FOR COMMON ROADS."
This Invention relates to a novel combination of bicycles or other velocipedes
with a carriage, as and for the purposes hereinafter described.
In carrying out my Invention I employ two or more bicycles or other suitable
velocipedes or cycles; these bicycles or other velocipedes are adapted to carry a
light skeleton carriage provided with a number of seats. The bicycles and the
carriage are constructed in such a manner that the carriage can be connected with
or separated from the bicycles to allow of the bicycles being used independently of
the carriage and in the ordinary manner, at the same time allowing the bicycles
when connected to the carriage being ridden and driven as usual, and at the same
time propelling or driving the carriage. By this combination and arrangement a
number of ladies or other persons may take seats in the hereinbefore described
carriage to which the bicycles are connected, and the carriage may be driven to
any desired place (such, for example, as a race_course) by the bicycles, which are
ridden and driven in the ordinary manner. The carriage can at any time be
detached, and the bicycles be employed for the purpose of racing and the like, the
carriage remaining until the bicyclists return for it."
For attaching the bicycles to the carriage where, say, three bicycles are
employed, one bicycle would be placed at each side of the rear of the carriage, the
frame of which would be provided with two clamps, by which the side of the carriage
is clamped to the top and bottom part of the fork of the bicycle at each side. For
connecting the front bicycle to the carriage the latter is provided with a pair of
shafts, which form the back of the front seat, and the shafts are brought together

page_text: at the front and clamped to the backbone of the front or guide bicycle near the
head of the fork; the clamps are of any suitable construction which will allow of
being easily and quickly fastened or unfastened, such as by the use of bolts and
nuts.
A distance bar is provided for the purpose of keeping the two bicycles upright,
and to cause them to run parallel with cach other.
To assist the progress of the vehicle up hill side levers are provided to be
worked by the passengers, and which levers are easily thrown out of gear when not
required.
In order to enable my Invention to be readily understood I will proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is
a perspective view of my improved combination carriage, in which three bicycles
are employed; Figure 2 is a similar view, in which two bicycles are employed;
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are detached enlarged views of the clamps or connections for
connecting the carriage to the bicycles. Similar letters in all the Figures represent
similar parts.
I will first describe my Invention by reference to Figure 1; a and b are the two
bicycles placed at each side of the rear of the carriage constructed of a slight
skeleton framing c, d; e and f are the clamps (one of which is shewn in detached
enlarged elevation at Figure 3), by which the sides of the carriage are connected
to the bottom part of the forks g of the bicycles a and b respectively; h and i are
clamps (one of which is shewn in detached enlarged elevation at Figure 4) on the
vertical suspending rods j,j, on the sides of the carriage, by which the carriage is
connected to the top part of the forks g of the bicycles a and b; k is the distance
bar clamped to the handles of the bicycles a and b, as shewn, for keeping the
bicycles upright and to cause them to run parallel with each other; 1, 1, is the front
or guide bicycle; m, m, are the pair of shafts, being a continuation of the rails c, c,
of the lower part of the frame of the carriage, and forming with the cross piece n
the back of the front seat o of the carriage; p is the connection or clamp (shewn
also in detached enlarged plan at Figure 5), by which the said shafts m, m, are
connected to the backbone q of the front or guiding bicycle near the head of the
fork ; 8 and t are the other seats of the carriage; the connections or clamps,
herein before described and shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5, are connected to the
bicycles and carriage by bolts and nuts, so as to allow of easily connecting and
disconnecting the bicycles to and from the carriage by means of a simple spanner,
such as is usually carried by bicyclists, and these connections have been found to
answer well in practice, but it will be understood that other forms of clamps
admitting of easy manipulation may be employed.
When only two bicycles are employed, as shewn in Figure 2, the hereinbefore
described shafts m, m, are not required, and I provide the carriage with a steering
wheel u to be operated by one of the occupants of the carriage by means of the
handle and connecting rod w; the construction in other respects is substantially
the same as that herein before described by reference to Figure 1.
I sometimes modify the arrangement shewn in Figure 2 by reversing the seats o
and t (so that the occupants instead of facing each other will sit back to back), in
which case I provide each seat with a treadle suitably connected by cranks and
levers, one to each bicycle, which arrangement will allow the occupants of the seats
to assist in propelling or driving the carriage.
From this description of my improved combination carriages, it will be evident
that the parts being connected as herein before described and shewn, a number of
persons may take seats in the carriage which may be driven to any desired place
(such for example, as a race course) by the bicycles being ridden and driven in the
ordinary manner, and the carriage can at any time be easily and quickly detached
and the bicycles be employed for the purpose of racing and the like, the carriage
remaining until the bicyclists return for it.
I have described my Invention as applied to the use of bicycles so combined with
the carriage that the bicycles can be easily detached from the carriage and used

page_text: .
independently thereof, but when it is not desired to employ velocipedes or cycles
to be used independently of the carriage, I dispense with the trail wheels and
employ only sufficient of the backbones to support the saddles; or I entirely
dispense with the backbones, in which latter case the saddle or saddles is or are
supported on a strong spring or springs secured to the head of the cycle. The
cycles are otherwise arranged and connected to the carriage in the manner herein-
before described, except that the distance bar would be a single bar extending
across both cycles, and not clamped to the handles as in the case where independent
bicycles are employed.
Having now described my said Invention and the best means with which I
am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down and shewn in the
Drawing, as they may be varied without departing from the péculiar character of
my Invention, but what I do claim is,-
Firstly. The improved combination carriages for common roads herein described,
and consisting of two or more bicycles (or other suitable velocipedes or cycles)
connected to a suitably constructed skeleton carriage, the whole arranged and
operating, substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawing or any mere modification thereof.
Secondly. The construction and employment in combination with one or more
bicycles of a skeleton carriage adapted to be easily connected to or detached from
the bicycles as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Nickerson Rowe, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.