AN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON COMMON ROADS, OR ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GOLDSWORTHY
GURNEY, of Argyle Street, Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Surgeon, greeting.
WHEREAS is present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the 14th day of May, 1825, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Goldsworthy Gurney, His especial licence, that I, the said Goldsworthy
Gurney, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Goldsworthy Gurney, my exors, adñiors, and 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, and
also in Lis said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"AN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON COMMON ROADS, OR ON RAILWAYS;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Goldsworthy Gurney, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: 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
Goldsworthy Gurney, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which my said apparatus is to be constructed and used, are
ascertained and particularly described in and by the Sheet of Drawings here-
unto annexed, and the following description thereof, that is to say:-
My improved apparatus consists of two or more propellers, crutches, or feet,
which at their lower ends act successively with a regulatable length and force
of stroke or step against the surface of the road or way, and at their upper
ends such propellers react against the under side of a part of the perch or
main rails, connecting together the hind and the fore wheels of the carriage
intended to receive locomotion, either on a common gravelled or mettaled or a
paved road, or on a railway formed of iron, hewn stone, or otherwise; the said
part of the perch being fitted or prepared on its under side for the tops of the
said propellers to react against such perch under the middle or loaded part of
the carriage thro' the medium of rollers, in such manner that the said perch
being a part of the carriage, may roll over the upper ends of the said propellers
during each stroke or step thereof. Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal sectional
view of so much of a locomotive four-wheeled carriage as seems requisite to be
described for explaining my improved mode of propelling such carriages.
A, A, and B, B, represent the off or left-hand fore and hind wheels respec-
tively, running upon the road or way. C, C, D, D, is the rail or part of the
perch against which the propellers act. E the upper and F the lower ends of
the propellers respectively, the roller boxes G, G, (herein-after to be described,)
being interposed between the said upper ends of the propellers (E) and the
under side of the said rail or perch (D). H, HI, are the propelling levers,
acting horizontally or nearly so, jointed at their hinder ends to the said roller
boxes (G), and being at their foremost ends jointed to the lower ends of the
downwards reciprocating levers I, I, which levers at top are jointed to the
fixed lever's standard. J, J, K, K, are the horizontal coupling rods, movably
jointed, and adjustable as to height by means of pin holes, slits, and screws, or
other fit means at their foremost ends, into the said downwards reciprocating
levers (I), and at their hindmost ends jointed (by like means) into the upwards
reciprocating levers L, L, such last-mentioned levers (L) being jointed at
bottom, either to a fixed rail, part of the said perch of the carriage, or else
jointed to the reciprocating rod U, U, which will be further mentioned herein.

page_text: To one of the upwards reciprocating levers (L) is jointed the piston rod M, M,
of the steam cylinder N of the engine, to be employed to propel and move the
carriage, which enginge may be on the common high pressure principle, or any
other fit construction; and as no Invention relative to the engine or other
5 actuating power is claiined under the present Patent, it may be further
necessary hereon only to add that the said steam cylinder is supposed to be
mounted on a steady framing 0, 0, 0, rising from the fixed rails composing
the said perch of the carriage, and that the said fixed framing (0) and the
said fixed standard (J) are connected together by the fixed connecting bar
P, P; in this said connecting bar (P) two mortices are formed, in which are
mounted two pulleys, carrying the endless chain Q, Q, to which endless chain,
(Q) on opposite sides of the pulleys and bar (P), the said upwards reciprocating
levers (L, L,) are laterally attached, by which means the said upward recipro-
cating levers (L, L.) are severally compelled to move always in contrary
directions. When one of them is either propelled or drawn by the piston rod
(M) of the engine, and by the system of levers K, K, I, I, and H, HI, and the
roller boxes G, G, the like reciprocating and contrary motions will be given to
the two propellers E, F, as will be further mentioned herein. Instead of a
fixed joint for the bottoms of the upwards reciprocating levers (L) in one of
the main rails composing the perch, as has been mentioned herein, I intend
sometimes to freely joint the said levers (L) to the hindmost end of the hori-
zontal reciprocating rod U, U, as is shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the fore-
most end of which rod (U) is to be jointed to a fixed rail of the perch of the
carriage, and in such case a prolongation forwards of the piston rod (M) is to
be provided and furnished with an antifriction roller V of a proper diameter,
and made adjustable in height, so that by running on the fixed connecting bar
(P) this roller may bear up the lever L, L, and U, U, and so produce a parallel
motion for the piston rod. Fig. 2 is a front view of the carriage, and as many
of its parts already represented in Fig. 1 as could herein be repeated without con-
fusion. In this Figure (2) the dotted line a, a, represents the situation of the
sectional plane, beyond or towards the off side of which plane the several parts
are situated which are represented in the said Figure 1. The same letters of
reference are here (in Fig. 2) and in all the other Figures applied to the same
or corresponding parts and things, and it seems unnecessary to do more ro
explaining this Figure (2) than refering to the foregoing description, and
further mentioning that R, R, are braced to the standard J, J, and the lovers
H, II, which it carries. Fig. 3 represents on a larger or double scale a trans
verse section, in order to shew the grooves under the perch D, D, wherein the

page_text: roller boxes G, G, slide, the left-hand one of which grooves is represented as
empty or without the roller box, which is shewn in the other grooves b, b, being
rebates or small side grooves to receive corresponding slips or projections ou
the sides of the roller boxes, and by means of which rebates and slips (6) the
said roller boxes are prevented falling out of their respective grooves when
they are brought up or are being returned for repeating their stroke or step.
Fig. 4, of like enlarged scale, is a separate view of one of the said roller boxes
(G), and of one of its attached propellers E, F, showing the two rollers d, d,
having horizontal axes intended to roll underneath and prevent friction against
the rail or perch D, D, and also the two rollers g. 9, having perpendicular axes
intended to roll laterally against and prevent friction between the sides of the
said grooves and the roller boxes sliding in these grooves. S is the propeller
bolt or pin of iron, fixed in and projecting beneath each of the said roller boxes,
the head of which propeller bolt (S) is a screw nut n, which is taken off at the
time of loosely slipping on to the said propeller bolt the perforated upper
end E of the propeller, and also of loosely slipping on after it the spirally
coiled propeller spring i, the use of which propeller springs (i) is to con-
stantly keep the heels or projecting parts of the upper ends of the propellers
pressing against the under side of the roller box, and yet allowing the lower
ends F and the shoes m, m, of the propellers to slip over any obstruction on
the road, or to turn easily aside on the turning about of the carriage out of its
previous course, such turning about of the carriage represented in Fig. 1,
being effected by the action of an endless strap or chain on the rigger T, T
aflixed on the axletree of the hind wheels between the main rails com-
posing the perch of the carriage. The almost unconfined and loose state
of the upper ends of the propellers (E, Fig. 4,) upon their respective
propeller bolts (S) allow the lower ends F and shoes m of such propellers,
when they are brought up or drawn forwards, dragging on the road or way,
to do so over inequalities, and arrange themselves in the line of motion
of the carriage, when occasions require that the motion of the carriage should
be reversed, or that it should back; it only requires for such purpose that the
lower ends (F) of the propellers should be turned half round on their respective
propeller bolts (S), as is shown by the dotted lines e, f, in Fig. 1. In using
my locomotive carriage upon roads or ways which are nearly level, the hori-
zontal coupling rods (K, K,) are used nearly in the positions shewn in Fig. 1,
as giving a very considerable length of stroke or step to the propellers shoes
(m), and consequently of velocity, as compared with the stroke of the piston
rod (M), and on level and good road, where the greatest velocity or speed

page_text: may be required, the ends of the said horizontal coupling rods (K) are to be
shifted to the highest sets of pin holes in the reciprocating levers I and L.
But in ascending hills or whenever great propelling force is required, the said
rods K are to be shifted down to nearly or quite the lowest sets of pin holes
in the said levers I and T. Instead of the system of levers L, K, I, and II,
which have been herein-before described, for acting on the tops of my pro-
pellers E, I sometimes intend to use either revolving or else reciprocating
endless chains, straps, or ropes, and sometimes instead of making use of the
perch itself of my carriage, or of any rail or plane surface affixed under the
said perch for the upper ends of my propellers to roll under and react against,
I sometimes intend to make use of the bottom of my boiler or of some
rail or plane surface affixed thereto for such purpose of reaction for my
propellors. I have shewn but two of my propellers attached to the car-
riage, delineated in the Drawings hereunto annexed, but I do not limit
myself in this particular, but intend to use any other fit number of such pro-
pellers as occasions may require. I sometimes employ my propellers with-
out any shoes (m), and sometimes vary their lengths and the shapes of their
lower parts and their shapes and kinds of shoes, accordingly as the nature and
state of the road or way to be travelled over may seem to require. The upper
ends of my said propellers are sometimes simply furnished with one roller, and
sometimes with roller boxes, and their grooves varied from those represented
in my Drawings as particular occasions and circumstances may require. I
construct my said apparatus of such fit metals, woods, or materials, and of such
dimensions and proportions in all their several parts as I find most conducive
to the ends in view. And lastly, I do hereby ascertain, limit, and specify my
claim of invention and exclusive use, under the herein-before in part recited
Patent, to the following particulars, that is to say:-To the use of a roller or
rollers, wheel or wheels, at the upper ends of my said propellers, reacting
against a straight and smooth rail or plane affixed under and being a part of
the carriage, such rail or plane being parallel, or nearly so, to the soles or
bottoms of the carriage wheels, whereby the carriage itself is enabled to be
rolled over the upper ends of the said propellers, crutches, or feet, by the
mechanical power employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Goldsworthy Gurney, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.
GOLDS (L.S.) GURNEY.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1825, the aforesaid Goldsworthy Gurney came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.