Year: 1888

page_text: We, JOSEPH KIRKPATRICK FREEMAN, Merchant, GEORGE WASHINGTON HARRIS,
Physician, JOSEPH ANDREW LIDDELL, Farmel, and WILLIAM EDCAR HARRIS,
Mechanic, all of Seney in the County of Polk, & State of Georgia, USA, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
Our invention relates to car-couplers and its objects are, first, to provide an
automatic coupler, second, to produce a coupler which readily detaches adjacent cars
in the event of accidents; third, to provide a couple adaptable to existing types of
cars; fourth to present a coupler obviating manual interposition either to couple or
uncouple the cars, and fifth, to attain these ends with structural simplicity and
economy
We attain these auns by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in
which―
Figure represents the adjacent termini of two railroad cars embodying our
improvements Fig 2 is a central longitudinal section through the coupler-Fig 3
represents an elevation of the link employed in our coupler-Fig 4 is a central
longitudinal section through the link; and Fig 5 is an elevation of the detached
pivoted draw-head block, whose oscillations serve alternately to engage and release
the raised ends of the link
The same designations indicate corresponding parts in the several views.
To ordinary forms of cars, A, mounted on the wheels C, and track N, by the
customary bearings B, and having projections D, to which the bearings E, in which
the operating shaft M, having preferably a crank-handle, M¹, is secured, we attach a
draw-head G, having a base H, and a top F, and the oscillating block 1, having a
projecting pin K, and the shaft M. rigidly attached thereto in perforation L. The
link J has two bevelled ends, which when brought forcibly into contact with the
oscillating block causes said block to swing backwards until it falls over the shoulder P,
where it is retained against the front of the draw-head when the cars are being

page_text: drawn―The link J has rounded edges as indicated by shade lines at J-In order to
uncouple, the cars are brought together, and the manipulator, taking hold of the pin K
or handle M¹ swings back the oscillating block I, which allows the link J to be with-
drawn-Should one of the cars become derailed and fall over upon its side it will
automatically become uncoupled by reason of the bevelled edge J' being brought
forcibly to bear upon the bevelled edge I' of the block I thereby causing it to swing
backwards until the link J is free to become withdrawn-There are, however, several
other positions in which the truck or car may fall which would cause it to auto-
matically uncouple from the remainder of the train-Two slots J¹ may be made in the
link J to accommodate the old form of link-and-pin coupler
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
-
The car-coupler herein described, consisting of a draw-head G, having a base H,
and a top F, the block I, pivoted intermediately between them, for the purpose of
engaging and releasing the link J, provided with the projection K, and the shaft M,
and the link J, whose ends project perpendicularly upward to engage the block I, and
having two counterpart slots J', equidistantly located in both directions from a
transverse median line, to afford means for retaining the pin-coupler ordinarily in use
at the present time, as herein fully shown and described
Dated this 6th day of June 1888