IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGEE
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BOYDELL, junior, of Dee Cottage, near Hawarden, in the County of Flint,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of May, in the seventh year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Boydell, His espécial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority that I,
the said James Boydell, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said James Boydell, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
hereafter agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGEE;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I; the said James Boydell,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and im-
mediately 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
James Boydell, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the manner

page_text: described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Figure 2 an end view, of a carriage
having my improvements applied thereto, in which Figures the same letters
of reference are employed to mark the various parts. The carriage is repre-
sented with wheels suitable for running on an edge railway, and there are
such parts of a steam engine and machinery as will be sufficient to enable an
engineer to carry out my Invention; at the same time I would remark, that
variations may be made in the construction of the carriage, depending on the
purpose to which it is to be employed, such as having suitable wheels for
common roads, and in place of the propelling power being steam, the re-
volving shaft may be turned by manual labour or other power. a, a, a, are a
series of levers for propelling the carriage; the upper end of each is connected
with a crank pin of the shaft b, the shaft turning in suitable bearings on
the standards c, c, as is clearly shown in the Drawing, the shaft b receiving
rotatory motion by means of two steam engines d, d. On rotatory motion
being communicated to the shaft b in the direction of the arrow, or in the
contrary direction (the angle of the levers being different), the levers a, a, a,
will be successively raised off the ground and again placed thereon and
become the point of resistance, on which, by means of the revolving shaft, the
carriage will move, and the effect will be, that the levers a, a, will act very
similarly to a large wheel, without the inconvenience of occupying so much
space as a wheel of the diameter equal to producing the same effect. I would
remark that I am aware that an attempt was made and a Patent taken out
for an Invention by one David Gordon, in or about the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, to propel carriages by means of
similar levers, and a revolving shaft with cranks, but under a different combi-
nation; the levers, in addition to being connected with cranks and revolving
shaft, cach propelling lever was connected by a lifting rod to a second revolv-
ing shaft and cranks, by which means the propelling levers were lifted froin
the ground. But according to my new mode of combining the parts a, a,
with a revolving shaft, I render a second revolving shaft and lifting rods unne-

page_text: cessary, and obtain not only greater simplicity of movement and consequent
saving of power, but at the same time I am enabled to produce an action
more assimilating to the employment of very large propelling wheels, as above
described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I lay no claim to the various parts separately, nor do I confine
myself to the precise arrangements, as variations may be made; but what I
claim is, the mode herein described of applying a series of propelling levers
a, a, in combination with a revolving shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Boydell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the first year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lady Victoria, and in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
Inrolled "the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord One,