IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Angus, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Saddlers' Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SADDLES."
Sealed the 19th October 1859, and dated the 23rd April 1859. -
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Angus at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd April
1859.
I, JOHN ANGUS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Saddlers Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of saddles of
various kinds, but in particular those employed for harness work for carting
purposes. In cart saddles or saddles of a similar class the trough of the
"saddle tree" is composed of four pieces of metal, the bottom of the trough
being made up of two pieces of wrought iron, forming a butt joint at the centre
or crown of the arch. These two bottom pieces of metal are riveted or other-
wise attached to the convex side of an under piece of wood correspondingly
curved, and they are so rolled or shaped as to be thinned off at their con-
tinguous junction ends, whilst they increase in thickness to the usual external
end plate pieces for the play of the chain or back band. The sides of the
trough are formed of two parallel flange or vertical edge pieces, which are
riveted through the main wood bottom by transverse rivets from side to side.

page_text: The upper edges of these two side or flange pieces are turned over with a
moulding or head over a strengthening wire, and the forward flange is thick-
ened at each end on the inner side to resist the forward frictional pressure of
the chain or back band in going down hill or backing. The trough may be
made of any other suitable number of pieces, for instance, the crown or central
portion may be one solid piece, with a longer piece on each side of it. The
whole of the metal plate portion of it may also be made of cast iron, malleable
cast iron being preferred for the purpose. In such cases the necessary thick-
ened portions may, of course, be produced in the casting.
By another arrangement the main bottom wood piece already described, and
which is used both for giving strength to the trough and for affording the
means of attachment of the saddle and its appurtenances to it, may be dispensed
with. In this case the two main side or flange pieces of the trough, which are
either of wrought or cast iron, are formed with inner central bottom flange
pieces perforated or tapped through vertically to allow of the attachment of
the saddle details beneath it, the bottom of the trough being formed of a
stout metal plate, as in the former example; this metal plate being screwed
down to inner side flange or snug pieces on the main side flanges of the trough,
which are themselves riveted together transversely by lateral supporting and
connecting stay studs. Instead of making the head or gullet of the saddle
itself of curved wood, as is usually the case, this portion is made of sheet or
plate metal in two pieces, welded or riveted together at the crown of the gullet,
the two ends being left open to embrace the front portion of the saddle on each
side, where they are riveted to form the necessary permanent connection; or
instead of thus welding two parallel pieces of metal together, two additional
end pieces may be riveted on to produce the necessary embracing opening for
the entrance and fixture of the saddle. The after or hind plate of the saddle
is similarly made, but with a broad plate at the top, with a narrower holding
strip beneath. Saddles made in this way are strong, light, and most effective
in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Angus in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ANGUS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Saddlers' Ironmonger, send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Angus, Her special license that I, the said John
Angus, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Angus, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-*
PROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Angus, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Angus, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of saddles
of various kinds, but in particular those employed for harness work for carting
purposes. In cast saddles or saddles of a similar class the trough of the
"saddle tree" is composed of four pieces of metal, the bottom of the trough
being made up of two pieces of wrought iron, forming a butt joint at the
centre or crown of the arch. These two bottom pieces of metal are riveted or
otherwise attached to the convex side of an under piece of wood corre
spondingly curved, and they are so rolled or shaped as to be thinned off at
their contiguous junction ends, whilst they increase in thickness to the usual
external end plate pieces for the play of the chain or back band. The sides
of the trough are formed of two parallel flange or vertical edge pieces, which
are riveted through the main wood bottom by transverse rivets from side to
side. The upper edges of these two side or flange pieces are turned over
with a moulding or head over a strengthening wire, and the forward flange is
thickened at each end on the inner side to resist the forward frictional pres-
sure of the chain or back band in going down hill or backing. The trough
may be made of any other suitable number of pieces, for instance, the crown

page_text: or central portion may be one solid piece, with a longer piece on each side of
it. The whole of the metal plate portion of it may also be made of cast iron,
malleable cast iron being preferred for the purpose. In such cases the neces-
sary thickened portions may, of course, be produced in the casting.
By another arrangement the main bottom wood piece already described, and
which is used both for giving strength to the trough and for affording the
means of attachment of the saddle and its appurtenances to it, may be dis-
pensed with. In this case the two main side or flange pieces of the trough,
which are either of wrought or cast iron, are formed with inner central bottom
flange pieces perforated or tapped through vertically to allow of the attach-
ment of the saddle details beneath it, the bottom of the trough being formed
of a stout metal plate, as in the former example, this metal plate being
screwed down to inner side flange or snug pieces on the main side flanges of
the trough, which are themselves riveted together transversely by lateral
supporting and connecting stay studs. Instead of making the head or gullet
of the saddle itself of curved wood, as is usually the case, this portion is made
of sheet or plate metal in two pieces, welded or riveted together at the crown
of the gullet, the two ends being left open to embrace the front portion of
the saddle on each side where they are riveted to form the necessary per-
manent connection; or instead of thus welding two parallel pieces of metal
together, two additional end pieces may be riveted on to produce the necessary
embracing opening for the entrance and fixture of the saddle. The after or
hind plate of the saddle is similarly made, but with a broad plate at the top,
with a narrower holding strip beneath. Saddles made in this way are strong,
light, and most effective in use.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing
certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously carried
out in practice, that is to say:-
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation of a
saddle arranged according to one modification of my improvements; Figure 2
is a longitudinal section of the same; and Figure 3 is a plan of the principal
portion of the saddle, part of which Figure is also shown in section; Figure 4
is a transverse section of a portion of a saddle, in which the parts are somewhat
differently arranged to those shown in the preceding Figures; Figure 5 is
a plan of a portion of a saddle corresponding to Figure 4.
The saddle delineated in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying Drawings is
mainly constructed of wrought iron. The trough or curb is composed of the

page_text: two vertical side pieces of metal A, the upper edges of which are bent over
to form a hollow beading along the sides of the trough or curb. The lower
parts of the side plates A are bent inwards, and form parallel flanges B,
extending towards the centre line of the trough or curb; a series of holes is
formed in each of these flanges, by means of which the side pieces are riveted
to the contiguous parts of the saddle. At suitably distances asunder holes are
made opposite to each other in the side plates A; these holes are made to
receive the ends of the transverse stay pieces C, which pass through the holes,
and are riveted to the plates A. These stay pieces C serve to bind the side
pieces A to each other, as well as to support the bottom piece D, which is
riveted to the stay pieces C. The bottom piece D of the trough or curb is
simply a strip of malleable iron, which is widened out at the ends, as shown
in Figure 3 on the accompanying Drawings, and having holes made in it for
the necessary rivets and bolts. At the ends of the side pieces A two thickness.
pieces E are riveted to the inner faces of the. side pieces; these additional
pieces are intended to prevent the lateral wear of the chain on the trough or
curb. The under side of the trough is filled in with a curved piece of wood,
extending the whole length of the trough or curb which is attached to the
longitudinal pieces of wood F that form the main portion of the saddle.
These parts of the saddle are firmly secured to each other by the rivets G, part
of which are shown on the under side of the saddle tree in Figure 2, and by
the bolts H, which pass through the whole, and are secured by nuts screwed
on their extremities, which project through the parallel pieces of the saddle
tree.
Instead of filling in the whole length of the under side of the trough
or curb with wood, I prefer in some cases to use a short piece of wood, which
is fitted to the central part of the under side. This piece of wood is fitted in
the space between the longitudinal pieces F, or it may extend for a short
distance on each side over the longitudinal pieces F. The head or "gullet " I
of the saddle is formed of a strip or band of malleable iron, which is curved
upwards to the proper figure; to the under side of this curved band is riveted
a secondary strip or band J of iron.. The free extremities of the metal bands I
and J extend outwards to the lateral edges of the saddle tree F, and the
metal bands are secured thereto by means of rivets, as is more particularly
shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing, the corners being rounded
off to produce a neat finish. The backward ends of the pieces of wood F are
connected to each other by the broad metal plate or breech piece K, the ends,
of the wood being enclosed by the transverse strip or band of metal L, which
is fastened to the upper plate K by rivets which pass through the wood in the
same manner as the front part is finished. The outer face of the hinder side.

page_text: piece A has three staples M riveted therein, to which the hooks of the harness
are attached, and below the expanded ends of the bottom piece D are fitted
the eyes and rings N. In the construction of saddles upon this principle the
minor details may be more or less varied, according to the style in which the
saddle is required to be got up.
My improvements are also applicable to the construction of saddles in which
the troughs or curbs are mainly composed of cast iron. One arrangement
according to this modification is shown in Figures 4 and 5 on the accompany-
ing Drawings. The vertical side pieces A of the trough or curb are made of
cast iron; on the lower parts of these side pieces are cast the inwardly pro-
jecting snungs B, in which are holes to admit of the parts being riveted to the
wood F. The side pieces A are connected to each other by the cross stay
pieces C, which are riveted thereto. The bottom piece of the trough is formed
of a strip or band of wrought iron D, which is firmly connected to the wood
beneath by the bolts and nuts. The longitudinal pieces of wood F are con-
nected together by means of gullet and breech pieces formed of plates, bands,
or strips of iron, in manner similar to the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to
3 of the accompanying Drawings. The thickness pieces E at the ends of the
side pieces A are cast on them, but if preferred properly shaped pieces of
wrought iron may be riveted thereto.
Another mode of making the troughs or curbs of saddles in a simple yet
effective manner is to form the side pieces of two curved strips of sheet iron;
these are connected together by cast-iron transverse stay pieces, which in this
modification are of a T-shaped figure in transverse section. These stay pieces
are made of malleable cast iron, and each piece has two projecting pins formed
at each end; these parts of the stay pieces are passed through corresponding
holes in the side pieces, and are riveted thereto. The cross pieces at the
extremities of the trough or curb are formed in like manner; the strip of
metal which forms the bottom of the trough is riveted to these cross pieces,
and towards the extremities of the trough pass also through the longitudinal
pieces of wood which form the saddle tree. This form of trough is, by pre-
ference, left without any filling in wood, two small pieces only, of about half
an inch in thickness, being riveted to the side pieces to serve for tacking the
leather of the saddle thereto. These improved saddles are far more durable
than those of the ordinary kind, and may be produced at a very moderate rate
of cost.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and.

page_text: original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of saddles as herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of arranging and constructing the several parts
of saddles, and of combining the same together in the manner herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.
Third, the system or mode of manufacturing saddles adapted for carting
purposes, in which the troughs or curbs are composed of iron, arranged and
constructed in the manner herein-before described and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings, or any mere modification of the said arrangement or mode
of construction.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Angus, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
JOHN ANGUS. (L.S.)