IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BOXES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David A. Hopkins, of Paterson, in the County of
Passaic, and State of New Jersey, in the United States of America, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BOXES."
Sealed the 17th September 1858, and dated the 25th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David A. Hopkins at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th March 1858.
I, DAVID A. HOPKINS, of Paterson, in the County of Passaic, and State
of New Jersey, in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BOXES," to be as
follows:-
They consist, first, in providing the housing or casing of the journal box
with a flexible diaphram, to prevent the ingress and egress of air into the
box, and to compensate by its flexibility for any variation in the space within
it caused by the end play of the axle, any imperfection in the packing, or
otherwise.
Second, in the combination of a boss or its equivalent upon the axle with
its location inside of the housing, and the feeding of the oil only to that part
of the axle not between the packing and the boss, the boss being formed by
The feeding
turuing a recess in the axle or by any other convenient means.
Price 8d1

page_text: of the oil to that part of the axle between the stuffing box & the boss is
prevented by the latter and also by means of a circular piece of leather fitted
into a recess cast in the inner end of the waste box and to the journal, so as
to prevent the escape of the waste to the inner part of the housing, &
supplying oil to the axle beyond the recess in the axle.
Third, in combining with the housing a moveable stuffing box made to fit
tight, & surround the journal by packing rings or gasket, kept in place by a
follower pressed against it by a spring bar or other device, which besides
holds the stuffing box up to the side of the housing, thus making a tight joint
between the stuffing box and the housing, their surfaces in contact being
flat and plain the vibrations of the axle do not derange them, so as to cause
a leak and thus to admit the air and dust.
Fourth, in the combination of the backing with the bearing brass in a
manner that while the upper side of the backing is fitted to the housing, its
under side is so formed that when the bearing brass is worn away or removed
it shall fit the axle. The bearing brass is held in its place by certain ledges,
which are bevelled in a direction transverse to the axle from the outer
boundary of the brass inward; these ledges extend to the extreme outer
boundary of the bearing, & well down on each side of the journal; the
backing is also channelled to receive the projections of the bearing brass, so
that if the brass be broken the pressure of the journal will still crowd the
outer pieces into place & no piece will escape. The bearing brass occupies
only a small portion of the circle around the journal, which is supported
against extreme side pressure by the backing as the lower sides come nearly
against its sides; between these sides & the brass a cavity is left open.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Arnold Hopkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
ARNOLD HOPKINS, of Paterson, in the County of Passaic, in the State of
New Jersey, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, A.D. 1858, in the
twenty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said David Arnold Hopkins, Her special license
that I, the said David Arnold Hopkins, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said David Arnold Hopkins, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN JOURNAL BOXES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Arnold Hopkins, or my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 David Arnold Hopkins, 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
following statement (that is to say) :-
My said Invention cousists in, first, providing the housing with adiaphragm
in the manner herein-after described, to prevent the ingress and egress of air
into and out of the housing, as set forth.
Second, in the combination of a boss or its equivalent upon the axle, with
its location inside of the housing, and the feeding of the oil only to that
portion of the axle not between the packing and the boss, as set forth, said
boss being formed by turning a recess in the axle, or by any other convenient
means.
Third, the movable packing or stuffing box, fitting closely to the axle
and kept up by spring or other suitable pressure to the side of the housing,
as herein-after shewn and described.
Fourth, the combined construction and arrangement of the bearing brass
or box and its casing or backing by which the bearing is secured more
effectually, the friction of the axle is reduced without reducing its security
in its bearings, the article is made less expensive in construction, and
capable of being entirely worn, except the flanges which hold it in place.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation, showing the end of
the housing, and also the inovable diaphragm.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, showing the parts that lie below the centre
of the axle, the end of the axle being shown entire.
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section, showing the parts at the left hand
of the line xx,in Figs. 2 and 4.

page_text: Fig. 4 is a vertical lo.gitudinal section, showing the parts beyond the
axle, the end of the axle being shown entire.
Fig. 5 shows the inner end of the housing, and partially the packing
which surrounds the axle, and the mode of securing it in place.
A is the housing, which is made of cast iron or other suitable material. A
portion of the end next the wheel is made removable to allow the packing
to be put upon the axle before the housing is placed upon it, and in this
removable portion there is an opening to allow the axle the necessary play,and
this opening is so made as to allow the removable portion or plate V to be put
in its place after the housing is placed upon the axle. B is the axle to which
the wheels are attached in the usual manner. It is in this case represented
as being made with outside bearings. The opening around the axle where
it passes through the housing is closed by a piece of leather C or other suitable
material. This leather is assisted in maintaining a tight joint around the axle
by two closely fitting rings m, m', which are kept up snugly to the axle by
elastic metallic rings n, n. The axle is tapered where it is surrounded by
these rings, the effect of which form is to crowd the riug m, which is next
the journal bearing against the boss O', and to crowd the ring m'against the
packing ordiaphragm C, thus securing a close fit between the rings m, m', and
the axle, and also between them and the diaphragm C, and these rings com-
bined with the tapering form of the axle, secure a reliable adjustment of
the parts to compensate for the wearing away of the ring and diaphragm.
The diaphragm C is put upon the axle by crowding it over the bosses 0,0¹.
This is done before the housing is placed upon the axle. The edges of said
diaphragm Care secured after the housing is put on between the plate V, which
forms a part of the housing, and the inner plate E which is pressed against the
diaphragm to keep it snugly against plate V, by springs e, e, which are so
secured at the ends by lugs z cast upon the inside of the housing as to cause
them to press against the lugs w, on the plate E thus pressing the diaphragm
up snugly between the ledges v and y, by which a narrow bearing snugly
fitting the leather diaphragm is secured. This being narrow, not only secures
a better fit, but also allows the diaphragm to vibrate more freely to accommo-
date the end play of the axle. The objects of this device being to exclude dust
and air from the housing, it is clear that any leak in any part of the housing,
and also that the end play of the axle alternately filling and vacating space in
the housing, would have a tendency to produce a constantly vibrating current
of air into and out of the housing, which night render any possible imperfec-
tion in the packing or other fittings highly injurious. To remedy this defect I
provide the housing with a flexible diaphragm G, secured in the movable end

page_text: plate H, by the parallelogramh, secured to the plate H by screws or otherwise
as may be convenient. A piece of closely woven cloth answers well for the
diaphragm. The flexibility of this diaphragm allows it to vibrate enough to
compensate for the difference of space in the housing caused by the end play
of the axle,and by this means any great pressure of air in either direction is
avoided. F is that part of the journal box which forms the backing or casing
for the bearing brass. Its upper side is fitted to the housing, and its under
side is so formed as to fit the axle when the bearing brass is worn away or
removed, which arrangement allows the bearing brass to be entirely worn
away, except the flanges which hold them in place. To accomplish this
purpose these ledges i, i, are beveled from the outer boundary of the bearing
brass inward, which secures the outer portions of the brass, as well as those
more internally located, the ledges by this means extending to the extreme
outer portion or boundary of the bearing.
upon
This back part or body F of the box is channeled, as shown in Figures 3
and 4 to receive the projections i, i, of the bearing brass I, which projections
are so made that if the brass should be broken, the pressure of the journal
them will still crowd the outer pieces into place and no piece can
cscape. When the car is running under ordinary conditions, the pressure
should be almost entirely upon the top of the axle, any considerable friction
upon its side is then injurious. It is, however, necessary to have side bearings
for occasional use, as for instance when the breaks are applied or the wheels
strike an obstruction, the journal would otherwise be forced from its position.
These side bearings being, however, only occasionally worn are better not to be
made a part of the main bearing brass I, but may generally be advantageously
constructed by extending the backing F,down by the side of the axle as shown
in Figure 3, and as it need not touch the journal when the car is running
under ordinary conditions these side bearings will last for a long time without
requiring to be replaced, and further as they are only used under conditions
that do not make antifriction properties in the very necessary, they may very
well be made of the cast iron of which this backing F is usually composed,
and in the same piece with it. If, however, it should be in any case desirable
they may be made by dovetailing a piece of metal q into the wings of the
backing which come down by the side of the axle, as shown in Figure 3.
A cavity is left between the journal, the box or backing F,and the bearing
brass, as shown,so that there shall be no friction on the journal at that point;
the bearing brass is completely supported in all parts by the backing F. The
end play of the axle is restricted by the stop bar J, which is supported by a
ledge k, cast upon the housing. K is a waste box which should be filled with

page_text: waste to supply oil from the bottom of the housing to the axle: the oil is
admitted into it through the openings 1, 1. A recess is cast in the inner end
of the waste box, into which a piece of leather m" is inserted, which fits the
journal, to prevent the escape of the waste to the inner part of the housing
where it would be likely to supply oil to the axle beyond the recess in the axle
at O,and thus cause it to work through the packing C; the leather m" is kept
up to the axle by a spring n¹.
There is a recess turned in the axle at O, to prevent oil from working back
upon it to the packing C, and the oil being thrown from the boss by the
revolution of the journalis retained within the housing. P is a plate supported
above the oil upon ledges on the side of the housing to prevent any sudden
motion of the box dashing oil upon the axle. Q is a piece of sheep skin with
the wool on it, or of felt or cloth placed between the waste box and the bottom
of the housing to catch and retain any sand or other sediment which might
otherwise be kept in suspension by the agitation of the oil, and consequently
fed to the bearing; the bottom of the housing has ledges to supportitso as to
leave recesses under it.
I am aware that various arrangements and constructions of ledges and
flanges, both internal and external, have been used to secure the antifriction
metal in its casing or backing; and that various forms and sizes have been
used, some of which occupy a no greater portion of the circle around the
journal than mine; but I am not aware that in any case the ledges forretaining
the bearing have been so constructed as to completely surround said bearing
extending to its extreme edge in such a nanner as to secure all its parts from
escape should they be broken.
Neither am I aware that in any case the combined construction of the anti-
friction metal and backing has been such as to give a narrow bearing of the
antifriction metal or lining upon the top of the axle, while at the same time
a slight side bearing was furnished at or near the centre of the side of the
journal as herein described and shewn; or that in any case that side of the
removable backing which is next the axle has been so made as to fit it, and
thus allow the bearing metal to be completely worn away,with the exception
of the ledges used for keeping it in place without risk of breaking the brass
and injuring the journal thereby.
The particular improvements which constitute my said Invention, and which
I claim as having been originally and first invented by me, are,-
First, providing the housing with a diaphragm, as described, or in manner
equivalent, to prevent or nearly destroy the formation of currents of air into
and out of the housing.

page_text: Second, the combination of one or more bosses, or their equivalent, upon
the axle with their location inside of the housing and the feeding of the oil
only to that portion of the axle between the stop bar J and the bosses, said
bosses being formed by turning recesses in the axle, or by any other convenient
means.
Third, combining with the housing a movable packing C, which surrounds
the journal,and may be moved with it without opening a passage for air or
dust into the housing; the parts being combined, arranged, and operating
substantially as set forth for the purposes stated.
Fourth, the combination of the backing F, with the bearing brass I when
both are constructed and combined substantially as described for the purposes
stated.
DAVID ARNOLD HOPKINS. (L.S.)