Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 6th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 8th July, 1887.
I, RUDOLF OTTO GERCKE of 308 Centre Street, Augusta in the County of Richmond
and State of Georgia, United States of America, Physician do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide a simple and efficient device by means of
which the driver may assist the horses in starting a tram car.
My Invention consists of a lever pivoted at or near its centre to the car-truck, and
carrying at one end a foot pedal within convenient reach of the driver, and at the
opposite end a pawl which engages with ratchet teeth formed in the flange of one of
the car-wheels. A stop-pin on the lever prevents the pawl from being thrown over
the centre of the stud on which it is pivoted, and a pin projects from the side of the
car truck in such position that as the end of the lever which carries the pawl over-
balances the opposite end of the lever so that it drops by its own gravity, the pawl in
falling back will meet the said pin and thus be removed from the path of the ratchet-
teeth. The pressure of the driver's foot on the pedal carries down that end of the
lever, and raises the pawl end of the lever bringing the pawl into engagement with
the ratchet teeth, and exerting a pressure upon the periphery of the car wheel which
tends to propel the car-wheel forward and assist the horses in starting the car. It is
obvious that a clutch could be employed instead of the pawl and ratchet; also that a
lever of a different order might be employed, by applying the pawl and ratchet to the
forward wheel of the car; therefore, I do not limit or confine myself to the exact
form of construction herein described.
My improvement may be applied to wagons to enable the driver to assist the team
over difficult places, and to assist the team in starting.
D1 ... . 1
1
1
1000
R. O. GERCKE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Assisting the Starting of Tram-cars and
other Vehicles.
I, RUDOLF OTTO GERCKE of Augusta in the County of Richmond and State of
Georgia United States of America, Physician, 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:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient device by means of
which the car driver may assist the horses in starting the car.
My Invention consists of a lever pivoted at or near its centre, to the car truck and
carrying at one end a pawl and at the opposite end a foot pedal within convenient
reach of the car driver, and a car wheel having ratchet teeth formed in its flange for
receiving the pawl carried by the lever.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawing forming part of this Specification, in
which figure 1 is a side elevation of a part of a car, embodying my improvement.
Figure 2 is a plan view with a part broken away, to more clearly shew the
construction.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures of the
drawings.
The car truck A is mounted upon the axles B B₁ in the usual way, and to the
axles B B¹ are secured the car wheels C C. In the flange of the car wheel C are
formed ratchet teeth a and upon a stud D projecting from the car truck, is pivoted a
lever E which extends forwards and is bent laterally under the car platform and is
provided with an arm F which extends upwards through the car platform and receives
à pedal G which is within convenient reach of the car driver. The opposite end of
the lever E is widened and on a stud b projecting from the inner face thereof, is placed
a pawl H which is adapted to engage the ratchet teeth a in the flange of the wheel C.
The lever E carries a stop pin c, which prevents the pawl H from being thrown over
the centre of the stud b, and a pin d projects from the side of the car truck A in the
path of the pawl H. The end of the lever E which carries the pawl H overbalances
the opposite end of the lever, so that it drops by its own gravity, so as to bring the
pawl H into engagement with the pin d and thus remove the end of the pawl from
the path of the teeth a. When it is desired to bring the pawl into engagement with the
ratchet teeth a, the pressure of the driver's foot on the pedal G carries down that end
of the lever and raises the pawl end of the lever, bringing the pawl into engagement
with the ratchet teeth a and exerting a pressure upon the periphery of the car wheel C,
which tends to propel the car wheel forward and assist the horses in starting
the car.
It is obvious that a clutch could be employed instead of the pawl and ratchet; also
that a lever of a different order might be employed by applying the pawl and ratchet
to the forward wheel of the car; therefore, I do not limit or confine myself to the
exact form of construction shewn in the drawing. My improvement may be applied

page_text: to wagons, to enable the driver to assist the team over difficult places and to assist the
team in starting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is ;
1. The combination with the wheels of a car, of a foot lever and clutch mechanism
for engaging the wheel, substantially as herein shewn and described.
2. The combination with the car wheel C provided with the ratchet teeth a, of the
lever E carrying the pawl H and provided with the foot pedal G, substantially as
herein shewn and described.
3. In a car starter, the combination of the car wheel C provided with the ratchet
teeth a, the lever E provided with the pedal G and stop pin c, the pawl H pivoted to
the lever E, and the stop pin d projecting from the car truck, substantially as herein
shewn and described.
Dated this 6th day of June 1887.
R. O. GERCKE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.