IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OF OMNIBUSSES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
FRANCIS RICHARDSON, of Ironmonger Lane, in the City of London, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of December, in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Francis Richardson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Henry Francis Richardson, my exors, adñors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Francis Richardson, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,.
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF OMNIBUSSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained.
a proviso that I, the said Henry Francis Richardson, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately 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
Henry Francis Richardson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are

page_text: particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
According to the ordinary construction of omnibusses the passengers' seats
are on either side, and each passenger enters between the two seats, and
when seated the passengers are opposite each other or face to face. This
arrangement has generally been considered inconvenient, particularly in
respect to the passengers passing each other, owing to the legs of the
passengers on either side being placed across, and more or less crossing each
other from side to side. Now, according to the improved construction of
omnibusses, the passengers' seats are along the centre of the omnibus, and the
passengers on the two seats set back to back with their faces respectively
towards either side of the omnibus, and to facilitate the passing of passengers
from one end of the omnibus to the other, there are hand rods or rails
on each side of the omnibus, by which a passenger can hold whilst
walking from one part to the other, and by this means more readily pass
passengers who are sitting on the single seat, and the passenger will be less
inconvenienced in passing, owing to having only to avoid treading on one row
in place of two rows of passengers' feet more or less crossing from side to side,
as results from the present construction of omnibusses. I apply two bells, one
on each side of the omnibus; with suitable tassels, by which any passenger can
indicate a desire to communicate with the conductor without the disagreeable
inconvenience of having to call out, with the chance of not being heard in
passing along paved streets.
In order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a back view of an omnibus constructed according to the Inven-
tion. Figure 2 is a transverse section of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section of the side of the omnibus, in order to shew the arrangement of
apparatus and tassels, by means of which any passenger can indicate a desire
to communicate with the conductor. a, a, are the passengers' seats affixed in
the centre of the omnibus, 6 being a partition, which may ascend to the roof
and completely divide off the omnibus into two compartments, or the partition
may only rise just above the position to which the heads of the passengers
will come. c, c, are two doors, which are both hung in a manner to open
away from the wheels and the conductor's step. d is the conductor's step
between the two doors. It will, however, be evident that the doors may be
hung on the sides of the omnisbus, so as to open towards the hind wheels, but
in each case care is to be observed that the doors when open do not interfere

page_text: with the passenger readily stepping from the side of the road or street on to
the step.
e, e, are two strong hand rods or rails affixed on the sides of the
omnibus, by which the passengers hold in passing from one part of the omnibus
to another. It may be remarked, that in addition to the advantages above
noticed, which are obtained by the placing of the seats in the centre and
causing the passengers to sit back to back, there are several others, amongst
which may be mentioned the circumstance of the passengers not having to sit
with their backs to the windows, which at most times causes one of two
inconveniences, either the passengers are too much confined by having all the
windows closed, or else persons sitting with their backs or sides towards open or
partly open windows are liable to take colds. It will be evident that, by
placing the seats according to this Invention, the passengers may with great con-
venience, and in most instances without hazard of taking cold, have one or more
of the windows more or less open in most seasons. ff, are two bells which
are respectively capable of being struck by the levers g, g, which move on
axes, as is shewn in the Drawings; and h, h, are two cords to each bell, con-
sequently, one or other of them will hang within reach of all of the passengers,
and thus enable any passenger, by pulling the cord, to strike a bell when
desirous of communicating with the conductor. i, i, is an iron or strap for
the conductor to hold by when on his steps.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would remark, that I
have not thought it necessary to enter into any description of the construction
of the body of the omnibus, or of its arrangement in respect to the springs and
wheels, as the same forms no part of my Invention, and are well understood
by carriage and omnibus builders, and I have only thought it necessary in the
Drawing to show so much of an omnibus as will enable me to describe my
Invention, and such parts may be arranged according to the judgment and
taste of the builder; and I have only further to remark, that in order to make
an omnibus as convenient as possible I prefer to widen the body from one to
But what I claim as my Invention is, the mode herein described
of constructing omnibuses by dividing them each into two compartments, and
having two rows of seats so placed in the centre as to cause the passengers on
the different seats to sit back to back, as above described.
two feet.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Francis Richardson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and forty.
HENRY FRANCIS (L.s) RICHARDSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of June, in the year
of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Henry Francis Richardson came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification.
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty.