An In- PROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING STEAM CARRIAGES, USEFUL IN THE CONVEYANCE OF PERSONS AND GOODS UPON HIGHWAYS AND TURNPIKE ROADS WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF RAILROADS
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY JAMES, of Coburg Place, Winson Green, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of May, in the fifth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Henry James, His especial licence, that I, the said William Henry
James, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Henry James, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and law fully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in
His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "An In-
PROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING STEAM CARRIAGES, USEFUL IN THE CONVEYANCE
OF PERSONS AND GOODS UPON HIGHWAYS AND TURNPIKE ROADS WITHOUT THE
ASSISTANCE OF RAILROADS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said William Henry Jumes, by un instrument

page_text: in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed. and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
William Henry James. do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof (that is to say):-
My improved method of constructing steam carriages consists in adapting
separate engines to the gear of each of the wheels on which the carriage runs,
instead of actuating them all by one engine as heretofore. These engines are
of small dimensions, and are intended to be worked at high pressure, having
their steam supplied by pipes connected with a boiler or generator situate in
any convenient part of the carriage. By this adaption of distinct engines to
each wheel I am enabled to vary the powers communicated to the respective
wheels, and give to each a motion independent of any of the other wheels, so
as to cause them to turn with different velocities, which is essential in moving
the carriage in curves or turning corners in the road. This is effected by slide
valves or stopcocks opening or closing the apertures through which the steam
passes to the respective cylinders, and these valves are worked either with
levers by the conductor or engineer, or by rods connected to the fore axletree,
which, as it is turned upon its centre, is made to open or shut the slide valve
or stopcocks, as will be further explained.
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing represent the axle and two of the wheels of
a steam carriage, with separate engines attached to each wheel, upon my
improved principle; Fig. 2 is a side view of a carriage so constructed going
upon four wheels; and Fig. 3 is a plan or horizontal view of the same, the
respective parts being referred to by similar letters in all the Figures, a, a,
are the wheels on which the carriage runs, moving loosely upon their axles.
b, b, are the toothed wheels attached to the naves of the carriage wheel.
c, c, are similar toothed wheels attached to the outer extremities of the crank
shafts .d, which are actuated by the ascent and descent of the piston rods in
the cylinders e and f. The teeth of the wheel e take into the teeth of the
wheels b, and by the revolution of the crank shaft rotatory motion is given to
the wheels a, upon which the carriage runs. A boiler or generator of steam is
placed in any convenient situation, perhaps under the axletree, and towards

page_text: the hinder part, from whence steam is passed through the long pipe g, and
through the latteral pipes to the several engines. A stopcock is to be intro-
duced at the joint, or is to form the joint of connection between the long steam
pipe g and the latteral pipes, the turning of which is intended to give a greater
or less supply of steam to the respective engines, and thereby cause them to work
faster or slower, by which means the wheels will be turned respectively with
different velocities, and the carriage consequently made to run in a curved or
circular direction. By this contrivance the guiding of the carriage will be
effected by the turning of the stopcocks, as when a greater supply of steam
is allowed to pass into one engine than into the other that engine will neces-
sarily work faster, and carry the wheel connected to it over a greater surface
of ground, while theother engine, supplied with a diminished quantity of steam
through the contracted aperture of the stopcock, will necessarily move slower,
and carry its wheel over a lesser distance of ground. The working parts, that
is, the rods and levers which move these stopcocks, may be variously con-
structed. I have therefore merely exhibited in the Drawings a contrivance
which appears to me eligible and well suited to effect my object, without
intending to confine myself to that particular construction or mode of working
the stopcocks, my claim of Invention consisting in the adaptation of distinct
steam engines to the respective wheels on which the carriage runs.
The mode of putting this carriage in motionisas follows:-Let the engineer
be placed in the hinder part of the carriage, for the purpose of keeping up the
fire, and the director or stearsman on the box or seat in front; steam at a high
pressure being admitted from the boiler or generator into the pipe 9, it will
pass by the latteral pipes through the steam valves into the cylinders in the
usual way, and raise or depress the pistons therein, by which means the piston
rods will cause the cranks to revolve, and give the rotatory motion to the
toothed wheels, as before described, the crank shafts having excentrics or
tappets which open and shut the induction and eduction passages, and thereby
allow the steam from the latteral pipes to enter the cylinders, and afterwards
to escape therefrom through the hollow axles or other tubes, and along the
outer passage of the pipe g to the chimney. Suppose the axles to stand at right
angles to the main steam pipe or perch, the carriage would necessarily advance
in a straightforward direction; but, in order to guide the carriage round a
corner or curved part of the road, the director must turn the verticle shaft
by means of the horizontal wheel or levers i, which will cause the axle of the
fore-wheels to stand in an oblique angle to the perch, as in Fig. 3, when the
stopcock, communicating from the main steam pipe to the latteral pipes, will
open the aperture wide on one side and contract it on the other, thereby

page_text: giving an increased power to the engine connected to the outer wheel, so
as to make that wheel revolve faster, and a diminished power to the engine
connected to the inner wheel, so as to cause that wheel to revolve slower.
In order to act in a similar way upon the hind wheels, rods h, k, extend
from a lever Zupon the square of the stopcock m, and these being attached
at their reverse ends to a toothed sector n, taking into a toothed wheel o
affixed to the fore axle, whenever the fore axle stands oblique to the perch
the apertures of the stopcock m will admit different quantities of steam
into the two latteral pipes, and consequently the hind wheels will revolve
with different velocities, and thereby conduct the carriage along a curved
track whenever it may be necessary to stop the carriage. That is done by
shutting off the steam, and closing the exit passage. For this purpose a
handle p is placed near the seat of the conductor, who by raising the handle
moves the cranks 9,9, connected to the rods 7,r, and by this means the cocks,
which admits the steam from the boiler into the steam pipe for working the
engines, is closed, and also the cock t, which allowed the steam after quitting
the engine to escape into the chimney. In order to enable the gincer behind
to stop the carriage if necessary, handles are formed to the ander parts of
the rods r,, by which means he can instantly close the steam and exit
under any circumstances, to lock one
passages; and if it should be necessary,
or both of the hind wheels for the purpose of dragging, the small handles r,,
Fig. 3, by being turned, will shut off the steam from either or both of the
engines, and thereby stop the revolution of the hind wheels previously to
putting on a drag.
I have herein described, for the perfect understanding of my Invention, the
general construction and operation of a steam carriage to be actuated upon my
improved principles; but I do not mean to confine myself to this particular
construction or adaptation of parts, as my Invention consists simply and
exclusively inadapting distinct steam engines to the several wheels upon which
the carriage runs, for the purpose of actuating such several wheels independently
of each other, whatever may be the number of wheels so employed, or whatever
may be the construction or position of the steam engines and their appendages
so adapted, or whatever may be the form of the carriage to be propelled.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Henry James, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.
WILLIAM HENRY (L.S.) JAMES.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that ou the Second day of November, in the
year of our Lord 1824, the aforesaid William Henry James came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation 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 Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.