IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES, AND APPARATUS FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF THE SAME;
Year: 1842

page_text: WAKBUKIONS SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WARBURTON, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, 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 Eighth day of September, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Warburton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority that I, the said William Warburton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Warburton, my exccutors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
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 CARRIAGES, AND APPARATUS FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS
OF THE SAME;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said William Warburton, by an instrument 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 Her 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
William Warburton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to. be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):
My improvements in the construction of carriages, and apparatus for
retarding the progress of the same, consist, firstly, in novel and peculiar
constructions and arrangements of the parts of omnibuses for the conveyance
of passengers on ordinary roads, which are particularly designed to shut off
and render private certain parts or compartments of the carriage when
required; and, secondly, an apparatus which is to be attached to omnibuses or
other carriages for the purpose of enabling the conductor to retard the
progress of the same when descending hills or under other circumstances.
These improved omnibuses have three distinct compartments for different
classes of passengers, viz, a saloon at the hinder part to contain the greater
number, a central or private compartment capable of being divided by fixed
or moveable partitions, (if required, into distinct boxes,) and a front compart-
ment called the cabriolet or coupée.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the side elevation of an
omnibus divided into three compartments, as above stated; Fig. 2 is a vertical
section of the same taken longitudinally, shewing the internal construction and
the mode of dividing the carriage into distinct compartments; Fig. 3 is a
vertical section taken transversely through the central compartment of the
carriage; and Fig. 4 a horizontal section or plan view of the carriage, by
which the partitions will be seen, and also the proposed arrangement and form
of the seats, of which there are intended to be accommodation for sixteen inside
passengers. The hinder compartment differs but little from the interior of an
ordinary omnibus, having one door at the back and four seats on each side and
one at the front end. The middle compartment, to hold four persons, I propose
to divide into two parts by a fixed transverse partition reaching from the floor
to the roof, and these may be again divided, if required, by sliding longitudinal
partitions, each reaching from the floor to the roof, to be locked or fastened by
the conductor, when desired, thereby forming four distinct private boxes, each
capable of holding one person, and having a distinct door to each from the
outside. The front compartment, which is partially open, is formed like the
body of a cabriolet, and with inclined flap doors, if required; the driver sitting
upon a seat above contiguous with the roof. The mode of constructing this
vehicle with suitable framings, linings, and ornaments will be understood by
every competent carriage builder, and may be varied according to taste;
I would, however, observe that the fore wheels I prefer making nearly as large

page_text: in diameter as the hind wheels, in order to facilitate the draft, and these will
be allowed to lock under the carriage by the peculiar form of the framing of
its fore part, which is strengthened by bent iron bars or "edge-plates" in the
way commonly practised in building double-bodied carriages.
A, B, C, Figures 2 and 4, indicate the three distinct compartments into which
the carriage is divided: A being the cabriolet part or coupée, B the private boxes,
and C the saloon or hinder part. The coachman's seat a is situated above the
cabriolet part. The private compartment B is divided laterally, as above men-
tioned, by the fixed transverse partition b, b, which is furnished with moveable
shutters c, as seen in Fig. 3. This compartment is again divided laterally by
moveable sliding partitions or shutters d, (see Figures 2 and 4,) which partitions,
if required, may be pushed back into the cases e, e, thereby allowing two friends
to converse with each other. These partitions or shutters may be made either
rigid or flexible, but I prefer to make them flexible, as shewn in the Drawing,
whereby they may with facility be pushed back into the case, in which
operation they are assisted by the spring barrels f, f, as shewn. The shutter,
cases e, e, and spring barrels f, f, may, however, be dispensed with, if thought
desirable, and the flexible shutters pushed back into a recess behind one of the
passengers. g, g, are flexible pipes connected to a main tube h, for the purpose
of communicating with the conductor. The position of these tubes is shewn
by dots in Fig. 4. The compartments B and C are ventilated by the narrow.
longitudinal openings i, i, i, i, which are covered with wire gauze, perforated
zinc, or other metal, or horse-hair or other similar open-worked cloth. By
this means, I am enabled to effect a perfect ventilation, without at the same
time creating a draught, as the current of air in entering the carriage is
divided into a great number of thin streams.
Figures 5 and 6 represent longitudinal and horizontal sections of another
construction or arrangement, in which there is no private compartment; the
cabriolet part or coupée is, however, retained as in the former, and the saloon
or hinder part will hold a greater number of passengers, and each seat is
distinct and divided from the adjoining one by dwarf wicker, or cane work
partitions j. j,j, j. The doors to the saloon are placed in front just behind
the fore wheels, and the conductor stands on a platform k at the back of
the carriage. A check string or communication tube runs along the roof
of the carriage to the conductor, who can speak with any of the passengers by
means of a small opening l.
The second head of my Invention, viz', apparatus for retarding the progress
of carriages in descending hills, is shewn at Fig. 1; it consists of a block of
wood m, which is placed at the back of and attached to one of the splash

page_text: boards or wings n. The iron framing of this splash board is jointed at o, and
its upper end is connected by a joint to the horizontal rod p, the opposite end
of which is connected to the upright hand lever q. This lever turns on a
centre at r, and when moved back by the conductor into the position shewn by
the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the wooden or other block n will be made to bear
against the periphery of the wheel, and thereby retard the progress of the
carriage.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not mean or
intend to claim any of the various parts separately, and which may have been
heretofore known and used; but what I claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the peculiar arrangement or combination of parts, as shewn in the
Drawings.
Secondly, the application of a cabriolet and coupée front, and also the
employment of private boxes to carriages commonly called or known by the
name of omnibuses, and which boxes may be quite private or made to com-
municate, as described.
Thirdly, the method above described of shutting off or rendering private at
pleasure the various compartments of the part B in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4,
by means of fixed, and moveable, rigid, folding, or flexible shutters or partitions.
Fourthly, the retarding apparatus, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Warburton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
C. WILSON.
WILLIAM (L.s.) WARBURTON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Eighth day of March,
in year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Warburton came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Eighth day of March, in the year above written.