IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS FOR DRAUGHT ANIMALS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS FOR DRAUGHT ANIMALS."
-A communication from abroad by David Waldhauer, of the City
jས ;
Sealed the 29th April 1870, and dated the 4th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th December 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS
FOR DRAUGHT ANIMALS," a communication, to be as follows
This Invention relates to certain improvements in that portion of
harness which connects the draught pole or thill and the whiffletree or
singletree to the draught animal.

page_text: The said Invention consists in a grooved metallic sleeve fitted on the
draught pole or thill, and connected to the draught animal by means of
a clamp, which is attached to the girth or body band and to the saddle
in such a manner that the draught animal can be readily connected and
disconnected, and that the draught pole or thill is protected against wear
from the belts usually employed to form the connection between the
The said sleeve is
draught pole or thill and the draught animal.
provided with a recess to receive the end of a metallic trace or draught
bar in such a manner that the said draught bar is held firmly in con-
nection with the sleeve as long as the said sleeve is attached to the pole
or thill, but as soon as the sleeve is withdrawn from the pole or thill it
disconnects autonatically from the draught bar or trace. The rear end
of each trace is provided with a button' and works is an oblong slot in a
bracket or lug attached to the whiffletree or singletree, so that the said
tree is not obstructed in its oscillating motion; the shaft band works in
one or more loops attached to the body band, so that by pulling on one
side both clamps can be tightened, and the operation of harnessing up
is simplified. The whiffletree is attached to the thill or pole by a
movable catch, which can be released by pulling a cord or strap from
the driver's seat, and if the whiffletree is released the sleeves are with-
drawn from the pole or thill, and the draught animal detaches himself
from the pole or thill. The saddle is attached to the horse or dranght
animal by a girth or belly band. To the saddle are connected two
belts, one on each side, and from these belts are suspended the clamps.
These clamps are constructed each with two semicircular jaws, which
turn on a common pivot, and from each jaw extends an arm provided
with a loop; the arm of the upper jaw is connected with one of the
aforesaid belts, and the arm of the lower jaw with another belt, which
is secured in the buckles attached to another belt that slide in one or
more loops secured to the girth. By pulling the belt secured to the
buckles on one side of the horse both the clamps close and are made to
catch in a sleeve which slides loosely on the draught pole or thill. This
sleeve is provided with two or more different circular grooves to receive
the clamp, so that the harness can be adjusted for draught animals of
different sizes. The pivots of the clamps may be provided with loops
for the breeching, although with this improved harness no breeching is
required. The sleeves are provided with projections, which when the
sleeves are in position are situated close under the pales of the thill, and

page_text: .
each of which is provided with a recess to receive the T-shaped end of
the metallic trace or draught rod; as long as the sleeve is on its pole
the trace is firmly locked in the recess. The rear ends of the metallic
traces pass through oblong slots in lugs secured to the ends of the single-
tree, and the said traces are provided with heads to prevent their being
drawn out of the said lugs. The singletree is connected to the pole or
thill by means of a catch so arranged that it can be thrown open by
pulling a belt or cord from the driver's seat. If the catch is operated
the singletree becomes detached, and the horse may be detached from
the metallic traces, and all danger is avoided if the horse should become
frightened or unmanageable. The horse on being detached does not
carry anything except the harness.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd June 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT. LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 HARNESS FOR DRAUGHT ANIMALS," a communication to
me from abroad by David Waldhauer, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators,

page_text: and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing making a part of this Specification:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in that portion of
harness which connects the draught pole or thill and the whiffletree or
singletree to the draught animal.
The said Invention consists in a grooved metallie sleeve fitted' on the
draught pole or thill, and connected to the draught animal by means of
a clamp, which is attached to the girth or body band and to the saddle
in such a manner that the draught animal can be readily connected and
disconnected, and that the draught pole or thill is protected against wear
from the belts usually employed to form the connection between the
draught pole and thill and the draught animal. The said sleeve is
provided with a recess to receive the end of a metallic trace or draught
bar in such a manner that the said draught bar is held firmly in con-
nection with the sleeve as long as the said sleeve is attached to the pole
or thill, but as soon as the sleeve is withdrawn from the pole or thill it
disconnects automatically from the draught bar or trace. The rear end
of each trace is provided with a button and works in an oblong slot in a
bracket or lug attached to the whiffletree or singletree, so that the said
tree is not obstructed in its oscillating motion. The shaft band works in
one or more loops attached to the body band, so that by pulling on one
side both clamps can be tightened, and the operation of harnessing up
is simplified. The whiffletree is attached to the thill or pole by a
movable catch, which can be released by pulling a cord or strap from
the driver's seat, and if the whiffletree is released the sleeves are with-
drawn from the pole or thill, and the draught animal detaches himself
from the pole or thill.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of this Invention as applied to a
horse; Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same, the line x, x,
Figure 1, indicating the plane of section; Figure 3 is a similar section
of the clamp and sleeve detached; Figure 4 is a plan or top view of the
sleeve and metal trace detached; Figure 5 is a detached front view of
the singletree; Figure 6 is a transverse section of the singletree,
showing the detached mechanism.
A represents the saddle, which is attached to the horse or draught
animal by a girth or belly band B. To the saddle are connected two
belts a, one on each side, and from these belts are suspended the
clamps b. These clamps are constructed each with two semicircular
jaws, which turn on a common pivot, and from each jaw extends an
arm provided with a loop; the arm of the upper jaw is designed to
connect with the belt a, and the arm of the lower jaw to connect with
a belt c, which is secured in the buckles d attached to a belt that slides
in one or more loops secured to the girth B. By pulling the belt con
one side of the horse both the clamps close and are made to catch in a
sleeve C which slides loosely on the draught pole or thill D. This
sleeve is provided with two or more different circular grooves to receive
the clamp, so that the harness can be adjusted for draught animals of
different sizes. If the belt or shaft band c instead of being made to
slide through a loop on the girth was firmly secured to said girth, the
clamps 6 could only be closed by tightening the shaft bands on both
sides and the operation of harnessing the horse would be more com-
plicated and troublesome. The pivots of the clamps 6 are provided with
loops to attach the breeching, if it is desired, although it must be
remarked that with this improved harness no breeching is required.
The sleeves C are provided with projections f, which when said sleeves
are in position are situated close under the poles of the thill, and each
of which is provided with a recess g to receive the T-shaped end of the
metallic trace or draught rod h. If one of the sleeves is drawn out
beyond its pole it drops down and becomes disconnected from its metallic
trace, but as long as the sleeve is on its pole the trace is firmly locked
in the recess g. The rear ends of the metallic traces pass through

page_text: .
oblong slots in lugs i secured to the ends of the singletree F, and they
(the metallic traces) are provided with heads j, so that they cannot be
drawn out of the lugs i. By providing said lugs with oblong slots the
singletree is not obstructed in its oscillating motion. The singletree F
is connected to the pole or thill by means of a catch k of any suitable
construction, and so arranged that it can be thrown open by pulling a
belt or cord from the driver's seat. If the catch is operated the single-
tree F becomes detached, and as the horse pulls the sleeves C are drawn
out beyond the thill, so that they drop down and thereby the horse is
detached from the metallic traces, so that all danger is avoided if the
horse should become frightened or unmanageable. The horse on being
detached does not carry anything with him except the harness, and he is
not liable to become injured by the traces or other parts flapping round
his legs.
By this arrangement the construction of the parts which form the con-
nection between the thill and the draught animal is materially simplified,
and the operation of attaching and detaching the draught animal is
rendered easy, and further more provision is made for a safety attach-
ment, whereby the draft animal can be readily and instantaneously
detached in case of danger.
: Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,-
First. The clamps 6 attached to the saddle and supporting the shafts,
substantially as described.
Second. The sleeve C working on the shaft in combination with the
clamps 6, substantially as set forth.
Third. The projections f on the sleeve in combination with metallic
traces or draught rods, substantially as described.
Fourth. The oblong slots in the lugs of the whiffletree, to operate in
combination with the metallic traces or draught rods, substantially as
set forth.
Fifth. The arrangement of two or more loops on the saddle band, for
the shaft band to work in combination with the clamps b, substantially
as described.

page_text: Sixth. The detaching catch k in combination with the whiffletree,
the metallic traces, and sleeves C, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
J. TEARE,
Clerk to Mess. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings,
London.