IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES AND VESSELS BY MEANS OF ROPES OR CHAINS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES
AND VESSELS BY MEANS OF ROPES OR CHAINS."-A communication from
abroad by Charles Thompson Harvey, of Tarrytown, in the State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 6th November 1866, and dated the 31st May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st May 1866.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN PRO-
PELLING CARRIAGES AND VESSELS BY MEANS OP ROPES OR CHAINS," to be as
follows:-
The Invention relates to various improvements, one of which consists of an
improved method of using a rope or chain for propelling cars or other bodies
upon railways when combined with stationary, steam, or other motive power.
In this part of the Invention wire or other rope or a chain is used inside of a
series of guiding plates or cable guides, which may have also on their interior
surfaces projections or "friction slides" (so called), or antifriction rollers, or
both, for the purpose of reducing the surface exposed to the friction of the
A

page_text: passing rope or chain, and the attachments thereof, the rope or chain having
as attachments thereto a series of bulbs or heads or rounded projections made
in or connected with the same at regular intervals. These heads or pro-
jections are intended to receive the friction or wear from the motion com-
municated to the rope or chain, and to protect the rope or chain therefrom,
and they may be designated as "ferrules," and those which connect portions
of the rope or chain together as "jointed ferrules." These ferrules are each
surrounded by an outer adjustable ring to receive friction, designated herein
"friction rings." Antifriction rollers are placed between the guide plates at
or near their lower edges at suitable intervals for the purpose of supporting
the chain or cable as it runs along, and also for holding up any slack therein,
and preventing it from falling down below the plates that compose the cable
guide. The same provision is made when the cable guide is formed of a
grooved rail or block with openings at the bottom of its groove for the escape
and removal of dirt, the bottom of the groove therein being provided with
antifriction rollers placed at sufficient intervals, both to support the propelling
chain or cable and to prevent the same from falling below the guide, and also
to afford antifriction bearings or surfaces for the chain or cable to move over
when it reaches or hangs down, as when the chain or cable is slack down to
the bottom of the groove.
Another part of the Invention consists, among other things, of a coupling
clutch for connecting the truck or body of a car or other vehicle at pleasure
to a propelling cable without violent shocks or jars, the clutch being in this
example adapted to be used with a cable guide like that herein-after described
and being here shown applied to the truck of a railway car, although it is
applicable also to all forms and kinds of vehicles, whether intended for
railways or for common roads, and also to the trucks of agricultural machines,
and also for towing vessels.
Another part of the Invention relates to an improvement in drawbridges for
street crossings, of that kind of clevated railways in which the propelling
power is transmitted to a car or other vehicle through a moving rope, cable, or
chain.
The essential features of novelty in the Invention are the following, viz :-
The use in connection with a railway of one or more continuous cable guides
(made of grooved rails or blocks, or of separate plates) independent of the
rails, but parallel with them, for holding and guiding a propelling rope or
chain. These cable guides or plates have one or more openings in or between
them, which allow of the insertion of a clutch or clamp to connect a car
to such rope or chain, and which openings also allow of the egress or removal

page_text: of injurious accumulations. With these guide plates or cable guides there
are friction slides or projections, as before mentioned, for the purpose of
preventing the cable being exposed to undue friction. The heads or ferrules
are connected with the propelling rope or chain; and aro made with joints
either rigidly secured or flexible, or they may be either, made adjustable
on the rope or chain, and with elastic connections; or they may be per-
manently fastened thercon. With the ferrules and rope or chain afore-
mentioned are combined adjustable friction rings. A clutch made of one
or more pieces is used for coupling the car or vehicle to the cable, which
moves in a guide or between plates parallel with but independent of the
rails of the railway. That part of the clutch which engages the cable is
jointed, so that it can be raised clear of the cable guide when required.
There is also a coupling clutch whose divisions swing on the rod on which the
clutch slides, and is provided with springs or their equivaleuts, whereby the
clutch and the vehicle are relieved from sudden shocks when connected to
the moving cable. Pendulous buffers are also used for bringing the clutch
into engagement with the propelling chain or cable. The divisions of the
divided clutch are Linged upon a rod or shaft parallel with the length of the
car or other vehicle to which it is applied. It is also proposed to use a
hollow coupling clutch which slides on a shaft, and connects the car or other
vehicle to the moving cable by embracing or straddling the cable and its
ferrules. An elastic cushion or cushions, or their equivalents, are placed in
the interior of the heads or ferrules of the moving cable when such ferrules
are made in divisions jointed to each other for the purpose of giving a certain
amount of elasticity. That part of the clutch which enters into the cable
guide is made of a conical form, so that when it receives one of the ferrules of
the cable, it lifts it out of frictional contact with such guide.. The ends of the
ferrules of the cable are also made of conical form. When elevated bridges
over roads, canals, or rivers are required they are composed of moveablo
sections, which are mounted on horizontal centres on which they may be
turned or raised vertically by means of racks and pinions to form openings for
carriages or vessels to pass through. The bridge for an elevated railway is
placed on hollow posts through which the shafts for opening the bridges and tbe.
cables for propelling the cars are passed; both sections of the bridge are
opened at the same time by means of the same shaft, on the ends of which
are toothed wheels for actuating the gearing of each section or division of the
bridge.
Another feature of the Invention consists in detaching a car from the

page_text: "
with the cable away from the cable, and if necessary entirely out of the guide
in which the cable moves, by means of a lever pivoted to the under side of the
car, and actuated by a dog placed on the track or on the cable guide near the
place where the disconnection is to be made, as, for instance, in approaching
a bridge crossing.
Another feature consists in providing two or more cable guides for a track
either between the two rails or outside of them, so as to have two cables,
whereof one may be moved at a slow rate and the other at a faster rate of speed,
thereby enabling a conductor to vary the rate of speed of the car according to
the time table, whether he be behind or ahead of his time. The supporting
posts are hollow, and they therefore enable the cables and the vertical shafts
to be concealed from view, and to be protected from injury, the cables being
guided by pulleys properly placed both in the posts and at other suitable
points.
Another feature consists in making elastic beds in the bottoms of the
grooves of the driving pulleys, and of the other pulleys over or around which
the cables are passed, so as to relieve the ferrules or heads on the cables from
undue strain when passing over the pulleys, and of preventing the ends of the
beads or ferrules from chafing or breaking the cables at such times by turning
too sharp an angle. This provision allows the ferrules to sink in the
grooves of the pulleys as they pass around. The ferrules referred to are the
heads or flanges on the cables with which the clutch or arm from the car
comes in contact, when the car is to be put in connection with the cable.
Another feature of the Invention consists in making the ferrules or beads
on the cable in two or more divisions connected to each other by universal
joints, so as to be flexible in every direction.
Another feature consists in arranging a cable for propelling street cars to
make the same cable move or propel cars in contrary directions at the same
time by operating on opposite sides of the same street, or in one direction in
one street, and in the contrary direction in a parallel or other street. This is
accomplished by turning the cable at the end of its course in each direction
beneath the surface of the ground, and bringing it up at the point where its
course is changed. The propelling chain or cable may be made of bars or
rods connected or jointed by a swivel or other joint at their ends, so as to
form a series of links, the places where they are jointed occurring at or within
the heads or ferrules of such chain or cable. This construction will aid in
keeping the body of the chain or cable out of contact with the cable guide in
which it moves, and will cause the friction between the chain or cable and
the guide to be confined to the heads or ferrules. Instead of using a cable

page_text: guide between the rails, the rails themselves of the track may be grooved or
constructed to form a receptacle for the propelling chain or cable. The rails
may be laid upon sleepers on the ground, or may be elevated above the surface
of the ground, and they may be of the usual width as rails now commonly used
for street railways, but instead of having the groove shallow as at present
made, it should be made deep enough to receive and protect the propelling
chain or cable, and the bottom of the groove should be enlarged or widened
to allow the chain or cable to move freely therein. The rail may be rolled of
the proper form in one piece, or it may be composed of more than one piece,
or two rails may be set together so as to form a suitable channel or receptacle
between them for the chain or cable. The coupling device, by means of
which the motion of the cable is communicated to a car or other vehicle, is
preferably attached to the frame of the running gear or to the axle or axles of
the car or vehicle, so that it may be always in the same plane with the
running gear or axle or axles, and not be liable to be moved up or down or
in lateral directions with the body of the car or vehicle when such body is
hung to the runuing gear upon springs. The heads or ferrules and also other
portions of the chain or cable may if desired be provided with antifriction
allors cot in and around them at suitable points.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 RAILWAYS, AND IN PROPELLING

page_text: CARRIAGES AND VESSELS BY MEANS OF ROPES OR CHAINS," being a communi-
cation to me from abroad (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands 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 Edward Newton, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention consists, first, in a new and improved method of using a
rope or chain for propelling cars or other bodies upon railways when com-
bined with stationary, steam, or other motive power. In this part of the
Invention wire or other rope or a chain is used inside of a series of guiding
plates or cable guides, which may have also on their interior surfaces pro-
jection or "friction slides" (so called) or antifriction rollers, or both, for the
purpose of reducing the surface exposed to the friction of the passing rope or
chain..and. the attachments thereof, the rope or chain having as attachments
thereto a series of bulbs, or heads, or rounded projections made in or con-
nected with the same at regular intervals; these heads or projections are
intended to receive the friction or wear from the motion communicated to the
rope or chain, and to protect the rope or chain therefrom, and they may be
designated as "ferrules," and those which connect portions of the rope or
chain together as "jointed ferrules;" these ferrules are each surrounded by an
outer adjustable ring to receive friction, designated herein "friction rings;"
antifriction rollers are placed between the guide plates at or near their
lower edges at suitable intervals for the purpose of supporting the chain or
cable as it runs along and also for holding up any slack therein and pre-
venting it from falling down below the plates that compose the cable guide.
The same provision is made when the cable guide is formed of a grooved rail
or block with openings at the bottom of its groove for the escape and removal of
dirt; the bottom of the groove therein being provided with antifriction rollers
placed at sufficient intervals both to support the propelling chain or cable and to
prevent the same from falling below the guide, and also to afford antifriction
bearings or surfaces for the chain or cable to move over when it reaches or hangs
down, as when the chain or cable is slack down to the bottom of the groove.

page_text: Another part of the Invention consists, among other things, of a coupling
clutch for connecting the truck or body of a car or other vehicle, at pleasure,.
to a propelling cable without violent shocks or jars, the clutch being in this
example adapted to be used with a cable guide like that herein-after
described, and being here shown applied to the truck of a railway car,
although it is applicable also to all forms and kinds of vehicles whether
intended for railways or for common roads, and also to the trucks of agricultural:
machines and to ploughing machines, and also for towing vessels.
Another part of the Invention relates to an improvement in drawbridges
for street crossings, of that kind of elevated railways in which the propelling
power is transmitted to a car or other vehicle through a moving rope, cable,.
or chain.
These several parts or features of the Invention, and the other parts or
features not above enumerated are herein-after more particularly described in
their construction and operation, reference being also had to the accompanying
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation shewing one of the guido
plates or cable guides and friction slides and rollers in position for use; the
guide plates or cable guides enclosing a propelling rope with heads or ferrules
and adjustable friction rings attached thereto. Fig. 1º is a cross section of
the same; Fig. 2 is a side view of the chain or rope, with several ferrules upon
it; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are sectional views of various ferrules attached
to the rope, as will be hereafter explained; Fig. 7 is an end view of one of..
the ferrules; Fig. 8 is a plan of a railway truck, to which the improvement is
applied; Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of the truck on the line, c,
of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a cross section thereof on the line y, y, of Fig. 8, the
clutch Cbeing shown open; Fig. 11 is a like cross section on the line y
(Fig. 8), the clutch C being shown closed; Fig. 12 is a side view of the clutch
detached from the truck; Fig. 13 is a front view of the clutch detached from the
truck; Fig. 14 is a plan view of a drawbridge for a street crossing, made accor-
ding to this Invention; Fig. 15 is a side elevation, in which is shown also
the subterranean chamber, in which is placed the engine or other motor that
operates the bridge to open and close it; Fig. 16 is an end view of the bridge.
In the practical application of this Invention I first construct the longitu-
dinal "guide plates" A, A, Figs. 1 and 1*, supporting them with such frame-
work or device as will hold them firmly in position and continuity; one sido
(usually the upper side) is left open for the purpose of attaching the chain or
rope within to the car or moving body without by means of a clutch grapple,
chain, or other equivalent device for the purpose of making connection. The
reverse or lower side will also be left open, more or less, to permit of the easy

page_text: removal of accumulations of dirt within or between the "guide plates"
referred to. On the interior surface of the guide plates the projections termed
"friction slides," indicated by the letters B, B, B, B, B, B, whether more or
less in number, may be placed either as a part of or an attachment to the
"guide plates" aforesaid, their use being to receive the thrust and friction of
the ferrules during the passage of the chain or cable on their rounded edges,
and thereby reduce the surface that is liable to friction on the interior of the
guide plates, or cable guide, or on the inside of the groove where the cable
guide is made of a line of single rails or blocks to the smallest practicable
amount; these friction slides may be of wood, or of iron, or other metal.
Across the bottoms of the guide plates or cable guides are placed at proper
intervals antifriction rollers or wheels B³, whose peripheries are concave to
conform to the convexity of the heads or ferrules and of the cable; their
office is to support the slack of the cable and to relieve it and the heads or
ferrules of the friction that would be created by their running in contact with
the solid parts or cross braces of the guide plates or cable guide, and also to
prevent the cable and its heads or ferrules from falling through the openings
below. Friction rollers may also be placed at intervals along the sides of
the guide plates or cable guide in the lines of the "friction slides" working in
combination and conjunction with such slides, or such antifriction rollers may
be used instead of such slides. Instead of being made from parallel plates
set opposite to each other, so as to form a channel or passage between them
for the propelling chain or cable, the cable guide may be made of a series of
single rails or blocks, placed end to end, baving a continuous groove of
sufficient depth and size and of a suitable shape to allow the propelling chain
or cable to move within it, and to receive and allow the operation within it of
the coupling clutch or device, by which connection is made between a car or
other vehicle and the cable, such groove being left open above and having
frequent openings below to allow for the escape and removal of dirt and other
obstructions. The bottom of the groove, when the cable guide is made of a
line or series of single rails or blocks, being also provided with antifriction
rollers at suitable intervals apart to sustain the chain or cable and its heads
or ferrules, as above stated, and the sides of the groove being also provided
with "friction slides" or antifriction rollers, or both, to prevent loss of power
from the frictional contact of the cable and its heads or ferrules with the sides
of the groove.
In the chamber or space between the guide plates the endless
or continuous chain or rope C, C, seen in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, is made
to pass, being driven or moved by wheels or other suitable devices connected
to a steam engine or other motor, since the friction and wear of ordinary.

page_text: chain or rope would prevent its economical use, especially at a high rate of
speed, the hreads or ferrules D are introduced to obviate this difficulty; they
are placed at regular intervals to hold up or keep the rope or chain from
coming too much in contact with the guide plates or cable guide when the
rope or chain is in motion, and .also to prevent the rope or chain from being
thrown out of the channel so formed, as above stated, between or in the guide
plates or cable guide, and also to enable a clutch or other coupling device
from a car or other vehicle to grasp or engage the rope or chain, and by
coming up against or around the beads or ferrules maintain a firm hold. The
space between the "friction slides" B, B, B, B, B, B, on the upper edges of
the guide plates and the distance across the opening at the upper edges of said
plates when combined on the two sides of the cable guide thus formed may
be more or less; provided always that the width of the opening is not sufficient
to permit the passage or escape of the heads or ferrules D from the interior
to the exterior of the guide plates, but at the same tinė leaving them con-
siderable freedom of space in the interior passage, enough at all times to
permit of the introduction of a clutch or equivalent between the ferrules and
the interior surface of the "guide plates," permitting the chain and ferrules
to pass through the clutch or equivalent without disturbing or moving it
while inside the guide plates aforesaid.
In constructing the wire or other rope or chain provision is made for breakago
by having a portion of the ferrules D, D, constructed with a screw or other-
wise contrived joint near the centre, as shewn in Fig. 4, the orifice being
enlarged near the centre, the ends of the rope or chain are introduced and
enlarged so as to fill the orifice, and thus become permanently secured to the
two ends of the ferrule. The two ends of the ferrules being screwed or other-
wise fastened together, the rope or chain is thereby connected without
detriment to its intended purpose, and permits the division of the rope or chain
into convenient sections when in use.
Having thus described the jointed ferrule, the peculiar features of the
ordinary ferrule are to be noticed; these are intended to be adjustable in
ordinary cases by being made in longitudinal equal sections, having their.
interior surfaces made rough to cling firmly to the rope and to be held in
place and together by means of rivets or screws, as at M, M, in Figs. 2, 3,
& 7, or the ferrules may be made as a part of the chain itself. To prevent
the rapid wear of the "ferrules" from friction against their larger circum-
ference I introduce an outer shield, intended to be of hardened metal, called
"friction rings," as shown at M' in the Drawings. A groove is made for.
these friction rings in the ferrule, which will hold them firmly when sprung

page_text: ”
into their place, leaving about one-half of their thickness exposed beyond the
outer circumference of the "ferrules." One or more of the "friction rings'
may be attached to each ferrule in the manner described, or otherwise.
The letters A in Figures 8, 9, 10, & 11 indicate the frame of a railway
truck whose wheels rest and run on rails A³. The wheels and rails may be
varied from the form bere shewn at the pleasure of the maker without inter-
fering with the carrying out of this Invention. A is an open cable guide of
the general form and character of that shewn above. It is here placed
centrally between the rails A3, and consequently the clutch C¹ which works in
conjunction with it, and establishes the desired connection between tho moving
cable and the car is placed centrally between the wheels, but both the guide
and the clutch may be placed at one side of such central line if desired. The
clutch is made in two parts, which are brought together after the manner of
a binge, their upper portions L and L' being interlocked and binged so as to
be capable of swinging, and also of sliding end wise on a rod D', whose ends
are firmly and permanently secured in the end rails of the frame of the truck,
or of the body of a car or other vehicle. A spiral spring is placed on the rod
before the clutch, one end coming against the clutch, and the other against
an elliptical spring I placed on the rod next to the cross beam or rail which
forms the forward end of the frame of the car or truck. These springs
constantly press the clutch C¹ towards the rear of the car or truck against
whose rear end it may come when it is disconnected from the cable, and they
receive the shock produced when connection is made with the moving cable
and prevent injury to the vehicle and the apparatus, and also prevent injury
to passengers, or to freight carried on the vehicle. Any other suitable
arrangement of springs may be adopted in connection with the clutch pro-
vided the principle of giving an elastic support or bearing to the clutch is
adhered to. The upper portions L & L' of the clutch C¹ are made longer
than the width for the purpose of giving the clutch sufficient steadiness on the
rod D', and of obtaining the proper degree of strength. At the rear end of
the hinge of the clutch is placed a ring K, which likewise is capable of
moving endwise on the rod D', but is so connected with said rod that it
cannot turn thereon. On the sides of this ring are placed pulleys J, J, in
whose grooves run chaius or cords P, which are fastened at one end to
eyes P¹ on the rear side of the halves of the clutch, their other ends being
taken upward into the body of the vehicle, or to its platform within reach of
the conductor or other person in charge to enable him to raise the clutch out
of the guide A when the car is to be switched on to another track, or when-
ever for any cause the clutch is to be taken out of the guide. In order to

page_text: enable the clutch to be so raised the lower halves are jointed at N below
the binge, the joints being so made as to permit the lower portions of the
clutch to be swung or turned up towards the rear of the car or truck, but not
in the opposite direction as is shewn in Figures 9 and 12. Springs O are
applied to each part of the clutch, with their free ends bearing against the
jointed portions so as to close their joints and keep them in proper position for
acting on the cable whenever they are not pulled upward by the cords. Both
parts of the clutch are made strong, and the lower portions of each are made
nearly semicircular with diameters that diminish toward the front, so that
when the two halves of the clutch are brought together they form nearly a
hollow cone, the lower side being open, and, its wider end being toward the
rear of the car or truck; this wider end is of sufficient diameter to receive
within it the ends of heads or ferrules D, which are placed on the chain or
cable C at suitable distances apart. These ferrules, when jointed ferrules are
used, are double cones united at their bases, the place of their junction being
grooved to receive rings which relieve the ferrules from contact with the sides
of the guido B in which the cable runs as before described. The narrow
end of the clutch is of less diameter than the ferrules, and consequently when
the parts of the clutch are brought together, as shown in Figures 11 and 13,
the clutch will not permit a ferrule to pass through it, and if the cable be in
motion such motion will be imparted through the clutch to the vehicle it is
connected with. Each balf of the clutch is independent of the other, both in
respect to its lateral motion on the hinge L, L, and in respect to the move-
ments on its joint N. When the said halves are allowed to swing apart
they remain in the guide A, and the ferrules D are free to pass between them,
as shown in Fig. 10, so that the movement of the cable need not be inter-
rupted in order to stop the vehicle, or in order to disengage the clutch from
the cable. The clutch is made to engage one of the ferrules by means of
pendulous buffers E, E, consisting of blocks that extend a suitable distance.
on each side of the rod D', so as always to be in readiness to act against the
halves of the clutch whatever its position on the rod D' may be. In this example
the buffers are of an equal length with said rod, and they are suspended by their
ends from the front and rear ends of the frame of the car or truck in such a
manner as to swing on each side of the clutch. The buffers bang vertically
when left to themselves, and in that position they swing clear of the clutch,
which will then be forced open or separated by the ferrule with which it was
engaged, and will continue open to allow the other ferrules of the cable to
pass between them without touching, although its halves remain in the
guide A. The buffers are forced inward to close the clutch, by means of

page_text: cams G fixed on cam shafts, which extend along and outside of each buffer.
The ends of these shafts have their journals in the ends of the frame of the car
or truck, and they are operated or rocked in this example by levers, so as to
move their cams against or away from, the backs of the buffers at pleasure
according as it is desired to bring the clutch into or out of engagement with
the moving cable. In this construction the gravity of the buffers is relied on
to cause them to swing away from and relieve the clutch from lateral pressure,
but they may if desired be drawn back by positive means, and the device for
forcing them against the clutch may also be modified in various ways. When
it is desired to switch a car off a track it becomes necessary to raise the
clutch out of the guide A. This is accomplished by means of the joints N,
which permit each half of the clutch to be drawn up separately out of the
guide when the ropes P are pulled by the conductor or other operator. When
the clutch has been raised clear of the top of the guide the car can be
switched off on another track in the same way as on a common railroad track,
the rails being made as high as or a little higher than the top of the guide,
and the switch. being laid across and combined with the guide in a similar
way to that now followed where one track is intersected by another. The
springs for relieiving the vehicle from sudden shocks when it is connected to
the cable may be arranged on the other side of the clutch, in which case they
must be attached both to the frame of the car or truck, or to the rod D¹ and
to the clutch, so that they will draw the clutch in a direction opposite to the
direction in which the cable moves. The springs may be of any suitable form
and character, and material, so as to ensure strength and permanency, and in
case metallic springs are employed the elliptical form will be found advan-
tageous. It will be observed that the division of the clutch permits it to
remain inside of the cable guide while not engaged with the.cable, the cable
being allowed to pass through the clutch when opened while the car is
stationary, or while it is moving at a slower speed than the cable as when
coming to a stop. The buffers act on the clutch at whatever position it may
be on the rod to which it is hinged when they extend the whole length of the
rod D. The jointed ferrules are formed of two distinct hollow conical rings
brought together and connected in any convenient way at their bases by a
joint. Each division of the ferrule is hollowed out at its wider end or base
to receive a rubber or other elastic cushion Q, through whose centre the cable
is passed, as shewn at Fig. 5. The cable has a collar or flange R on it at
the point which comes opposite the middle of the ferrule, so that when its two
conical divisions are brought together the elastic cushions Q will consequently
act as a "head" to connect the ferrule and cable to each other. The ferrule

page_text: has some play on the cable owing to the elastic cushions, which cushions aid in
counteracting the jerk to which a car is subjected when it is started, and also
enables the ferrule itself to receive the shock to which it is subjected with
less liability to injury. A common spiral spring may be used within the
ferrule, as shewn at Fig. 16, in place of the rubber, or both springs and
cushions may be used. Connection may also be established between a cable
moving in a cable guide and a car or other vehicle by means of an arm of
proper form to enter the guide; and be acted on by the ferrules of the cable,
as, for instance, instead of a clutch composed of two parts as above shewn a
forked arm can be substituted which shall be projected into the groove far
enough to embrace the cable C when the car is to be moved, and may be
raised far enough to clear them when the car is to be stopped. It will be
observed that by reason of the conical form of the ferrules and the conical
form of that part of the clutch which enters the cable guide that the ferrulo
which is engaged by the clutch is lifted and held up out of frictional contact
with the sides of the guide while the connection is maintained.;
That part of the Invention which relates to the construction of bridges for
elevated or street railways is illustrated in Figures 14, 15, and 16. In
Fig. 15 is shewn a subterranean chamber S in which is placed an engine a
that turns the shaft b, on which are fixed the driving pulleys 7, 1, (herein-
after described) that drive the cables k, k¹. Above the shaft 6 is a parallel
shaft d, which can be connected with shaft b at pleasure so as to be driven by
it by a system of fast and loose pulleys through a belt c; or the shaft d may:
be kept running and the gearing by which it moves the bridge may be put in
and out of gear by means of clutches. I have here shewn bevil wheels e, e,
on the ends of shaft d, which engage similar wheels e', e, fixed on the lower
ends of upright shafts f, f, which extend upwards above the surface of the
ground, through hollow posts j, which support the sections i, i, of the draw-
bridge, being attached to them by means of joints h, h, upon which they
revolve. The sections i, i, of the bridge resemble triangles in side view,
their vertices being brought together to form the centre of the bridge, and
the bypothenuse of each being at the level of the track of which they are con-
tinuations, consequently their bases are adjacent and connect with the
track T at each side of the bridge. The under sides of the sections i, i, are
of course oblique with respect to the upper side, and to these under sides the
attachment of the joints h, h, are male with the posts j, j, so that the sections
when they are brought down to the position shewn in the Drawing form a
bridge over a street of great strength. The joints h, h, are near the basis of
the sections i, i, and it is intended that the centre of gravity of each section,

page_text: shall be through its joint; m, m, are braces that support the ends of tho
main track and the joints h respectively. From the under side of the sections
extend semicircular racks 9 placed on opposite sides of the posts j parallel
with the track. These racks engage with gear wheels n, n', whereof the one
marked n is fixed on the top of the vertical shaft, the other is loose on a
stud but it gears with the gear wheel n and with one of the racks. From
this construction it is clear that when the vertical shaft f is revolved in the
proper direction the racks 9 will be drawn inward and the sections i, i, of the
idge will be turned upwards so as to open the way in the street for moving
objects. By reversing the movement the sections will be restored to the
position given them in the Drawing. This construction enables me to bring the
track near to the ground comparatively, and yet be able conveniently and easily
to open the bridge of a street crossing when objects of great size are to pass
through a street. The double racks and the arrangement of the two gear
wheels steady the movements of the sections. The cables may be made to
terminate at each side of the bridge, depending on the momentum of a car to
carry it over to the solid track on the other side. The shaft d may be also
operated to open and close the bridge from the surface of the ground by
means of hand power through vertical shafts (not here shown), which may be
connected with the shaft d by bevil gears and be supplied above with cranks
& necessary gear, whose learings may be partly or wholly provided in the
posts j; such vertical shafts may be either in lieu of the belt c and engine or
other motor below or may be additional thereto, to be operated when the
other is disconnected.
Another feature of the Invention, but not represented in the Drawing,
consists in detaching a car from the moving cable by lifting the clutch or
other attachment (which connects the car with the cable) away from the
cable (and, if necessary, entirely out of the guide in which the cable moves)
by means of a lever pivotted to the under side of the car and actuated by a
dog placed on the track or on the cable guide near the place where the
connection is to be made, as, for instance, in approaching a bridge crossing
like that above shewn.
Another feature consists in providing two or more cable guides for a track
either between the two rails or outside of then, so as to bave two cables
whereof one may be moved at a slow rate and the other at a faster rate of speed,
thereby enabling a conductor to vary the rate of speel of the car according to
the time table whether he behind or ahead of his time. This arrangement
is shewn at Figure 14 at p, p, which are two cable guides. In Fig. 15 are
scen two cables k, k, which are moved at different rates of speed by means of

page_text: I
driving pulleys 7, 1', of different diameters. The supporting posts are hollow,
and they therefore enable the cables and the vertical shafts to be concealed
from view and to be protected from injury, the cables being guided by pulleys
properly placed both in the posts and at other suitable points, as partly shewn
in the Drawing.
Another feature consists in making elastic beds in the bottoms of the
grooves of the driving pulleys 1, 1, and of the other pulleys over or around
which the cables are passed, so as to relieve the ferrules or heads on the
cables from undue strain when passing over the pulleys, and of preventing the
ends of the heads or ferrules from chafing or breaking the cables at such
times by turning too sharp an angle. This provision allows the ferrules to
sink in the grooves of the pulleys as they pass around. The ferrules referred
to are the heads or flanges on the cables with which the clutch or arm from
the car comes in contact when the car is to be put in connection with the
cable.
Another feature (not shown in the Drawing) of the Invention consists
in making the ferrules or heads on the cable in two or more divisions
connected to each other by universal joints so as to be flexible in every
direction.
Another feature consists in so arranging a cable for propelling street cars
as to make the same cable move or propel cars in contrary directions at the
same time by operating on opposite sides of the same street, or in one direc-
tion in one street, and in the contrary direction in a parallel or other street.
This is accomplished by turning the cable at the end of its course in each
direction beneath the surface of the ground, and bringing it up at the point
where its course is changed.
The propelling chain or cable may be made of bars or rods connected or
jointed by a swivel or other joint at their ends, so as to form a series of links,
the places where they are jointed occuring at or within the heads or ferrules
of such chain or cable. This construction will aid in keeping the body of the
chain or cable out of contact with the cable guide in which it moves, and will
cause the friction between the chain or cable, and the guide to be confined to
the heads or ferrules. Instead of using a cable guide between the rails, the
rails of the track may be grooved or constructed to form a receptacle for the
propelling chain or cable. The rails may be laid upon sleepers on the ground,
or may be elevated above the surface of the ground, and they may be of the
usual width, as rails now commonly used for street railways; but instead of
baving the groove shallow, as at present made, it should be made deep enough
to receive and protect the propelling chain or cable, and the bottom of the

page_text: •
groove should be enlarged or widened to allow the chain or cable to move
freely therein. The rail may be rolled of the proper form in one piece, or it
may be composed of more than one piece, or two rails may be set together
so as to form a suitable channel or receptacle between them for the chain
or cable.
.
The coupling device, by means of which the motion of the cable is
communicated to a car or other vehicle, is preferably attached to the frame
of the running gear, or to the axle or axles of the car or vehicle, so that it
may be always in the same plane with the running gear or axle or axles, and
not be liable to be moved up or down, or in lateral directions with the body
of the car or vehicle when such body is bung to the running gear upon
springs. The heads or ferrules and also other portions of the chain or cable
may, if desired, be provided with antifriction rollers set in and around them
at suitable points.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me as aforesaid,-
First, the use in connection with a railway of one or more continuous cable
guides made of grooved rails or blocks, or of separate plates, independent of
the rails but parallel with them, for holding and guiding a propelling rope or
chain; these cable guides or plates having one or more openings in or
between them, which allow of the insertion of connecting devices to connect
a car to such rope or chain, and which openings also allow of the egress or
removal of injurious accumulations, as and for the purposes set forth.
Second, I claim the combination and use of friction slides or projections
with the before-mentioned guide plates or cable guides, as and for the purpose
set forth.
Third, the heads or ferrules connected with the propelling rope or chain,
whether such heads or ferrules are made with joints rigidly secured or flexible,
or whether they are made adjustable on the rope or chain and with elastic
connections or permanently fastened thereon, as set forth.
Fourth, the combination and use of the adjustable friction rings (so called)
with the ferrules and rope or chain before-mentioned, as set forth.
Fifth, a clutch made of one or more pieces for coupling a car or vehicle to a
cable, which moves in a guide or between plates parallel with but independent
of the rails railway, as set forth.
Sixtb, I also claim jointing that part of the clutch which engages the cable,
so that it can be raised clear of the cable guide, as set forth.
Seventh, I also claim a coupling clutch, whose divisions swing on the rod

page_text: on which the clutch slides in combination with springs or their equivalents,
whereby the clutch and the vehicle are relieved from sudden shocks when
connected to a moving cable, as set forth.
Eighth, I also claim the pendulous buffers for bringing a clutch into
engagement with a propelling chain or cable when the clutch is made in two
or more parts, as described.
Ninth, I also claim the cam shafts and their cams G in combination with
the buffers E, as shewn.
1
Tenth, I also claim hinging the divisions of a divided clutch upon a rod or
shaft parallel with the length of the car or other vehicle to which it is applied,
as described.
Eleventh, I also claim the use of a hollow coupling clutch, which connects
a car or other vehicle to a moving cable, by embracing or straddling the cable
and its ferrules in combination with a shaft on which it slides, as described.
Twelfth, I also claim placing an elastic cushion or cushions or their equi-
valents in the interior of the heads or ferrules of a moving cable, when such
ferrules are made in divisions jointed to each other, as described.
Thirteenth, I also claim giving a conical form to that part of the clutch
which enters into the cable guide, so that when it receives one of the ferrules
of the cable it lifts it out of frictional contact with such guide.
Fourteenth, I also claim making the ends of the ferrules of the cable of
conical form.
Fifteenth, I claim the elevated bridge composed of sections i, i, made and
operated as described.
Sixteenth, I also claim placing a bridge for an elevated railway on hollow
posts through which the shafts for opening the bridge and the cables for
propelling the cars are passed.
Seventeenth, I also claim the use of the racks g for opening the bridge.
Eighteenth, I also claim the arrangement and devices above shewn for
opening both sections of the bridge at the same time and by means of the
same shaft.
Nineteenth, I also claim separately and also in combination those features
of the Invention described in the latter part of the present Specification, and
relating to detaching the car from a moving cable, adapting guides to the
truck between the rails so as to have two cables, providing the grooves of the
pulley with some elastic substance, constructing the ferrules in two parts,
lastly, applying the cable to propel two trains in opposite directions.
Twentieth, I also claim opening and shutting the bridge by means of

page_text: vertical shafts operated by hand or other power above, and running down to
connect with shaft d below the surface of the ground, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)