FACILITATING THE TURNING OF FOUR-WHEELED CARRIAGES, AND BRINGING THE FRONT NEARER TO EACH OTHER, ENTITLED THE 'CASTER AXLE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Gordon, Clerk, of Strangford,
in the County of Down, for the Invention of "FACILITATING THE
TURNING OF FOUR-WHEELED CARRIAGES, AND BRINGING THE FRONT AND
Scaled the 31st May 1853, and dated the 27th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick
Gordon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 27th December 1852.
I, JOHN FREDERICK GORDON, Clerk, of Strangford, in the County
of Down, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"FACILITATING THE TURNING OF FOUR-WHEELED CARRIAGES, AND BRINGING
THE FRONT AND HIND WHEELS NEARER TO EACH OTHER, ENTITLED THE
'CASTER AXLE,'" to be as follows:-
The front wheels (instead of being made to revolve on the arms
on one solid axle, continued through the naves of the wheels, &
this axle made to turn at one point, as is the mode adopted at
present) have each distinct axles, also have each distinct turning
points, whence the name "caster axle" is adopted.
The arms of these distinct axles are (immediately on emerging

page_text: from nave at back) formed into a circle, & broken off & caught
between two circular jaws of a middle solid axle, which thus
connects & supports the arms firmly & rigidly, while at same
time the arms are made capable of turning at the centre point
of the circular jaws, by which means the front wheels can be
set back considerably, & the turning of the carriage with safety
is facilitated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said John Frederick Gordon, in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 27th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN FREDERICK GORDON, Clerk, of Strangford, in the County of
Down, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said John Frederick Gordon, Her
special licence that I, the said John Frederick Gordon, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Frederick Gordon, 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 law-
fully 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 "FACILITATING THE TURNING OF FOUR-WHEELED CAR-
RIAGES, AND BRINGING THE FRONT AND HIND WHEELS NEARER TO EACH OTHER,
ENTITLED 'THE CASTER AXLE,'" upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Frederick Gordon, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer
tain 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
inmediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Frederick Gordon, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 annexed (that is to say):
My Invention has for its object the facilitating the turning of
four-wheeled carriages, and bringing the front and hind wheels
nearer each other, whereby the draught is rendered easier, and the
liability to accident in turning sharp curves is much reduced, if not
entirely obviated. According to my Invention, the front wheels of
the vehicle, instead of being mounted on a single solid axle made
to turn about its centre lengthwise, have each distinct axles, and
also distinct turning points; and hence the name caster axle "
is adopted.
Figure 1, of the Drawings annexed, is a side view of a carriage
fitted with my caster axle for the front wheels.
Figure 2, is an end view shewing the axle and fittings in connec-
tion therewith; and
Figure 3, is a plan of the same.
Figure 4, is a plan of the axle detached. A, is the body of the
carriage; B, the hind axle; C, C, the hind wheels; and D, D, the
hind springs; E, E¹, is the front axle, or "caster" axle, the con-
struction of which admits of the front wheels F, F, being brought
much nearer to the hind wheels than usual, and almost immediately
under the backmost part of the driver's seat as seen in Figure 1.
The centre part E, of the caster axle is perfectly rigid, and of the
strength of which carriage axles are generally made. At each end
of the part E, is formed a circular plate e, which is slotted out so
as to form jaws, between which the circular portions of the axle
arms E¹, E¹, are inserted. These arms are secured in the jaws by
centre pins f, which act as pivots or centres, on which the axle
arms can turn freely. The wheels F, F, are mounted on the axle
arms E, E, in any convenient manner coinmonly practised for that

page_text: purpose. G, G, are the front springs, which are bolted at bottom to
the stay or bridge G₁, the ends of which are bolted to the arms
or stays g,, projecting from the circular portions of the axle
arms E, E. H, H, are bars attached to the upper bearing surfaces
of the springs G, G. I, is a cross rail extending from side to side,
and connecting the bars H, H, at their back ends, being attached
thereto by pins h, h, on which the springs G, G, axle arms E', E¹,
and wheels F, F, move when the carriage is turned. K, is a second
cross rail, by which the front ends of the bars H, H, are connected
so as to be moved simultaneously and parallel to each other. Above
the bar or cross rail I, is another rail J, having a circular plate L', at
the centre. The rail J, is fixed to the cross rail I, by bolts passing
through the end blocks i, i, which raise it sufficiently to allow the
centre piece L, of the frame M, to which the draught bar is attached,
to move freely between the two surfaces. The centre piece L, is
pinned between the rails I, and J, by a centre bolt N, which con-
nects the whole arrangements to the carriage body, and is also
pinned to the cross rail K, by a bolt O. When the carriage is
drawn by a single horse, a pair of shafts is attached to the draught
bar, and when by two, a pole is employed, which is fixed in the
usual manner. It will be seen by this arrangement, that when the
carriage is being turned the springs will be moved simultaneously
in either direction, and being connected to the axle arms E¹, E¹, as
before described, the axle arms and front wheels F, F, will also
be moved in the same direction and parallel to each other, the axle
arms moving on the centre pins f,f, in the jaws of the central solid
axle E. The arrangement of parts shewn in connection with my
caster axle is a convenient one for many descriptions of carriages, but
may be varied to a very considerable extent according as the fancy of
the manufacturer may dictate. For some descriptions of carriages
a cross rail K, of the form shewn in Figure 5, may be used. The
bolt O, travelling in the curved slot P, instead of passing through
the rail K, in the manner before described, with another bolt tra-
velling in the longitudinal slot R, after passing through the centre
piece L, and pinning it in a place prepared for that purpose. Under

page_text: some circumstances it may be desirable that the front springs should
not turn with the axle arms, but be (like the hind springs) immove-
able fixtures; which can be easily effected by a practical man con-
versant with carriage building.
I do not intend to confine myself to any particular mode of
connecting my caster axle to the front body of carriages, nor to
the exact construction of such axle before described, all that is
essential being that the front wheels should be mounted on axles
or axle arms, having independent centres of motion in a hori-
zontal plane, but so connected together as to preserve the wheels
parallel to each other, whilst the carriage is being turned or being
moved straight forward.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is, the construction of the front axles of four-wheeled carriages
in such manner that each of the wheels mounted thereon shall move
horizontally on independent centres, and at the same time be so
connected as to preserve their parallelism when going straight or
turning, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Gordon, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
TAUN TREDERICK CORDON
JOHN FREDERICK GORDON. (..)