US515588A - Safety attachment for street-cars - Google Patents

Description

v improved safety device.

UNITED STATES ATnNT einen.

HENRY A. HOVVE, OF ALBION, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND JOSEPH NOR- VOOD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,588, dated February 27, 1894.

Applicationled August 26, 1893. Serial No. 484.089. (No model.)

T a/Z whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. Howe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albion, in the county of Orleans and State ofl New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Attachments for Street- Cars, of which the following is aspeciiication.

Street cars operated by electricity or cables have heretofore been the cause of many serious accidents both of 'life and limb, and with a view of overcoming this danger, safety attachments have been hinged to the lower edges of the platforms and adapted when not in use to fold over against t'ne dash board and their outerf ree edge was supported when iu use by rollers running upon the pavement. These rollers are objectionable because in running around a curve they are liable t0 be broken o by the sidewise movement or to cause the safety device to be bent or injured.

My improvements relate to a safety device that is pivoted to the car platform and supported by the pivot bolts and bears against yielding devices adjacent to said pivots which permit the safety device to be carried in air above the track and without the use of rollers. These yielding devices lessen the jar received by a person in falling upon the safety device and I also provide a yielding edge to the safety device to lessen the force of the blow or concussion between the object struck and to the safety device.

I prefer to construct my safety device as an integral suspended platform.

In the drawings Figure l is a plan of my Fig. 2 is a side elevation and partial section. Fig. 3 shows a modification iu the pivotal fastening of the safety device to the car platform. Fig. 4 shows by a cross section a modified construction of the edge or rim of the safety device, and Fig. 5 is a cross section at the line w :r of Fig. 1.

A. represents part of the car platform, B the end sill and c c brackets with T ends connected therewith,

The safety device consists of a metal frame composed of the bar ct and the downwardly bent and rounded bar b riveted to the ends of the bar c, and forming the curved front edge of the frame. The bar h as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is of L angle iron,butatube h2 as shown in Fig. i is equally available.

A lattice work c2 is fitted within the frame of bars, a, b, and is Asecured thereto at .its edges in any desired manner. This lattice work may be of any suitable materialsuch as wire or rope, netting or canvas or rubber fabric secured around the edge is available instead of the metal lattice work. The notched face of the L. angle iron bar ZJ is placed outward and receives an l. shaped strip of rubber d which is made with rounded edges and is secured to the bar b by bolts 2 at intervals. The edges of this rubber strip extend beyond the respective edges of the metal bar h so as to prevent a person struck by or falling upon the safety device coming against the metal edge and also to lessen the shock or concussion and prevent a person from slipping olf. Upon the back of the bar c are secured auxiliary brackets e e', that are perforated and the outer ends of the brackets c c are also perforated and bolts 5 passing through the perforations connect the safety device pivotally to the brackets. The auxiliary brackets e e' have horizontal flanges secured by rivets to the plate d, and outer faces that stand perpendicular toward the car platform.

The brackets c c are each provided with sockets formed by the back plates 6, bottom plates 7 and side plates 8. Each side plate S is inclined in relation to the bracket plate so as to produce a tapering opening or socket in the bracket. Two buffer blocks of rubber ff of trapezoidal cross section are received into said sockets and their meeting ends at 10, are inclined, and bearing against their outer or exposed faces are the vertical faces of the auxiliary brackets e e and the safety device as supported by the pivot bolts 5 rests against the rubber buffer blocks ff', and thereby the safety device is yieldingly carried in air with its free outer edge slightly above the track and street pavement and this safety device yields and swings on the pivot bolts 5 if it comes in contact with any object. It is preferable to make these rubber buffer blocks ff of different degrees of softnessfthe upper one being of softer rubber than the lower one which carries most vof the Weight of the safety device and these blocksy of rubber yield with the Weight of a person' 'when desired the blocksf can be pulled out of their'sockets and the safety device turned up against the ear. This is advantageousin storing the cars in a car house.

Toobviate the necessity of removingy the rubber buifer blocks and as shown in Fig. 3 I may place the buffer block sockets on the saine sides of the brackets c c as seen in Fig. 3 and employ a rod t' extending all across the back of the safety device to pivot it tothe brackets. IVith this construction the nut K can be loosened and run along the rod t' and the rod and safety device slid endwise until the auxiliary brackets e c are clear of the bu'er blocks and their sockets so that the safety devicecan be readily turned up against the dash board. I have shown and prefer to employthe rubber buffer blocks but it is obviousthat springs or equivalent yielding devices can be employed.

I claim as my invention- 1.111 a safety device for streetl cars,`the

combination with4 supporting brackets upon the car platform, of a safety guard having a back bar a. a bar b. connected therewithand extending down and across and forming the sides and front, awrubber rim d or cushion upon the outer faces of the bar b. andconnected therewith, and a lattice c2. or filling between the bars a. Z2. and pivots for connecting the safetyguard to the brackets, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a safety device for street cars, of the brackets c. c connected to the platform, auxiliary brackets c e upon the safety device and bolts for pivotally connecting,` the said brackets in supporting the safety device and rubber buffer blocks or equivalent yielding devices connectedto` the brackets c. c. and against whichthe auxiliary brackets bear in yieldingly carrying the safety device in air substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with asafety device'for street cars, of the brackets c c connected to the platform, the auxiliary brackets c ecounected to the safety device, the bolts for pivotally connecting the said `brackets in supporting the safety device, there being sockets upon the sides of the brackets c. c and rub# ber buffer blocks f f received in such sockets substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed this 28d day of August, A. D. 1893.

HENRY A. HOI/VE.

Witnesses:

Guo. T. PINCKNEY, HAROLD SERRELL.

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