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Description: |
| Most of the patents prior to 1836 were lost in the Dec. 1836 fire. Only about 2,000 of the almost 10,000 documents were recovered. Little is known about this patent. There are no patent drawings available. This patent is in the database for reference only.
“Were we writing for southrons only, who are acquainted with tobacco rolling, we should compare this carriage, in its structure and operation, to a hogshead of tobacco, prepared for rolling; requesting at the same time, to be freed from the suspicion of intending to disparage an invention in which much ingenuity and skill are displayed, by using a homely comparison. The carriage is a cylindrical body, which may have an axis passing through it, or gudgeons affixed to, and projecting from, its ends, for the purpose of drawing it. The wheels are iron rims placed around the cylinder so as to encompass it like hoops; these stand at a proper distance from each other, to run upon the rail; they are provided with flanches, or have their faces finished in any form suitable to the rail upon which they are to run. In the inside of the cylinder may be stowed boxes, barrels, bales, or other goods to be transported. When bars of iron, lumber, or other articles of considerable length have to be carried, the traction is performed in a different way.
the carriage is then a hollow cylinder, not furnished with ends; the iron bars, boards, or plank, are passed entirely through it, and, of course, do not admit the employment of an axle, or gudgeons. In this case an endless rope is passed round the middle of the cylinder, which is furnished with double rows of pegs to form a groove, or checks, to retain the rope, or band, in its proper place. This rope also passes over a pulley, which is attached to the horse, or other drawing power, so as to work like the large and small wheels of a lathe with their bands. Two, three, or more cylindrical carriages may be made to follow each other, when connected by bands in the same way.
Under this arrangement it is evident that whatever is carried, must roll with the carriage, but in transporting some kinds of goods, and particularly in carrying persons, this would, to say the least of it, be very inconvenient. To obviate this objection, a second cylindrical body is placed inside of the first, and is made sufficiently small to revolve within it. This is suspended upon the axis, or gudgeons, and is weighted on one side, so that whilst the outer cylinder rolls upon the road, the inner one will not revolve with it. It is proposed sometimes to make this suspension by the agency of friction wheels, so as to leave but little more friction than that which results from the rolling of the carriage. The patentee says: What I claim is the use of a cylinder, or other volume of revolution, on a rail-way, as a carriage, or vehicle for transportation.
I also claim as my invention the use of the endless rope in the manner above described, for progressive motion. By means of this use of the cylinder and traction rope, friction is saved, or avoided, to a greater degree than by any machine now known. The traction rope may be employed separately from the cylindrical rail-way carriage, in any other machine where similar progressive motion is required.”
Journal of the Franklin Institute Vol. 5, Aug. 1829 pgs. 121-122
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