In the invention patented by Mr. Thomas Hill, Jun., of Ashton-under-Line, dated the 10th of May, 1826, that gentleman proposes to construct a steam carriage equally adapted to run upon edge-rails, tram-plates, and the common road. For this purpose he makes the guiding flanges removable at pleasure by the withdrawal of bolts, by which they are connected to the tellies of the wheels. Another equally sagacious invention consists in making the running wheels of the carriage revolve loosely upon a fixed axletree, which, when applied to rail ways, he considers to be a new and useful invention. This is, however, a mis take, as they have been so used, but were abandoned on account of their unsteadiness, and other defective action. A third contrivance is to lock the fore-axle to the perch, to prevent its turning round when upon a railway, by means of a square staple entering loops or eyes. A fourth invention consists in making the rails of tubes instead of solid bars, to save metal, and obtain strength. There are some other trifling appendages or alterations to steam-carriages and railroads, for the description of which we must refer the reader, who may want "further particulars," to the enrolled document.
We have now arrived at that period of our narration, (the 14th of May, 1825,) which, according to Dr. Lardner, "is before all others in point of time," when Mr. Goldsworthy Gurney made his debut in the field of locomotion ; when, by the "original conceptions of his mighty genius" (or the aid of a very large sub scribed capital), he commenced building those steam-carriages, which, after several years' labour of numerous clever workmen, were occasionally brought out of the yard of the factory, and bowled a few yards about the beautiful roads in its vicinity (the Regent's park). Such events, occurring as they did, when there was " no war, but few murders, and parliament up," were a positive trea sure to the newspaper press : hence the columns of the letter were swelled with absurd and puffing accounts of " Mr. Gurney's celebrated invention," and nearly all the world were taught to believe that the important application of steam to locomotion originated with Mr. Gurney. To show such notions were ill-founded, we shall place the exact facts, as we have hitherto done, before the reader, who will judge for himself.
The first patent granted to this gentleman was of the before-mentioned date, and was entitled "a new invented apparatus for propelling carriages on common roads or railways." The specification, which was enrolled in November follow ing, is thus reported in the London Journal of Arts and Sciences, Vol. XIII.
" The mode of propelling carriages on roads and railways, proposed by the patentee, is by the agency of moving legs, or crutches, striking out under the car riage, the lower ends of which legs are intended to bear against the ground as a resistance, and, being forced backwards by the power of machinery, cause the carriage to move forward in the opposite direction. Similar contrivances to this, have been repeatedly suggested. The patentee, therefore, is to be consi dered as merely adopting this plan as one that he considers most convenient; and claims as his invention simply the guide rollers attached to the legs, upon which the carriage moves forward. The annexed figure represents the side of the carriage running upon ordina7 wheels, with the steam-engine by which its propelling legs and other mechanism are to be moved ; a a is the perch or main-beam of the carriage ; b the working cylinder of the steam-engine, which in this instance lies nearly horizontal, and is supported in standards upon pivots ; c is the piston rod of the engine, with a small guide roller running upon the stationary block d. The piston rod is attached by a joint to the vibra ting lever s, from which lever a chain extends over small pinks, let into the block d, and its ends are made fast to the other vibrating lever f ; consequently these two levers acquire reciprocating motions from the action of the piston rod. At the extremity of the crane's neck g, the two oscillating lever. A A are
suspended, and these being respectively attached by connecting rods i i to the levers e and .4 move simultaneously with the last-mentioned levers as the piston of the engine works to and fro. The lower ends of the levers A A are attached by joints to the horizontal rods h 1, and these rods are connected to the sliding blocks which move the legs or crutches m e. The horizontal rods k l, and also the blocks which carry the legs, slide along in rebated grooves, formed in the under side of the perch a, which grooves are represented by dots, and a portion of the side of the perch is removed in the figure, to show one of the blocks o with its rollers within. The black o has small vertical wheels, or anti-friction rollers, by which it is enabled to run freely along the rebate or ledge of the groove ; it ham also small horizontal rollers, to prevent the block from rubbing against the sides of the groove. In the under side of each of the blocks, a pin p is fixed, which is intended to pass through the top of the legs in or n, and a small helical spring is placed upon the pin, and secured by a screw nut, for the purpose of keeping up the top of the leg against the under side of the perch, but yet eft riling gime degree of play. Ety the action of the steam-engine, and the other mechanism connected thereto, the blocks o are made to slide reciprocally to and fro, along the grooves of the perch, in the manner above described ; and supposing one of the legs or crutches to be brought into the situation of m, the foot will take hold of the ground, and remain stationary, while the force of the machinery pressing against it, will cause the carriage to slide forward, and the leg as to assume the utuatioil of a; while a will be advanced into the situation of as, and vice vend. Thus by the reciprocating movements of the machinery, the carriage will be progressively impelled forward by the crutches or legs. In order to turn the carriage round corners or angles in the road, the axle of the hinder wheels is made to move round horizontally, upon a central pin, by means of a strap or other contrivance applied at q. By this and a suitable handle or lever, the conductor guides the course of the carnage in a straight or curved direction. The mechanism by which these blocks and legs are to be moved, may be varied in several ways ; for instance, in place of the levers above described, endless chains or cords may be employed, passed over pullies, and attached to the blocks instead of the rods k L Other parts of the apparatus may likewise be varied in their detail, without affecting the principle." The patentee sets out the particulars of his invention in the following words: "I claim the use of a roller or rollers, wheel or wheels, to the upper ends d my said propellers, re-acting against a straight and smooth rail or plane affixed under and being a part of the carriage, such rail or plane being parallel, or nearly so, to the soles or bottoms of the carriage-wheels, whereby the carriage itself is enabled to be rolled over the upper ends of the said crutches, or feet, by the mechanical power employed." By this claim the patentee sums up the entire of his invention, and it consists of "a roller" applied to the invention of William Brunton, which had many years before been found to be useless. It is still more remarkable, that even the very "roller" or "rollers" were employed by Brunton in one of the modi fications of his machine, as exhibited in FIg. 4 of the specification, and given in Vol. XL. of the Repertory of Arts.