Improvement in Speed-Measures. Page: 2 of 3
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
STEPHEN F. MINTON, OF PRAIRIE PLAIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS
RIGHT TO HENRY D. STARR, OF TEXANA, TEXAS.
IMPROVEMENT IN SPEED-MEASURES.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 164,9 1, dSlted June 22, 1875; application filed
July 18, 1874.2o all whom it mazy concern:
Be it known that I, STEPHEN F. M INTON.
of Prairie Plain, in the county of- Grimes andi
State of Texas, have invented a new and val-
uable Improvement in Speeder for Locomo-
tives; and I do hereby declare thatthe follow-
ing is a full, clear. and exact description of the
construction and operation of the same, refer-
cunce being had to the annexed drawings mak-
ing a part of this specification, and to the let-
ters and figures of reference marked thereon.
Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation
of a front view of my speeder for locomotives.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, and
Figs. 3 and 4are detail views of the same.
This invention has relation to means for in-
dicating the degree of speed with which an
engine or train of cars is passing over a rail-
road, and for enabling an engineer to regulate
the speed of his engi n e to conform to the "time"
enjoined by his table, so that he willrun at an
even degree of speed, and be required neither
to "slow down" to save his schedule nor q nick-
en the pace of his engine to make up lost time.
The novelty consists in a spring applied
upon the shaft of the horizontal pulley-wheel
immediately acted upon by the bevel-wheel
upon the shaft, whereby the said shaft will be
allowed endwise play to disengage its lower
cog-wheel from the said bevel-wheel, thus caus-
ing the governor-shaft to cease from being act-
nated, and yet will at all times prevent a cas-
ual disengagement of the said wheels the one
from the other, and will cause a certain and
speedy re-engagement thereof when their con-
nection has been purposely broken.
In the annexed drawings, A designates the
iron axle of an ordinary railway-car or loco-
motive, upon which is removably secured a
suitable cogged bevel-wheel, B. This wheel
is constructed in two sections, and each is pro-
vided with lugs b b', by means of which they
aresecured around the axle and there clamped.
Upon the bottom of the car is secured a suit-
able hanger, C; the lower end of which affords
a bearing for a shaft, D, having upon its lower
end a horizontal cog-wheel, E. by means of
which the motion given to the shaft is im-
parted to the actuating machinery of the dial.
The shaft D passes upward through the hot-tom of the car or locomotive, and is provided
at its other end above the platform of the said
railway-carriage with a cog-wheel, E'. F des-
ignates a metallic plate or table, which is rig-
idly secured upon the floor of a car, and af-
fords a lower bearing for a shaft, G, the up-
per end of which is journaled upon a suitable
standard, H. Upon the lower end of this shaft
another cog-wheel, I, is rigidly keyed, engag-
ing with cog-wheel E' of the main actuating-
spindle I). J designates a collar, which is
keyed upon a portion of the shaft G extenid-
ing upward beyond the standard H, into which
are pivoted, so that they shall vibrate verti-
cally, two levers, 1, having upon their free
ends balls 1', being the " governors" in com-
mon use in stationary engines.
It is evident that when the shaft G is caused
to rotate rapidly upon its axis the govern-
ols will assume a position approximating more
or less to the horizontal, according to the de-
gree of rapidity of the rotation imparted to
the governor-bearing shaft.
K designates a bell-shaped metallic cap,
which is seated upon the upper ends of the
levers 1, over the collar J, and which is pro-
vided with a tubular rectangular shank, k,
having teeth cut into it, for a purpose here-
inafter to be explained. Both the cap and
its shank have a vertical endwise movement,
the shank being guided in a slotted upper part
of the dial-bearing standards 1, which are pref-
erably rigidly secured to the floor of the car
independently of all the parts of the mechan-
ism. Upon these standards a second set of
standards, o, is rigidly secured, affording bear-
ings for a horizontal shaft, s, of a dial-needle,
,. Upon this shaft, between its bearings, a
cog-wheel, c, is rigidly keyed, its teeth engag-
ing with the toothed shank k. 31 designates
a dial, having a clock-face, and itumbered at
intervals in any suitable manner, to indicate
the speed per hour made by a train. If the
shaft G be now rapidly rotated the levers 1
will be forced, by centrifugal motion given to
the balls 1' upon the ends thereof, to raise the
cap K, thereby causing its toothed shank to
actuate the needle shaft, and the needle to
indicate a certain number upon the dial, there-
by showing the speed obtained by the train,
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Minton, Stephen F. Improvement in Speed-Measures., patent, June 22, 1875; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth166450/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.