US135923A - Improvement in safety-hatches for railroad cars - Google Patents

Description

Q Sheets SheetI R. LISTDN', Safety Hatches fur Railroad Cars.

No. 135,923. Patented Feb.18,1873.

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R. LISTON. Safety Hatches for Railroad Cars. 135,923.

Patented Feb. 18, 1873.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT msron, on ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPRQVEMENT I N SAFETV-HATCHES FOR RAILROAD CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,923, dated February 18, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT LIsToN, of the city and county of Albany and State of New York, have invented .a new Safety-Hatch for Railway Cars, of which the following is a full and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of one end of a passenger-car, showing the hatchway in the top of the car opened. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional "iew of one of the trans verse joints between the hatch-cover and the top of the car, showing the mannerof constructing them. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a plan view of the under side of the hatch-cover; and Fig. 4, a sectional view of the same through the line X X.

The nature of the first part of my invention consists in placing in the top of the car a hatch or a series of hatches that may be speedily and easily operatedin case of an accident whereby the cars are thrown upon their sides, or when theyrun off into the water. The object of this part of my invention is to give greater protection tothe lives of passengers by providing additional modes of egress in case of accidents of the kind above .ferred to. The second part of my invention elates to the device for securing and releasing the hatch-covers; and its object is to sesure an instantaneous opening of each cover by one simple movement of a single lever.

I General Description.

' having the lap-pieces E E made to conform to the shape of the strips 0 G. Between the strips 0 O and lap-pieces EE a strip of India rubber, F, is interposed for the purpose of making a dust and water tight joint. The

apound bolt for securing the cover upon the hatchway consists of a bedpiece, G, two

slides, H H, (on the top sides and one edge of each of which are cut racks to receive the cogs of the pinion 1,) and segmental lever J. The cross-bars K K are attached to opposite ends of the slides and connect them to the bolts L L L L working through the guides M M M. When the cover D is in its place on the car the bolts L L L L enter into the clasps N N and clamp the cover securely to the car. When it becomes necessary to detach the cover D the segmental lever J is moved backward, carrying with it the slide H, and this, through the pinion I, instantly imparts a motion in the reverse direction to the slide H, drawing back all the bolts L L L L simultaneously, allowi 11g the cover to drop, ,from its place it the car is thrown upon its side, or if floating in the water permitting it to be easily removed.

The portion of the car shown in Fig. 1 is of the variety having a raised middle roof for ventilation, in which the hatchway B is placed but my invention can be applied .with equal facility to any car having a different form of roof. It does not require a car to be constructed especially for it, as it can be readily applied to any of the various kinds used; nor does it weaken the structure in the least degree, as it may be placed between the carlings or frames of the roof, so that the clamping down of the cover by the bolts willretain a strength equal to a whole roof as commonly put on.

I claim as my iuvention- 1. In combination with the hatchway B, the edges of which are provided with the strips 0 O and rubber strips F, the cover D provided with the lap-pieces E E and clasps N N, and the combination bolt G H H I J K L M, arranged as described, for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

.2. The combination bolt G H H I J K L M, in combination with the cover D, as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

ROBT. LISTON, M. D.

Witnesses HENRY C. HASKELL, W. W. BRAGG.

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