US1033540A - Colonnade-car. - Google Patents

Description

LE VERT CLARK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COLONNADE-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1912.

Application filed March 8, 1912. Serial No. 682,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Ln VERT CLARK a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Colonnade-Car; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to streetcars and the like.

It has for its object the better protection of standing passengers, than is now afforded by the short straps usually hung, from the ceiling or from a horizontal bar, below the transoms; and to save passengers from the jars of contact with the sides or corners of transverse handrails or seats. Instead of the straps, or the other dubious supports, that cause passengers to stand in unnatural, awkward and (liscomfiting postures, I propose to put a plurality of preferably slightly flexible poles, vertically placed, from the ceiling to the floor, where they are permanently secured Within an open area, reserved as a lobby, loggia, or foyer, preferably at the forward end, or middle, of the car; except the portion used by the motorman, heating fixtures, exits or other purposes; andthen put all the usual or desired number of permanent seats, crosswise; from the entrance, on each side of the aisle up to the lobby. So that passengers entering, say pay-enter cars, unless taking a seat, will not find inducement to loiter near the entrance or stop in the aisle; but be compelled perforce, to go forward where they may easily stand, with considerable comfort, aided by the'poles in the lobby. When itcomes to leaving the car these steering poles will enable them to make a quicker exit, without discommoding themselves or others; with the result of not detaining the car so long as now. Several seconds overstop each time, makes many minutes derangement of schedules; particularly if the number of cars is increased during the rush hours of large cities. There should preferably be no seats where people stand; which is suitably arranged for in the lobby portion both in the preferred and in its modified form and consequently no sprawling feet of seated passengers, to stumble over or avoid; when other passengers are entering, standing, or leaving, the car. Thus, the same number of seats, and a relatively greater area, of more conveniently arranged standing room, may be provided; than is now possible in cars of conventional make. \Vhereby theentrance and passageways will ordinarily remain clear, for the quicker movements of passengers entering and leaving the car. In its modified form the lobby may embrace all or as much as desirable, of the floor space; on either or both sides of the entrance, exits and the aisle, with seats opposite and preferably placed with their backs or their ends toward the lobby; on which seats may be placed auxiliary poles E.

(The poles may also serve to strengthen the roof, when attached to the ceiling, by preventing its vibration, up and down.

Among its advantages, the steering pole is not liable to cause discomfort to passengers, who might otherwise be thrown against the corners of rails, or seats, or against passengers sitting in the badly located lengthwise seats now used, by the lurching of the car; sometimes resulting in embarrassment or serious injury. It is obvious that holding on to the poles in standing or steering from one to the other, gives a passenger a better footing and a dignified feeling of confidence; that relieves the situation of the ridicule, attached to the threadbare name of strap hanger. Which ubiquitous person, in superior numbers, wrongfully or not, has never failed to inflict punishment, in one way or another, on every railroad company that produces the hypercritical species. The poles act better than straps or rails, as fenders, to prevent standing passengers, or those moving in any direction, from losing their heads, feet or their temper; because straps are ractically out of reach, to the majorlty of travelers; and transverse or horizontal handrails, and corners, are too rigid and to carry as many passengers each trip standing, as well as seated, as it can comfortably hold; and have as small a number of cars in operation, as possible, to handle the tratlic. Because the fewer the cars, the fewer are the stops, with better service generally, and less interruption of time schedules and street trafiic. Which matters are for the serious consideration of the 'powers-that-be in large cities; particularly for the busy or rush hours, morning, noon and evening; likewise for church and theater hours, fairs, baseball, and other special occasions; especially at cross-overs or intersecting streets, where strings of cars and street vehicles are already too much delayed by similar opposing lines slowly passing thrtmgh; likewise there are numerous meandering pedestrians and vehicles in the way. To double the number of cars so as to give everybody seats ,--which people would be compelled to occupy many minutes longer, because of the extra time required to despatch so many unnecessary cars, crossing each other to destination, to again return,-would be augmenting the difliculty and delay, instead of improving car service and the congested conditions of street traffic. Only political folly would urge it. Most streets are already overcrowded with people; horses, wagons, automobiles, cars and vehicles generally. With the colonnade cars, fewer in number,for a larger number of people; the time that would be occupied by passengers, actually.

standing comfortably, think on it would be relatively so much shorter than now, that people would naturally prefer to remain standing, if aided by the poles, for

a shorter time; thaneven to be seated, for a lnuch longer time; on trips up to two miles and over; when the cars are usually sufficiently emptied to give, the remaining passengers, seats, to the quicker termination of their respective journeys.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical central section on line l-1 of Fig. 2 through center of aisle, of a car embodying this invention; Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are horizontal sections above the seats; Figs. 3 and 4 showing modifications; Fig. 5 is alongitudinal central section and Fig. 6 is a cross-section, of a preferred detail.

The term lobby as used herein means colonnade, in its preferred-sense, a particular arrangement of a reserved portion of the inside of a street car and the like; by removing the seats and placing, there instead,

clear, vertical poles at convenient intervals apart; and securing them overhead and to the floor below; so that passengers may hold on to saidp'oles while standing or walking around them unobstructed, at least by seats, transverse hand rests or horizontal rails and the like or by the feet of seated passengers. And in its modified use the lobby, as herein defined, may have adjacent and auxiliary poles secured overhead and also below, attached to seats, or to the backs of seats adjacent to the lobby so that the feet of seated passengers will not be in the portion reserved for standing passengers.

D is the platform or floor of the vestibule, preferably lower than the floor of the car body A.

B is the end wall.

Provision is made for a lobby L at one end, the full width of the car and extending back toward the entrance as far as desirable. As modified, L is a lobby on one side of the aisle. The seats D, preferably arefor two or three passengers, each, and non-collapsible; and placed immovable and facing forward in the usual way; but the seats,

next to or adjacent to the lobby portion will have their backs or ends toward the lobby, to segregate the seated from the standing passengers. The seats a, b, and 0 may be for one, two and three passengers each. Preferably when the seats are across the aisle from the lobby, poles E maybe placed from the corners of the seats and secured overhead or similarly secured on any seat, as at 0' to operate as auxiliary poles to the preferred form of lobby. To properly balance the car there should preferably be as much of the lobby on one side of the aisle as on the other; and the same arrangement of seats, in high speed cars, Figs. 2 and 3. But this caution is not necessary in slower street service where the lobby may be all on one side and seats on the other, Fig. 4.

E, E, are slightly flexible poles placed vertically in the lobby at convenient intervals apart, on each side of the exit passageway and attached to the floor at e, to the ceiling at e, and below on-seats at c; the place of attachment, always overhead and below may be either underneath the transom J or in the highest roof portion F, above the transoms or in any place overhead, for example vestibule .roof F or by other suitable arrangements. The space below around the poles, preferably should be free of all obstructions that would usually prevent walk--l eter including a'co vering I of any suitable material; such for example as rubber, leather, paper, or a textile for the like purose. This covering serves to prevent the chill of metal to the hand when grasping it for a length of time in extremely cold weather and may be limited only to the portion in easy reach. of the hand. But in its simpler form the pole may be "'a smaller solid rod or a pipe without the covering I; or a cable, used, in this particular way, in the same sense, as a pole. Midway of the pole is a place h, of considerablelateral resiliency in all directions, when the pole is, in any manner, firmly secured at each end. \Vhich feature softens the impact of a body colliding with it. The poles sparsely placed however, will preferably be not too yielding or overmuch elastic, or placed in direct line of the exits; or have horizontal bars or handrails connected thereto or any permanent obstructing means, around about below. Whereby a sort of place, may be formed to rally around the poles where conversation may be enjoyed, as in a foyer.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portion thereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregated from passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangement of a plurality of poles, placed vertically in the,v

reservation at convenient intervals apart and secured overhead, and, at their bases, tothe floor with attachments, thereto, only overhead and at their bases; the said reservation and the poles therein being free and clear of obstructing elements that would prevent full contact by passengers with the surface of the ,0 poles in reach of the hand; and likewise free and clear of seats-that would place the feet of passengers, seated therein, in a position of possible and mutual interference with any other passenger who may be standing anywhere near and holding on to a pole in the reservation.

2. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portion thereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregated from passengers outside the reservation; the particular arrangement of a plurality of poles, placed vertically in the reservation at convenientintervals apart and secured overhead and, at their bases, to the floor; and a plurality of auxiliary poles placed vertically upon portions of seats in proximity to but outside the area covered by the aforementioned poles, to form a modified reservation having seats; which auxiliary poles are likewise secured overhead and, at their bases, to the seats; whereby the feet of seated-passengers may not be placed in a position of usual and mutual interference with the standing passengers who may be ,seats are of holding on to any of the said poles in the modified reservation, having seats situated as described.

3. In a streetcar and the like, the combination of a reserved portion thereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregated from passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangement of a plurality of poles elastically and vertically placed in the reservation, at convenient intervals apart and secured only overhead, and, at their bases; the poles may be composed of a central core partially covered by a different material of less conductivity of heat than the core itself.

4. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portion thereof, inside the car, wherein standing'passengers may be segregated from passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangement of a plurality of cables, named and used in the same sense and way as poles, placed vertically in the reservation, at convenient intervals apart and secured overhead and below; so that the cables, acting as poles, may serve as holding means for passengers standing in the reservation and in theadjacent aisles.

5. In a street car and the like, the combination of portions devoted to seated ptfssengers; and lobby portions, whichtnay be devojtd of seats in which seatedaportions the conventional make and faced away from the lobby; and, which lobby portions have a plurality of poles placed vertically therein, at convenient intervals apart, and secured overhead and below; which pole are clear and free of obstructing attachments roundabout; so that the seated portions may accommodate passengers in the usual way; and the poles, of the lobby portions, may serve as safe and convenient holding means, for persons standing as in a foyer; and steering mean sfwhen leaving the car.

G. T combination, with a street car and the like of alobby inside the car and a plurality of poles placed vertically therein and secured, overhead and below; which poles are clear and free of obstructing attachments roundabout; and usable by passengers, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a street car and the like, of a lobby, which lobby is composed of a plurality of portions of the car separated from each other by other portions of the car; in which lobby, poles are vertically placed and secured therein overhead and below; which poles are clear and free of obstructing adjuncts transverse handrails. seats and attachments roundabout; so that the poles may serve as holding means for standing passengers and steering means for passengers leaving the car.

'8. The -combinastion with a street car and thelike, of a plurality of conventional seats placed therein, and auxiliary lobby poles vertically placed therein and secured, to the seats and overhead, to form a modified reservation comprising a part "of the segregated the poles may furnish holding means for 10 standing passengers and steering means for passengers leaving the car.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

LE VERT CLARK. Witnesses:

W. W. BUTLER, H. R. MARTIN.

Copies ofithis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington, D. C.

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