US104485A - Improvement in sleeping-cars - Google Patents

Description

G. yF. MORSE.

Sleeping Gar.

No. IO4,485 n P at'ented lune Y21,- 1870.

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atea gaat @anni camina en onon r. Monsnf or PORTLAND, MAINE,

Ietters Patent No. 104,485,1Zcte1l .fune 2l, 1870.v

l i IMPROVEMENT IN' SLEEPING-cans.

The Schedule referred-to in these Letters Patent and making part of the Same To all whom it may mnwern':`

LBe it known that I, Gnonen F. Monsn, of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine,

' have invented certain new aud useful Improvements in Sleeping-Cars; and I hereby declare the following to b e a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others to make and use the same, reference being' had to the accompanying drawing, forming partV of this specification, in-which- Figure l is a transverse sectional view of my improved car, sho

and, also,` when prepared for night use.

Figure 2 isadetail, showing the position of the seat 1 sleeping-car, which can be'used by the poorer class of.

railway travelers.

In the sleepingeears now in common use there is necessarily considerable expense'in the construction" and `running thereof, and it is, perhaps, nothing more p than a fair remuneration which the railroad companies require, and charge over the regular fare, for the priv- ;ilege of traveling in a carof this nature. But the e'xpense,V although notlarge, is yet more than a large majority of railway passengers can aii'ord to pay in ad dition tol their regular fare; and,in consequence of this inability,- many off this class of passengers, even l `f eeblewomen and children, are compelled to sui'er all the painful consequences of 'long journeys without sleep, for, perhaps,severalv days and nights. For such a class of passengers my invention is particularly designed. i

It consists in the arrangement of a railway-car, in the manner hereinafter' more` fully described, so thatV it may be easily changed from a day-oar to a sleeping.- car, or vice tersa, without the expensive devices usu- -allyvpertaining to sleeping-cars, and,.at the same time, ,presenting no obstruction to the view, or to the free @circulation of air. l The advantages of the use of hammockbeds in railway sleeping-cars are as follows:

First, much greater economy in the construction of vsleeping-cars; and v Secondly, greater space for sleeping purposes, both of which will enable the proprietors of a sleeping-car, constructed on this plan, to place the privilege of lying d'wnfto sleep within the means of the poorery class wing the `appearance thereof' by day,

Other advantages are the greater cleanliness of such cars, and their greater capability for easy cleansing.

The arrangement of the hammocks and` seats, as

shown in the drawing, possesses the advantages of 'economy of space, and good ventilation, as well as economy of construction.

'The construction of my improved sleeping-car is as follows, viz: 4

At intervals ot the desired length, say, about nine 1feet,in a car of the usual size, I place two standards a a, one on each side of thecentre of the car, as shown inV figs. 1 and f4.'

' From these standards the rods or supports .b b cxtend, cross-wise of the car, to the sides thereof,'as seen f in lig. 1. These rods b b are to receive the hooks, straps, or other convenient device by which the ham mockspare heldin place. i

In the drawing, the hammocks o c are shown snspended frorifthe rods by the straps d d. When not desired for use, or during the day-time, these ham mocks may, it is evident, be easily removed from the supporting-rods and packed away, occupying but a small space.

-The seats e e of these cars are constructed longitudinally of the ear, and hinged to the back f f in such a manner that, when in use as a seat merely, (as, for instance, duiing the day,) the seat and back occupy the positions, relative to each other, shown ng. 2, being secured by any of the well-known devices for 4such purpose.

v As shown in the drawing, the frame-work on which the seat rests has a` slight depression or vshoulder therein, which serves toke'ep the seat inl place, but out of which the seat can bc easily lifted.`

g shows the frame-work.

lt, the shoulder therein. Whendesired for use as a bed or berth, the seat c lnay be grasped, lifted up from the frame-work, and

'drawn forward, bringing with it, by means of the hinge connecting the two, the back f, and thus assuming the relative position shown in iig.3.

It will be'seen that, by/the general arrangement of' hammocks and seats as proposed, a railway passengercar of ordinary length, capable of seating sixty passengers, could bemade to accommodate the same number lying down, after leaving space for a closet and washroom. v

The hammocks could be fittedup with pillows and `eoverlets, and would then compare favorably with the softest couches of the palace sleepinglcars,`and, at the same time, the poorer class of railway travelers would thus'be enabled to lic down to sleep during night-K expense in comparison to present traveling, at a small rates.

Thus, it will be seen that my invention embraces a ear which is capable of' use as an ordinary passenger car during the day-time, and which is yet readily converted into a sleeping-car at night, by reason of the construction of its seats, 85o., and the employment of hammocks.

I do not claim a couchof canvass, or othermaterial, rigidly stretched and fixed, nor an arrangement of such couches with transverse seats; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is-

lhe hammock c c, suspended to cross-bars, and free to swing laterally, with the seat e f placed longitudinally below, and capable of adjustment from seat to couch, all constructed and arranged as set forth.

Witnesses: GEO. F. MORSE.

HENRY G. HOUSTON, GEORGE E. BIRD.

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