US282024A

US282024A - young

Info

Publication number: US282024A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1883-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 1900-07-24

Description

(No Model.)

J. W. YOUNG.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BRIDGES AND ELEVATED RAILROAD'STRUGTURES No. 282,024. Patented July 24,1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JOHN WV. YOUNG, OF FORT MORONI, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

SAFETY DEVICE FORBRIDGES AND} ELEVATED-RAILROAD STRUCTURES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,024, dated July 24, 1883,

Application filed March 8,1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Moroni, in the county ofYavapai and Territory of Arizona, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Bridges and Elevated-Railroad Structures; and I do hereby 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 letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and effective means for preventing dis-' asters in the event of the fall or destruction of railroad and other bridges or'elevated-railroad structures when trains or vehicles are passing over the same, there being brought into the service when such an accident occurs, devices for supporting the cars, or vehicles and holding them suspended until the passengers can be rescued and the ears or vehicles removed to a place of safety.

The invention consists in stretching strong cables, chains, bars, or ropes along the track structure and securing the ends of said cables, chains, bars, or ropes to abutment-s or anchors firmly fastened at the approaches of the bridge or elevated structure. These cables, chains, ropes, or bars are fastened to the guard-rails between the track-rails, or to the wheel-guides upon a bridge or longitudinal timbers or girders of an elevated railroad structure; or they can be placed in any other position where they will not interfere with the travel 011 the bridge and still be in position to uphold cars oryehicles in the event of the tearing away or precipitation of the bridge to the street, river, or ravine below. -When a bridge tears away from its piers or columns or is otherwise destroyed, the cables ortheir equivalents stretched above the roadway are not carried with the bridge, but remain in po sition to receive and hold the cars or vehicles, the axles of the latter dropping upon the cables, which catch and hold the cars or vehicles 'or at any intermediate points. their equivalents extend from their points of ground near or at the approaches to a railroad or other bridge 5 01,111 the ease of an elevated railroad structure, these cables or their equivalents canbe secured to the columns or pillars located at the corners of intersecting streets, The cables or Fig. 2 is a perspective view 7 anchorage across the bridge or along the elevated-railroad structure, and are held upon the guardrails or beams 0, running parallel with the track-rails D, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. In a bridge for ordinary vehicles the cables are attached to the customary wheelguides or longitudinal timbers, or are stretched upon the roadway of the bridge, so as to be inside or in proximity to the path taken by the vehicles. The fastening devices employed may be simple staples a, or equivalent devices, as. generally it is not the intention to permanently fasten the cables to the guard-rails or bridge structure, the fastening of the cables being merely resorted to to hold them in place and prevent their interfering with the travel on the bridge. In iron bridges these fastening devices a may be termed guides for the cables, because they are of such size as not to hug or closely clasp the cables, thus not interfering with the longitudinal play or free expansion and contraction of the bridge structure. In certain instances I contemplate securing the bridge structure to the safety-cables by means of fastening devices, which are of such construction and strength that the safety-cables will support or uphold the bridge structure when the latter tears away from its piers or support.

2 f 252mm approaches to the bridge or between the dif- I ferent sections or stations of an elevated-railroad structure. Thus it will be manifest that both sets of cables, or their equivalents, are secured independently of the bridge structure, and generally have no connection with the same, except through the weak or separable fastening devices or guide-staples, unless the bridge or other structure is intended to be upheld by the cables, when said fastening devices are made strong enough to insure the firm and permanent connection of the cables with the bridge structure. I11 the event of the bridge or any section thereof giving way or being destroyed while a train or vehicle is passing over the same, it follows that the lower or main cables, running between or in proximity to the track-rails and placed as near to the axles as possible, or running along or over the road way of the bridge,will remain intact,or in position to receive the car or cars or vehicle, the axles or body of the latter dropping upon said cables by reason of the precipitation or removal of the bridge structure. The distance the cars fall is comparatively short when the cables are placed near to the axles thereof.

The secondary cables E, located on or at a higher plane and outside the track-rails or along the roadway occupied by vehicles passing over the bridge, afford lateral support to the cars or vehicles and prevent them from tipping off from the lower or inner cables, as will readily be understood.

The above-described safety devices will lessen the liability of disasters and loss of life and property, and add comparatively little to the expense of the bridge or structure upon which they are used.

It will be understood that in bridges having draw or movable sections the safety-cables are made in sections connected together by means of strong and efiieientclasp devices,which can be easily fastened and unfastened.

I am aware that it has been proposed to stretch wire ropes at the sides of a railroadbridge and a single rope along the rail supports or ties, the object of the side ropes being to prevent cars from turning over in the bridge or striking the bridge structure, while the bottom rope prevents the lower part of the car from leaving the track or striking the bridgeframe. Ropes'arranged in this manner are, however, not designed or adapted for supporting cars or vehicles in the event of the precipitation of the bridge structure, because they have no independent anchorage, and are in fact intimately secured to the supports which hold the ends of the bridge structure, so that in the event of the tearing away or destruction of said structure the various ropes will be carried with it.

, Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of two or more safetycables or their equivalents with a railroad or other bridge or elevated-railroad structure, said cables being anchored or secured at their ends independently of the bridgespan over which they pass, and arranged above the road way between and in proximity to the trackrails, or in the path occupied by ordinary ve hicles, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of the cables A and E, having suitable end supports or anchors, B, with an ordinary railroad or other bridge se cured at its ends independently of said cables, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JNO. \V. YOUNG.

Vitnesses:

AUG.-1VI. TANNER, STORY B. LADD.