Appliance for Training Horses. (open access)

Appliance for Training Horses.

Patent for a new and improved appliance for training horses. This design "consists, essentially, in a leg-halter composed of chains or ropes connected by a common ring, or otherwise, and connected with gyves or shackles to encircle the pastern of each leg, a yoke or frame placed upon the withers, or forward or back thereof, and provided with a clamp, and a band passing through the clamp and down to one of the shackles, or to the horse's leg, the other end being carried to a convenient point to be passed by the trainer or attendant" (lines 9-20).
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Dodge, Israel Alexander
System: The Portal to Texas History
Burglar Alarm. (open access)

Burglar Alarm.

Patent for a new and improved burglar alarm. This design "consists in the combination of the door provided with a rod for catching under the spring, a cylinder for receiving powder, a spring-actuated cover for the end of the cylinder, and a spring which explodes the cap . . . The object of [the] invention is to provide a burglar-alarm which will make a loud noise when the door is opened, and in which a spring-actuated cover is made to take the place of a wad or ball" (lines 13-24).
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Bray, Horace Bradford
System: The Portal to Texas History
Buckle. (open access)

Buckle.

Patent for a new and improved buckle. This design is "to provide a device to be applied upon the rump of the animal for the purpose of attachment of the back-strap, the trace-bearers or breeching-straps, and the crupper-strap without sewing. [The] device comprises, essentially, a frame carrying a buckle for the attachment of the back-strap and one for the attachment of the crupper, and a loop for retaining the trace or breeching carrying straps or hip-straps" (lines 9-18).
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Kay, William V.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Buckle and Trace or Breeching Loop (open access)

Combined Buckle and Trace or Breeching Loop

Patent for a "device whereby, in a harness, the back-band and belly-band may readily be connected to a trace-buckle, or a breeching-loop or 'trace-square'" (lines 10-13) without sewing the buckle into other harness pieces.
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Kay, William V.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination-Plow (open access)

Combination-Plow

Patent for improvements to the Combination Plow that can now to plant corn, cotton, and sugar crane. Detailed illustrations are included.
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Weinmann, August A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wood Working Machine. (open access)

Wood Working Machine.

Patent for a new and improved wood-working machine. This design "relates to improvements in wood-working machines, and is designed to produce a machine for automatically tapering material in either straight or curved lines. The improvement consists, essentially, in the employment of movable cutters approached or receded by means of a cam or cams, and is adaptable in forming staves and other portions of barrels or other articles in which the parts require a taper in straight or curved lines" (lines 8-17).
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Hourigan, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Loading Cartridges. (open access)

Machine for Loading Cartridges.

Patent for mechanizing and streamlining the steps involved in loading a cartridge.
Date: October 10, 1886
Creator: Franklin, Edward A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Loading Cartridges. (open access)

Machine for Loading Cartridges.

Patent for "improvement in machines for loading cartridges" (lines 5-6), with instructions and illustrations
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Franklin, Edward A.
System: The Portal to Texas History