IMPROVED THILL COUPLING.
Josiah Kitzmiller, Keedysville, Md.—This is an improvement upon that form of thill coupling in which a pivoted cap is employed to slide over the end of the bolt or pin which secures the eye of the thill iron to the lugs or ears of the axle clip, the said cap serving to prevent the said pin from becoming accidentally displaced without the use of a screw nut or other securing device. It consists in the construction and arrangements of a spring catch for holding said pivoted cap down to its place against any tendency to rise accidentally, the said spring catch being located in a transverse groove or recess in the cap and between the cap and the adjacent lug and being provided with a beveled head and square shoulder, which engages with the under side of the lug to hold the cap down. The merit of this arrangement is that the catch is concealed from sight by the complete inclosure of the spring and the position of the beveled head beneath the coupling, and hence the exterior of the coupling presents a plain, smooth, and neat appearance, free from catches or projections, which would be liable to hook into the clothing in getting into or out of the carriage.