If
you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably come to
realize that it’s anybody’s guess as to what each week’s topic will cover. In fact, if you ask my wife, she’d probably
say that’s just the way my attention deficit mind works; bouncing from one point
to another. The reality is that the overall
category of western vehicles is so large there’s a world of information rolling
around out there. With that said, I
doubt anyone could have imagined the focus of today’s blog.
Between
the travel and extensive amount of research we’re able to pack into each year,
I’m fortunate to be able to explore countless early vehicle designs and related
accessories. Today’s post, though, may
push the boundaries of what most of us might consider believable. With that teaser as a backdrop, you might
want to file this one under the “You Gotta Be Kidding Me” segment of horse-drawn
vehicle history.
Not
long ago, I was reviewing a century-plus-old sales pamphlet we have in our Archives. It was promoting the “Richards System of
Electric Lighting for Horse Drawn Vehicles.”
Sounds basic enough. Upon further
inspection though, this piece isn’t referring so much to lights positioned on
the vehicle as it is to lights placed on the draft animal. Yep, we’re talking about hanging lights on
horses.
 |
Proclaimed as “Shadowless, Scientific, and Satisfactory,” this vehicle headlight was worn by the draft animal and promoted by The Richards Horse Headlight Works in Bethel, Connecticut. |
Before
we snicker too much, these folks did have a good point in that the traditional
method of placing lights on the vehicle – behind the horse(s) – did make it tough
to always see the terrain ahead with sufficient clarity. According to the sales piece, the answer to
this lack of sight was to move the light ahead of the animal. The biggest challenge to this solution seems
to be the stability of the light as well as the potential for dramatic shadows
to dart back and forth in front of the horse.
For
those who may be wondering – Yes, this idea was patented! Applied for in the spring of 1906, the patent
was awarded in early 1908 to Mr. E.L. Richards of Litchfield, Connecticut. The introduction of the patent states that…
“…it has been attempted from time to
time to provide a means for carrying a lamp so that the rays of light will fall
directly in front of the horse, as for instance by fastening it to the breast
collar or shafts; but it has been found that a very great amount of motion and
jarring was imparted to the lamp when carried in such positions.”
The
description goes on to proclaim…
“… This device is readily applied to the
horse when occasion may demand, and may be readily removed, and will when in
position fit the neck securely but not uncomfortably, and hold the lamp from vibration...”
 |
Patented more than a century ago, this “headlight for horses” was designed to provide greater visibility for night time operation of horse drawn vehicles. |
Ultimately,
the idea was built on a three-fold premise; it was to be worn by the horse,
unobstructed by the horse, and be carried in the “most steady manner.” In spite of what were surely the best
intentions, there’s no evidence that the concept ever caught on. That said, the notion is so unique that any
surviving examples may have trouble being recognized today. Perhaps this post can help someone identify
and preserve another extremely rare – and different – fragment of America’s
first transportation industry.
