IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND REMOVING MUD FROM THE SURFACE OF ROADS AND STREETS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Russell William John Trueman, of Queen Street,
Belfast, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND REMOVING MUD FROM THE SURFACE OF
ROADS AND STREETS."
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 19th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Russell William John
Trueman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th March 1863.
I, RUSSELL WILLIAM JOHN TRUEMAN, of Queen Street, Belfast,
Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND REMOVING MUD
FROM THE SURFACE OF ROADS AND STREETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement and combination
of apparatus intended to be worked by horse, steam, or other power for
0 the collection and removal of mud and other accumulations from the
surface of roads and streets.

page_text: According to one form or arrangement of machine I combine a mud
cart with a mud collecting and removing apparatus, the said two parts of
the machine being each mounted on running wheels of its own. The
mud cart which forms the leading or fore part of the machine is provided
with a covered receptacle into which the mud is discharged from an
adjustable spout or shoot carried by the hinder portion of the machine.
One of the wheels of this part of the machine has a series of buckets
or elevators, either fixed or moveable, formed in its rim, into which the
mud is scraped by a scraper or brush set at an angle or otherwise to the
track of the machine so that as the whole progresses the mud will be
gradually collected to one side of the track and forced into the elevating
buckets in the lifting wheel, which discharges it into the inclined shoot
or spout above referred to. If desired a spiral brush may be employed
in lieu of a scraper, this brush, which may be made of steel or other
plates or springs instead of bristles, being rotated from the machine
itself in such a direction as to drive the mud, &c. into the elevating
buckets of the lifting wheel.
According to another modification, which I prefer, I dispense entirely
with the mud cart in front, and substitute for the inclined shoot or spout
before referred to a mud receptacle into which the lifting wheel
discharges direct. This receptacle is to be emptied when full into the
ordinary scavengers' carts or other receivers. A snow plough is provided
for use in heavy falls of snow, and a heating apparatus applied in order
to keep the tank or receptacle at a sufficiently elevated temperature to
melt the snow, which is allowed to run off by an overflow pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Russell William John Trueman in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUSSELL
WILLIA JOHN TRUEMAN, of Queen Street, Belfast, Ireland, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent
Letters Patent, bearing date the
Lord One thousand eight
Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
19th day of March, in the year
hundred and sixty-eight, in the

page_text: thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Russell William John Trueman,
Her special license that I, the said Russell William John Trueman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Russell William John Trueman, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR COLLECTING AND REMOVING MUD FROM THE SURFACE OF ROADS AND STREETS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Russell
William John Trueman, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Russell William John Trueman,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved arrangement and com-
bination of apparatus intended to be worked by horse, steam, or other
power for the collection and removal of mud and other accumulations
from the surface of roads and streets.
According to one form or arrangement of machine I combine a mud
cart with a mud collecting and removing apparatus, the said two parts
of the machine being each mounted on running wheels of its own. The
mud cart which forms the leading or fore part of the machine is provided
with a covered receptacle into which the mud is discharged from an
adjustable spout or shoot carried by the hinder portion of the machine.
One of the wheels of this part of the machine has a series of buckets or
elevators formed in its rim into which the mud is scraped by a scraper
or brush set at an angle or otherwise to the track of the machine so that

page_text: as the whole progresses the mud will be gradually collected to one side
of the track and forced into the elevating buckets in the lifting wheel,
which discharges it into the inclined shoot or spout above referred to.
If desired a spiral brush may be employed in lieu of a scraper, this brush
being rotated from the machine itself in such a direction as to drive
the mud and other accumulations into the elevating buckets of the
lifting wheel.
According to another modification, which I prefer, I dispense entirely
with the mud cart in front, and substitute for the inclined shoot or
spout before referred to a mud receptacle into which the lifting wheel
discharges direct. This receptacle is to be emptied when full into
the ordinary scavengers' carts or other receivers. A snow plough is
provided for use in heavy falls of snow, and a heating apparatus
applied in order to keep the tank or receptacle at a sufficiently elevated
temperature to melt the snow, which is allowed to run off by an overflow
pipe.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of one arrange-
ment of my improved apparatus for collecting and removing mud and
other accumulations from the surface of roads and streets, the near
running wheel being removed to show the parts more clearly; and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the adjustable spout and mud cart
removed.
a is the axle of the machine, to one end of which is secured the lifting
wheel shown in detail, side elevation and vertical section, at Figure 3,
whilst the opposite end of the said axle carries the running wheel c
(Figure 2). The lifting wheel is provided at its rim with a number of
pockets or buckets formed by the angular partitions d, d, the open
mouths of such brackets being in the inner side or face of the rim. e is
a scraper herein-after more particularly referred to placed at an angle
to the line of draught, so that as fast as the mud is scraped from the
surface it is impelled or moved laterally towards the open mouths of the
buckets in the lifter b, and enters the lower buckets of the said lifter as

page_text: fast as they are brought round by the onward progress of the machine.
In order to prevent the mud from escaping again from the lifter a guard
plate is applied to the inner side of the rim, such guard extending
from near the bottom of the lifting wheel above the centre or axis.
This guard plate is supported by the bars g, y, which are provided with
slots to regulate their position, and are connected to the scraper frame h
by a bolt passing through the slots and through the said frame. i, i, are
blade springs secured to the scraper frame and pressing against the
bars in order to hold the guard plate against the wheel. The scraper
frame is connected at its upper end to the axle a, whilst its lower end is
supported by a small swivel wheel k. The mud having been thus
introduced into and retained within the buckets is carried up by the
revolution of the lifting wheel until the buckets by their inclination
discharge their contents into a spout or shoot 1, which directs the mud
into any convenient mud cart m to which the scraping machine is
connected by the hauling frame n, n, attached to the axle a, and
attached in the most convenient way to the rear of the mud cart at o, as
shewn clearly in Figure 1.
The scraper may be of any suitable construction, but I prefer to
construct it as shewn in my Drawings, that is to say, of a number
of separate narrow scrapers p, one of which is shewn in enlarged detail
elevation and plan at Figure 4, the edges being chamfered to prevent
clogging as much as possible. Each scraper is attached to an arm
which is bolted to a hinge piece on the carrying rod s. Beneath each
fastened between the arm q
of these arms I attach a blade spring
and the hinge piece r, the free ends of the several springs passing
underneath the horizontal rod or lifting bar which extends along the
under side of the whole of the scraper arms 9, such rod serving the
twofold purpose of lifting the scrapers clear of the ground and regulating
their pressure thereon, as it forms when in its lowest position the fixed
bearing point for the several blade springs t. The lifting bar u is
connected by links , v, to the regulating lever w, which works on a
fulcrum at a iu the scraper frame h, and may be fixed at any height by
being engaged into one or other of the notches made in the slotted
guide y, a spring on the side of the lever serving to force it into the
notches and retain it therein. Each of the narrow pieces p of the
scraper works independently, rising and falling to suit the inequalities

page_text: in the surface of the road or street. By elevating the lever handle w
the rod or bar u will be also elevated and the scrapers will be lifted
clear of the ground. On depressing the said lever the rod or bar " will
be depressed forcibly against the springs t, thereby holding the scrapers
down upon the surface of the road or street.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of a machine fitted with a
revolving brush in lieu of with a scraper (the near running wheel being
removed. For this arrangement a mud tank or receptacle is fitted on
the machine itself in place of having the said machine hooked on to the
tail of a mud cart, as in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a plan of the machine
with the mud tauk shewn in dotted lines.. In these two Figures those
parts which are the same as in the scraper machine (Figures 1 and 2) are
indicated by corresponding letters of reference and need not therefore
be again referred to. In lieu of a scraper placed at an angle to the line
of draught I have shewn a rotatory spiral brush placed at right angles
to the line of draught and supported on the frame h. If desired an
ordinary cylindrical brush may be used, in which case it would be placed
at an angle similar to the scraper, to cause the collected mud to be urged
laterally towards the lifting wheel b; I prefer to use a spiral brush
however, and to construct the same as shewn in the details, Figures 7
and 8, that is to say, the brush is composed of a number of sections or
discs 1 (Figure 7), the wooden foundation being provided with a metal
brush having a slot on one side. A number of these discs are strung on
to the shaft 2 (Figure 8), such shaft having a spiral ril, formed thereon,
as shewn. By this means I obtain a cylindrical brush of any required
length having the bristles arranged in the form of a spiral. The extreme
ends of the shatt 2 from round journals, the outer one of which carries
a spiral pinion or grooved pulley, as the case may be, for imparting a
rotatory motion thereto from the outer running wheel c. In the former
case an internal or external toothed wheel will be formed on or attached
to the rim of the running wheel or to the axle, and will gear direct into
the pinion on the brush spindle, and in the latter case a driving band
will be passed over a large grooved pulley fast on the rim of the said
wheel or on the axle itself, such band passing also round the small
grooved pulley on the brush spindle; the journals of the brush spindle
work in suitable bearings in the two links 3, 3, which are jointed at 4, 4,
This frame
to a transverse tie rod into the independent brush frame h.

page_text: is supported as before described by the swivel wheel in front and by
the main axle a in rear. It is obvious that the spiral brush may be
made on an ordinary wooden cylinder, the bristles being spirally arranged
thereon; if desired steel or other similar wires or springs may be used
in lieu of bristles. A guard 5 of sheet iron or other suitable material,
as shown in detail end and in side elevation at Figure 9, is placed over
the front side of the brush, which guard may be made slightly fuller at
the top in order to allow the mud to accumulate as it is scraped from
the revolving brush by the rod 6, which is provided with wires or other
sharp points (see Figure 9) which enter between the bristles and remove
any mud which may adhere thereto after being scraped on the rod (6).
The mud as it is collected at the back of the rod 6 has a tendency to fall
to the ground, and thus it is forced towards the lifting wheel along the
inside of the guard by the spiral arrangement of the bristles or their
equivalents on the brush. The guard is provided with journals.or
pivots 7, 7, at opposite ends which work in arms projecting from the
links 3, 3, and it is kept in its place against the brush when the latter
is elevated by the rod 8 at the back of the guard, such rod being also
carried by the same projecting arms which support the guard. The
brush and guard are lifted clear of the ground by the lever w which is
centred to the brush frame at ✗, such lever being connected by the
links v, v, to the links or jointed frame 3. On depressing the handle
of this lever and engaging it with one or other of the holding notches
in the slotted guide y suspended from the brush frame the brush and
guard will be raised, and vice versa, any degree of pressure being applied
to the brush by elevating the lever handle more or less and engaging it
into one or other of the top notches. 9 is a mud receptacle mounted
on the main axle a of the machine, into which receptacle the mud falls
direct from the lifting wheel; 10 is a worm in gear with a segmental
rack 11 on the front of the receptacle for the purpose to of tipping the
same, it being simply requisite for that purpose to turn the vertical
spindle 12 by means of the handle 13; this spindle has a bearing in a
footstep in the brush frame h. This mud receptacle may obviously be
applied to the scraper machine herein-before described. 14 (Figure 5)
represents a portion of one of the hauling shafts of the machine.
Figure 10 represents an elevation and plan of a gutter brush applied
in front of the lifting wheel for the purpose of cleaning out the gutters.

page_text: The frame h¹ of the brush z¹ may be hinged from the axle a and the
brush rotated by spur wheels or by driving bands or chains. This brush
may be constructed and made to operate in the same manner as the
main brush in Figures 5 and 6, except that it is so constructed as to
direct the mud to the right side of the wheel in order that it may be a
lifted with the rest. When not required in action it is hooked up by
the chain e¹. I may here remark that I do not claim the gutter brush
apart from the lifting wheel b. When large deposits of snow are on the
ground a snow plough of any well-known construction may be sub-
stituted for the scraper, the snow being directed into the buckets of the
lifting wheel by the turn furrow of the plough and elevated and
discharged into the receptacle m. If desired a heating apparatus of any
convenient form may be applied to the receptacle in order to melt the
snow therein, the water running off by an overflow pipe.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The general combination and arrangement of machinery or
apparatus for collecting and removing mud and other accumulations
from the surfaces of roads and streets, as herein-before described and
illustrated by. my Drawings.
Second. The application and use of a lifting wheel provided with mud
buckets or pockets in the rim, and operating substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described.
Third. The combination with the lifting wheel of a scraper placed
at an angle to the line of draught, as and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Fourth. The combination with the lifting wheel of a spiral revolving
brush placed at right angles to the track of the machine or a plain
cylindrical revolving brush placed at an angle to the line of draught
of the machine, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Fifth. The combination with the lifting wheel of an adjustable
inclined shoot or spout or a mud receptacle carried on the machine itself,
as and for the purpose herein-before described.

page_text: Sixth. The combination with the lifting wheel of a snow plough and
heated tank or receptacle for removing snow and melting the same when
in the tank, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Russell William John Trueman,
have to this my Specification set my hand and seal, the 17th
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
R. W. J. TRUEMAN. (L.S.)