IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR WARPING' OR COVERING LAND, BOG, OR PEAT WITH EARTH OR SOIL, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE IN RAISING AND CONVEYING SOIL OR EARTHY MATTERS IN THE FORMATION AND CLEANSING OF CANALS, WATERCOURSES, OR WAYS, RESERVOIRS, HARBOURS, AND DOCKS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Wood at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th July.
1864.
I, WILLIAM WOOD, of Monk hill, near Pontefract, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
AND MACHINERY FOR WARPING' OR COVERING LAND, BOG, OR PEAT WITH EARTH
OR SOIL, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE IN RAISING AND CONVEYING SOIL OR
EARTHY MATTERS IN THE FORMATION AND CLEANSING OF CANALS, WATERCOURSES,
OR WAYS, RESERVOIRS, HARBOURS, AND DOCKS," to be as follows:-
The "warping" of land, or the adding thereto of large quantities of earthy
matters in order to form or produce a new soil thereon is practised on the low
lands below the level of the tides bordering certain tidal rivers and estuaries
where a sufficient quantity of earthy material is held in suspension by the
water, as described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me on the
14th day of July 1863 (No. 1762) for warping or covering lands that are
above the level of the tides, and the object of my present improvements is to
facilite that operation, and the formation and cleansing of canals, water-
courses, or ways, reservoirs, harbours, and docks.
My improvements relate, firstly, to that part of my previous Patent which
consists in warping or covering land by mixing earthy matters with water and
distributing the mixture over the land, and consist in means and machinery
for gathering, lifting, and mixing the earthy matters added to tidal or other
waters, For the gathering and lifting I employ a dredging or endless cutting

page_text: or scraping and lifting apparatus, or suitable scoop wheel or revolving screw,
actuated by steam or other power to lift the earthy matters into a holder,
where they are mixed with a suitable quantity of water, and then pumped on
the land to be covered, or the earthy matters are deposited in a hopper, from
which they are removed continuously in measured quantity by a revolving
wheel or screw into the mixing holder, or directly to the water in the pumping
or lifting apparatus.
To avoid the labor of bringing the earthy matters to the lifting machine I
prefer to attach the latter to a locomotive engine, so that when any portion of
the warp or other soil has been used the engine carries or moves forward the
excavating, mixing, and pumping apparatus to a fresh portion of warp or other
soil, a suitable tramway being formed when necessary to carry the engine and
machinery, or I use a traction or an endless railway engine for this purpose.
Whenever the soil or earthy matter desired to be used is covered with or
bordered by sufficient water to float a suitable vessel, I place the motive
power and the excavating, raising, mixing, and pumping apparatus therein, so
as to obtain conveniently the requisite supply of earth and water, moving the
vessel from place to place as the earth is removed from the bottom or sides of
the body of water.
In order to further avail myself of these facilities, I also form artificial
bodies of water over the land on which the warp or other soil required is
deposited by making an embankment round it, and admitting the tidal water
where the land is low enough, and in other cases direct streams or raise
sufficient water thereon, so that a flat-bottomed or other suitable vessel can
be floated and moved over the soil from place to place in which the motive
power and the other apparatus is fixed and used to lift or gather the earth and
water into the mixing and raising apparatus.
When the soil or earthy matter is covered with water, perforated pipes or
hose may be laid or drawn thereon, and rakes or stirrers may be drawn
through the water to stir up and mix the warp, soil, or mud therewith, which
may then be pumped on to the land either by stationary or moveable engines
and apparatus.
When moveable engines are used, whether on land or water, the soil or
earthy matters can be conveniently raised into the holder, mixer, or pump by
a species of plough or inclined plane, attached to the engine or vessel carrying
the mixer and pump or other apparatus, being pushed or drawn through the
soil or mud at a depth proportionate to the quantity desired to be then raised;
or the inclined plane may be drawn over the earthy matters; in either case I
use a revolving endless scraper or brush to raise or assist in raising the earthy

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matters up the inclined plane. By whatever plan the warp or soil may be raised,
I pass it through a sieve or grating kept clear by a brush or other arrangement,
so as to prevent stones or other unsuitable bodies passing into the mixer pump
or pipes.
I employ the combined apparatus for raising the soil or earthy matters,
mixing it with water, and pumping or lifting and conveying such mixture to
where it may be desired to deposit it, whether such combined apparatus is
moved on land or on water, in the formation and cleansing of canals, water-
courses or ways, reservoirs, harbours, and docks.