IMPROVE- MENTS IN BUSHING THE BUNG HOLES OF CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Ground, of Waddington's Buildings,
Julian Street, St. Julian's; Norwich, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BUSHING THE BUNG HOLES OF CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS."
Sealed the 18th December 1868, and dated the 24th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Ground at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th August 1868.
I, HENRY GROUND, of Waddington's Buildings, Julian Street, St.
Julian's, Norwich, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSHING THE BUNG HOLES OF CASKS AND SIMILAR
VESSELS," to be as follows
This Invention has for its object improvements in bushing the bung
holes of casks and similar vessels. I employ for this purpose a metal
bush, by preference of iron, consisting of a tube of a length exceeding

page_text: the thickness of the stave to which it is to be applied. This tube has
a flange at one end to rest against the face of. the stave, and within the
tube is tapered to form a secure seat for the shive or bung. The bush is
placed in the hole formed for it in the stave, and then by driving in a
conical tool the inner or unflanged end of the bush which then projects
through the stave is expanded or opened out so as to prevent the bush
being again drawn out of the hole. The edge thus turned over on the
inside of the stave is driven down closely upon the wood by hammering
it on a suitable tool.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Ground in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GROUND, of Waddington's Buildings, Julian Street, St. Julian's, Norwich,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Ground, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Ground, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Ground, my executors,
administrators, and 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
BUSHING THE BUNG HOLES OF CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Ground, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Ground, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in bushing the bung
holes of casks and similar vessels. I employ for this purpose a metal
bush, by preference of iron, consisting of a tube of a length exceeding
the thickness of the stave to which it is to be applied. This tube has
a flange at one end to rest against the face of the stave, and within the
tube is tapered to form a secure seat for the shive or bung. The bush is
placed in the hole formed for it in the stave, and then by driving in a
conical tool the inner or unflanged end of the bush which then projects
through the stave is expanded or opened out so as to prevent the bush
being again drawn out of the hole.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a transverse section
of a metal bush formed of a taper tube a with a flange 6 at one end to
rest against the face of the stave; Figure 2 shews a vertical section of
the tool I prefer to employ for spreading out the end of the tube after it
has been inserted into the bung hole of a cask.
The. hole in the stave is made somewhat less in diameter than the
exterior of the tube of the metal bush, so that the bush requires two or
three blows with a hammer to force into the bung hole and bring its
flange against the face of the stave. When a metal bush, such as shewn
at Figure 1, has thus been placed in the bung hole of a cask the lower
end of the bush is brought over the head of the tool c. The stem of this
tool is by preference supported by being dropped into a socket in a
wooden arm standing out from a block or carried in other suitable
manner. The arm is of such a length as to allow of a cask which has had
one of its heads previously knocked or left out being placed on to the

page_text: arm, so that the bung hole of the cask can be brought above the tool c
carried by it. When this has been done the flange of the bush is struck
all round with a hammer, and the lower end of the tube of the bush
being thus forced down on to the conical or tapered head of the tool c is
spread or opened out; the spread-out end of the tube is afterwards
clenched or rivetted over by a tool d, such as shewn in section aţ
Figure 3. This tool is dropped into the socket of the wooden arm in place
of the spreading-out tool c first used, and the cask is again placed over
the arm to bring the bush above it; the flange of the bush is then again
hit all round with a hammer until the rivetting over or clenching of the
end of the tube of the bush is complete; the turned-over end of the tube
will then bear tightly against the inner face of the stave, whilst the
upper flange of the bush is drawn tightly against the outer face of the
stave, as shewn by the plan and sectional view at Figures 4. When it
is desired to apply metal bushings, such as shown at Figure 1, to the bung
hole of a cask without removing either of its heads, I prefer to employ a
tool such as shewn in side view partly in section at Figure 5; this tool
is composed of a stem a tapering out at one of its ends into a head b, and
this head is by means of a screw drawn against the end of the tube of
In order that
the bush and so caused to spread it out and rivet it over.
when a metal bush such as shewn at Figure 1 has been driven down
into the bung hole of a cask the head of the tool 6 may be passed down
through it so that it may afterwards be drawn against its end, the
stem a and the head 6 carried by it are divided longitudinally into
four segments, as shewn by the end view of the tool at Figure 6. The
segments are each one by one passed down through the metal bushing
until the segment of the collar c which is at its upper end rests against
the top of the flange of the bush, and the segment is thus supported and
kept from dropping down into the cask, whilst the other segments are
being similarly passed down through the metal bushing. When all the
segments have been so passed down through the metal bush the screw
collar d is screwed on to their upper ends and the four segments are thus
held together. Afterwards a collar e which is to bear against the flange b
of the metal bush is dropped over the stem a, and the screw nut f, which
is furnished with long handles, is screwed down on the screw thread a
and caused to press the collar e down on to the flange of the metal bush;
the head 6 at the end of the stem a is thus drawn against the end of the
tube of the bush and caused to spread it out and rivet it over firmly

page_text: against the inner side of the stave of the cask. When this has been
done the tool is removed by again separating it into segments and
removing them one by one,
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Ground, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
HENRY GROUND. (L.S.)