IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRAINING LAND
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Fowler, of Temple Gate, Bristol, in the
County of Somerset, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRAINING LAND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Fowler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st October 1852.
I, JOHN FOWLER, of Temple Gate, Bristol, in the County of Somerset,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DRAINING LAND" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in drain ploughs; and
consists of so arranging or combining the parts that the boiler, steam
engine, and coulter or cutter are all combined and go together, the
steam engine giving motion. to a drum to wind on a wire rope, and
thus to move itself up to an anchor or fixed point on the land; and in
place of the coulters or cutters heretofore used for drain ploughs,
which have been wedge-shaped, encreasing from the edge to the back,
I use the coulter or cutter of less thickness at the back than the more
forward parts, so as to avoid the friction heretofore consequent on the
form of coulter or cutter used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Fowler in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN FOWLER, of Temple Gate, Bristol, in the County of Somerset,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Fowler, Her special licence that
I, the said John Fowler, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Fowler, my executors, administra-
tors, 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 MACHI-
NERY FOR DRAINING LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Fowler John Fowler, by an instrument 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 per-
formed, 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 John Fowler, 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 drain ploughs;
and consists of so arranging or combining the parts that the boiler,
steam engine, and coulter or cutter are all combined and
go together,
the steam engine giving motion to a drum to wind on a wire rope, and
thus to move itself up to an anchor or fixed point on the land; and in
place of the coulters or cutters heretofore used for drain ploughs

page_text: which have been wedge-shaped, encreasing from the edge to the back,
I use coulters or cutters of less thickness at the back than the more
forward parts, so as to avoid the friction heretofore consequent on the
form of coulter or cutter used. And in order that my said Invention
may be more fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
forward parts, so as to avoid the friction heretofore consequent on the
form of coulter or cutter used. And in order that my said Invention
may be more fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
SHEET I.
Figure 1, shows a side view; and Figure 2, a plan of a machine
constructed according to my Invention. a, a, a, a, are the carrying
wheels on axes b, b. The front axis b, is similarly arranged to that
described in my former Patent of One thousand eight hundred and
fifty, by which it is capable of moving laterally; but in addition thereto
I now arrange such axis that it may turn on the vertical axis d.
Motion is given to the axis by the screws c, c, which may be worked
by a toothed wheel, on a stud, placed between two toothed wheels, by
which they and the screws c, c, on which they are keyed will be turned
in opposite directions and lock the wheel to any angle required. This
locking apparatus is firmly attached to the framing a', a'. The drum e,
receives motion from the steam engine in the manner hereafter de-
scribed. f, is the steam cylinder. The crank shaft g, has four eccentrics
g, g, and g, g; those marked g¹, g¹, giving motion to the blocks in
the carriages at g³, g. The palls g', g', are fixed in such manner that
by the working of the excentrics a step by step motion is given to the
drum c, by means of the ratchet k, which is fixed on the axis of the
drum. i, is the boiler, which may be of any convenient form and con-
struction. j is the metal block which carries the iron coulter j¹, as
shewn and described in my former Patents. The axis j³, is carried by
the block j. On the axis j³, is a pinion j³, taking into the teeth at
the back of the coulter. The object of the pinion j³, is to facilitate the
raising and lowering of the coulter j¹.
The coulter j', and plug 7, are of the same shape and description
as those formerly employed by. me, with the exception that the coulter
or cutter, is now made of less thickness at the back than the
more forward parts (see section of the coulter), so as to avoid the

page_text: friction heretofore consequent upon the form of the coulter or cutter
used. On the axis b', of the carrying wheels a, a frame a, a², is
attached, which carries the axis l, of the roller 1, which has a worm
wheel 12, thereon receiving motion from the worm 13, on the axis of
the hand wheel 1; to the roller 1, a chain 15, is attached, by which
to support the frame a³, and consequently that end of the boiler
which is attached thereto. The frame a², a², carries the axis m,
on which are keyed pullies
worm wheel m², which is
of the hand wheel m³.
m¹, m¹; the axis m, has thereon the
driven by the worm m³, on the axis m*,
On one of the pullies m', a chain is
fixed on its upper side, and on the other pully m', a chain is on
its lower side, the other ends of such chains being connected to the
frame a, a, at the parts a, a, in such manner that by the working
in either direction of the hand wheel m³, the locking of the wheels at
any required angle can be effected. The locking being to assist in
keeping the coulter at all times in a perpendicular position as well as
for giving direction to the machine.
Having described the arrangement of the several parts of which the
machine is composed, I will now proceed to describe the mode of
working. At any convenient part of the land to be drained is fixed an
anchor or hold-fast, as shewn in plan and side view at Figures 3, and 4,
Sheet 2, to which is attached a pulley wheel n, and around such pulley
wheel on the wire rope from the drum e, is passed and retained, and
made fast to the frame at a, below the drum e.
the
In some cases, when greater speed is required, I attach the end of
from the drum e, to the anchor or hold-fast, and dispense with
the pulley wheel n.
rope
In using the machine a hole is formed in the ground at any part
where the drain is to be laid; the coulter, is then lowered into such
hole, where the machine is in a condition to be set in motion, and will
commence turning the drum e, as herein-before described; by which
means the machine will be drawn forward towards the anchor, the rope
will be received on the drum e, and the tiles being attached as described
in the Specification of my former Patent, the tiles will be drawn in and
the draining effected.
The machine having travelled and completed one length of drain,

page_text: the drum e, will have received the rope; the palls g, g, are then to be
thrown back out of the teeth of the ratchet k, and the machine driven
backwards in the following manner :-The eccentrics g², g², on the crank
axis g, give motion to the axis and drum o, o, by their rods being con-
nected to cranks 0, 02; at either end of the axis o, an additional rope is
passed round the drum o', one end being fastened to an anchor situated
at the point. The machine is next to be drawn or moved to recom-
mence work, the other end being held fast during such travelling back
of the machine; the drum e, will then be paying out its rope, ready for
the next forward direction of the machine, and so on till the com-
pletion of the work. For some purposes I prefer to perform the last-
mentioned operation of delivering or paying out the rope from the
drum e, by turning the front wheels a*, a*, by any convenient gearing,
worked by the engine, so that the bite of such wheels upon the land
shall act to drive the machine in the requisite direction; such arrange-
ment would be also suitable for the removal of the machine from one
place to another on common roads. The rope which I employ is a
hempen rope, coated or covered with wire in order to protect it from
the friction of the tiles.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no
claim to the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details
herein explained.
But what I claim is the mode of combining the machinery herein
described, and I also claim construction of coulter herein explained.
In witness whereof I, the said John Fowler, have hereunto set
my hand seal this Twentieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
30 Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
JOHN FOWLER, JUN. (L.S.)