IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONTINUOUSLY DIGGING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Robson, of Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, and Edward Herdman, of Pará, in the Empire of Brazil, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CONTINUOUSLY DIGGING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Robson and Edward
Herdman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th November
1880.
GEORGE ROBSON, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, and EDWARD
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
HERDMAN, of Pará, in the Empire of Brazil.
CONTINUOUSLY DIGGING A TRENCH, LAYING DRAIN PIPES, AND FILLING IN THE
EARTH."
•
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for land draining.
Our machine is constructed and arranged in such a manner that by it we are
enabled to continuously dig a trench, place the drain pipes in the trench, and then
fill in the trench with earth, all by means of a single implement drawn or driven
over the ground.
At the front of the implement is the digging or excavating apparatus; this may
consist of one or more "Jacob's ladders" armed with buckets, similar to the "Jacob's
ladder" and buckets of a dredger. The digging apparatus cuts a trench as deep as
may be required, and wide enough to receive the drain pipes. At the rear of the
digging apparatus is a tube leading downwards and backwards; the drain pipes are
fed down this tube, and are continuously laid in a line at the bottom of the trench.
The earth removed by the digging apparatus is raised up and carried to the rear
of the machine by the "Jacob's ladder" or otherwise, and then descends by a shoot
or shoots into the trench in which the pipes have been laid.
Power may be communicated to the machine for working or propelling it in any
convenient way, either from a stationary or locomotive engine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Robson and Edward Herdman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th May 1881.
GEORGE ROBSON, of Sunderland, in the County of Durbam, and EDWARD
HERDMAN, of Pará, in the Empire of Brazil. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CONTINUOUSLY DIGGING A TRENCH, LAYING DRAIN PIPES, AND FILLING IN THE
EARTH."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for continuously
digging a trench, laying drain pipes, and filling in the earth.
Our machine is constructed and arranged in such a manner that by it we are
enabled to continuously dig a trench, place the drain pipes in the trench, and then
fill in the trench with earth, all by means of a single implement drawn or driven
over the ground.
At the front of the implement is the digging or excavating apparatus; this may
consist of one or more "Jacob's ladders" armed with buckets similar to the "Jacob's
ladder" and buckets of a dredger. The digging apparatus cuts a trench as deep as
may be required, and wide enough to receive the drain pipes. At the rear of the
digging apparatus is a tube leading downwards and backwards; the drain pipes
are fed down this tube, and are continuously laid in a line at the bottom of the
trench. The earth removed by the digging apparatus is raised up and carried to
the rear of the machine by the "Jacob's ladders" or otherwise, and then descends
by a shoot or shoots into the trench in which the pipes have been laid.
Power may be communicated to the machine for working or propelling it in any
convenient way, either from a stationary or locomotive engine.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a rear elevation, and Figure 3 a plan of a
trenching and pipe laying machine, constructed according to our Invention.
The machine consists of a carriage A¹ on wheels, and on which is erected one or
more Jacob's ladders (two are shown) D', D2, of a suitable length, and carrying &
series of buckets E, E², for the purpose of cutting and removing the earth from
the trench. The ladder D¹ carrying the buckets E cuts down to the extent of one
half the depth of the trench C, C, and the ladder D³ cuts the remaining half. The
machine, as shown, is intended to be worked by an endless rope passing over the
pulley B which drives the friction gear wheels C¹, C. The friction wheel C' is
keyed on the same shaft as the spur wheel F; motion is transmitted by the
wheel F to the wheels G and H, which in turn work the buckets on the ladders D¹, D³.
The travelling motion of the machine, as shown, is obtained by the bevel wheels I, I,
seen in plan; they receive motion from the wheel G, and transmit it to the worm K
geared into the wheel L, which is keyed on to the axle X of the carriage. M is a
spout of a suitable shape, into which are inserted the drain pipes; N is a guide for
the driving rope.
The winch O is for lowering and raising the ladders. On the
winch chain is fixed a screwed bar P, so that in a field where the surface is level,
and consequently no material natural fall for the water, the Jacob's ladders may
be slowly lowered to give the bottom of the drain C a sufficient fall. The winch Ŏ
and screwed bar P may be either worked by hand or mechanically by means of a
ratchet or otherwise from any of the other moving parts of the machine, preferably
from either of the shafts on which the spur wheels G and H are fixed. The
shoots Q1, Q, convey the earth back again to the drain, and on the chain carrying
the buckets may be fixed knives, for the purpose of cutting up the side of the
trench, thus easing the cutting operation of the buckets. In a field where it is
necessary to preserve the sod a plough may either bo prefixed to the machine or

page_text: the sod may be turned to one side by an ordinary plough previously drawn over
the line of drain. The blocks 0', 0, may be made hexagon or of any convenient
form, so long as they carry the endless chains or bands S, S, with the buckets E¹, E',
round them without surging. D1, D2, are frame works of iron or other suitable
material attached to the blocks O¹, 0, 0, 0, and are for the purpose of carrying
the chains and buckets, and giving steadiness to the cutting operation. The bucket
frames are connected by links R.
The buckets on the frame work E' are kept a little larger than those on the
frame work E, so that the buckets on E' are clear of the soil immediately they
have done cutting. The buckets on turning over the blocks 03, 0', deliver their
contents into the shoots Q1, Q2, which are given sufficient angle, so that the earth
is transferred back again to the drain, and on to the top of the pipes, thus filling
the drain up again. The spout M is attached to any convenient portion of the
carriage, and may be of any shape, but preferably oblong or oval section.
It is
arranged parallel to and vertically over the bottom of the drain, and sufficiently
in advance of the delivery of the earth from the shoots Q1, Q, so that none of the
earth may fall in front of the bottom end of the spout, or prevent the pipes from
being properly laid. The spout M is carried up to or through the bottom of the
carriage, and the pipes are inserted at the top of the spout, so that the weight of
the pipes in the spout causes the bottom pipe to leave it, and be laid close against
the preceding pipe, as the machine is in operation.
If required iron plates may be inserted and arranged to keep the sides of the
drain intact, and also to convey forward any earth falling from the buckets, so that
it can be again caught and lifted. The machine can be provided with steering
gear, although it is not shown on the Drawing.
Y is an apparatus for turning the machine round at the end of each line of
piping; it is, as shown on Drawing, an hydraulic lift, but a worm or other lift may
be substituted.
When it is desired to raise the machine the lift is placed beneath it, and after
the buckets are lifted the machine is raised and turned round.
Having thus described our improvements, and the best means we are acquainted
with for carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise details shewn and described, as they may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what we do
claim is the machine digging out the drain, laying down the drain pipes, and filling
in the earth, the entire operation being done by one machine simultaneously and
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Robson and Edward Herdman, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the above named George Robson
and George Storey Moore, in the
presence of
REGINALD CADER NELSON,
Solicitor, Sunderland.
GEORGE ROBSON. (LS)
G. S. MOORE,
(LS.)
For Edward Herdman,
By power of Attorney.