IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAINING AND TILLING LAND
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Eddington, junior, of Chelmsford, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR DRAINING AND TILLING LAND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Eddington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th May 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDDINGTON, junior, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAINING AND TILLING LAND," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, first, to connecting the fore part of a draining plough
to the axle by means of a screw and nut, or otherwise, in such manner, that
a draining plough can be raised or lowered as it travels along, and thereby
enabling the drain to be made level, or at a given incline, independently of
the unevenness of the surface of the ground, which can be effected by turning
the screw and nut by means of a wheel or handle connected therewith. I
also propose, by having a suitable joint made in the top of the screw,. to allow
the wheels to travel over rough uneven ground without altering the upright
position of the draining plough. I further place the screw or nut for raising
or lowering the fore part of the plough in communication with the travelling

page_text: wheels by suitable gearing and clutches, so that the plough and drain may be
gradually raised or lowered as it, proceeds, whereby to cause a regular fall to
the drain on flat lands.
an improved rope for laying
For this purpose,
For this purpose, I propose
The second part of my Invention relates to
the pipes in the drain made by the plough.
threading, on a small wire or other strong rope, a number of short tubes or
sockets of wood, or other suitable material, on which the pipes to be laid are
to be strung, which prevents the wear of the rope in passing through the
drain pipes.
The third part of my Invention consists in the application of a framework,
carrying tines in combination with a number of double or single mould boards,
placed at suitable distances, which follow. behind the tines, and mould the
land up into ridges, after being stirred and loosened by the tines, so that the
implement shall perform both scarifying and ridging in one operation. I
propose raising and lowering the cultivator by means of a screw and nut
eonnected with the fore axle, and bar cranks or excentrics on the hinder
one.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Eddington in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDDINGTON, junior, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Eddington, junior, Her special licence, that my, the said William
Eddington, junior, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Eddington, junior, my exccutors, adniinistrators, 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 APPARATUS FOR DRAINING AND TILLING LAND,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Eddington,
junior, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: 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 Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William, Eddington, junior, 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-.
.
My Invention relates, first, to connecting the fore part of a draining plough
to the axle by means of a screw and nut, or otherwise, in such manner, that a
draining plough can be raised or lowered as it travels along, and thereby
enabling the drain to be made level, or at a given incline, independently of
the unevenness of, the surface of the ground, which can be effected by turning
the screw or nut by means of a wheel or handle connected therewith: I
further place the screw or nut for raising or lowering the fore part of the
plough in communication with the travelling wheels by suitable gearing and
clutches, so that the plough and drain may be gradually raised or lowered
as it proceeds, whereby to cause a regular fall of the drain on flat lands.
I
The second part of my Invention relates to an improved rope for laying the
pipes in the drains made by drain ploughs. For this purpose, propose
threading, on a small wire or other strong rope, a number of short tubes or
sockets of wood, or other suitable material, on which the pipes to be laid are
to be strung, which prevents the wear of the rope in passing through the
drain pipes.
The third part of my Invention consists in the application of a framework,
carrying tines in combination with a number of double or single toms or
mould boards, placed at suitable distances, which follow behind the tines, so
that the implement shall perform both scarifying and ridging in one operation.
I propose raising and lowering the cultivator by means of a screw nut con-
necting it with the fore axle, and bar cranks or eccentrics of the hinder one.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of a draining plough,
fitted and furnished according to my Invention.
A, A, is the beam or frame in which the plough coulter B is fitted, and can
be slid up and down for adjustment of depth, as in ordinary, being actuated
and controlled by a screw C, supported from the beam A by framework or

page_text: stays D, D, supporting it at top. The rotation of the screw C, by means of
the hand wheel E, operates the nut F, fixed to the coulter B, all as usual.
The rear end of the beam is supported from the hind axle by a screw a fixed
in the beam passing through the axle, and having ön it a hand wheel and
nut G, by which it may be raised or lowered, and the position of that end
regulated as desired. The fore end is, according to my. Invention, furnished
in a somewhat similar manner, but in this case the screw H is received in a
nut secured to the beam A. On the screw H is fixed a spur wheel I, as also
a hand wheel K to operate the screw by hand if desired. On the naves of
the fore wheels are fixed bevil pinions L, L', taking into bevil pinions M, M',
mounted on studs N, N!, fixed to the fore axle; 0, 0¹, are spur pinious, fixed
to or of a piece with the bevil wheels M, M', which pinions O, O', may bei
geared with the spur wheel I fixed in screw II at pleasure. P is the steering
apparatus, which operates by simply inclining the fore axle in the direction
of travelling, as well understood; and Q is the. traction bar, to which the
traction rope is attached to draw the rope over the ground; S is the mole which
forms the passage for the drain or drain tiles, and to which the rope drawing
the tiles is attached, as.well understood.
In laying drains on level land, after regulating the depth by the position
of the coulter B as usual, I place the wheel I in gear with one or other of the
spur pinion O, O!, say O', at the same time the bevil pinion M' will gear with
the bevil pinion L' on the running wheel, so that as the machine or plough
traverses over the ground, the running wheel communicates a slow rotary
motion to the stud wheel M¹, O', in gear, and thence to the spur wheel I,
and so communicates rotation to the screw H, to elevate or depress that end
of the beam at a regular and uniform rate, according to the gearing and
pitch of the screw H, and as may be desired. By this means, a regular incline
or fall may be given, by self-acting means, to the drain on level land, or, if
used on
land out of the level, the drains may still be laid at a regular and
proper incline, & this irrespective of the level of the land. The level
of the drain can be further regulated by turning the screw H by the hand
wheel K regularly or intermittently, the wheel gear being out of gear at the
time. The wheel gear is readily connected or disconnected by lifting and
holding up by a through pin in stud N, wheels O, M, O', M', both of which
are held up when actuated by hand, but only one or other when desired to
be self-acting, and according to the intention of raising or depressing the end
of the plough, as herein-before described.
The second part of my Invention relates to ropes used for laying drains,
which ropes are usually subjected to enormous tear and wear, in being drawn

page_text: through the ground, or in the tiles; to obviate which, I apply a wearing
surface to the rope of cheap material, which can be replaced at pleasure.
Fig. 3 represents my improved rope with section of covering. For this
purpose, I prefer to use a small wire rope b, on which I thread a series of
short sockets or pieces of wood, or other cheap material, these pieces or sockets
have rounded ends, which permits of the rope bending freely. This covering
maintains the external size required, and at same time protects the rope from
wear. A hemp, or other description of rope, may be similarly covered and
protected if desired.
The third part of my Invention, which relates to tilling land, is illustrated
in Figs. 4 and 5, Fig. 4 being a side elevation of an implement known as a
cultivator or scarifier, and Fig. 5 a plan of the same. The framework d, d,
and cultivating tines are arranged and operated as in ordinary, but in addition
to the scarifying tines e, e, I apply one, two, three, or more double moulding
ploughs f,f, in the same frame, so as to traverse and operate on the land
immediately in the rear of the scarifiers. I suspend these mould ploughs, or
tines, or stems, in manner precisely similar to scarifiers. The action is
this, the cultivator tines preceding the ploughs scarify, till, and lighten up the
land, while the ploughs, coming up behind, readily and easily mould up into
ridges the land previously lightened, and so obviate the necessity of traversing
the land twice to perform such two operations, as heretofore. The frame d
is supported from a screw g and hand wheel k, carried by the fore carriage,
by which the depth of the cultivators in the soil may be regulated, while the
hinder part is mounted on a wheel h, with cranked axle and hand lever, by
which it can be elevated and depressed for a like purpose, or raised out of the
ground in running back, as well understood; i, i, is the steering gear, by
which the fore carriage axle is inclined to the direction of travel, as well
understood. The back wheels may be mounted so as to rise and lower, to
limit the depth of the tines and ploughs in the ground in running backwards,
these will rise out of the ground by oscillating on their suspending bolts or
pins. The wheel his depressed before backing, as before described. .
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the
sanie, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, supporting the fore part of a draining plough from its axle or support,
by means of a screw or other mere mechanical equivalent, actuated and
applied as and for the purposes herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim enveloping or covering ropes used for laying drain pipes
with socket pieces or tubes, as herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly, I claim combining scarifying tines or cultivators, and a moulding
plough or ploughs in one and the same implement, as and for the purposes
herein-before described,
In witness whereof, I, the said William Eddington, junior, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM EDDINGTON, JUNIOR. (L.S.)
Witness,
W. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.