IM- PROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL STEAM ENGINES AND LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINES TO BE USED ON COMMON ROADS."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, the younger, of Coven, near Wolver-
hampton, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL STEAM ENGINES AND LOCOMOTIVE STEAM
ENGINES TO BE USED ON COMMON ROADS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th August 1858.
I, JOHN SMITH, the younger, of Coven, near Wolverhampton, in the County
of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL STEAM ENGINES AND LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINES
TO BE USED ON COMMON ROADS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in supporting the boilers of agricultural steam
engines and locomotives to be used on common roads upon centres or upon an
axis situated in a horizontal plane and transverse to the length of the boiler.
By this method of construction the boiler may be preserved in a horizontal
position, while the framing of the engine is traversing an incline upon the land
or road, and the water level in the boiler prevented from undergoing any
material change. The force pump by which the boiler is supplied with water,
and the pipe by which steam is supplied to the engine, are connected with the
boiler through the axis or centres on which the boiler turns.
My Invention consists, secondly, in connecting the wheels which constitute
the driving wheels of the locomotive, or of the agricultural engine when the

page_text: engine is made locomotive, to the axle or shaft by which they are driven in
the following manner :-The wheels, instead of being keyed to the axle, turn
loosely thereon, but may be fixed and made to turn with the axle by means of
a clip consisting of two semicircles. The said clip is attached to the shaft or
axle, and encircles the nave of the wheel; when the clip is tightened upon the
nave, the wheel is carried round on the rotation of the shaft. On turning curves,
or turning the engine round, one wheel may be fixed and the other loose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, the younger, of Coven, near Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Smith, Her special licence that I, the said John Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Smith, 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 AGRICULTURAL
STEAM ENGINES AND LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINES TO BE USED ON COMMON ROADS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Smith, 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-Office-
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, 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:-

page_text: My Invention consists, firstly, in the method, herein-after particularly
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, of supporting the
boilers of agricultural steam engines and locomotive steam engines to be used
on common roads, that is to say, supporting the said boilers upon centres
or upon an axis situated in a horizontal plane and transverse to the length
of the boiler, the said centres or axis being situated below the centre of gravity
of the boiler.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation, and
Figure 2 in transverse vertical section, an agricultural steam engine constructed'
according to my Invention. The boiler a is supported upon the framing b by
means of a hollow axis c, and the said boiler a is capable of turning upon the
said hollow axis c, so as to change the level of the boiler a with respect to the
level of the framing b. The chimney end of the boiler a may be raised, as
indicated by the dotted lines d, or the said chimney end may be depressed, as
indicated by the dotted lines e in Figure 1. The change of level in the boiler
is effected by a screw f, working in a bearing h on the boiler, the said screw
taking into a knuckle g on the framing b. By turning the screw f by means
of the wheel i at its top, the fire-box end of the boiler may be raised or
depressed. By this method of construction the boiler a may be preserved in a
horizontal position, while the framing 6 of the engine is traversing an incline
upon the land or road, and the water level in the boiler prevented from under-
going any material change. The force pump by which the boiler a is supplied
with water, and the pipe by which steam is supplied to the engine, are con-
nected with the boiler through the axis or centres c upon which the boiler
turns; the said force pump and steam pipe may, however, be connected with
the boiler by any suitable elastic or flexible junction, or by ball-and-socket
junctions.
Figure 1 A represents in vertical section, and Figure 1 B in horizontal
section, the hollow axis c. The manner of connecting the steam and water
pipes with the boiler through the said axis will be understood by an exami-
nation of the said Figures 1A and 1 B.
My Invention consists, secondly, in connecting the wheels which constitute
the driving wheels of the locomotive, or of the agricultural steam engine when
the said engine is made locomotive, to the axle or shaft by which the said wheels
are driven in the manner illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawing; Figure 3 representing a vertical section of a wheel connected with
its shaft according to my Invention, and Figure 4 representing in elevation a
portion of the same. k is the nave of the wheel through a hole 7, in which the
shaft or axle passes. The said shaft or axle is keyed or otherwise secured to

page_text: the plate m. On the inner surface of the plate m two semicircular clips n, o,
(see Figure 4) are fixed, the said clips n, o, being fixed to the plate m by pins
passing through the holes p, q. Screws and nuts r, s, connect the clips n, o,
together; and by tightening the nuts at r, s, the clips n, o, may be made so to
grip the nave k as to connect the said nave firmly with the plate m; the wheel
is thereby made to rotate with the shaft or axle with which it is connected.
By slackening the nuts at r and s, the wheel and axle may move independently
of one another. On turning curves, or turning the engine round, the wheel at
one end of the axle may be fixed and that at the other end loose.
Having now described, the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I
claim as my Invention,--
. Firstly, supporting the boilers of agricultural steam engines and locomotives®
to be used on common roads upon centres or upon an axis situated in a hori-
zontal plane and transverse to the length of the boiler, the said centres or
axis being situated underneath the boiler, or considerably below the centre of
gravity of the boiler, when the said boiler is filled with water to the ordinary
water level. Also connecting one end of the said boiler with the framing of the
agricultural or locomotive engine by a screw or otherwise, so as to permit of
the level of the boiler relative to the level of the framing being easily changed,
as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the method herein-before described, and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, of connecting the wheels which constitute the driving
wheels of a locomotive or of an agricultural engine when the said engine is
made locomotive; that is to say, by means of a clip or clips connected with
the shaft or axle, the said clip or clips being made to grip the naves of the
wheels.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine
JOHN-SMITH,-JUNE. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN BRAWN, Jun'.