IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN PLOUGHING, TILL- ING, OR CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM POWER
Year: 1858

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LETTERS PATENT to John Fowler, j', of 28, Cornhill, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN PLOUGHING, TILL-
ING, OR CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM POWER."
Sealed the 30th September 1858, and dated the 3rd April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Fowler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
April 1858.
I, JOHN FOWLER, j', of 28, Cornhill, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN PLOUGHING,
TILLING, OR CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM POWER," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in applying two steam engines mounted on separate
carriages to haul ploughs and other agricultural implements in such a manner
that the power of the two engines is applied at the same time to give motion
to the implement. For this purpose two engines, each furnished with a pair
of grooved drums, one or both driven by the engine, are placed opposite to each
other, one on each headland, and an endless rope passes from one engine to
the other and takes two or three turns round the drums of each engine. The
implement is attached to the rope, and is hauled by means of it backwards and
forwards over the land between the two engines according as they are working
to wind the rope in one or other direction. The engines traverse along the
headlands as the work progresses, and the length of the endless rope is adjusted
according to the distance between the engines, by winding or taking up a

page_text: greater or less length of it by means of a drum or apparatus carried by the
implement. In this manner I am enabled to use engines of half the power
of those which it is necessary to employ when the implement is hauled in both
directions by means of one engine, or when it is drawn by two engines on
opposite headlands working alternately, and these engines of smaller power
are more useful for other farm purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Fowler, j', in the Great Seal Patent Office on the. 2nd
October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FOWLER, j, of 28, Cornhill, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Third day of April in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first 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, 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN PLOUGHING, TILLING, OR CULTIVATING LAND
BY STEAM POWER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Fowler, 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 Fowler, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in applying two steam engines mounted on separate
carriages to haul ploughs and other agricultural implements in such a manner

page_text: that the power of the two engines is applied at the same time to give motion
to the implement. For this purpose two engines, each furnished with a pair
of grooved drums, one or both driven by the engine, are placed opposite to
each other, one on each headland, and an endless rope passes from one engine
to the other and takes two or three turns round the drums of each engine.
The implement is attached to the rope, and is hauled by means of it backwards
and forwards over the land between the two engines according as they are
working to wind the rope in one or other direction. The engines traverse
along the headlands as the work progresses, and the length of the endless rope
is adjusted according to the distance between the engines, by winding or taking
up a greater or less length of it by means of a drum or apparatus carried by
the implement. In this manner I am enabled to use engines of half the
power of those which it is necessary to employ when the implement is hauled
in both directions by means of one engine, or when it is drawn by two engines
on opposite headlands working alternately, and these engines of smaller
power are more useful for other farm purposes.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a Diagram representing two portable steam engines on
two distant headlands working a rope which at its two ends is fixed to an
agricultural implement, which in the Drawing is shown to be a machine
carrying two sets of ploughs similar to what was described in the Specification
of a former Patent granted to me. In the arrangement shown in the
Drawing provision is made for taking up the slack rope, similar to what is
described in a Provisional Specification filed by me on the 14th day of July
last, which is the description of apparatus I prefer to use for this purpose.
Figure 2 is a side view, and Figure 3 is a plan, of such plough and apparatus
for taking up the slack rope. The form of portable steam engines used for
carrying out my present Invention may be greatly varied. It is only necessary
that such engines should be provided with suitable grooved drums or barrels
for simultaneously giving motion to an endless rope so that an agricultural
implement attached to such endless rope may depend for its haulage power
on the joint effort of two engines stationed at the opposite headlands.
In the Drawing each of the two portable steam engines is shown to be
provided with two drums or barrels, around which the endless rope takes two
or more turns, according to the extent of surface-holding required, and such
coiling of the rope around the two grooved drums or barrels may be in the

page_text: directions shown, or the rope may pass around and between the two drums
in place of passing around them in the directions shown. The two portable
steam engines are to be provided with suitable apparatus for moving them
along the two headlands, similar to that which the engine at one headland,
and the drum and anchoring apparatus at the other headland, have heretofore
been provided with for moving them along the respective headlands.
In the Diagram A, A, and B, B, represent the two headlands along which
two suitable engines are to be progressively moved as the intervening land is
tilled or treated by the agricultural implement for the time being used;
C, C, and D, D, are parts of the apparatus for moving the engines E and F
along their respective headlands in the direction of the arrows, as is well
understood. Each of the engines has two drums, both of which or only one
may be geared with and driven by the engines. H, H, is a rope, the two ends
of which are fixed to the two barrels I, J, which are carried by the ploughing
machine, hence the rope in action is endless; and in order that there may be
no slack in this rope, a quantity of the rope is at the starting of the implement
from a headland wound on to one of the barrels I or J, as will be hereafter
described. In the arrangement shown, the ploughing machine is supposed to
be moving from the headland A towards the headland B, and consequently the
rope is moving in the direction of the arrows. K, L, are the two drums of
the engine at the headland A; and M, N, are the two drums of the engine at
the headland B. These drums K, L, and M, N, are to be arranged to give
motion to the rope E, first in one direction and then in the other, so as to
move the agricultural implement attached thereto alternately to and from
each of the headlands A and B, and the engines are also to be arranged
suitably for moving along the headlands towards suitable anchoring apparatus,
as is well understood. Supposing the ploughing machine to be about to start
from the headland A towards the headland B, the man accompanying the
ploughs (who sits on the seat O when going from the headland A, and on the
seat P when going from the headland B,) causes the break a to be slackened
off its wheel by means of the wheel b, hence as the draft of the rope between
the drum N is received by the drum or barrel I, it will cause that barrel to
move round, and in doing so it will give motion to the axis c, on which is a
drum or pulley d, which is held by means of a ratchet wheel and clicks or
catches from turning on the axis c when that axis is put in motion by the
endless rope H. The drum or pulley d, by a strap e, gives motion to the the
axis f, which gives motion to the axle on which the barrel or pulley J is fixed,
such strap e acting on the pulley or drum g, which is for the time fixed to
the axis f by a ratchet wheel, and clicks or catches, and the pulley or barrel J

page_text: will be caused to turn so much faster than the drum or barrel I that the slack
of the rope H will be quickly taken up, when the man attending the machine
will put on the breaks, so as to stop the axis of the drum or barrel I moving
further round. When the ploughing machine has arrived at the headland B,.
the man attending it will take his seat on the end at P, and on the engines
being started, but in the reverse direction, the draft of the engines will bring
the rope H to act first on the barrel or drum J, and its break a¹ being free of
its wheel on the axis f connected with the drum or barrel J, that axis will be
caused to rotate, and it will give motion to a drum or pulley d¹ on the axis f,
as above described in regard to a similar drum or pulley in connection with
the axis of the barrel I, which will by a strap give motion to a pulley f¹ on the
axis c in connection with the drum or barrel I, and give motion thereto at a
faster rate than that at which the barrel or drum J is turned by the rope H,
the slack of that rope will consequently be wound on the barrel or drum I
when the ploughing machine or other implement is about to be moved from
the headland B towards the headland A. It should be stated that the drums
or pulleys d, d', and f, f', are respectively fixed to their axes in one direction,
and turn freely thereon in the other direction, and the drums or pulleys d
and d¹ are not both fixed to their axes at the same time; neither are the drums
or pulleys f, f, fixed to their respective axes at the same time.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any of
the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details; but
what I claim is the combination herein described, whereby the power of two
engines (situated on distant headlands) is simultaneously employed in giving
motion to an agricultural implement by an endless rope, in such manner as to
haul the agricultural implement alternately to and from each headland, as
herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Fowler, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
ROB BURTON.
JOHN FOWLER, JN. (L.8.)