AN IMPROVED SAFETY COAL HOLE COVER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Sussex Place, Lough-
borough Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED SAFETY COAL HOLE COVER."-A communication.
Sealed the 8th February 1856, and dated the 14th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bous-
field, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th November 1855.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Sussex Place, Loughboro' Road,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "AN IMPROVED SAFETY COAL HOLE COVER" to be as follows:-
The coal hole covers as heretofore constructed consist of a simple plate of
iron fitting into an annular plate laid permanently in the side walk imme-
diately over the opening into the vault. When the hole is opened for tho
introduction of coal or for other purposes the plate is removed, and when it
becomes necessary to ventilate the vault beneath, the plate is partially removed
to one side. In either case accidents to passers-by are exceedingly liable to
To remedy this inconvenience, and to produce a cover which may at
any time be raised for the purpose of ventilating, or for the introduction of
coal or other articles without danger to the passers-by, is the object of the
present Invention, which consists in attaching two or more rods to the under-

page_text: neath surface of the cover, which rods are permitted to slide freely in suitable
openings in the cylinder or top plate of the coal hole. Or this arrangement
may be modified, and in place of the plate rising vertically it may be caused
to move on binges, and have side rods to retain it in position; and a second
plate or frame may be similarly raised on the opposite side of the opening into
the coal vault, and have side guide rods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Offico
on the 25th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Sussex Place, Loughborough Road, in the County
of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
-
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of, Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special license that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfeild, 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 Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED SAFETY COAL HOLE COVER," being a communication
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said, George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 calender months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo, is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing' hereunto
aunexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-

page_text: Coal hole covers as heretofore constructed consist of a simple plate of iron
fitting into an annular plate laid permanently in the side walk immediately
over the chimney of the vault. When the hole is opened for the introduction
of coal or for other purposes the plate is removed, and when it becomes
necessary to ventilate the vault beneath, the plate is partially removed to one
side. In either case accidents to passers-by are exceedingly liable to occur.
To remedy this inconvenience, and to produce a cover which may at any time
be raised for the purpose of ventilating, or for the introduction of coal or other
articles without danger to the passers-by, is the object of the present Invention;
which consists in attaching two or more rods to the underneath surface of tho
cover, which rods are permitted to slide freely in suitable openings in the
cylinder or top plate of the coal hole, in a manner which will now be more
fully described.
;
A is the cover; b, the rods which are secured thereto, and which slide freely
in tubes B attached to the cylinder C. The rods b are pierced with several
holes, through which and also through holes in the tube B pass the keys a,
by which means the cover may be fastened when closed, or may be secured
at various heights above the pavement, as required. In certain cases the holes
in the rods and the keys a may be dispensed with, the cover not being allowed
to rise sufficiently to permit the entrance of a man, its motion being arrested
by the buttons at the bottom of the rods. "In Figs. 1 and 3- it is seen
raised to its full height for the purpose of introducing coal, and in Fig. 2 it
is represented as closed and bolted by the pins a. The cover may also be
raised ? few inches for the purpose of ventilation. In the accompanying
Drawings the cover is represented as supported by three rods. I do not con-
fine myself, however, to any particular number of rods, as any other suitable
number may be employed. In certain cases I propose using but one rod in
the center of the plate, the lower end of the rod being screwed, and passing
through a horizontal bar which is secured across the bottom of the opening;
and when the pavement is of flat stone or flagging, the cylinder or annular
plate above described may be dispensed with, the cover being let directly into
the stone, suitable staples being secured to the under surface of the latter to
receive the bolts or keys which fasten the cover when closed or elevated. It
is also evident that there are other methods by which the same end may be
accomplished without departing from the principle of this Invention; for
instance, the cover may be hinged upon one side, and swung up when opened,
as seen in Fig. 4; when thus arranged, the cover is guided and supported,
and the opening to the vault is sufficiently covered to protect the passers-by
by the circular arcs m, which assume the position represented in dotted lines

page_text: when the cover is closed. In Fig. 5 is represented a modification of my
Invention, in which the cover H is hinged to the scuttle plate at f, and is
held in its vertical position when open by the rods g, which hook into staples
in the scuttle plate at i.. D is the safety guard, which is hinged at m, and is
supported by the rods h. When the cover is closed, the guard D lies beneath
the cover H, and the rods g and h hook into staples beneath, and secure the
cover from being opened from the outside..
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above-recited Letters Patent I claim, hanging and securing coal hole covers
in the manner substantially as hercin set forth, whereby they may be raised as
required for the purposes of ventilation or for the introduction of coal, and all
danger to passers-by is avoided, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
R. BROWNING,
!
New Court, St. Swithin's Lane..
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)