IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE WORKING OF ATMOSPHERIC AND OTHER RAILWAYS, CANALS, AND MINES, AND
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HINTON BOVILL, of Milwall, and ROBERT GRIFFITHS, of Havre, in the King-
dom of France, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of March, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Hinton Bovill, and Robert Griffiths, our exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said George Hinton Bovill and Robert Griffiths, our exors, adiñiors, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said George Hinton Bovill and Robert
Griffiths, our exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE WORKING OF ATMOSPHERIC AND
OTHER RAILWAYS, CANALS, AND MINES, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSMITTING GAS
FOR THE PURPOSE OF LIGHTING RAILWAYS AND OTHER PLACES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said George Hinton
Bovill and Robert Griffiths, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the sanie, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
George Hinton Bovill and Robert Griffiths, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and in which manner the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
The first part of our Invention relates to using the pressure of the atmo-
sphere expansively, when employed as a motive power, in working atmospheric
apparatus used in railways and canals, so as to obviate the loss of power
and time that now occurs in exhausting the vacuum tubes before starting
the load.
Secondly, our Invention consists in drawing or propelling trains on atmo-
spheric or other railways, and towing or propelling boats on canals, by means
of small stationary pneumatic steam or hydraulic engines, or water wheels,
placed at, convenient. distances, and driving pulleys or traction rollers, which,
when set in motion, acting by their friction upon a long drawbar or compound
drawbar, attached to the railway train or canal boat, propel the same, as here-
after described.
Thirdly, our Invention relates to a method of raising and lowering. minerals
and materials in shafts of mines, by means of atmospheric pressure acting upon
pistons in vacuum tubes, and improving thereby the ventillation of the pits.
Fourthly, our Invention relates to the method of transmitting gas for light-
ing railways and other places, by exhaustion or suction, in contradistinction to
the present system of forcing. And in order that our Invention may be most
fully understood, and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe
the means pursued by us for performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Drawing A, Figure 1, represents a plan of an atmospheric railway, with the
vacuum tube; and Figures 2, 3, and 4, enlarged views, in side and transverse sec-
tions, of the valve, &c. for working the atmospheric air expansively behind the
travelling piston or pistons. A, B, C, D, E, F, Figure 1, represent the situation
of suitable valves or slides placed at convenient distances, which, for illustration,
we will here presume one quarter of a mile apart. The vacuum tube H being
exhausted, and a train starting from A towards B; the air valve at A is opened,
and when the train has proceeded any determined distance, say half way, or
one eigth of a mile towards B, the air valve at A is made to close either by

page_text: an ordinary cataract contained in the box R, by the action of the train, by a
galvanic wire, or any other convenient means; this air valve at A being closed,
the air between it and the tube piston commences expanding similarly to the
action of steam in expansive engines, Figures 2, 3, and 4. H represents the
vacuum tube. or main; I, the top valve or slide working in J, a 'valve box,
through the stuffing box of which passes R, the slide stalk, which, by means
of the cross head L and two side rods, is connected to the levers and rollers
M, upon which the train acts, depressing the slide in passing it, the springs G.
subsequently restoring to its original position. N is a valve' opening towards
the exhausting engine to allow the air being drawn from the whole length of
the main. O represents the air valve at the under side of the pipe H, which
is opened by the passage of the train immediately the stop slide I has closed,
and retained open by the catch P, working into the sector Q, admitting the
full pressure of the atmosphere behind the piston until such time, as it is
closed by the cataract contained within the case R, raising the catch P, or
other convenient means before.described for expanding the air in the section,
so that if the vacuum tube were exhausted in the first instance to a rarefac-
tion equal to half an atmosphere, the admission of air behind the piston having
been stopped on the train being half way between the sections A and B, the
impelling pressure behind the piston would gradually decrease from that of
the atmosphere to half of that amount, or equal to that in the vacuum tube
when the train started from A; in the same manner directly the train passèd
the valve at B, it opens the air valve O, which remains. open as it runs towards
C until its regulated time for closing as before described, the air expanding in
this section as in the previous one, the same operation being repeated in each
section to the exhausting engine, the vacuum tube being thus ready for another
train to start, without the great loss of power and time being incurred in
re-exhausting the main. When trains are running from X to Y, thé slide I¹,
with its valve N, &c., is used, and the other slide I is retained depressed by
means of a proper catch. When the train is running from Y to X, the slide I'
is retained depressed, and the slide I is brought into play, so that the air valve
O is always opened after the slide I¹ or I is closed. The amount of expán-
sion or effective pressure on the piston may be regulated by the admission of
air through the valve O to meet the gradients of the various. sections 'of the
line. This apparatus refers only to vacuum tubes having no longitudinal valve
or opening to the atmosphere; but the arrangement may be modified to meet
other description of atmospheric propulsion, but we prefer the arrangement
described.
Drawing B, Figure 1, represents a transverse section; Figure 2, a longi-

page_text: tudinal section; and Figure 3, a plan of a double line of railway, shewing
the propelling engine, traction wheels, draw-bar, and other apparatus here-
after described, for working railways and canals; the same letters refer to the
same parts in each of the Figures. A vacum main or tube without any
longitudinal slots or openings laid between the up and down lines of rails,
which is exhausted by air pumps worked by stationary engines or water
wheels placed at convenient distances along the line of railway or canal.
B, a pneumatic engine precisely similar to non-condensing steam engine,
and having its eduction passage connected to the partially exhausted vacuum
main by the branch pipe C; when the valve is open to start the engine, the
eduction side of the piston being in a vacous state, the pressure of the external
atmosphere acting upon the piston works its connecting rod, giving motion
through the crank pin D to the wheel F, hung on its upright shaft E, this
wheel being of suitable diameter to the width or guage of the railway. G, G,
two friction pullies or wheels, one on each line of rails, and on either side of
the wheel F; H, H, the long draw-bar or compound traction rod, which is
rolled forward between the driving wheel F and the friction wheel G, drawing
the train attached thereto according to the velocity at which the vacuum
engine is worked, the necessary bite to the draw-bar being ensured by the
pressure of the friction wheels G, G, towards F; I, I, being weights which
by their cranked levers J, J, act upon the rods a, a, attached to the bearing
of the shafts of the wheels G, G, which work through the guides b, b, in the
standards or brackets K, K, for carrying these wheels; the stops or flanges c, c,
on the brackets secure the wheels G, G, being kept a proper distance from F,
for the entrance of the tapered end of the traction rod when working. There
is attached to the front part of the draw-bar H, an inverted trough or slide L,
bell-mouthed at each end, fixed at the front by the centre M, and at the
back end by a segment N, having a slot in which, by means of a rack and
pinion or other convenient means, it may be moved by the conductor, seated
in the guard's box, which, together with the rack and pinion, are not shewn
in the Drawing; the slide or trough L works the two rollers and levers O, O,
which by means of suitable connections put the slide valves of the engine in
gear, or reverse them or regulate the expansion. Each carriage will be fur-
nished with a draw-bar, which will be connected together; the extra working
length required beyond that of the train, will be carried by a light framework
and wheels P, P, placed at convenient distances for convenience; we prefer
to make these traction rods and their light frames in lengths of about thirty
feet, to couple and disconnect with facility.
Mode of working:-Supposing the rollers O, O, on their levers to have

page_text: been placed in the position by the last train, as shewn in the Drawings at
Figure 3, and in such a manner as to close the valve and stop the engine B,
and that another train propelled by the next engine has just reached it, then the
inverted slide L passing over the roller and lever 0, 0, presses or deflects it to
one side, to such an amount as is due to the extent that this inverted slide L
is set in the slot of the segment N, out of parallel with the line of rails,
and acting on the slide in such a manner as to start the engine B, and cause
the traction wheel F to revolve so as to draw the draw-bar H through
between it and the pully G, the necessary pressure or bite being maintained
by the weights I, I, and their cranked levers J, J; the last carriage of the
train is provided with an inverted slide precisely similar to L, except that its
front end is more bell-mouthed, and that it is fixed in one position in such a
manner that after passing over the roller O, it always replaces it in the
centre, so as to stop the engine B, as above described; to regulate the speed
of the train or to stop it, the conductor, by altering the position of the inverted
slide L in the slot of the segment N, can cause the engine B to work more
or less expansively, or to prevent its slide being opened at all when required
to stop the train. Although we have here described merely one mode of
working by vacuum engines, the same may be modified in various ways as
may be found most convenient; for instance, the propelling wheels and rollers
may be placed with their axes horizontal, or at an angle, their peripheries may
be also chased or grooved to give greater bite to the traction rod; if required,
two engines with their cranks at right angles might be employed in the place
of one with advantage, as also, under certain circumstances, to place them at
greater distances apart than the length of the traction rod, such difference of
distance being performed by the momentum of the train, or by its gravity
down inclines. Engines may also be worked by steam, or, in suitable
localities, water power may be employed to work the traction wheels with
advantage. We would state, that in applying this part of our Invention to
drawing boats on canals, the tow-line would be attached to the draw-bar H,
carried by a skeleton carriage running on a small railway along the bank or
towing path.
Sheet C, Figure 1, represents a front, and Figure 2 a side, sectional
elevation of the pit shaft of a mine, shewing our pneumatic apparatus for
raising and lowering minerals and materials, and for efficiently ventilating the
mine. The same letters refer to the same parts in both Figures, and the
lower part of the right-hand vacuum tube c in Figure 1 is shown in section.
A, A, A, A, ground line at pit's mouth; B, B, B, B, the sides or walls of
shaft, in which are fixed the two vacuum pipes c, c, (of a diameter suitable to

page_text: nicety. If required, the engine may be kept exhausting the foul air from the
mine during the intervals of raising the minerals, ensuring a healthy venti
lation. We would here remark that it has before been proposed to raise
minerals from mines by vacuum tubes having longitudinal valves; but our
Invention consists in applying vacuum tubes having their lateral slots or
openings covered air-tight with a flexible diaphragm, and working as described,
and conducting the foul' air from the mine through the pipe R, as shown in
the Drawing.
::
The third part of our Invention is in transmitting gas for lighting railways
and other places by means of exhaustion or. suction, in contradistinction to the
method heretofore adopted by forcing. We would, however, state that we are
aware it is not new. to exhaust the traction tubes of atmospheric railways, and
using gas as a means of pressing the piston of a carriage or train of carriages
into the vacuous part of such traction tube; for we did in a former Speci-
fication describe means of so working atmospheric railways by the employment
of gas, and we mention this circumstance in order that the nature of our
present Invention may be most fully understood. And this part of our present
Invention consists in employing suitable gas pipes or mains between the
places where it is manufactured and the place where distributed for use (from
a gasometer in the usual way), and causing the pipe or gas main to be con-
stantly exhausted at or near the place where the gas is to be delivered, so
that the gas will flow freely from the place where it is made towards the
exhausting apparatus, without having to press on. any piston in the gas main or
pipe, which, when working atmospheric railways, is necessary; our Invention
consisting simply in transmitting gas from one place to another by the use
of pipes and exhausting apparatus, for the purpose of filling gasometers at
distant places from the scource of supply, and distributing such gas from
the gasometers, in the ordinary manner, for the purposes of lighting railways
and other places.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with for performing the same, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein described,
provided the peculiar character of our Invention be retained; but what we
claim is,―
First, the application of the force of the atmosphere expansively when
employed as the propelling power on railways or canals, whether applied to
tubes with longitudinal or other valves, or whether applied to cylinders or
vacuum engines for the like purposes.
Secondly, we claim the mode of propelling carriages and vessels on railways

page_text: and canals by means of what we have called draw-bars H, and wheels F and G,
put in motion by atmospheric engines or other power, as above described in
respect of Drawing B.
Thirdly, we claim the application of atmospheric mains having their longi-
tudinal slots or openings covered and worked as herein described, for lifting
ores and materials from mines, and improving the ventilation thereof; &,
Fourthly, we claim the transmitting of gas from the scource of supply into
distant gasometers by exhaustion, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hinton Bovill, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our 1
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.