SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND MAKING CHAINS FOR THE USE OF MINES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1804

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HAWKS the younger, of Gateshead, in the County of Durham, Iron
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, on or about the Second day of July, in the forty-fourth year
of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said William Hawks, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Hawks, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, during the term of fourteen years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use. exercise, and vend the Invention
therein mentioned, to wit, "SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND
MAKING CHAINS FOR THE USE OF MINES AND OTHER PURPOSES;" within that part
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to me, the said William Hawks, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or any of them, should seem meet; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said
licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein granted unto me, the said.
William Hawks, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said

page_text: Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete and
ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said
Letters Patent there is (amongst other things) contained a proviso, that if I,
the said William Hawks, should not particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the
same to be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that
then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and
by the said recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hawks, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows,
that is to say :-
In Table 1st, C represents a bar of iron, steel, copper, or other metallic
substance, out of which a link is to be cut or formed to make part of the
chain; E is a coffin or box, the area of which the steel plates B and D are
made exactly to fit, and the holes F, F, through these plates, are to be of equal
circumference, and must be exactly opposite to each other when placed on the
coffin. The bar C being placed in the coffin between the steel plates B and
D, the steel punches A, A, are to be placed in the holes F, F, in the upper
plate, and are to be forced through the bar C by a powerful screw, or any
other mechanical power. C 2 represents the bar thus perforated, and this
process being repeated upon other bars similar to the bar C will produce the
nicest accuracy, and a perfect similarity, both with respect to the size of the
boles and their distance from each other, in each bar so perforated.
In Table 2d, Fig. 1st represents the bar C, perforated in the manner before
mentioned, placed between two steel dies G, G, which have holes through
them corresponding with the holes in the bar C, and the bar C so placed is
confined there by means of two steel pins, which pass through the two dies
and the bar C, as represented in the Fig., and which pins are there fastened
by keys going through them as represented at H, H, or by screws and nuts.
Fig. 2d is another lie of steel or iron, with a surface of steel, through which
there is a mortice I, I, of such dimensions, and so corresponding in Fig. with
the dies G, G, that they may just pass freely through. The bar C 2, confined
between the dies G, G, as before mentioned, is laid on the die Fig. 2, the
under die G being at the same time received into the mortice I, I, and a screw

page_text: or other mechanical power being applied upon the upper die G, the bar C 2 is
cut by the edges of the said upper die G and of the mortice I, I, into the Fig.
of the link represented at C 3. The die Fig. 2 may be made in the form
represented, or in any other form calculated to produce a shear-like or slanting
cut with the edges of the said upper die G, by which the resistance of the bar
to be cut will be much less than if the surface of Fig. 2 were flat or in a
strait line.
In Table 3d, C 3 is another representation of the link formed as before-
mentioned. L represents a transverse section or end view of a bar of iron or
other metal, brought into that form by being made to pass between rollers cut
for that purpose. The bar L thus rolled is then cut into proper lengths, and
formed into bushes or thimbles, as represented at M, M. The smaller ends of
these bushes or thimbles, being of a size corresponding with and fitting the
holes perforated in the link C 3, are made to pass through the holes in
the link till the projecting part or shoulder of the bush or thimble comes in
contact with the link, as represented at N, N. 0, 0, are two dies which have
holes through them corresponding with the holes in the link C 3, after the
bushes have been inserted at N, N. In the face of these dies O, O, counter-
sinks are made at Q, Q, Q, Q, of the same figure and dimensions as the thicker
ends of the bushes M, M. The link C 8 (having two bushes or thimbles in
it as represented at N, N,) being laid on the under die O, with the thicker
end of each bush or thimble placed in the countersink of the die, and a steel
pin being passed through each bush as at R, R, the upper die is laid upon
it, and the force of a screw or any other mechanical power being applied, the
dies 0, 0, are pressed towards each other, and when the bottom of the
countersink in the upper die O comes in contact with the end of the bush or
thimble which has passed through the link, the bush or thimble is pressed
down, and necessarily takes the form of the countersink in the dic 0, care
having been previously taken to ascertain that the quantity of metal in the
bush or thimble which has been passed through the link shall neither exceed
nor be deficient of the quantity required to fill the countersink completely when
thus pressed. O, P, O, P, represents the two dies with the link between them
at the end of this operation, the dotted lines being intended to represent the
figure of the bushes or thimbles, and the countersinks with the steel pins
through them. These steel pins are of the same size as the pins which are
afterwards to connect the links together when forming the endless chain.
C 4 represents the link when bushed or thimbled in the manner described;
and it is evident that the nicest accuracy must be produced with respect to the
length of the bush or thimble thus fixed in the link, the size of the hole in the

page_text: bush, and the distance of the holes from each other. Of course every link in the
chain must duly bear an equal share of the weight to be sustained.
I desire it may be observed, by way of general explanation or specification
of my said Invention, that such Invention consists in producing a link or
links, with it's bushing, as represented at C 4, with those properties above
described of being all exactly alike, both with respect to the distance and size
of the holes, and also the shape of the link.
Table 4th represents a front and profile view of a piece of the chain put
together, where the links are placed alternately three and two abreast; but this
might be varied as circumstances required, viz, one link or two, three or
four, &c., &c. abreast, at the discretion of those who are to use the chain.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hawks, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and four.
ordinary in Chancery.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-eighth day of
December, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Hawks
came before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.