IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING COALS AND OTHER MINERALS."
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Dalby, of Rushton House, Bradford Moor,
near Bradford, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING COALS AND OTHER MINERALS."
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING COALS AND OTHER MINERALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Dalby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
March 1866.
I, SAMUEL DALBY, of Rushton House, Bradford Moor, near Bradford, in
the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING COALS AND OTHER MINERALS," to be
as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to facilitate the obtaining or "winning". of
coal and other minerals. For this purpose within or upon a suitable frame-
work, which may for convenience and lightness be made of wrought iron,
I place and secure to one end of the same a cylinder of such construction as is
ordinarily used when compressed air is the motive power (which I prefer) and
placing the same so that the crank shaft is in a horizontal position; or, if
desired, in a vertical position, and using the ordinary connecting rod by means
of ordinary gearing. I impart a rotary motion to a vertical shaft secured to
the framework, and having upon one of its extremities two or more arms of
[Price Sd.]

page_text: any required diameter; these arms are placed opposite to each other, and
to their extremities I aflix adjustable cutters, such cutters having a twisted
form for the sake of additional strength.
The end of the annaratus is regulated according to ninauratare
SPECIFICATION
in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Dalby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st September 1866.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
DALBY, of Rushton House, Bradford Moor, near Bradford, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Dalby, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel
Dalby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Samuel Dalby, 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 "IMPROVED
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING COALS AND OTHER MINERALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Dalby, 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 per-
formed, 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 Samuel Dalby, 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:-
The object of my Invention is to facilitate the obtaining or "winning" of
coal and other minerals. For this purpose within or upon a suitable frame-

page_text: work, which may for convenience and lightness be made of wrought iron,
though I prefer it of cast iron, I place and secure to one end of the same a
cylinder of such. construction as is ordinarily used when compressed air is the
motive power (which I prefer), and placing the same so that the crank shaft
is in a horizontal position; or, if desired, in a vertical position, and using the
ordinary connecting rod by means of ordinary gearing. I impart a rotary motion
to a vertical shaft secured to the framework, and having upon one of its
extremities (or in any intermediate position) two or more arms of any required
diameter; these arms are placed opposite to each other, and to their
extremities I affix adjustable cutters, such cutters having a curved form for
the sake of additional strength.
The speed of the apparatus is regulated according to circumstances, whilst
its traverse along the tramway is regulated by gearing thereto.
.
In order, however, that my Invention may be thoroughly understood 1 refer
to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, similar letters representing similar parts in the various views, that is
to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan of the
same; Figure 3 shews a plan of the method of "forwarding" the machine;
Figures 4 and 5 are vertical section, and sectional plan of the chain pulley
that is used for forwarding.
A represents the cylinder of the engine secured to the framework B. The
latter, furnished with bearings, is mounted upon wheels C, which run upon the
tramway. In the Drawings shewn, compressed air is presumed to be the
motive power, although of course other motive powers may be used. D is the
crank shaft, by means of which motion is imparted through gearing a, a, lo
the shaft upon which the cutter arms E are keyed; these arms, it will be
observed are fitted with cutters e (two only being shewn, although a larger
number may be used) of a curved form, as are also the arms themselves, for
the sake of strength. The Drawing given shews the said arms E and their
cutters as having a horizontal movement, though of course, if desired, a vertical
or diagonal one could be used.
I will now explain the method by means of which 1 propel the apparatus
forward.
Referring. to. Figure 3 (portions of which are seen in Figure 2, plan view.)
D shews the position of the crank shaft in section; behind it, that is furthest
from the engine, passes a bar F, having a fulcrum secured to the foundation

page_text: plate B of the framework.
Either end of the bar F is furnished with a
rectangular frame f, f, through which passes the cutter shaft E¹, dependent
upon which side of the machinery the cutter shaft is required. A tappet G is
secured to the shaft E' within one end of the rectangular frame. .It is
obvious that upon the shaft E' revolving the tappet G will strike the frame F,
and impart through the fulcrum an alternate or rocking motion to the whole
framo F. By means therefore of a paul and ratchet motion H, H', the
former having its fulcrum on the frame F, and the latter working upon a
spindle H, and being secured to the pinion H³, each revolution of the tappet
causes the ratchet to revolve as much as may be required (regulated by the
pitch of the ratchet teeth), and to impart through the pinion H³ and pinion H*
rotary motion to the chain pulley J (secured to pinion H'), and through the
friction of the chain J to the chain pulley K. It will be seen that the chain J
on passing round the chain pulleys goes in opposite directions, the one end
being secured to a staple fixed in a convenient position to one end of the
"bank," and the other to the opposite end, so that the machine being in
operation, and both ends of the chain secured, each revolution of the cutting
shaft imparts a progressive motion to the machine through the above-described
apparatus. The paul L prevents the recoil of the ratchet wheel H¹ when the
'paul H is withdrawn from the ratchet, as its fulcrum is secured to the frame B,
and it is actuated by the bar F.
The various parts of the engine itself are not novel, and therefore need not
of themselves be described, ordinary and well known connecting and working
parts (where compressed air is the motive power) being used, consequently
I have not deemed it necessary to shew all the details of the same. The picks
or cutters are shewn as having their cutting extremities much deeper in
thickness than the thickness of the cutter arms themselves, as must of necessity
be the case, so that when the motive power actuates the cutter shaft and
consequently the cutters by means of the cylinder, crank shaft, crank, and
gearing before named the cutters may make full clearance for the cutter
arms.
Having now fully described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same may be carried out, I wish it to be fully understood that although
I have named compressed air conveyed by pipes to the engine as the motive
power I prefer, as before stated, other motive powers are or may be applicable
for the purpose of actuating my apparatus; what I claim is,~
"
Firstly, the cutting or 'winning" of coal and other minerals by means of
the rotary cutting apparatus shewn and described without confining myself to
the precise details, such cutting apparatus being arranged for either vertical,

page_text: horizontal, or diagonal cuts, and the shape of the cutters themselves being
capable of modification.
Secondly, the means or apparatus shewn and described to be used in con-
junction with the above-described cutting apparatus for propelling the machine
during such process of cutting or "winning."
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Dalby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
SAMUEL DALBY. (L.S.)