IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN GETTING COAL.
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Bartholomew, of Doncaster, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN
GETTING COAL.".
Sealed the 3rd July 1866, and dated the 11th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Bartholomew at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th January 1866.
I, CHARLES BARTHOLOMEW, of Doncaster, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED IN GETTING COAL," to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 12th
January 1864 (No. 90) was described an arrangement of apparatus for
separating and drawing forward and wrenching off pieces or blocks of coal
from the face of the coal that was being worked. The apparatus was
composed of a rod passing through a tube; the tube and rod were com-
bined together at one end by a hydraulic or screw press, and at the other
end the tube was provided with pieces that could be forced out from it
and caused to act as "lewises." When using the apparatus a hole was
drilled through the block to be drawn forward;--the end of the tube

page_text: carrying the "lewises" was introduced into the hole, and then the end
of the rod was caused to press against the solid coal at the back of the
block, the "lewises" having been forced outwards from the tube by the
introduction of the rod. By working the press the tube was then drawn
forward, bringing with it the block of coal.
My present Invention consists in improvements on the apparatus above
described, and relates to the manner of constructing and working lewis or
-strut pieces, which are forced outwards from the tube into the coal. The
tube is made of less diameter than the hole into which it is to be intro-
duced, and the end of the tube is formed with a conical head, the base of
the cone which is at the end of the tube being made nearly to fit the hole.
"The lewis or strut pieces that are to be forced into the coal are formed
with inclines corresponding to the incline of the cone; thus, when the
tube is being drawn back to draw forward a piece or block of coal the
conical head at its end is constantly pressing the lewis or strut pieces out-
wards into the coal and causing them to hold more and more firmly. The
lewis or strut pieces I form of segments of a tube that embrace the end of
the tube formed with the conical head. These segments are formed inter-
nally with inclines at one end corresponding to the incline of the conical
head. Each segment at its opposite end is formed with a piece projecting
inwards, and slots are formed in the tube into which these projecting
pieces are received. Inclines are formed upon the ends of the projecting
pieces; the inclines at one end of each projecting piece are acted on by
the sharpened end of the rod which passes through the tube. The
inclines at the opposite ends of each projecting piece are acted on by
inclines at the ends of the slots in the tube through which they pass.
When using apparatus so constructed the apparatus is introduced into a
hole bored in the coal; the rod is then forced to the end of the tube. By
so doing its end, which is conical or sharpened, first acts on the inclines
on the projections of the segments that are to act as lewis or strut pieces,
and forces the segments outwards and presses them into the coal. When
the end of the rod bears against the back of the coal or against a shoe
previously placed between them the press is set to work, so drawing for-
ward the tube. As the tube is drawn forward its conical head and also
the inclines at the ends of the slots first act to further press the segments
into the coal, and so cause them to hold more firmly. The tube then
draws forward the coal in which it is fixed, and thus detaches and wrenches
off the piece or block of coal operated upon. By another method the end
of the tube is made for some length of the same external diameter as that

page_text: of the hole, and slots are made in this part of the tube to harbour the
"lewises" or pieces that are to be forced into the coal. The end of such
pieces furthest from the face work on hinges, and the outside edge on one
side of each piece is made of a proper shape to cut the coal, the inside of
such pieces being formed in such manner and shape that when the rod
with a sharpened end is introduced down the inside of the tube the pieces
are gradually forced out, and by turning the tube an enlargement is caused
in the sides of the hole in the coal as the pieces are forced out by the
cutting edge of the pieces, so as to allow of the pieces being forced out
beyond this side of the hole to the full extent of the enlargement made
by such cutting edge. These pieces then act in lieu of "lewis" or strut
pieces, fixing the cylinder to the coal in such manner that when the rod is
pushed in and the cylinder drawn out by means of the press the coal is
detached, drawn out, and wrenched off. Or the hole may be enlarged
separately, and the apparatus with the lewis or strut pieces subsequently
applied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Charles Bartholomew in the Great Seal Patent Office on,
the 11th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
BARTHOLOMEW, of Doncaster, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, 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 Charles Bartholomew, Her special licence that I, the-
said Charles Bartholomew, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Charles Bartholomew, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
USED IN GETTING COAL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Charles Bartholomew, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should

page_text: 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 Charles Bartholomew, 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-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 12th
January 1864 (No. 90) was described an arrangement of apparatus for
separating and drawing forward and wrenching off pieces or blocks of coal
from the face of the coal that was being worked. The apparatus was
composed of a rod passing through a tube; the tube and rod were combined
together at one end by a hydraulic or screw press, and at the other end the
tube was provided with pieces that could be forced out from it and caused
to act as "lewises," When using the apparatus a hole was drilled through
the block to be drawn forward; the end of the tube carrying the "lewises"
was introduced into the hole, and then the end of the rod was caused to
press against the solid coal at the back of the block, the "lewises" having
been forced outwards from the tube by the introduction of the rod. By
working the press the tube was then drawn forward, bringing with it the
block of coal.
My present Invention consists in improvements on the apparatus above
described, and also relates to the manner of constructing and working
lewis or strut pieces, which are forced outwards from the tube in the
coal.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 shew an arrangement of apparatus constructed
according to my present Invention, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section
of the end of the apparatus, Figure 2 a transverse section taken through
the tube just above the lewis or strut pieces, and Figure 3 shows one of the
lewis or strut pieces separately. a is the tube, which in this arrangement.
is made of less diameter than the hole into which it is to be introduced,.
and is formed with an enlarged conical head b, the base of the cone which
is at the end of the tube being made nearly to fit the hole; c are the lewis
or strut pieces that are to be forced into the coal; these are formed with.
inclines c', corresponding to the incline of the cone; thus, when the tube
is being drawn back to draw forward a piece or block of coal the conical
head at its end is constantly pressing the lewis or strut pieces outwards
into the coal, and causing them to hold more and more firmly. The lewis
:

page_text: or strut pieces I form of segments of a tube that embrace the end of tho
tube formed with the conical head. The inclines c¹ above mentioned are.
formed at one end of the segments, and at the opposite end each segment,
is formed with a piece o² projecting inwards, and slots 6' are formed in the
tube into which these projecting pieces. are received, Inclines o³ are formed
upon the upper ends of the projecting pieces, and these inclines are acted
on by the conically pointed end of the rod which passes through the tube
At the lower ends of the projecting pieces inclines of are formed, and these
are acted on by inclines b at the ends of the slots in the tube through
which they pass.
When using apparatus so constructed the apparatus is
introduced into a hole bored in the coal; the rod is then forced to the end.
of the tube; by so doing its end, which is conical or sharpened, first acts
on the inclines o³ on the projections of the segments that are to act as
lewis or strut pieces, and forces the segments outwards and presses them
into the coal, When the end of the rod bears against the back of the
coal, or against a shoe d previously placed between them, the press is set
to work, so drawing forward the tube, and as the tube is drawn forward
its conical head and also the inclines 6 at the ends of the slots act to.
further press the segments into the coal, and so cause them to hold more
firmly; the tube then draws forward the coal in which it is fixed, and thus
detaches and wrenches off the piece or block of coal operated upon.
Another method is shown at Figures 4 and 5, Figure 4 being a longitu-
dinal section of the end of the tube, and Figure 5 a transverse section of
the same. According to this arrangement the end of the tube a is made
for some length of the same external diameter as the hole, and slots b are
made in this part of the tube to harbour the lewises or pieces c that are
to be forced into the coal. The end of such pieces furthest from the face
work on pins or hinges c¹; one of the side edges c² of each piece is made
of a proper shape to cut the coal, and on the upper edge of the inner face
of these pieces an incline c³ is formed, so that when the rod with a
sharpened end is introduced down the inside of the tube the pieces are
gradually forced out, and then by turning the tube an enlargement is
caused in the sides of a portion of the hole in the coal as the pieces are
forced out by the cutting edges of the pieces c, so as to allow of the
pieces c being forced out beyond the side of the hole to the full extent of
the enlargement made by such cutting edge. These pieces then act in
lieu of lewis or strut pieces, fixing the cylinder to the coal in such manner
that when the rod is pushed in and the cylinder drawn out by means of

page_text: the press the coal is detached, drawn out, and wrenched off. Or the hole
may be enlarged separately, and the apparatus with the lewis or strut pieces
subsequently applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Bartholomew, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES BARTHOLOMEW. (L.S.)