IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT OR BOG EARTH OR SOIL
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hodges, of Penny Hill, Bagshot, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
USED FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT OR BOG EARTH OR SOIL."
Sealed the 29th June 1866, and dated the 8th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hodges at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
January 1866.
I, JAMES HODGES, of Penny Hill, Bagshot, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY USED FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT OR BOG EARTH OR SOIL," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery used for raising
and treating peat or bog earth or soil.
The improvements relate to the machinery described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me, and dated the 17th June 1864 (No. 1511), in
which a floating vessel is employed with rotary cutters in front, which cut a
channel or canal in a bog and deliver the peat or bog earth or soil into the
vessel, and the present improvements have reference to the machinery used on
board the floating vessel for treating the peat or bog earth or soil, and for
delivering the same at the side of the channel or canal. For these purposes
the peat or soil is raised by an endless chain of buckets up an inclined trough
as such peat or soil is delivered by the revolving cutters into the fore part of

page_text: the vessel. The buckets as they arrive at the upper end of the trough deliver
their contents into a hopper or enlarged end of an inclined cylinder; other
forms of elevators may be used in place of an endless chain of buckets.
Through the centre of the inclined cylinder there is a rotating shaft having
upon it revolving arms at its upper end under the hopper, it has also cutter
blades fixed thereon, which act with fixed cutters in the cylinder, so that the
peat or bog earth in passing from the upper to the lower end of the inclined
cylinder is again and again subjected to the action of rotating and fixed
cutters. At the lower end of the shaft are applied arms, which raise the
pieces of sticks or other matters on to fixed gratings, by which such matters
are separated from the other matters, and are delivered from the grating into
a receiver on one side. From the lower end of the cylinder above described
the peat or bog earth descends into another inclined trough, the lower end of
which projects over the side of the floating vessel, and extends to some extent
over the bank or side of the cutting or canal, where it delivers the peat or bog
earth into a hollow receiver or dyke formed on the side bank by raised fences
of boards or other material, the soil or upper surface of the bog forming the
bottom of such hollow receiver or dyke, and the subsoil of such bottom is
well under-drained by transverse drains, in order that the water may drain
freely off and flow into the channel or canal formed by the machinery. In
the delivering trough is a rotating shaft with cutters fixed thereon, which, as
in the cylinder above described, work with fixed cutters, so that the peat or
bog earth is further cut and pulped in its progress down the inclined delivering
trough. The peat or bog earth is delivered from several outlets at the bottom
of the lower end of the delivering trough.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hodges in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HODGES, of Penny Hill, Bagshot, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth 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 James Hodges, Her special licence that I, the said James
-Hodges, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,.

page_text: the said James Hodges, '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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT OR BOG
EARTH OR SOIL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hodges, 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 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 James Hodges, 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 follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery used for
raising and treating peat or bog earth or soil.
The improvements relate to the machinery described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me, and dated the 17th June 1864 (No. 1511), in which
a floating vessel is employed with rotary cutters in front, which cut a channel or
canal in a bog and deliver the peat or bog earth or soil into the vessel, and
the present improvements have reference to the machinery used on board the
floating vessel for treating the peat or bog earth or soil, and for delivering the
same at the side of the channel or canal. For these purposes the peat or soil
is raised by an endless chain of buckets up an inclined trough as such peat or
soil is delivered by the revolving cutters into the fore part of the vessel. The
buckets as they arrive at the upper end of the trough deliver their contents
into a hopper or enlarged end of a cylinder, or other forms of elevators may
be used in place of an endless chain of buckets. Through the centre of the
cylinder there is a rotating shaft having upon it revolving arms, and the
cylinder has also cutter blades fixed therein, which act with fixed cutters in
the cylinder, so that the peat or bog earth in passing from end to end of the
cylinder is again and again subjected to the action of rotating and fixed
cutters. At the further end of the shaft are applied arms, which raise pieces
of sticks or other foreign matters on to fixed gratings, by which such matters
are separated from the other matters, and are delivered from the grating into
a receiver on one side. From the end of the cylinder above described the

page_text: peat or bog earth descends into an inclined trough, the lower end of which
projects over the side of the floating vessel, and extends to some extent over
the bank or side of the cutting or canal, where it delivers the peat or bog
earth on to a bed, where it is retained by a dyke formed on the edge of the
bank. The bottom of the bed on which the prepared material is deposited is
well-under-drained by transverse drains, in order that the water may drain
freely off and flow into the channel or canal formed by the machinery. In
the delivering trough is a rotating shaft with cutters fixed thereon, which, as
in the cylinder above described, work with fixed cutters, so that the peat or
bog earth is further cut and pulped in its progress down the inclined delivering
trough. The peat or bog earth is delivered from several outlets at the bottom
of the lower end of the delivering trough.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
+
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of machinery constructed according to my Invention for
raising and treating peat or bog earth or soil; Figure 2 is a longitudinal
section of the same taken at the line A, B, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a transverse
section taken at the line C, D, Figure 1.
à, a, is the hull of the vessel; a, a, are the screw excavators in the front
of the vessel, they are arranged as in the Specification of my former Patent,
having shields a³, cutting plates a³, knives a', gauge plates as, and scrapers a®,
as is shown; b is an elevator consisting of an endless chain of buckets passing
around rollers at its upper and lower end, these buckets take the material as
it is delivered by the cutters into the vessel a, and convey it to apparatus
herein-after described; c is a hand pump; d is a hopper, into which the
material is discharged by the elevator; at the bottom of the hopper is a screw
which passes the material on into the feeder and separator e; f is an axis
running from end to end of the feeder and separator, and also along the
bottom of the hopper d, where the screw already mentioned is mounted upon
it; g, g, are fixed arms or blades within the feeder; and h, h, are revolving
arms or blades fixed on the axis f; within the separator are fixed bars i so
applied as to direct sticks and similar refuse natter out on one side; they act
in conjunction with the revolving arms on the axis f; 1 (Fig. 9) is a trap
door or slide so as to regulate the exit opening from the separator according
to the amount of refuse to be separated from the peat or material; m is a
receptacle for the refusé matter, and is a valve ou it which is opened from time

page_text: to time to let out the refuse; n is a trough into which the material is delivered
as it passes from the separator; in this trough are fixed arms or blades o, and
also revolving arms or blades p fixed on an axis passing from end to end of
the trough n. On this trough and also at intervals on its under side are
valves which are opened to allow of the escape of the material on to the bank
or bed previously prepared alongside of the vessel where it is distributed in an
even layer.
Figure 4 shows on a larger scale a section taken transversely through the
trough n near its upper end; Figure 5 is a similar view taken through the
second or middle section of the trough n; and Figure 6 is a similar view
taken through the lower section, where the fixed arms or blades o are omitted.
g is a gauge used for cutting the prepared peat into regular squares when it
has become sufficiently dry; r, r, are drains formed in preparing the peat bed,
so that water may drain away freely from the peat or material; s. is a dyke,
also made in preparing the peat bed to retain the pulped material and prevent
it from running back into the canal from which it has been cut; t are
retaining boards erected on the other side of the peat bed; u is a counter-
balance weight capable of being run out from the vessel on the side opposite
to the trough n to prevent the vessel heeling over; is a drum driven from
the steam engine in the manner shown, it receives a rope made fast to an
anchor ahead, and which is wound up by the drum v to keep the vessel up to
its work; w, w, are guide blocks and blades capable of being forced down
against the bottom and sides of the canal to steady it, and by raising some and
lowering others of these blocks and blades the vessel can be directed in its
course; these parts are clearly shown in Figure 7, which is a side view of the
fore end of the vessel a, and in Figure 8, which is an end view thereof with
the screw excavators removed. x, x, are spring clutches through which the
several parts of the apparatus are driven; these clutches are employed to avoid
breakage should an undue resistance be offered to the movement of any of the
parts; y is a well in the vessel with a filter fitted into it, from which filtered
water is supplied to the engine; z is the anchor to which the rope is connected
by which the vessel a hauls itself forward; the screw excavators are driven in
opposite directions, their shafts being geared together (as is shown by dotted
lines in Figure 1) by a cross shaft which is geared with another cross shaft,
and from this by an inclined axis and suitable gear, as is shown, the elevator b
is driven. The last-mentioned cross shaft is driven by a longitudinal axis,
from which by other gear, as is shown, the axis of the feeder and separator
and that in the trough n are driven.
Figure 9 shows on a larger scale a section through the separator, and

page_text: Figures 10 and 11 are transverse sections through the feeder. The peat or
material, which when fed into the hopper d is in masses or lumps, .is broken
down in the feeder e, and in the separator, as already mentioned, any sticks or
similar refuse it may contain are separated, and by means of the hand pump c
sufficient water is added, if necessary, to ensure the thorough pulping of the
material in the trough n.
Figures 13 show one of the spring clutches ; Figure 14 is a section taken
at the line E, F, Figure 1; and Figure 15 is a front elevation of the apparatus.
The form of the arms or blades in the feeder and also in the distributing
trough n should be such that whilst one edge of each revolving arm cuts the
fibre of the peat or material between itself and one of the fixed arms or blades
in the manner of a pair of shears, the other edge of the vane crushes the fibro
between itself and the flat side of the next diaphragm, against which it is
forced by the spiral action of the revolving vanes.
The prepared pulp is allowed to remain on the bed until the surface shows
symptoms of cracking, it is then cut with a double knife, such as the Drawing
shows, into about six-inch squares, and to a depth of, say, nine inches; in this
state it may remain through a winter, afterwards it is cut out with an angular
spade to the full depth, and the blocks laid on their sides in such manner that
the air may circulate amongst them. When sufficiently dry they are ready
for the market.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim the improve-
ments on the machinery of my former Patent herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hodges, have hereunto 'set my
hand and seal, this First day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.