IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, AND IN THE PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Hurd, of the Albion Foundry, Wake-
field, in the County of York, Engineer, and Samuel Firth, of Leeds,
in the same County, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, AND IN THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Hurd and
Samuel Firth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 8th April 1872.
We, FREDERICK HURD, of the Albion Foundry, Wakefield, in the
County of York, Engineer, and SAMUEL FIRTH, of Leeds, in the same
County, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS,
AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY FOR THE RAILS OF
"
THE SAME, to be as
follows:-

page_text: crank shaft connected to the cylinder of a compressed air engine or other
motive power; the axle of this small disc serves as a fulcrum for a
radial arm supporting a large disc toothed wheel, on which the endless
chain of cutters is carried. When the cutters are at work the radial
arm is at right angles to the rails on which the whole machine travels,
and the large disc wheel is entirely within the groove cut in the coal
or other mineral; but when the machine is moved from one part of the
pit to another the radial arm and large disc wheel are brought under the
frame of the machine. The driving and cutting parts of the machine
are carried on a cross shaft supported on one or more vertical screwed
or rack pillars or slides by which the angle of the cut and the height
can be varied.
The machine is moved to and fro along the face or bank to be cut by
a friction drum actuated by a separate compressed air cylinder or other-
wise, and a division plate is inserted between the upper and lower parts
of the propelling rope where contact would occur, to reduce friction, it
being lapped round by the said friction drum; or the machine may be
moved by two toothed pulleys which clip on each side of an ordinary
chain, or by the patent clip pulley, as described in Letters Patent
granted to us in 1870, No. 571, the chain of rope being anchored at each
.extremity.
Our Invention consists also in an improved machine for grooving or
undercutting coal or other mineral by means of two picks, actuated by a
The axle of one pick passes
compressed air cylinder or otherwise.
through the hollow axle of the other, and to each axle is fixed a lever;
these levers are connected by links to the cross head of the piston rod in
such a manner as to make one pick strike while the other is coming out
of the groove; the cutters are flat chisels fixed in V grooves at the
ends of the picks, and one pick is in advance of the other, but both work
from the same fulcrum and cylinder; the arms of the picks are fixed
in √ grooved sockets fixed to the solid and hollow axles above referred
The tappets for reversing
to, and tightened up by a die and set screw.
the valve of the cylinder are connected to a right and left handed screw,
and they are moved nearer to or further from each other by a hand
wheel and toothed wheels to vary the force of the blow of the picks.
The machine is traversed to and fro along the bank to be cut, by
friction clips, as described in former Letters Patent granted to us on the
26th February 1870, No. 571, or by the rope or chain before referred to,

page_text: but instead of being moved continuously the machine is only moved
forward after the picks are out of the groove cut, this is effected by
movable tappets acting on set washers fitted to the rod actuating the
propelling motion, and the tappets are so set that the machine is only
advanced after the picks have penetrated to the required depth.
Our improvements in the permanent way for the rails of excavating
machines consist of a combined chair and sleeper, the sleeper being of
the shape of an inverted dish resting on the ballast, and the chair sup-
ports a double-headed or other rail secured by a wooden wedge. The
sleepers are held apart by tie rods with rounded ends fitting in recesses
in the chairs, which determine the pitch of the rails, and in a shoe
clip for securing the joint of the rail, which is secured by an iron
wedge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Hurd and Samuel Firth in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 7th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HURD, of the Albion Foundry, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Engineer, and SAMUEL FIRTH, of Leeds, in the same County, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick Hurd and Samuel Firth, Her
special licence that we, the said Frederick Hurd and Samuel Firth, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Frederick Hurd and Samuel Firth, our 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 FOR
EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY FOR THE

page_text: rods are provided with cross heads, from which connecting rods convey.
the motion to the crank shaft c' in the usual manner. On the crank.
shaft is fixed a worm c² which gears into the worm wheel d¹ on the
upright shaft d, which works in the column a¹ fixed to the frame a. To,
the lower end of the shaft d is fixed the small toothed disc d²; the shaft d
also serves as a fulcrum for the socket e of the radial arm e¹, at the
extremity of which is the bearing for the large disc-toothed wheel f.
The socket e vibrates on a V-shaped ring fixed to the under side of the,
framing to give greater stability to the radial arm, and a similar V-shaped.
ring is fixed under the radial arm e¹ to support the disc f. The endless,
chain of cutters g passes around the disc d² and f. The disc f is made.
with teeth by preference, but the disc may be made with outside flanges,
and with or without toothed projections. The cutters are connected to
the links of the chain in the manner described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to us on the Twenty-sixth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy, Number 571; the socket e of the
radial arm is provided with a toothed segment in which the pinion gears,
and this pinion is turned round when required to bring the radial arm e¹
at right angles with the frame, as shown in Fig. 3, or in line with the rails
on which the wheels 6 run, as shewn in dotted lines, or on the opposite
side of the frame by means of the diagonal shaft h', see Fig. 3, worm h²,
and worm wheel h³, which is fixed to the same upright shaft as the
pinion h. The wheels 6 are loose on the axle pins 6¹ projecting from the
blocks 6', which fit in the tubes a³ connected to the under side of the
framework. The screw a fits in a thread in each of the blocks b², and
by turning these screws round, the height of the machine can be varied,
and the angle of the cut can be regulated.
h
The machine is moved to and fro along the face or bank to be cut in
the following manner :-To the upper end of the shaft d is fixed the
worm d³ gearing into the worm wheel i, which is loose on the horizontal.
shaft i, but connected to it when required by the friction cone ³, which
is tightened up by the hand wheel ³, the boss of which forms a nut to,
the screw on the shaft i, as shewn in Fig. 2. To the shaft i are fixed the.
grooved pulleys or drums i, around either of which the propelling rope,
or chain is either fixed or carried one or more times round; this rope or.
chain when carried round the pulley or drum is divided by a stationary
plate to reduce friction, and the rope is anchored at each end, so that
when the pulleys are turned partly round the whole machine is mado
>

page_text: to advance or retrograde. When the propelling rope or chain is fixed to
the pulley or drum, it is carried round a snatch block at the end of the
bank to be cut and then secured to the radial arm e², or to the framing
of the machine. The machine may be moved to and fro by hand by
means of the diagonal shaft j; see Fig. 1, and the worm j¹, which gears
into the worm wheel 2, loose on the shaft i, but secured to it when
required; or the machine may be moved by two toothed pulleys, which
clip on each side of an ordinary chain, or by the clip pulleys described
in reference to Figs. 1, 2, 10, and 11, of the Specification of the Patent,
dated the Twenty-sixth February, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy, Number 571, above referred to.
The mode of operation is as follows, and the Drawing represents the
parts in the positions they occupy when the chain of cutters is in the
seam The chain of cutters is supposed to be moving in the direction
of the arrow in Fig. 3, and a slow advancing motion is given to the
machine along the face or bank to be cut by means of the worm d³,
worm wheel ¹, and drums i, as before described; but when the machine
has arrived at the end of its traverse, the attendant by turning the
shaft h¹ causes the radial arm e¹ to assume the position shewn in dotted
lines in Fig. 3, thereby bringing the chain of cutters g in line with the
rails on which the machine runs, or the cutters may be brought to the
opposite side of the framing, so as to cut on the right or left hand as
may be found convenient.
The peculiar construction of the machine enables the carrying wheels
to be in advance of the cutters, and therefore keeps the rails and wheels
clear of the debris discharged by the cutters, thus dispensing with the
labour required for keeping the rails clear, as in other machines.
On Sheet 3, Fig. 4 is an elevation, and Fig. 5 is a plan of our improved
machine for grooving or undercutting coal or other mineral by means of
two picks. In this machine a is the body or framework, and b the
supporting wheels running upon rails as usual, c is a cylinder, the piston
of which is moved to and fro by compressed air or other motive power.
To the cross head of the piston rod c¹ are connected the links k and l.
The outer end of the link k is jointed to the lever m, which is fixed to
the shaft m', to the lower end of which is fixed the pick socket m²; and
the outer end of the link is jointed to the lever n, which is fixed to the
hollow axle n¹; and to this hollow axle is cast or fixed the pick socket n²;
the shafts of the two picks which are shewn in Fig. 6 and 7 are sccured

page_text: in the said sockets by dies and set screws, and each pick shaft has a
V groove at the end in which the flat chisels or cutters are secured; the
picks are of unequal lengths, so that one cutter is slightly in advance of
the other. As the levers m and n are at opposite sides of the axles it is
evident that each stroke of the piston in the cylinder c causes one pick
to strike a blow while the other is coming out of the groove that has
been made in the coal.
The quantity of air admitted to the cylinder c can be varied in order
to regulate the force of the blow given by the picks in the following
manner: Near the piston rod c¹ is the swivel frame o, and in this frame
is supported the right and left handed screw o'; each screw has a screwed
tappet o², and as the piston rod c¹ moves to and fro the end of the link k
comes alternately against one of the tappets o³, by which means the
frame o is made to swivel on its fulcrum; the amount of vibration
depends upon the position of the tappets o²; the lever o³ is fast to and
moves with the swivel frame o, and as the valve spindle q is jointed to
the lever o³ it imparts the requisite motion to the valve. The distance
between the tappets o² is regulated by the operator by means of the
hand wheel P, shaft p¹, and spur wheel p², which gears into the wheel o*,
fixed on the right and left handed screw o¹.
The machine is traversed to and fro along the bank to be cut by the
friction rollers 8, 8, which are connected to the lever s¹, and are made to
clip the rail on which the machine runs, as described in former Letters
Patent granted to us on the Twenty-sixth day of February One thousand
eight hundred and seventy, Number 571, above referred to, the lever st
being actuated by the hand wheel 83, shaft s³, and socket 84, in which is a
spring to allow the rollers 8, 8, to yield to the uneven thickness of the
rails or by the rope or chain above referred to, but instead of being
moved continuously as in the machine with a chain of cutters this
machine is only moved forward after the picks are out of the groove cut,
and this is effected by the lever m³ on the upright shaft m', in which is
the swivel tappet m* acting on set washers & fitted to the rod t, which
passes freely through the swivel tappet m³, and which is jointed to the
lever mounted loose on the shaft u¹. To the lever is jointed the
catch t, taking into the ratchet wheel u, fixed on the shaft ; to the
lower end of the shaft is fixed the spur pinion ² gearing into the
wheel 85 on the axle of the outer friction roller s. By this means, when
the lever t² is moving in the direction of the arrow, the carriage is propelled

page_text: forwards, and it remains stationary while the tappet m' is moving from
one set washer t¹ to the other. The tappet is so set that the machine is
only advanced after the picks have penetrated to the required depth.
Our improvements in the permanent way for the rails of excavating
machines consist of a combined chair and sleeper, as shewn in Figs. 8
and 9, the sleeper being of the shape of an inverted dish resting on the
ballast in the usual manner, and the double headed or other rail is
secured by wooden wedges. At the joints of the rails, as shewn in
Fig. 10, a fish plate v¹ is employed, and this fish plate is secured by two
wooden wedges. The sleepers are held apart by tie rods o with rounded
ends fitting in recesses in the chairs, and projections are made on these
tie rods at the joints of the rails, which projections enter between the
wooden wedges to prevent them working loose.
The joints of the rails are secured by the fish plate and wedges, as
shewn in Fig. 10, or by the shoe clip w, see Fig. 11, which is made fast
by the iron wedge x; these shoe clips are made of cast or wrought iron.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, we declare that we claim, in reference to
Sheets 1 and 2,-
First. Supporting the endless chain of cutters on a large disc toothed
wheel with or without flanges, as shewn and described.
Secondly. Placing the carrying wheels in advance of the cutters for
the purpose described.
Thirdly. The mode of regulating the height and angle of the cutting
apparatus, as shewn and described.
Fourthly. The self-acting hauling apparatus, as shewn and described.
Fifthly. In reference to Sheet 3, we claim placing the picks one in
advance of the other so as to produce what we call a step cut in the same
groove, as shewn and described.
Sixthly. The improved mode of constructing the cutters, and the mode
of securing them to the picks, as shewn and described.
Seventhly. The mode of securing the shafts of the picks to the sockets,
as shewn and described.

page_text: FREDERICK HURD. (L.S.)