IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SWEEPING AND CLEANSING ROADS AND WAYS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BIRKBECK BLUNDELL, of New Cross Road, in the County of Kent, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Birkbeck Blundell, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Birk-
beck Blundell, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Birkbeck Blundell, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SWEEPING AND CLEANSING ROADS
AND WAYS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,, the
said Joseph Birkbeck Blundell, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Birkbeck Blundell, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
improvements, and the manner in which the same are to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
My Improvements in Machines for Sweeping and Cleansing Roads and
Ways are embodied in the machine represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the
Drawings annexed, Figure 1 of which is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan.
The distinguishing feature of this improved machine is, that while it is moved
forward (which may be done either by horse or manual power) in a right
line, it does its work in a diagonal or sidelong direction, that is to say, the
sweepings are moved towards the sides of the road or way and there deposited
in continuous lines or heaps ready for subsequent removal. A, A, is the
framework of the machine, which is somewhat similar to a cart body. B, B,
are the two bearing wheels of the machine, each of which is mounted upon a
separate axle C. The outer ends of the axles have their bearings in the
sides of the body or framework A, while the inner ends rest in bearings
affixed to the cross bar D, which occupies a central position within the
body or framework A. E is a brush, the bristles of which are formed
of cane, whalebone, or other suitable material. It is affixed to the lower
edges of the frame A, and placed in a slanting or angular direction in rela-
tion to the line in which the bearing wheels of the machine travel, and
such a height that the bristles press with some degree of force upon the
surface of the road when the machine is in motion, F, F, is a brush cylinder
which is placed parallel to the fixed brush E, and diagonally across the
frame, A, from which it is suspended by three sliding bearings G, G, G. These
bearings have racks upon their upper ends, the teeth of which gear into
three pinions H, H, 'H, keyed to the shaft I, one only of which pinions is seen
in the Drawings. K is a handle which, by being turned, actuates the shaft I,
and the sliding bearings G, so as to cause the brush cylinder F to press more
or less upon the surface of the road, or to raise it entirely up when desired to
be thrown out of action. When the machine is drawn forward the brush
cylinder is made to rotate in the contrary direction to that of the bearing
wheels of the machine (as indicated by the arrows) by means of the following
arrangements:-To the ends of the bearing wheel shafts or axles C, C, there
are two bevel wheels affixed, which, gear into other bevil wheels M, M, which
last give motion through the spindles N, N, and universal joints.O, O, to two
pitch chain pullics P, P, from which the motion is transmitted by the pitch
chains R, R, to two pitch chain pullies S, S, which are keyed to the ends of
"
.

page_text: the axle of the brush cylinder, and cause it to revolve, and this action com-
bines with the operation of the fixed brush E to cause the sweepings to be cast
from the right to the left side of the machine, where they are deposited in
a continuous line, immediately behind the left bearing wheel of the machine.
T, T, are front wheels for the purpose of keeping the brushes travelling in
contact with the ground, the axle of which is free to turn upon the centro
pin U. Y are the shafts to which the horse is yoked. L, L, are handles
by which the sliding frames carrying the pitch chain pulleys P, P, can be
raised or lowered to adjust the brush cylinder as the bristles are shortened by
wear.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I delare that what I claim is the
improved sweeping and cleansing machine, represented in the annexed
Drawings, and herein-before described, in so far as respects the making the
rotating brushes to act in a diagonal or side long direction on the surface of
the road or way to be cleansed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Birkbeck Blundell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.