IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGERS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fothergil Batho at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th April 1880.
WILLIAM FOTHERGIL BATHO, of Westminster.
AND EXCAVATORS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGERS
This Invention relates to improvements in dredgers for excavating and deepening
channels, canals, rivers, docks, basins, or other similar work in which excavators
are used.
The Invention may either be used on land by mounting and fixing the excavating
apparatus on a trolly, or any other suitable carrier, or in water by fixing it on a
pontoon, barge, or other suitable vessel, and worked as a dredger:
This excavating apparatus consists of three or more blades fitted with arms
centred and hinged on a central bearing carried by means of bolts or pillars attached
to an overhead crosshead centred on a rocking beam, jib, or their appliance. The
opening and closing of the blades of the excavator are effected by a screw working
in a sliding nut which is connected to the arms by means of links, motion being
given to the screw by bevil or other gearing actuated by means of endless chains
or gearing, as may be preferred, the whole being driven either by hand, steam, or
hydraulic power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Fothergil Batho in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
October 1880.
WILLIAM FOTHERGIL BATHO, of Westminster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGERS
AND EXCAVATORS."
This Invention relates to improvements in dredgers for excavating and deepening
chanuels, canals, rivers, docks, basins, or other similar work in which excavators
are used.
The Invention may either be used in water by fixing the excavating apparatus
on a pontoon, barge, or other suitable vessel, and worked as a dredger, or on land
by mounting it on a trolly or any other suitable carrier.
This excavating apparatus consists of three or more blades fitted with arms
centred and hinged on a central bearing carried by means of bolts or pillars
attached to an overhead crosshead and centred on a rocking beam, jib, or other
appliance. The opening and closing of the blades of the excavator arc effected by
a screw working in a sliding nut which is connected to the arms by means of
links, motion being given to the screw by bevil or other gearing actuated by means
of endless chains or gearing, as may be preferred, the whole being driven either
by hand, steam, or hydraulic power.
And in order that the said Invention may be well understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, reference being made to the accompanying
Drawing, like letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent a longitudinal section, plan, and transverse section
respectively of an improved single excavator, hand power dredger with excavator
working over the bows, and Figs. 4 and 5 details of the excavator employed in
such dredger. This dredger consists of a hull A, in the fore part of which the.
pivot B is fixed to the framing. This pivot carries the winch C between the
frames of which the beam D is hinged on the shaft d; E is the excavator suspended
from the outer end of the beam D by the rods g, and opened and closed by means
of the nut F, actuated by the screw G; fis a link attached to the nut and to
the arms of one of the segments or spades of the excavator E. The screw G is
worked by means of a chain H passing round the pulleys I and J, the pulley I
having a bevil wheel on its axle working into another bevil wheel fixed to the
head of the screw G. On the opposite end of the beam D to which the excavator is
slung the counterbalance K is fixed. The winch is double purchase and arranged to
be worked by men on both sides of it at the handles C and C. The pinions C and C¹
gear into segments of a wheel of similar pitch d', d', fixed to the beam D at the
shaft d on which the beam oscillates for the purpose of raising and lowering it.
Having described the construction of the dredger I shall proceed to describe the
means of putting those parts into effect at the various periods when they are
required. When the excavator E has been lowered open into the bed of the
channel the spades are closed by the nut F being made to travel down the screw G.
This is effected by turning the chain wheel J by the handle j and imparting motion
to the wheel I by means of the chain H which passes over both wheels. The bevil
pinion i which is fixed to the axle of the wheel I gears into the bevil wheel i, and
revolving with the wheel I causes the screw G to which is keyed to rotate.
Thus the nut F is made to ascend or descend the screw G, according to the direction
in which the chain wheel J is made to revolve. The spades being closed that end
of the beam carrying the excavator E filled with the excavated material is raised
by the winch C to a sufficient height for admitting of the passage of the excavator E
to the point where it is required to discharge its contents. The beam D is then
swung round on its pivot B either by manual pressure or by gearing driven by

page_text: hand, steam, or hydraulic power, and when the discharge of the excavated material
is required a reversal of the operation with regard to the nut when closing the
spades is gone through and the excavator is opened allowing its contents to fall out
either into a receptacle placed for them or on to the bank.
In applying this apparatus to excavation on dry land I employ the above
named excavator fitted to the end of an oscillating jib pivoted on a turntable, such
jib being carried between the vertical cheek plates and provided with a counter-
balance weight at the opposite end, the engine's boiler and pumps (if such are
employed) being fitted to the cheek plates, or if desired substituted for the above
balance weight.
The operation of raising and lowering the beam is performed by hand or by an
bydraulic oscillating cylinder centred between the upper portion of the cheek plates,
the piston rod of the said cylinder being fitted to the jib. The oporation of opening
and closing the excavator is also performed by either hand, steam, or hydraulic
power, as described above in the dredger. When excavating on inclined surfaces
the excavator is brought to bear upon the surface perpendicularly by means of an
hydraulic ram or gearing, actuating the boss upon which the blades are centred.
The whole of the above land apparatus is mounted upon a trolly fitted on cast
iron wheels and provided with a roller path and swinging gear to enable the
excavated material to be deposited in trucks alongside. Having now described the
nature of iny said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I desire it to be understood that I do not claim the mechanical
parts of which the machinery herein described is composed as taken separately or
apart from the combination and application thereof, in manner and for the purposes
herein described, but what I do consider novel and original, and therefore claim as
the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The dredging apparatus taken as a whole, wherein an excavator intended for
excavating under water or on land is operated in the manner described and
arranged in combination with an oscillating beam, the whole being mounted on a
barge or pontoon, or on a trolly fitted with a roller path round which the
excavator is capable of being swung and discharged, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Fothergil Batho, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.