NEW D AmunD MINERALS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foulis, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "NEW
D
AmunD MINERALS "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foulis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th March 1875.
I, WILLIAM FOULIS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention of "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER
MINERALS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to new or improved machinery for cutting coal
and other minerals.
The essential feature of the mechanism constituting the Invention
consists of a hydraulic cylinder and ram, the latter of which carries one
or more tools or cutters, which as the ram is reciprocated cut the coal or
other mineral either on the forward or backward strokes, or on both the

page_text: forward and backward strokes, valves being provided for admitting water
under pressure to each end of the cylinder alternately.
The hydraulic mechanism may be mounted for operating on the coal
or other mineral in various ways. Under one modification it is mounted
upon a truck or carriage, which runs cither upon rails or upon the floor a
of the working out of or from which the coal is to be cut.
The carriage or truck may be provided with a self-acting pawl and
rack arrangement for traversing it on the rails as the "holing" or cutting
progresses; or this self-acting mechanism may be dispensed with, in
which case it may be advanced in front of the working face through
the pawl being operated, or the entire mechanism being pushed by an
attendant.
In order to provide an abutment against which the force applied to
the cutter or cutters bears, the cylinder itself or the carriage or truck
upon which it is borne, have under this form of the apparatus a flanch 1
formed thereon, which bears against one of the rails, or the opposite side
of the working may be used as an abutment.
The pressure of water for working the mechanism is in most cases
supplied by the height of the column represented by the depth of the
pit, but when this is insufficient an accumulator may be used.
2
Under another modification of the Invention the hydraulic apparatus
is carried upon a vertical pillar, which may or may not be mounted on a
truck. This pillar is provided with a screw and nut or an equivalent
arrangement for jambing it between the roof and floor of the working;
and when the pillar is supported upon a truck the bottom of the truck 2
is preferably made elastic by springs which yield downwards, and allow
the pillar to rest upon the floor when it is being tightened in position,
and on being lowered the springs by their reaction raise the pillar up so
as to leave it free to be moved about over the floor into any other
required position.
3
The machine when arranged as a pillar operates upon the coal or other
mineral radially, and it may also be provided with a slide so as to operate
in a vertical direction, or to give it a vertical adjustment.
The improved machine constituting this Invention may also be

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Foulis in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FOULIS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Foulis, Her special license
that I, the said William Foulis, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Foulis, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Foulis, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Foulis, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention relates to new or improved machinery for cutting
coal and other minerals.
The essential feature of the mechanism constituting my said Inven-
tion consists of a hydraulic cylinder and ram, cither of which according

page_text: t
to the construction of the machine as herein-after set forth is movable in
a horizontal plane. One or more tools or cutters is or are carried on the
cylinder or on the ram, and these as the cylinder or ram is reciprocated,
cut into the coal so as to form a horizontal slot or "hole," either on the
forward or backward stroke, or on both the forward and backward
strokes, valves being provided for admitting water under pressure to
each end of the cylinder alternately.
Besides being arranged for cutting horizontally the mechanism is also
arranged for making a vertical slot or "hole," as herein-after set
forth.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the annexed Sheets of Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a side
elevation of the new or improved machine for cutting coal and other
minerals, as constructed in accordance with one modification of my said
Invention Figure 2 is a plan thereof; and Figure 3 an elevation of the
end marked A, Figure 1.
As shown by these Figures the mechanism consists of a hydraulic
cylinder B, the piston rod C of which passes through stuffing boxes at
both ends of the cylinder, and is supported at its extremites in a frame
or bracket D fixed to a vertical pillar E, which is mounted on a carriage
or truck F. The pillar E is provided at its upper end with a screw G
and nut a for jambing the machine between the roof and floor of the
working; and for this purpose the carriage or truck F is made sufficiently
elastic to yield downwards and allow the lower end of the piller E to
rest upon the floor when being tightened in position by the screw G.
When the screw is lowered the reaction of the carriage or truck F raises
the pillar E up so as to leave the machine free to be moved on the
wheels or rollers J into any other required position on the floor of the
working.
In the machine now under reference the ram or piston is stationary,
the hydraulic cylinder B in working being reciprocated backwards and
forwards on the piston rod C, and along a V or other slide a by water

page_text: under pressure being admitted alternately to the front and rear ends of
the cylinder. This is effected by the attendant operating the lever K,
which is attached to the spindle L of a piston or slide valve situate in a
valve chest M placed on the upper side of the cylinder B, and into
which the water for reciprocating the cylinder is conducted through the
branch b. To the under side of the cylinder B a bar N is rigidly secured,
and at one side and towards the outer extremity of the said bar a series
of tools or cutters e are fixed at a distance apart, equal to or somewhat
less than the stroke of the cylinder B, as shewn more particularly in
plan at Figure 2, Sheet 1, of the Drawings. When the cylinder B is
moved forwards, as herein-before described, the tools or cutters e (the
edges of which are by preference situate slightly in advance of each
other from the front end of the bar N towards the cylinder B) cut the
coal or other mineral, as shown at Figure 2, the length of the said cut
from the working face inwards being regulated by the number of tools
employed. This arrangement of the tools in advance of one another does
not constitute however a part of this Invention. When the cylinder B
has been returned to the end of its rearward stroke, preparatory to
commencing another cutting or "holing" operation, it, together with
the bar N and cutters or tools e, are turned to an angle relatively with
the position they occupied whilst making the previous cut, that is to say,
they are moved vertically on the axis by which they are carried. This
radial motion of the cylinder and cutters is effected by the attendant
turning the handle O, to which one extremity of a pawl P is attached.
The pawl gears with a ratchet wheel R placed on a shaft S supported in
a bracket T, which is carried on the pillar E. On the shaft S a tangent
screw U is fixed, which gears with a worm wheel V fixed on the bracket
or sleeve W, which supports the cylinder B on the pillar E and carriage
or truck F. By turning the handle O the worm wheel V, and with it
the cylinder B and cutters e, are moved through the required arc pre-
paratory to each cutting or "holing" operation. After performing a
series of cuts in the manner described the screw by which the machine
is jambed between the roof and floor of the working is loosened, and the
machine is moved forwards a short distance and again tightened into
position, when the cutting or "holing" operation is continued.
Besides the arrangement for radial movement in a horizontal plane
herein-before described the machine may also be provided with a slide

page_text: to be secured in a vertical plane, and thus to cut a vertical slot in the
coal or other mineral.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed Figure 1 is a side
clevation; Figure 2, a plan; and Figure 3, an end elevation of the new
or improved machine for cutting coal and other minerals as constructed
in accordance with another modification of my said Invention.
Under this arrangement the cylinder A is stationary, and it is pro-
vided with a reciprocating ram or piston, to the front end of the rod B
of which a cutter or tool C is fixed, as shewn. Water under pressure is
admitted to reciprocate the piston or ram and cutter or tool C by 1
operating the lever D, and at the end of each inward stroke of the piston
the cylinder A is radiated to an angle relatively with its former position
by operating the worm wheel E in the manner herein-before described
with reference to Sheet 1 of the Drawings.
The machine illustrated on Sheet 2 may also be provided with a slide 1
or equivalent mechanism to enable it to be moved in a vertical plane,
and the said machine, and also that shown on Sheet 1 of the Drawings,
instead of being arranged to cut or "hole" on the forward stroke of the
piston or of the cylinder may be made to cut on the backward stroke,
or they may be so arranged as to cut on both the forward and backward a
strokes if desired, according to the form or arrangement of the tools