IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING AND EXCAVATING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING AND EXCAVATING "A Communication
Scaled the 24th June 1856, and dated the 7th January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis
Petition, on the 7th January 1856.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING AND EXCAVATING," (commu-
nicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,) to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain arrangements of machinery, driven by
steam or other like suitable power, whereby earth, stone, and rock are bored or
excavated. The debris or parts dug out or excavated are deposited in wagons
at the side of or out of the track of the machine, and whereby the machine
is made to propel itself forward; all these actions being simultaneous, and
communicated from the same prime mover.
Upon a suitable frame or carriage with wheels I set a steam engine and
boiler horizontally, and lead towards the fore part of the carriage a connecting
rod from the piston rod. The fore end of this connecting rod is connected to
a cranked shaft, which has keyed to it within the general frame of the machine

page_text: a bevelled toothed pinion. This cranked shaft is prolonged outside of the frame
on both sides, and carries on each end toothed pinions, which gear into a
toothed wheel on the axis of a pair of wheels, the rims of which are pointed
or jagged, in order to take firm hold of the ground, and cause the forward
motion of the machine when at work. One end of a horizontal shaft is
supported in or against an upright, held by cross beams of the frame in such
manner as to allow of a slight play backwards, by means of springs or other-
wise; the opposite and front end of this shaft carries the boring or excavating
tool. A bevil toothed wheel upon the inner or back end of this shaft gears
into the bevilled toothed pinion upon the cranked shaft before mentioned, and
imparts rotary motion to it. The excavating or boring tool consists of a
circular plate, set vertically upon the shaft, and fitted with teeth or blades of
the particular form required to suit the nature of the soil to be excavated.
Immediately behind the excavating tool a series of hollow funnel-shaped
gatherers are fixed upon the shaft, and again behind them a hopper, which by
means of slides is made to open to one or both sides, or to the centro of the
machine. Upon the engine being set to work, rotary motion will be com-
municated to the excavating tool, which will throw the carth or material
excavated into the conical gatherers and hopper, from which it will fall into
wagons placed under or at the sides of the machine to receive it. At the
same time that the excavating tool is caused to revolve, onward motion will be
imparted to the propelling wheels, which will cause the whole machinery to
move forward, and present a fresh surface to be operated upon. Should the
boring tool meet with any unusual obstruction, the spring upright will allow
of the shaft and tool yielding, and prevent the breaking of any part of the
machinery. Near the fore part of the carriage are shoes, fixed to threaded
upright shafts, and at the back of the frame a roller is suspended from an
upright shaft. On bringing these shoes and roller down and taking the weight
of the machine from the wheels, it may be turned in any direction by pushing
round the roller.
Although I have described the machinery as all mounted upon the same
carriage, the boiler or engine, or both, may be carried upon a separate
frame

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filerl
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 80th June 1856. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, T, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
•
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand 'eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year' of Her
reign, did, for 'Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such other's
as I, the said 'Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 thei United.. King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands; and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING AND EXCAVATING,"
(communicated to .me by a forciguer residing abroad;) upon the condition.
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Broonian, my executor's
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 Richard Archibald; Brooman, 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
following statement thereof, referenco being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to'say :-
"
This Invention consists of certain arrangements of machinery, driven by
steam or other like suitable power, whereby earth, stone, and rock are bored
or excavated. The debris or parts dug out or excavated are 'deposited in
wagons, at the side of or out of the track of the machine, and whereby the
machine is made to propel itself forward; all these actions being simultaneous,
and coininunicated from the same prime mover. Upon a suitable frame or
carriage with wheels I set a steam engine and boiler horizontally, and lead
towards the fore part of the carriage a connecting rod from the piston rod.

page_text: The fore end of this connecting rod is connected to a crank shaft, which has
keyed to it within the general frame of the machine a bevelled toothed pinion.
This cranked shaft is prolonged outside of the frame on both sides, and carries
on each end toothed pinions, which gear into a toothed wheel on the axis of a
pair of wheels, the rims of which are pointed or jagged, in order to take firm
hold of the ground, and cause the forward motion of the machine when' at
work. One end of a horizontal shaft is supported in or against an upright,
held by cross beams of the frame in such manner as to allow of a slight
play backwards, by means of springs or otherwise; the opposite and front end
of this shaft carries the boring or excavating tool. A bevelled toothed wheel
upon the inner or back end of this shaft gears into the bevelled toothed pinion
upon the cranked shaft before mentioned, and imparts rotary motion to it.
The excavating or boring tool consists of a circular plate, set vertically upon
the shaft, and fitted with teeth or blades of the particular form required to
suit the nature of the soil to be excavated. Immediately behind the exca-
vating tool a series of hollow funnel-shaped gatherers are fixed upon the shaft,
and again behind them a hopper, which by means of slides is made to open
to one or both sides, or to the centre of the machine.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a sido elevation, partly in section, of
a boring and excavating machine constructed according to the present Inven-
tion; and Figure 2, a plan of the same. A, A, is the frame or carriage,
supported on carrying wheels D, D; C, boiler, mounted on the carriage; B,
cylinder, also mounted on the frame A, and supplied with steam from the
boiler C. In this cylinder works a piston, the rod 6 of which is connected
with and works ȧ connecting rod 6', which is itself connected with a cranked
shaft a.. This shaft is prolonged outside the carriage on cach side, and carries
on each end toothed pinions c, c, which gear into toothed wheels d, d, mounted
on the axis of a pair of propelling wheels F, F, (with jagged or pointed rims,)
whereby these wheels are made to revolve, and the forward motion of the
machine is effected. h is a horizontal shaft, supported at one end in an upright
fixed to the frame. This shaft h carries a bevelled toothed wheel 9, which
gears into a bevelled toothed pinion f, mounted on the shaft a, whereby rotary
motion is imparted to tho. shaft h. i is a spring, mounted on the frame A,
against which the back end of the shaft h bears, so as to have a slight play;
j is the boring or excavating tool, mounted on the shaft h, and consisting of a
plate with teeth or blades k, k; l, l, are the gatherers, fixed on the shaft h; m
is the hopper; p, slides for closing the hopper; o, wagons for receiving the
earth thrown up by the gatherers.
Upon the engine being set to work, rotary motion will be communicated to

page_text: the excavating tool j, which will throw the earth or material excavated into the
conical gatherers 1, 2, and hopper m, from which it will fall into the wagon o,
placed under or at the sides of the machine to receive it. At the same time
that the excavating tool is caused to revolve, onward motion will be imparted
to the propelling wheels F, F, which will cause the whole machinery to move
forward, and present a fresh surface to be operated upon. Should the boring
tool meet with any unusual obstruction, the spring upright i will allow of the
shaft and tool yielding, and prevent the breaking of any part of the machinery.
Near the fore part of the carriage are shoes, fixed to threaded upright shafts,
and at the back of the frame a roller is suspended from an upright shaft. On
bringing these shoes and roller down, and taking the weight of the machino
from the wheels, it may be turned in any direction by pushing round the roller.
t are the shoes, fixed to the threaded uprights t'; g, the roller, suspended
from the shaft q', and worked by a handles. Instead of a rotary motion
being imparted to the boring tool, it may have a to and fro or reciprocating
notion, combined with a periodical up and down action.
Although I have described the machinery as all mounted upon the same
carriage, the boiler or engine, or both, may be carried upon a separate
frame.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that I claim the improvements
in machinery for boring and excavating, herein-before described, and repre-
sented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, havo here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six.