AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Walter Saltonstall, of Northumberland
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, and Alfred Bush, of Hanover
Cottage, Park Road, Saint John's Wood, in the County of Middlesex
aforesaid, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS
FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING."
Sealed the 29th November 1859, and dated the 2nd June 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Walter Saltonstall
and Alfred Bush at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd June 1859.
We, FRANCIS WALTER SALTONSTALL, of Northumberland Street, Strand, in
the County of Middlesex, and ALFRED BUSH, of Hanover Cottage, Park Road,
Saint John's Wood, in the County of Middlesex aforesaid, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS
FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed for facilitating the operations of dredging and
excavating, and economizing the expense attending such operations by the use
of novel and improved mechanism or apparatus of the following construction,
that is to say, we form a framework of wood, which for excavating operations
may be mounted on wheels running on rails, and for dredging operations may

page_text: be as a floating raft. To the aforesaid framework the following parts are
affixed and connected, namely, a swing crane and platform, a scoop or bucket
of peculiar construction, a small boiler engine, wheel work, and winding barrel
for coiling the chain around during the raising of the implement employed for
excavating or dredging, and a stud wheel and chain for swinging and holding
the jib of the crane in any desired position.
An important feature in this Invention consists in the construction of the
aforesaid excavating or dredging. implement, and the mode of operating the
same, whereby a considerably larger quantity of earth can be raised or removed
in a given time than by the means hitherto employed for that purpose, and
especially when using a system of buckets on an endless chain.
The following is the mode of constructing and operating the aforesaid ex-
cavating implement, according to this Invention:-We form a slot in the top part
of the crane, about midway between the post of the crane and the end of the
jib thereof; in this slot a spur wheel is placed, and revolves by an endless chain
passing over stud wheels, respectively fixed on the axis of the aforesaid spur
wheel and the axis of another wheel situate near the platform of the crane.
The aforesaid spur wheel takes into the teeth of a rack fixed to a long piece
of square timber, at the lower end of which is fixed a sheet iron scoop
formed with a moveable bottom. The said scoop is suspended from the end
of the jib of the crane by a fork-shaped piece of metal hinged to the sides of
the scoop, said piece of metal carrying at its upper end a pulley, over which
passes a chain, which proceeds from the winding-on barrel aforesaid, through
the post of the crane, and over pullies attached to the top of the jib thereof.
The operations of this machinery are as follows:-The scoop is first lowered
to its full extent below and behind the surface of the earth to be excavated or
removed; the scoop is then raised, by the chain as aforesaid, and in so doing
the scoop is pulled forward, the before-mentioned spur wheel being the fulcrum
against which the rack on the handle of the scoop abuts; and in this manner
and by these means the scoop removes a certain quantity of earth, which
when the scoop is raised sufficiently high (by the combined action of the rack
and spur wheel and chains), may be discharged from the scoop by the
attendant operating, by means of a cord or chain, certain mechanism connected
to the moveable bottom of the scoop.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Walter Saltonstall and Alfred Bush in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 30th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANCIS
WALTER SALTONSTALL, of Northumberland Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, and ALFRED BUSH, of Hanover Cottage, Park Road, Saint John's
Wood, in the County of Middlesex aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in. the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us;
the said Francis Walter Saltonstall and Alfred Bush, Her special license that
we, the said Francis Walter Saltonstall and Alfred Bush, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Francis Walter Salton-
stall and Alfred Bush, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING," upon the condition.
(amongst others) that we, the said Francis Walter Saltonstall and Alfred
Bush, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us. or:
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In:
vention, 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 Alfred Bush, one of the parties hereto,.
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, that is to say:-
This Invention is designed for facilitating the operations of dredging and
excavating, and economizing the expense attending such operations, by the use
of novel and improved mechanism or apparatus of the following construc-
tion, that is to say:-We form a framework of wood, which for excavating
operations may be mounted on wheels running on rails, and for dredging
operations may be as a floating raft. To the aforesaid framework the following
parts are affixed and connected, namely, a swing crane and platform, a

page_text: scoop or bucket of peculiar construction, a small boiler engine, wheelwork,
and winding barrel for coiling the chain around during the raising of the
implement employed for excavating or dredging, and a stud wheel and chain
for swinging and holding the jib of the crane in any desired position.
An important feature in this Invention consists in the construction of the
aforesaid excavating or dredging implement, and the mode of operating the same,
whereby a considerably larger quantity of earth can be raised or removed in
a given time than by the means hitherto employed for that purpose, and
especially when using a system of buckets on an endless chain.
The following is the mode of constructing and operating the aforesaid
excavating implement according to this Invention:-We form a slot in the
top part of the crane, about midway between the post of the crane and the end
of the jib thereof; in this slot a spur wheel is placed, and revolves by an
endless chain passing over stud wheels respectively fixed on the axis of the
aforesaid spur wheel, and the axis of another wheel situate near the platform
of the crane.
The aforesaid spur wheel takes into the teeth of a rack fixed to
a long piece of square timber, to the lower end of which is fixed a sheet iron
scoop formed with a moveable bottom. The said scoop is suspended from the
end of the jib of the crane by a fork-shaped piece of metal hinged to the sides
of the scoop, said piece of metal carrying at its upper end a pulley over which
passes a chain which proceeds from the winding-on barrel aforesaid, through
the post of the crane, and over pullies attached to the top of the jib thereof.
The operations of this machinery are as follows:-The scoop is first
lowered to its full extent below and behind the surface of the earth to be
excavated or removed; the scoop is then raised by the chain as aforesaid, and
in so doing the scoop is pulled forward, the before-mentioned spur wheel being
the fulcrum against which the rack on the handle of the scoop abuts, and in
this manner and by these means the scoop removes a certain quantity of earth,
which when the scoop is raised sufficiently high (by the combined action of
the rack and spur wheel and chains), may be discharged from the scoop by
the attendant operating, by means of a cord or chain, certain mechanism
connected to the moveable bottom of the scoop.
In order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible, we now
proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying Sheets of
illustrative Drawings, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
:

page_text: At Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a top plan view of our improved machine, adapted
for excavating under water; Figure 2, a longitudinal and vertical section
through the line A, B, at Figure 1; at Sheet 2, Figure 3 is a perspective
view of our improved machine adapted for excavating on dry land. At each
of the foregoing Figures we employ similar letters of reference to denote
corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of
such said Figures respectively.
At Sheet 1, A, A, is a flat-bottomed boat, to which is securely fixed a strong
framing of wood B, supporting the following parts,-C is a steam boiler and
furnace; D, D, steam cylinders; E, E, connecting rods, each attached by one
end to the piston rods of the cylinders D, D, and by the other end to
cranks a, respectively fixed on the axes of the winding barrels G, H, around
which chains b, c, pass; the chain 6 passes from the drum G over pullies d,
and along the jib of the swing crane I to the scoop or excavating implement e,
and the chain c passes from the drum H to a strong piece of timber K, to the
bottom of which the scoop e is securely fixed; the piece K passes between the
timbers of the jib, as at Figure 1, and is held between the antifriction
rollers f, f, fixed to the jib and the spur wheel L, the axis g whereof is also
affixed to the jib of the crane; M is a stud wheel fixed on the axis g, over
which an endless flat-link chain h passes, and likewise over another smaller
stud wheel i below, as at Figure 2. N is a wheel fixed on the axis of the
wheel i for imparting motion to the stud wheels M, i, and to the timber K,
for raising and lowering the same as desired, through the medium of a toothed
rack at fixed to the piece K, the teeth of said rack taking into the teeth of
the wheel L; the post of the crane I works on strong pivots at top and
bottom thereof, and to the platform O of said crane, a chain m is connected
by its ends, as at *, *, Figure 1; the flat links of this chain pass over a stud
wheel n fixed on the upright shaft o; to the top of this said shaft a wheel P
is fixed, and to the bottom of the shaft o a bevil wheel p is fixed, and takes
into a bevil pinion 7 mounted on the horizontal shaft 7, said shaft being driven
from the opposite end by suitable toothed gearing, in connection with one or
other of the drums G, H; by throwing the pinion q out of gear with the wheel p,
the platform O may be moved by hand so as to swing round the jib of the
crane as desired; s is a brake band actuated by the lever t for holding the
jib of the crane steady; u, v, are levers for throwing the wheelwork of the
drums G, H, into and out of gear for starting and stopping same, as desired ;

page_text: Qis a lever handle fixed on the cock W for directing the steam from the
boiler into one or other of the steam cylinders D, D, as desired.
We now proceed to describe the construction of the scoop e, and the mode
of raising, filling, and emptying same as follows:-The scoop is made of strong
plate iron, and the bottom thereof is made to drop by releasing a catch
at 1 (Figure 2 of Sheet 1), to which a rope 2 is connected; R is a strong fork
hinged to the sides of the scoop; is a pulley connected to the top of the
fork R, by a wrought-iron frame S, to the top of which one end of the chain b
is securely fixed; a are points or prongs fixed to the front of the scoop to
ensure its entering the ground.
In order to adapt the above machine for excavating on dry ground, for
railways or canals, we propose to mount the said machine on wheels, as at.
Sheet 2, moving on temporary rails, and held in desired position by strong
screws T, one at each end of the front of the framework or platform of the
machine, as exhibited.
The operations of the above machine are as follows:-Suppose the scoop e
and parts connected therewith to be in the position exhibited, and the machine
to be placed in proper position, and locally held fast either by anchors for under
water excavating, or screws for dry land. The attendants (there being two
required, one to start and stop the machinery in connection with the steam
engine, and the other to discharge the contents of the scoop, and also to move
the jib of the crane as desired,) proceed to lower the scoop, one man letting
out the chain b, and drawing in the chain c, so as to pull the scoop back, and
the other man letting down the part K of the scoop by the wheel N; having
done this the chain b is now wound on to the barrel G, and the chain c
slackened so as to allow the scoop to move forward simultaneously with the
rising thereof, the wheel L and rack being the fulcrum of the handle or
lever K of the scoop, whereby the scoop becomes filled with the substance to
be excavated. Having raised the filled scoop sufficiently high, the attendant
then swings round the jib of the crane until the scoop is brought over the
waggon or barge intended to receive the contents of the scoop which are
discharged therefrom by the attendant pulling the rope 2, and thus releasing
the catch 1, which previously held the bottom of the scoop. The jib is then
swung back, the catch fastened, and the scoop lowered as before, the attendants
moving the jib sideways, so that the scoop shall not again enter the same
place that it last did. By these means the part excavated is in the form of
a curve described from the centre of the post of the crane, the workmen
beginning, for example, at one side of the width of the machine, and finishing

page_text: at the opposite side, after which the machine has to be moved forward, and
again operated with, as above described.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention of "An Improved Machine or Apparatus for Dredging and Exca-
vating," together with the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, we would remark in conclusion that we hereby
declare our Invention to consist in, and we claim, a machine or apparatus of
the construction above particularly described, set forth, and represented by the
accompanying illustrative Sheets of Drawings, for the purpose of dredging and
excavating, as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Bush, one of the parties hereto,
ALFRED BUSH. (L.S.)