CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND BORING COAL, STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PAT
to William Firth, ol Burley, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Merchant, Samuel Firth, of the same Place, Gentleman, and
John Sturgeon, of Leeds, aforesaid Consulting Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND BORING
COAL, STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS."
Sealed the 4th March 1864, and dated the 7th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION left by the said William Firth, Samuel
Firth, and John Sturgeon, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 7th December 1863.
We, WILLIAM FIRTH, of Burley, near Leeds, in the County of York
Merchant, SAMUEL FIRTH, of the same Place. Gentleman, and JOHN STURGEON,
of Leeds, aforesaid. Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND BORING
COAL, STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS." to be as follows:--
Our Invention consists in great part in new methods of applying bydraulic
power and compressed air for the above purposes.
One of our improvements consists in using a ram worked by hydraulic
power or any other suitable apparatus for applying hydraulic power by pumping,
for the purpose of splitting or detaching the coal, stone, or mineral from the
mass, thus rendering the use of gunpowder or other explosive agent unne-
cessary. One of the modes of effecting this is by drawing a wedge, or chisel,
or other suitable cutting tool into the coal, stone, or mineral, by the power of
[Price 8d.]

page_text: the ram or other apparatus, either for the purpose of under cutting, or after
the operation of bareing or undermining has been effected. In some cases it
may be found beneficial to employ more than one wedge, chisel, or tool. This
plan will have, amongst other advantages, the great advantage of dispensing
with the necessity of boring or drilling. Another mode of effecting this is by
boring a hole in the coal, stone, or mineral, into which one or more ram or
rams or other apparatus can be introduced, and the coal, stone, or mineral is
then detached by the expansion of the ram or rams or other apparatus, or by
the direct pressure of the water. The pumps for the rams or other apparatus
in either case may be worked by hand, or compressed air, or other power.
The use of the hydraulic ram in either mode may be advantageously combined
with the use of the hydraulic pressure against the roof or side of the
workings.
Another improvement consists in the use of hydraulic power to lift machines
used for straight work, under cutting, bareing, or nicking. This may be
effected by any ordinary apparatus for lifting by hydraulic power.
Another improvement consists in the use of compressed air for driving
Cambrian or vibrating piston engines employed for working or driving picks
or tools for cutting or boring coal, stone, or other minerals.
4. Other of our improvements consist in an improved mode of applying
Cambrian or vibrating piston engines for the purpose of cutting and boring
coal, stone, or other minerals. This is effected by mounting the cylinder of a
Cambrian engine in a suitable frame for working. To the piston of the engine
is fastened a disc or plate having a radial slot, in which may be fixed a stud,
and to which one end of a connecting rod is attached; the other end of the
connecting rod is connected by a joint to a crank which is keyed to a spindle,
and by the backward and forward motion imparted to the crank by the engine
the requisite motion to the pick is obtained. By means of the radial slot in
the disc or plate the length of stroke may be varied so as to take deeper cuts
without changing the picks or cutting tools, and by arranging the cylinder on
the frame so that it may be swivelled round and bolted down at any corner;
the picks may be worked from any corner without shifting the machine off
the rails on which it travels, or a spindle may be carried at each of the corners
of the frame, and may be worked in a vertical position, either longitudinally
or transversely. The ends of the spindle before mentioned are arranged so as
to receive the holders for carrying the pick or cutting tool, and the crank
before mentioned is fastened to the spindle by a key fitting in a groove in the
spindle, thereby enabling the spindle to be moved up and down through the
boss of the crank. This up-and-down movement of the spindle may be

page_text: effected, for instance, by means of a socket, the outside of which is screwed
and works in a nut. The collar of the spindle rests upon this socket, which
moves up and down in the nut by means of a worm wheel worked by a worm
and keyed to the socket, a groove being formed in the socket to enable it to
move up and down through the worm wheel.
Another arrangement, applicable to a Cambrian engine, consists in forming
the holder which carries the pick or cutting tool on the end of the connecting
rod itself, which, by being connected by a joint to a suitable crank, is thereby
so guided in its movement throughout the stroke as to impart to the cutting
tool the action required. The tool also may be worked from any of the four
corners of the machine without having either to swivel the frame round on
which it is mounted, or to shift the machine upon the rails, and instead of
having a connecting rod and holder for the pick in separate pieces, the whole
may be formed in one piece with the cutter, and simply connected by a joint
to the disc and crank from which the motion is obtained. In this arrange-
ment the requisite up-and-down motion may be imparted to the cutter by
raising or lowering the framing carrying the disc and cylinder by any suitable
means.
Another improvement consists in a suitable arrangement of apparatus
applicable to vertical cutting and straight work. This is effected by mounting
and carrying one or more cylinders, Cambrian or otherwise, in an upright
frame in which the said cylinders are arranged to move up and down by means
This upright
of screws, hydraulic power, or any other suitable contrivance.
frame may be mounted on a base plate, which by suitable means, such as cog
wheels, or a screw or worm biting the ground by the pressure from the weight
of the machine above, may be moved about as required.
Another improvement consists in a particular arrangement of apparatus, by
which the spindle carrying the pick or cutting tool may be made to work
through the axis of the vibrating piston itself, so as to receive its motion from
the action of the piston direct, that is to say, without the intervention of
connecting rod or other gear, without damage or injury which might result
from the shock or jerk caused by the action of the machine. To effect this
the axis of the piston is continued through both sides of the Cambrian
cylinder, and is supplied with ordinary stuffing boxes, but the spindle itself
which passes through this axis is carried in bearings fastened to the frame.
The shock or jerk therefore caused by the action of the machine is expended
in great measure upon the bearings of the spindle.
5. Another improvement consists in imparting a rotary instead of a recipro-
cating motion to one or more picks or fly cutters attached to a spindle. This

page_text: rotary motion may be communicated by any of the ordinary mechanical pro-
cesses for that purpose.
6. Another improvement consists as follows: Instead of the raising and
lowering machine, or canting spindle, as described in our Provisional Specifi-
cation of the 27th of October last (No. 2659), to suit the required angle of
inclination, rails may be used of unequal section, that is, one rail higher than the
opposite rail.
7. Another improvement consists in causing the pick to be balanced by a
weight on the opposite side of the spindle, or by weighting the spindle itself
on the side of the fulcrum opposite to the pick.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Firth, Samuel Firth, and John Sturgeon in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 7th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
FIRTH, of Burley. near Leeds, in the County of York, Merchant, SAMUEL
FIRTH, of the same Place, Gentleman, and JOHN STURGEON, of Leeds, afore-
said, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Firth. Samuel Firth, and John Sturgeon, Her special
licence that we, the said William Firth, Samuel Firth, and John Sturgeon,
our executors. administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Firth, Samuel Firth, and John Sturgeon, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND BORING COAL
STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Firth, Samuel Firth, and John Sturgeon, 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 Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Firth, on behalf of myself and
the said Samuel Firth and John Sturgeon, 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:-
Our Invention consists in great part in new methods of applying hydraulic
power and compressed air for the above purposes.
One of our improvements consists in using a ram worked by hydraulic
power or any other suitable apparatus for applying hydraulic power by pumping
for the purpose of splitting or detaching the coal, stone, or mineral from the
mass, thus rendering the use of gunpowder or other explosive agent unne-
cessary. One of the modes of effecting this is by driving a wedge, or chisel,
or other suitable cutting tool into the coal, stone, or mineral, by the power of
the ram or other apparatus, after the operation of bareing or undermining has
been effected. In some cases it may be found beneficial to employ more than one
wedge, chisel, or tool. This plan will have, amongst other advantages, the
great advantage of dispensing with the necessity of boring or drilling.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2
a plan of apparatus arranged as above described. A is a pillar or cylinder
having a ram B within it. By means of an ordinary force pump water is
forced into the cylinder so as to push the ram B with great force against the
roof of the pit or working, thereby obtaining a firm pillar or support for the
apparatus attached to it. C is a force pump which is made to fit into and
work within the slide which is either cast or bolted on the side of the cylin-
der A; D is a small cylinder with a ram working within it; it is attached to
the front of the force pump C. The cylinder D may either be cast upon the
force pump or suitably bolted to it. A smail pipe from the force pump C is
connected to the cylinder D so as to supply water behind the ram D¹, to which
a chisel or suitable tool D² is fixed. When the apparatus is required to work
it is set opposite the coal or other mineral to be operated upon. The large
cylinder is made firm by forcing the ram B against the roof of the cutting
and the small force pump C worked. This will push out the ram in the
cylinder D with great force against the face of the coal or other mineral; and
by reason of the coal or other mineral having been previously undercut it will
split and break off. When it is required to elevate the position of the ram D¹,
the small wheel E which is connected to the screw F is turned by hand. This
screw passes through and works within two lugs secured to the side of the

page_text: cylinder D, when the screw is turned it will therefore raise or lower the appa-
ratus to the position required.
Another mode of effecting this is by boring a hole in the coal, stone, or
mineral, into which one or more rain or rams or other apparatus can be intro-
duced, and the coal, stone, or mineral is then detached by the expansion of the
ram or rams or other apparatus.
A is a
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 3 shews this apparatus.
This ram is
force pump; B a pipe connected therefrom to a small ram C.
shewn on a larger scale at Figure 4. When the ram is placed into the hole
previously made in the coal or mineral, the pump is worked, and the pressure
of the water against the ram or plug causes the plug to be thrust outwards,
thereby causing a great pressure against the upper and lower sides of the hole
in which it is inserted, and will ultimately split and detach the mineral
operated upon. The pumps for the rams or other apparatus in either case
may be worked by hand or compressed air or other power. The use of the
hydraulic ram in either mode may be advantageously combined with the use
of the hydraulic pressure against the roof or side of the workings.
Other of our improvements consist in improved modes of applying
Cambrian or vibrating piston engines for the purpose of cutting and boring
coal, stone, or other minerals. This is effected by mounting the cylinder of a
Cambrian engine in a suitable frame for working. To the piston of the engine
is fastened a disc or plate having a radial slot, in which may be fixed a stud,
and to which one end of a connecting rod is attached. The other end of the
connecting rod is connected by a joint to a crank which is keyed to a spindle,
and by the backward and forward motion imparted to the crank by the engine
the requisite motion to the pick is obtained. By means of the radial slot in
the disc or plate the length of stroke may be varied so as to take deeper cuts
without changing the picks or cutting tools, and by arranging the cylinder on
the frame so that it may be swivelled round and bolted down at any corner,
the picks may be worked from any corner without shifting the machine off
the rails on which it travels, or a spindlè may be carried at each of the corners
of the frame, and may be worked in a vertical position, either longitudinally
or transversely. The ends of the spindle before mentioned are arranged so as
to receive the holders for carrying the pick or cutting tool, and the crank
before mentioned is fastened to the spindle by a key fitting in a groove in the
spindle, thereby enabling the spindle to be moved up and down through the
boss of the crank. This up-and-down movement of the spindle may be
effected, for instance, by means of a socket, the outside of which is screwed
and works in a nut. The collar of this spindle rests upon this socket, which

page_text: moves up and down in the nut by means of a worm wheel worked by a worm
and keyed to the socket, a groove being formed in the socket to enable it to
move up and down through the worm wheel.
Figure 5 represents a plan and Figure 6 a partial elevation of a Cambrian
engine with this part of the improvements applied.
a is the pick; b, the lever arm; and b', the pick spindle, which is carried by
a bearing be cast in one piece with the cylinder 3 (Figure 6); c is the axis of
the vibrating piston c¹, the upper part being made square to fit the square hole
in the centre of the face plate c. The face plate c is provided with a radial
slot c3 by which means the pin d of the connecting rod d¹ may be set nearer to
or further from the centre, and by this means the length of stroke of the pick
may be regulated as required. The spindle b' may also be set to any of the
four corners of the machine from which it may be convenient to work the pick.
For this purpose the frame is made in two pieces, the upper part consisting
of cylinder, spindle, &c., being arranged so as to swivel round in a socket pro-
vided for the purpose in the centre of the lower frame or carriage d, to which
the running wheels and propelling gear are fitted, as shown in Figure 6, and
when set to the required position may be securely held by the bolts & shewn
in Figure 5. For the purpose of propelling the machine along the rails we
prefer to employ a worm e and worm wheel e' actuated from the hand wheel e²,
but any ordinary gear may be employed. The worm and hand wheel are
carried by a bracket e", which can be removed and fixed at the other end of
the frame as required. The valve is actuated from the motion of the engine
itself by means of the adjustable bowls f, f', which may be fixed in any
required position by means of the bolt f, and by the motion of the engine are
caused to act alternately on the tappet f which gives motion to the valve.
The handle g is provided to enable the workman to reverse the valve in case
of a short stroke.
Figure 7 shows a vertical section through the spindle b¹. In this Figure,
b is the lever arm, which is made fast to the spindle b' by a key fitting in a
groove in the spindle, so as to enable the spindle to be moved up and down
through the boss of the lever arm. The necessary up-and-down movement
is in this case imparted to the spindle b' in the following manner, namely, by
means of a socket g', the outside of which is screwed and works in a nut g³.
The collar of the spindle b¹ rests upon the socket g', which is made to move up
and down in the nut g2 by means of the worm wheel g³ which is worked by
the worm . The worm wheel has a key taking into a groove formed in
the socket g¹ to enable the socket g to move up and down through the worm

page_text: wheel g³. The ends h¹, h, of the spindle b¹ are arranged so as to receive the
holder for carrying the pick or cutting tool.
Another improvement consists in a suitable arrangement of apparatus
applicable to vertical cutting and straight work. This is effected by mounting
and carrying one or more cylinders, Cambrian or otherwise, in an upright
frame in which the said cylinders are arranged to move up and down by means
of screws, hydraulic power, or any other suitable contrivance. This upright
frame may be mounted on a base plate, which by suitable means, such as cog
wheels, or a screw or worm biting the ground by the pressure from the weight
of the machine above, may be moved about as required.
In Figures 8 and 9 are shown an elevation and plan of apparatus arranged
according to this part of our Invention. This apparatus consists of three prin-
cipal parts, namely, a single or double Cambrian engine a arranged to slide ver-
tically in a frame b, which also is capable of sliding longitudinally on the base
plate or under carriage c. The Cambrian engine a is provided with cutters a', as
described in a former Patent granted to us, dated the 27th Oct 1863,
(No. 2659), in this case the cutters being carried at both ends, so that while
one of them is giving the forward stroke the other is in the back stroke, as
indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 8. The advance of the cutters, whether
up or down, may be effected by self-acting mechanism applied to work a nut
round the screw a at the moment when the cutters are clear of the coal. One
of these engines is shown applied at each side of the upright frame or slide b.
To enable the cutters to be worked close to the side of the cutting, leaving a
free passage for the machine as the work advances, the upright frame b is
provided with a rack pinion worked by a capstan head b', by means of which
the whole upper frame may be advanced along the base plate c, so as to take a
second and deeper cut after the coal has broken down without being
obliged to clear the road for the advance of the bottom frame or base plate, and is
also provided with bolts b3 by which the frame b may be securely held in the
slot c¹ in the under carriage c. To the base plate c are applied small rollers c³
to facilitate the moving of the machine either longitudinally or transversely by
means of the cog wheels c³ biting the ground and actuated by hand levers and
capstan heads. When the machine is at work these rollers can be raised by
means of the screws d, d, so as to allow the base plate to rest bodily upon
the ground. By these means great steadiness is obtained to resist the force of
the blows.
Another improvement consists in a particular arrangement of apparatus, by
which the spindle carrying the pick or cutting tool may be made to work

page_text: through the axis of the vibrating piston itself, so as to receive its motion from
the action of the piston direct, that is to say, without the intervention of
connecting rod or other gear, without damage or injury which might result
from the shock or jerk caused by the action of the machine. To effect this
the axis of the piston is continued through both sides of the Cambrian
cylinder, and is supplied with ordinary stuffing boxes, but the spindle itself
which passes through this axis is carried in bearings fastened to the frame;
the shock or jerk, therefore, caused by the action of the machine is expended
in great measure upon the bearings of the spindle.
Figure 10 shews an improved arrangement for carrying the pick spindle b
in the centre of the vibrating piston, and consists in carrying the spindle b¹ in
bearings b rigidly attached to the framing of the machine above and below
the cylinder; by this means the side strain on the piston caused by the action
of the cutting tool is entirely taken off by the rigid bearings.
Another improvement consists in imparting a rotary instead of a recipro-
cating motion to one or more picks or fly cutters attached to a spindle; this
rotary motion may be communicated by any of the ordinary mechanical pro-
cesses for that purpose. Figure 11 in the accompanying Drawings shews
how this can be effected; it is simply making the spindle of an ordinary
compressed air or other power machine crank-shaped. The Drawing shews
two picks mounted on the spindle, and the picks working at the top instead
of underneath the machine. This arrangement will utilize the air or other
fluid by giving to the back stroke of the piston the same effect as the outward
stroke.
Another improvement consists as follows: Instead of the raising and
lowering machine for canting spindle. as described in our Provisional Specifi-
cation of the 27th of October last. No. 2659. to suit the required angle of
inclination. rails may be used of unequal section, that is, one rail higher than the
opposite rail. For the purpose of enabling the pick to work at an inclination
suitable to the dip or angle of the coal or other mineral operated upon. the dif-
ference in the section of the rails will be adjusted to suit the inclination required.
Another improvement consists in causing the pick to be balanced by a
weight on the opposite side of the spindle, or by weighting the spindle itself
on the side of the fulcrum opposite to the pick. In practice it is found that
the weight of the pick causes unequal wear and tear to the spindle and
bearings in consequence of the excessive friction upon such parts caused by
the leverage of the pick. By balancing the pick, however, this is overcome,
and in Figure 12 in the accompanying Drawings is shewn one mode of
effecting this. The balance weight, by its momentum, increases the cutting

page_text: effect of the pick; its position upon the spindle may be such as to work over
the top of the frame of the machine, or at such other part as to clear the
other working parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Firth, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Firth, in
the presence of
J. M. BARRET,
IDDIAM
Sol.,
Leeds.