Im- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DIGGING AND CULTI- VATING LAND
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bethell, of Parliament Street, in the
City of Westminster, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DIGGING AND CULTI-
VATING LAND."
Sealed the 20th April 1853, and dated the 3rd December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bethell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd December 1852.
I, JOHN BETHELL, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DIGGING
AND CULTIVATING LAND" to be as follows:-
The machinery or apparatus which forms the subject of the present
Invention, consists principally of a rotary digger, which is adapted
to a steam engine of the kind usually employed for agricultural pur-
poses. Engines of this construction generally consist of a locomotive
boiler, with the engine and other appurtenances adapted thereto,
the whole being mounted on a carriage with four wheels, for the
facility of removal from one place to another. The rotary digger
consists of a drum or shaft, round which are arranged in a helical

page_text: direction a number of prongs or tines. This digger turns in bearings
made at the end of a frame, or a pair of arms secured to either the
front or back part of the carriage in such a manner that it may be
raised or lowered as may be required; there is also a set screw for
securing the frame and digger at any given point. On one end of
the digger shaft or drum is mounted a rigger or pulley, to which
motion is communicated by means of a band or strap passing from
another rigger actuated by the engine. When the machine is
required for digging or cultivating land or level ground, the
rotary digger is lowered on to the ground, and upon rotary motion
being communicated to it, the tines will cut away the ground and
throw it backward.
While the machine is in operation, it is drawn slowly over the
land by horse or other power; and by that means the digger will be
continually operating on fresh ground, and the carth, when thrown
backwards, will be deposited in a finely divided state, and in an
even and regular manner.
When the machine is to be employed simply for digging, such as
cutting down a hill, the digger is placed in front and is pushed
forward up to the hill, and the rotary cutter cuts down the hill and
throws the earth under the carriage, and from thence it can be re-
moved, either by a chain of buckets or by hand labor, and deposited
in trucks or carts for removal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said John Bethell in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 3rd June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN BETHELL, of Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 30
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the

page_text: sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Bethell, Her
especial license that I, the said John Bethell, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Bethell, 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 the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
DIGGING AND CULTIVATING LAND," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Bethell, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Bethell, 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 Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
The machinery or apparatus which forms the subject of the
present Invention, is intended to be employed for excavating or
cutting down hills for the formation of railways, and is also ap-
plicable, when suitably arranged, for digging or cultivating land for
agricultural purposes. The apparatus consists principally of a
rotary digger, which is adapted to a steam engine of the kind usually
employed for agricultural purposes. Engines of this construction
generally consist of a locomotive boiler, with the engine and other
appurtenances adapted thereto, the whole being mounted on
carriage with four or more wheels, for the facility of removal from
one place to another. The rotary digger consists of a drum or
shaft, round which are arranged in a helical direction a number of
a

page_text: prongs or tines. This digger turns in bearings made at the end of
a frame, or a pair of lever arms secured to either the front or back
part of the carriage in such a manner that it may be raised or
lowered as may be required; there is also a set screw or otlier
suitable and convenient contrivance for holding up or supporting
the frame and digger at any given point while in operation. On
one end of the digger shaft or drum is mounted a rigger or pulley,
to which motion is communicated by means of a band or strap
passing from another rigger on the crank shaft, and actuated by
the engine.
When the machine is to be employed simply for digging or ex-
cavating, such as cutting down a hill for the formation of a railway,
the digger is placed in front, and is pushed forward up to the hill
or bank, either by mechanical means or in any other suitable
manner, and the rotary cutter, being made to operate against the
hill or bank, will cut down the earth and throw it under the car-
riage, and from thence it can be removed either by a chain of
buckets or by hand labor, and deposited in trucks or carts for
removal to a distance. When the machine is required for digging
or cultivating land or level ground, the rotary digger is placed
behind, and so arranged that it may be lowered on to the ground,
and upon rotary motion being communicated to it, the tines will
cut away the ground and throw it backward. While the machine
is in operation, it is drawn slowly over the land by horse or other
power, and by that means the digger will be continually operating
on fresh ground, and the earth when thrown backwards will be
deposited in a finely divided state, and in an even and regular
manner. In the accompanying Drawings, I have shewn the
Invention as adapted for both of the above mentioned purposes.
Figures 1, and 2, represent the arrangement for digging or exca-
vating land for the formation of railways; and Figures 3, and 4,
represent a machine adapted for digging or cultivating land for
agricultural purposes. Fig. 1, is a side elevation, and Fig. 2, a
plan view of the machinery or apparatus as adapted for digging or
excavating land for the formation of a railway. a, a, a, a, is the

page_text: boiler and engine, whereby the other machine or digging apparatus
is actuated. This prime mover, together with all the other ap-
paratus, is mounted on wheels for the facility of moving it from
place to place. b, b, is an arm or lever frame, one at each side of
the machine, and at the outer end of which the rotary digger c, is
mounted in suitable bearings. The arm or frame b, is mounted on
the crank shaft d, and is moveable thereon in a vertical direction.
Rotary motion is communicated to the digger c, from the crank
shaft d, by means of a band which passes from the pulley or band
wheel e, on the shaft d, around the pulley f, on the shaft of the
digger c. Sector racks g, g, are keyed or cast on to, or otherwise
firmly secured to the boss of the digger frame or arms b, b. In the
teeth of these sector racks g, g, gear the toothed pinions h, on the
ends of the horizontal shaft i. A bevel wheel j, Fig. 2, is keyed on
to this shaft i, and is driven by a similar bevil wheel k, on the end
of the long shaft l, which is furnished at the opposite end with
handles whereby the shaft may be turned. It will now be seen
that the altitude or angle of the arms or frame b, b, and con-
sequently the position of the digger, may be varied at pleasure by
simply turning the shaft 1, by means of the handles at the end
thereof; and therefore, as rapid rotary motion can be communicated
to the digger by the gearing above described, the digger will, when
brought into contact with a bank of carth, rapidly cut away the
earth and throw it down. This operation is much facilitated by
placing the digger or cutting tool at the end of a lever frame or
arms, which will admit of the digger being raised or lowered as the
digging operation proceeds. The surface of the ground on which
the machine stands may be levelled as the digging proceeds, and the
carth, as it is cut away from the bank by the digger, falls on to a
rotating disc m, which is fixed on to the lower end of the vertical
shaft n, and is actuated by the toothed gearing 0, 0, 0, 0, as shewn
in the figures. From this rotating disc m, the earth is raised by
the endless chain of travelling scoops, p, p, which act in a similar
manner to the scoops of a dredging machine, and convey the earth
into waggons or receptacles placed behind the machine.
This

page_text: endless chain of scoops is actuated by a band 7, which passes from
the pulley or band wheel e, on the crank shaft, and around another
band wheel q*, at the opposite end of the machine. When the digger
has cut away sufficient of the bank to admit of the machine being
moved forward to continue its operations, this object is effected by
means of the handles on the upper edge of the vertical shaft r,
shewn by dots in Fig. 1. This shaft r, carries at its lower end an
endless screw t, which gears into and drives the toothed wheels, on
the axle of the hindermost running wheel u, as seen best in Fig. 1;
and as all the running wheels are connected together by the rods
v, v, it follows, that if a slow motion is communicated to the hinder-
most wheel by means of the screw shaft r, that the whole machine
will be caused to move slowly forward towards the bank, and the
digger may, therefore, be always kept to its work.
Fig. 3, is a side elevation, and Fig. 4, a plan view of a machine for
digging or cultivating land constructed according to my improve-
ments, and upon the same principle as the machine just described.
As, however, the only operation that is required for this purpose, is to
dig, loosen, or disintegrate the surface of the soil or earth, the endless
chain of buckets or scoops shewn in the former arrangement is dis-
pensed with, and the digger is in this instance placed behind instead
of in front of the machine, which is mounted on four wheels, and is
intended to be drawn forward by horses. a, a, a, represents the
boiler and engine; b, b, the lever arms or frames, at the outer ends of
which the digger c, c, is mounted. Motion is communicated from
the engine to the crank shaft d, on which is keyed the rigger or
band wheel e, from whence a band or strap passes round another
band wheel f, on the axle of the lever arms b, b. Rotary motion is,
by means of a band or strap, communicated from the band wheel f,
at one end of the lever arms b, to a similar band wheel f*, on the
axle of the digger c, at the opposite end. The depth to which the
prongs or tines of the digger are made to enter the ground, is
regulated by raising or lowering the screw-shaft r, by means
of the winch or handle at its upper end, as shewn in Fig. 3.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in ma-

page_text: chinery or apparatus for digging and cultivating land, I would
observe, in conclusion, that although I have shewn and described
the best arrangements and construction of parts with which I am
at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I do not
mean or intend to confine myself thereto; as they may doubtless be
modified without departing from the nature and object of my In-
vention; nor do I intend to claim separately the several parts herein
shewn and described, as I am aware that many of them have been
heretofore employed for similar purposes; but that which I consider
to be new, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid is,―
First, the general combination and arrangements herein shewn
and described, or any mere modification thereof when employed
for similar purposes.
Second, I claim particularly the use and application of a rotary
digger at the end of a lever arm or frame so arranged that the rotary
digger may be raised up in a vertical direction, so that it may be
enabled to cut or dig away the face of a hill or bank for a consider-
able extent in a vertical direction.
I also claim the use and application for digging or cultivating
land of a rotary digger as above described, when worked by steam
power.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bethell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JN. BETHELL. (L.S.)