IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING AND DEPOSITING EARTH, AND IN PART APPLICABLE TO CRANES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Graham Stevenson, of Airdrie, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR EXCAVATING AND DEPOSITING EARTH, AND IN PART APPLICABLE TO
CRANES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 27th April 1877, and dated the 31st October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Graham Stevenson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st October 1876.
GRAHAM STEVENSON, of Airdrie, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engi-
neer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING AND DEPOSITING EARTH,
AND IN PART APPLICABLE TO CRANES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.".
This Invention has principally for its object to provide improved, more con-
venient, efficacious, and economically working machinery for the use of the railway
contractor or constructor, and comprises improvements in apparatus for excavating
earth, in apparatus for depositing the excavated earth, and applicable for lifting and
depositing waste or other materials, whilst some of the improvements are also appli-
cable to cranes and otherwise..
The improved excavating apparatus acts to some extent like what is known as
the "American excavator," described in the "Practical Mechanic and Engineer's
Magazine," volume 2, page 345, and is designed to operate in forming railway
cuttings and otherwise. Such machines require a considerable breadth of base or
equivalent support, and as hitherto constructed have been unsuited for travelling
any distance on ordinary railways, which has been a great inconvenience.
An important feature of the present Invention consists in mounting the apparatus
on two trucks, each fitted with four wheels provided with springs and buffers, and
arranged for travelling on rails of the ordinary gauge, all the extreme dimensions
being within those prescribed by the railway regulations when the apparatus is
arranged for travelling, so that it may safely pass bridges, station platforms, and
trains on adjacent rails. The two trucks are to be bolted together end to end when
at the place where the apparatus is to operate, and the requisite breadth of support
is then obtained by means of wing brackets, which can be made to project from the
sides of the trucks either by sliding, unfolding, or otherwise, and down through the
ends of which screw spindles are adjusted upon blocks set under them on the
mound

page_text: The portions of the machinery on the two trucks are arranged to be easily con-
nected or coupled, the boiler and engine with some gearing being on one truck, and
the upright post and other parts of the gearing being on the other truck, whilst
without the jib being altogether disconnected from the upright post its outer end
can be lowered and supported by a railway wagon.
In the case of light machines the apparatus may all be mounted on a single truck.
Grooved frictional gearing is employed for transmitting motion from the engine
crank shaft for working the bucket in order that the wheels may slip and avoid
breakage whenever the excavating bucket unexpectedly encounters a boulder or
obstruction offering excessive resistance. Such gearing also admits of the hand
lever and other parts for starting, stopping, and reversing, being arranged in the
simplest and most convenient manner, and so that the movements of the machine
can be properly controlled. If toothed gearing is employed frictional couplings are
introduced for the purpose of avoiding breakages.
In some cases the apparatus and carriage may consist of several pieces small
enough to be conveyed separately by common roads.
The excavating bucket is fixed on two shanks, as in the original machine, which
shanks can turn on a centre on the jib frame, and can be moved in the direction of
their length for setting the bucket at a greater or less distance from the centre, and
for forcing it into the earth. The shanks are moved on end by means of chains and
a barrel, or of racks and pinions, the barrel or pinions being driven through bevil
or other gearing from a shaft carried by the jib frame, and itself driven from the
engine by gearing separate from that for elevating the bucket. The centre for the
bucket shanks can be attached to any part of either the struts or stays of the jib
frame, this frame consisting of two lower members or struts springing from the
lower part of the upright post, and two upper members or stays proceeding from
the upper part of the upright post and joining the lower struts near their outer
ends, whilst various cross and diagonal pieces brace the parts together.
Two wire ropes or chains for elevating the bucket are attached separately to the
bucket sides towards the front, and pass over pulleys at the outer end of the jib
frame, proceeding thence to pulleys at the top of the upright post. With this
arrangement the bucket can be raised nearer to the end of the jib than in the
original machine, so that it has a greater range for working with a given size of jib,
whilst the two ropes render the action steadier. The jib frame is bolted to the
sides of a collar, which sets and turns on the upper part of the upright post, and is
suitably shaped at the parts, and has a number of bolt holes provided for its being
attached with different amounts of inclination, whilst to adinit of this the lower
parts of the frame are jointed to the ring or collar, turning on the lower part of
the upright post. The provision for setting the jib frame at different inclinations
will admit of the apparatus excavating at a level lower than that of the rails on
which the apparatus rests.
The bucket may be fitted with either a hinged or sliding door for dropping the
excavated materials into a wagon, and when hinged the door is by preference con-
nected to a curved bar, which is by the swinging open of the door made to strike
the earth, and insure its rapid dislodgement from the bucket. When a sliding door
is adopted it may be opened and closed by means of a rack and pinion or of a screw;
and either the hinged or sliding door may be worked from the engine gearing or by
hand, the hinged door having a lever and cord for closing it, whilst the latch holding
it close is provided with a cord for releasing it.
The apparatus is in some cases provided with a pulley at the jib end, and with
chains, or ropes and winding gearing for raising a weight to be dropped on any
boulder which may require to be broken to facilitate its removal.
By the present Invention a modification of the apparatus is provided, or the same
apparatus may have parts fitted to it for finishing the excavation of a cutting by
trimming or paring the sides of the cutting to a proper rectilinear slope. For this
purpose the jib frame is fitted with straight guide pieces, which can be set at the
desired inclination, and a modification of the bucket is arranged to run with rollers

page_text: or slides on such guide pieces, being drawn upwards by the chains or ropes arranged
as for the primary excavation. When the apparatus is operating in this way on
the side of a cutting, the jib frame is set at right angles to the line of rails for the
paring operation, and is swung round to deliver the materials into wagons.
The excavating apparatus may be fitted on board a shallow boat, and be used for
excavating at a moderate depth below water, the shank of the bucket being made
of sufficient length, and a suitable inclination being given to the jib frame.
Where an extra length of jib frane or jib is required, the long limb or limbs is or
are made in two or more pieces, principally for convenience in moving the apparatus
from place to place. This improvement is more especially applicable when the limb
or limbs is or are made of wood, or of wood and iron combined. The separate
pieces have flanged iron tubes fixed on their ends, and are coupled by bolting the
flanges together, the ends of the wood being step-jointed or scarfed together inside
the tubes.
The jib or jib frame and upright post or standard of the excavating apparatus is
in some cases arranged so that it can at any time be converted or adjusted to serve
as an ordinary crane for erecting bridges or for other building operations. In such
cases the standard is constructed as an open framing and the hand gearing and
winding barrels are combined together in a separate frame, which is fixed within
the standard when the apparatus is to be used as a crane; or the frame containing
the gearing may be arranged to be fixed to the back or side of a columnar standard.
As apparatus of the kind herein-before described is capable of excavating or lifting
five or six hundred truck loads of earth or other material in a day, it becomes of
importance to have working in connection with it apparatus capable of depositing
the excavated earth in an equally speedy manner. For this purpose it is proposed
to use depositing apparatus similar to that described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to the present applicant, and dated 3rd February 1875 (No. 387),
but improved and modified in various respects with the view of obtaining the
necessary speed of action.
The principal improvement consists in providing at least two separate lines of
rails on the movable platform, one for the loaded trucks proceeding up to the tipping
stage, and the other for the return downwards of the empty trucks, so that the
trucks may not interfere with each other. Separate engines controlled by separate
attendants are provided respectively for hauling up the trucks and for working the
tipping apparatus.
In one modification the tipping apparatus is in the form of a pendulous frame.
The loaded truck is run upon a stage at the lower part of the pendulous frame,
which is then swung to one side so as to empty the truck, and on returning carries
the truck to a position where it can be run off the stage upon the line of rails by
which it has to return.
The tipping apparatus is arranged so that the trucks can be emptied to either
side or in front, as may be required, in depositing the earth to form an em-
bankment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Graham Stevenson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th April
1877.
GRAHAM STEVENSON, of Airdrie, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engi-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING AND DEPOSITING EARTH,
AND IN PART APPLICABLE TO CRANES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
neer.
My said Invention has principally for its object to provide improved, more
convenient, efficacious, and economical working machinery for the use of the
railway contractor or constructor, and comprises improvements in apparatus for
excavating earth, in apparatus for depositing the excavated earth, and applicable for

page_text: lifting and depositing waste or other materials, whilst some of the improvements
are also applicable to cranes and otherwise.
My improved excavating apparatus acts to some extent like what is known as the
"American excavator," described in the "Practical Mechanic and Engineer's
Magazine," volume 2, page 345, and is designed to operate in forming railway
cuttings and otherwise. Such machines require a considerable breadth of base,
or equivalent support, and as hitherto constructed have been unsuited for travelling
any distance on ordinary railways, which has been a great inconvenience.
An important feature of my present Invention consists in so mounting the
apparatus on one or two trucks, fitted in the former case with six wheels and in the
latter each with four wheels provided with springs and buffers, and arranged for
travelling on rails of the ordinary gauge, as that all the extreme dimensions are
within those prescribed by the railway regulations when the apparatus is arranged
for travelling, and so that it may safely pass bridges, station platforms, and trains
on adjacent rails. When two trucks are adopted they are bolted together end to end at'
the place where the apparatus is to operate, and the requisite breadth of support is
then obtained by means of wing brackets, which can be made to project from the
sides of the trucks, either by sliding, unfolding, or otherwise, and down through the
ends of which screw spindles are adjusted upon blocks or timbers set under them
on the ground.
The portions, of the machinery on the two trucks are arranged to be easily
connected or coupled, the boiler or boilers with some gearing being on one truck
and the upright post and other parts of the gearing on the other truck.. Grooved
frictional gearing is employed for transmitting motion from the engine crank shaft.
for working the bucket in order that the wheels may slip and avoid breakage
whenever the excavating bucket unexpectedly encounters a boulder or obstruction
offering excessive resistance. Such gearing also admits of the hand levers for
starting, stopping, reversing, and otherwise manipulating the machinery, being
arranged in the simplest and most convenient manner, and so that the movements
of the machine can be properly controlled from one part of it.
If toothed gearing
is employed I introduce frictional couplings, for the purpose of avoiding breakages.
In some cases the apparatus and carriage may consist of several pieces small
enough to be conveyed separately by common roads.
And in order, that the improvements herein-before indicated, and others comprised
in my present Invention, may be properly understood I hereunto append two Sheets
of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to in fully and particulary
describing the same, the same reference numerals being used in these Drawings to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings one modification of my improved excavating
apparatus is shown as arranged for operating, Figure 1 being a plan; Figure 2, a
front end elevation; and Figure 3, a side elevation. The carriage is shown as
consisting of two trucks 1, 2, mounted each on four wheels 3, having in connection
with them springs and other parts as in ordinary railway trucks. These trucks are
'bolted together when the apparatus is excavating, but may be separated for con-
venience in travelling; at the same time I may remark that in developing my
improvements relating to the arrangement of the machinery I find the whole can
be quite conveniently fitted on a single long truck provided with six wheels,
excepting when the apparatus is made of extra size and strength. Near the back
end (at the right-hand end in Figures 1 and 3) of the carriage are placed two small
vertical steam boilers 4, whilst the upright post 5 is placed at the front end.
The engine 6 is represented as of a kind described in the Specification of certain
Letters Patent granted to me and dated 2 March 1876 (No. 889), and is most
conveniently placed near the upright post 5. The crank shaft 7 has fast on it a
grooved pinion 8, with which various grooved wheels can gear, one of them 9 being
on the shaft of a winding barrel 10 which acts on the lifting chain 11 of the
excavating bucket 12. The journals of the winding barrel 10 are carried by short
levers 13 centered on studs on side standards 14, and whilst one of these levers. 13

page_text: serves for adjustment the other is connected by an adjustable link to an eccentric
centered in one of the standards, and formed in the same piece with or fixed to a
lever 15, a link 16 from which passes to a bell crank beneath the upright post 5.
The bell crank is connected to a hand lever 17 carried by the upright post. When
the wheel 9 is moved away from the driving pinion 8 it may be set free to turn, or
if moved far enough it may be prevented turning by a fixed grooved brake block 18
against which it is forced. When winding up the bucket chain 11 the motion is
automatically stopped on the bucket reaching a predetermined height by the lateral
movement of the chain near the barrel in winding on, and through the action of a
trigger or bell-crank lever encountered by the chain on the engaging and disengaging
gear. To avoid confusion this and some other details are not shown in the Drawings,
but will be easily understood.
A small grooved pinion 19 on the engine shaft 7 drives a grooved wheel 20 on a
shaft 21, having on it a grooved pinion 22 which drives a grooved wheel 23 on the
shaft of a second winding barrel 24. The second barrel 24 is for acting on the
shanks 25 of the bucket 12, as herein-after explained. The wheels 19 and 20 may
be spur wheels. The engine shaft 7 drives the gearing for slewing round the jib by
means of the large grooved pinion 8, with which there can be engaged by means of
eccentric bushes one or other of two grooved wheels. 26, 27, are on shafts 28, 29,
geared together by a pair of spur wheels 30, and one of them 28 has on it a worm 31
gearing with a circular worm-toothed rack 32 fixed on the bottom of the jib frame.
When one of the wheels 26 is in gear with the pinion 28 it imparts a direct
motion to the worm 31, but when the other wheel 27 is in gear it imparts a reversed
motion. The eccentric bushes of the shafts 28, 29, are shifted by horizontal links
connected through bell cranks and vertical links to hand levers carried by the
upright post 5. The worm 31 is fitted to the shaft 28 with keys and slots allowing
it to move to a limited extent on the shaft, and rings of rubber are interposed
between its ends and collars fixed on the shaft to prevent sudden concussion when
the shaft is either started or stopped. An automatic stop appliance is provided for
limiting the slewing motion of the jib, and comprises a bell-crank lever centered
near the top of the upright post 5 (but not shown in the Drawings), having one
arm connected to the hand lever by which the motions of the worm shaft 28 are
controlled, whilst the other arm is in a position to be encountered by two stops or
kickers adjusted upon a ring or rod which is fixed to the collar 42 of the jib resting
on the top of the upright post 5. This automatic stop appliance avoids the waste
of time and repeated concussions occasioned by the difficulty of stopping the slewing
motion by hand exactly when wanted.
The excavating bucket 12 is fixed on two shanks 25, as in the original machine,
which shanks can turn on a centre on the jib frame, and can be moved in the
direction of their length for setting the bucket at a greater or less distance from the
centre and for for forcing it into the earth. The shanks 25 are fitted to slide through
sockets in brackets 33 jointed to the lower members or struts 34 of the jib frame.
The shanks 25 are moved on end by means of chains 35 and the winding barrel 24,
the latter already herein-before referred to, and not placed on the jib frame as I
originally proposed. Two chains 35, one fixed to the tops of the shanks 25, and the
other to lower parts, pass round pulleys 36 at the joint of the brackets 33, thence
round pulleys 37 at the lower part of the jib frame, and up to and round pulleys
38, which last are placed on the jib frame in a position to lead the chains 35 down
through the tubular upright post 5. Below the post 5 the chains 35 pass under
pulleys 39, and thence up to the barrel 24, one chain winding in one direction and
the other oppositely, so that the bucket shanks 25 are moved by turning the
barrel 24 in one direction, and move in the opposite direction by weight, or a
positive motion may be applied in both directions.
The jib frame consists of two lower members or struts 34 springing from a ring
or saddle 40 on the lower part of the upright post 5, and two upper members or
stays 41 proceeding from a ring or collar 42 on the top of the post 5, and joining

page_text: the lower struts 34 near their outer ends, whilst various cross and diagonal pieces
43, 44, brace the parts together.
The arrangement of chain or wire rope 11, shown for elevating the bucket 12, is
the ordinary one, there being a pulley 45 at the bucket and two, 46, at the jib end,
and the chain or rope being arranged threefold between them. I however in some
cases employ two chains or ropes which are attached separately to the bucket sides.
towards the front, and pass, over pulleys at the outer end of the jib frame, with
which arrangement the bucket can be raised nearer to the end of the jib, so that
it has a greater range for working with a given size of jib, whilst the two ropes or
chains render the action steadier. The jib frame is bolted to the sides of the
collar 42, which sits and turns on the upper part of the post 5, and is suitably
shaped at the parts and has a number of bolt holes provided for its being attached
with different amounts of inclination, whilst to admit of this the lower parts of the
frame are jointed to the ring or saddle 40 turning on the lower part of the post 5.
This provision for setting the jib frame at different inclinations will admit of the
apparatus excavating at a level lower than that of the rails on which the apparatus
rests; it also admits of the jib frame being altogether disconnected from the top of the
upright post 5, and being lowered and supported upon an auxiliary railway wagon, as
shown in Figure 4 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, when the apparatus is arranged
for travelling. In some cases there is provided at the outer end of the jib frame a
pulley 47, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, Sheet 1, over which to pass a chain
or rope from winding gearing for raising a weight 48 to be dropped on any boulder
which may require to be broken to facilitate its removal.
The bucket 12 is fitted with the usual prongs 49 for penetrating the earth, but in
order but in order to obtain increased strength each prong has its shank divided so as
to be fixed with one half inside and the other outside of the bucket shell, an arrange-
ment which also presents less projection internally for the adherence of earth. The
bucket may be fitted with either a hinged or sliding door, but is shown with a hinged
door, 50, for dropping the excavated materials into a wagon. When a sliding door
is adopted it may be opened and closed by means of a rack and pinion or of a screw,
and either the hinged or sliding door may be worked from the engine gearing or by
hand. The door 50 is held closed by a spring latch (not shown) which is released
by a claw on the bottom end of a rod carried on the side of one of the shanks 25,
this rod being formed with rack teeth to gear with a pinion carried by the bracket 33.
The pinion is acted on by a bell-crank claw carried by a lever centered on the pin
of the pinion, but counterweighted or made tight so as not to move until the claw
engages with the pinion. These parts are quite free as regards any end movement
of the shanks 25, but when the bell-crank claw is moved it engages and causes the
There is on the
pinion to act on the rod so as to release the latch of the door 50.
other shank 25 a similar combination of parts for opening and closing the door 50,
and the two bell-crank engaging claws are connected by links and suitably disposed
bell-crank and other levers on the jib frame to links passing down the tubular
post 5, to hand levers carried by that post. It will thus be seen that the various
hand levers are arranged upon the upright post 5, so that an engineer standing on
the truck near that post can easily control all the operating movements of the
apparatus.
Two of the wing brackets, 51, for giving the necessary breadth of support to the
machinery when operating are shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, on Sheet 1, but at
least two others are also required. These two, 51, are bolted to the front end of the
trunk 1, but extra bolt holes are provided, and on three of the bolts being taken
out each wing bracket can be turned up on the remaining bolt into a position for
travelling, as shown at the left-hand side of Figure 2. The truck buffers, 52, are shown
as formed or fixed on the brackets 51, and screw spindles 53 with foot pieces are
tapped through the ends of the brackets to bear down on timbers or blocks 54, and
thus obtain the required support.
Another modification of wing bracket is shown in Figure 9 on Sheet 2, which is

page_text: an end view of the truck 1 without any of the machinery on it. Each bracket is
made up of a horizontal plate 55 fitted to slide beneath the truck frame, having the
screw spindle 53 tapped down through its outer end. When moved out the plate 55
is connected by a pair of links 56 to brackets 57 formed or fixed on the top of the
truck frame, but when the wing bracket is to be closed in the links 56 are discon-
nected from the brackets 57, and the plate 55 being moved out a little, are turned
down, and then with the plate 55 moved in under the truck frame. The plate 55 -
is supported by one or more bars suspended by bolts, and it is fixed by bolts in
its inner and outer positions, and the plate 55 on one side is arranged to slide in
under the corresponding plate on the other side.
My arrangement of supporting wing brackets can be availed of for moving-
forward the excavator, and the rails supporting it, at intervals as the excavation
proceeds. The timbers 54 bearing the forward wing brackets are connected to those
bearing the after ones, and the rails bearing the machine are fixed upon a self-
contained timber platform.
When it is wished to move forward the machine the screw spindles 53 of the wing
brackets are screwed so as to lift the entire machine off the rails, and then other
screw spindles 58 fitted to the truck, and having fixed to their lower ends bars 59
which are formed with T ends catching under the bulbs of the rails, are screwed
so as to lift the rails and platform to which they are fixed just clear of the ground
surface. The rail platform is then moved forward, the rails sliding on the ends of
the cross bars 59, after which the screws 58 are turned to lower the platform and
the bracket screws 53 are turned to lower the machine down upon the rails,
whereupon it may be moved forward on its wheels.
By my present Invention a modification of the excavating apparatus is provided,
or the same apparatus may have parts fitted to it for finishing the excavations of
a cutting by trimming or paring the sides of the cutting to a proper rectilinear
slope. This modification is shown in Figure 5, on Sheet 2, and in it the jib frame
is fitted with straight guide pieces 60 which can be set at the desired inclination,
and a modification of the bucket 12 is arranged to run with rollers or slides on such
guide pieces being drawn upwards by chains or ropes 11 arranged as for the
primary excavation. When the apparatus is operating in this way on the side of a
cutting the jib frame is set at right angles to the line of rails for the paring
operation, and is swung round to deliver the material into wagons as indicated in
dotted lines in Figure 5.
The excavating apparatus may be fitted on board a shallow boat, as shown in
plan in Figure 6 and in side elevation in Figure 7, and be used for excavating at a
moderate depth below water, the shanks 25 of the bucket 12 being made of sufficient.
length and a suitable inclination being given to the jib frame.
Where an extra length of jib frame or jib is required the long limb or limbs is or
are made in two or more pieces, principally for convenience in moving the apparatus
froin place to place. This improvement is more especially applicable when the
limb or limbs is or are made of wood or of wood and iron combined. The separate
pieces have flanged iron tubes fixed on their ends and are coupled by bolting the.
flanges together, the ends of the wood being step jointed or scarfed together inside
the tubes.
The jib or jib frame and upright post or standard of the excavating apparatus is,
in some cases, arranged so that it can at any time be converted or adjusted to serve
as an ordinary crane for erecting bridges or for other building operations. In such
cases the standard is constructed as shown in Figure 8, that is, in the form of an
open framing 61, and the hand gearing and winding barrels are combined together
in a separate frame 62, which is fixed within the standard 61 when the apparatus.
is to be used as a crane; or the frame 62 containing the gearing may be arranged
to be fixed to the back or side of a culumnar standard.
As apparatus of the kind, herein-before described, is capable of excavating or
lifting five or six hundred truck loads of earth or other material in a day, it becomes
of importance to have working in connection with it apparatus capable of depositing

page_text: the excavated earth in an equally speedy manner. For this purpose it is proposed
to use depositing apparatus, similar to that described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to the present applicant, and dated 3rd February 1875 (No. 387),
but improved and modified in various respects with the view of obtaining the
necessary speed of action.
The principal improvement consists in providing at least two separate lines of
rails on the movable platform, one for the loaded trucks proceeding up to the
tipping stage and the other for the return downwards of the empty trucks, so that
the trucks may not interfere with each other. Separate engines controlled by
separate attendants are provided respectively for hauling up the trucks and for
working the tipping apparatus.
In one modification a pendulous frame is used for effecting the tipping operation
and also transferring each truck in turn from the up to the down line of rails, but
in general it will be better to employ tipping apparatus such as is described in my
earlier Specification, No. 387 of 1875, herein-before referred to, and of as light
construction as possible so as not to become displaced by the yielding of the recently
deposited materials on which it rests, whilst at a position a short distance from
the tipping apparatus a pendulous frame is arranged for transferring the emptied
trucks to the down line of rails. This pendulous frame may be a simple platform
with lengths of rail upon it, or it may be a cage through which the truck passes to
the tipping apparatus and into which it returns when emptied. The frame is
suspended from overhead fixed framing by pairs of parallel bars, so that it keeps
level whilst moving across by the pendulous action, and it is held in its extreme
positions by latches or bolts. Owing to the pendulous action very little power will
be required for moving the transferring frame, and that power can be derived from
the engine by which the tipping apparatus is worked.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and
original and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
récited Letters Patent is,-
1. The combining together of the working parts of the excavator and the
arranging of them on one or two railway trucks, substantially in the improved
manner herein-before described, and specially so that the whole may be conveniently
arranged for travelling on ordinary railways.
2. The adaptation and use of the movable wing brackets for giving the requisite
breadth of support to excavating apparatus otherwise arranged for travelling on
ordinary railways, as herein-before described.
3. The use of the movable wing brackets in combination with the screw lifting
cross bars for raising the rail platform and moving forward the apparatus at
intervals, substantially as herein-before described.
4. The adaptation and use of grooved frictional gearing in the excavating
machinery, the same being arranged and combined substantially in the manner
and for the special purposes herein-before described.
5. The arranging of all or most of the hand levers for controlling the different
movements of the machine upon the upright post, such levers being connected by
links or rods inside the post and other links or rods and levers to the various
engaging details, substantially in the manner herein-before described.
6. The connecting of the parts for opening and closing the bucket door to hand
levers upon the upright post, as herein-before described.
7. The closing of the bucket door by positively acting connections under control
of the engineer on the truck, as herein-before described.
8. The arrangement of gearing, herein-before described, for slewing the jib frame
and the combination therewith of the automatic stopping appliance, substantially as
herein-before described.
9. The application of springs in connection with the slewing worm, substantially
as and for the purposes herein-before described.

page_text: 10. The herein-before described arrangement of the guiding pulleys and chains
forming the double connection between the bucket shanks and the winding barrel.
11. The construction of the jib frame and the provision for fixing it at different
inclinations, substantially as herein-before described.
12. The arrangements, herein-before described, for winding up and dropping a
weight upon boulders or obstructive masses.
13. The adapting, arranging, or modifying of the apparatus for trimming or
finishing the sides of cuttings or embankments, substantially as herein-before
described.
14. The mounting of the improved apparatus upon a boat and adapting it for
dredging or excavating under water, as herein-before described.
15. The making of members of the jib frame of excavating apparatus or the jib
of a crane with two or more lengths of wood united by a means of flanged iron
tubes, in the manner herein-before described.
16. The arranging of crane gearing in a separate frame attachable as a whole to
the upright post or standard of excavating apparatus or of a crane, substantially as
herein-before described.
17. The arranging of apparatus for depositing excavated earth or waste materials,
substantially in the improved manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Graham Stevenson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven..
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
GRAHAM STEVENSON. (L.S.)