Year: 1886

page_text: I, THOMAS WHITAKER of Horsforth near Leeds, in the County of York, Contractor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention has for its objects the application of the ordinary steam crane or
machinery, on the principle of the steam crane to excavating, and, a novel or improved
method of excavating.
As applied to steam cranes, I carry out my invention in the following manner: on
the jib of a portable, or even in some cases, Hoating steam crane near the centre of its
height, I place a bracket or brackets, and on these brackets, or a pin in these brackets,
I swivel an arm carrying the excavating bucket with a hinged or movable bottom
capable of opening and allowing the contents to escape when required. The bucket
is provided near the top with a stirrup or bow by which it is suspended to the hauling
chain of the crane, and in some cases, I arrange this chain with a radius arm or
quadrant, so that in excavating the pull of the chain shall always be in a direction
nearly parallel to the face of the cut, and not direct to the jib head.
The mode of action is as follows:
The bucket being lowered to the bottom of the curved face of the cut, the crane is
slightly fed forward. The hauling operation is begun, and pulling, (if a radius link
or quadrant be used,) almost or quite in the direction of the cut, cuts a thin layer off
all the way to the top of the cut, filling the bucket. Rising above the cut the jib is
swung round, till the bucket is over the wagon, when it is discharged, swung back,
the bucket lowered, the crane fed forward a trifle, and the operation repeated. As
the pressure of the cutting would be apt to strain the jib unless special precautions

page_text: were used, I place a strut and tie rods at the back of the jib or otherwise truss it or
form it in girder fashion so as to stand the pressure and make it specially unyielding
at the centre bracket.
I have heretofore described my experimental apparatus which is only a steam crane
with bracket, bolt and arm attached, but it is obvious that for this purpose a machine
closely resembling a steam crane, but specially designed with clamping mechanism,
and finely adjustable forward feed is to be preferred, and this is what I shall generally
use, and specially claim as the main part of my invention.
Dated this 18th day of December 1886.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Excavating or to Machinery for
Excavating.
I, THOMAS WHITAKER of Horsforth near Leeds, in the County of York, Contractor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention has for its objects the application of the ordinary steam crane or
machinery, on the principle of the steam crane to excavating and a novel or improved
method of excavating.
Referring to the drawings:-
Figure 1 shews a side elevation of my apparatus as applied to a crane, with a jib
baving a derrick motion.
Figure 2 variation where the jib is rigid at one angle with the horizon.
Figure 3 detail view of feeding device.
As applied to steam cranes I carry out my invention in the following manner.
Referring specially to Figure 1 on the jib A. of a portable, or, even in some cases,
floating steam crane, near the centre of its height, I place a bracket or brackets B,
and on these brackets, or a pin C in these brackets, I swivel an arm I) carrying the
excavating bucket R with a hinged or movable bottom E capable of opening, and
allowing the contents to escape when required. The bucket is provided near the top
with a stirrup or how F by which it is suspended to the hauling chain G of the crane,
I arrange this chain with a radius arm or quadrant H, so that in excavating, the pulĺ
of the chain shall always be in a direction nearly parallel to the face of the cut, and
not direct to the jib head.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The bucket being lowered to the bottom of the face of excavation the cranes slightly
fed forward, the hauling operation is begun, and pulling almost or quite in the
direction of the cut, cuts a thin layer off all the way to the top of the excavation
filling the bucket, the bucket is then drawn back a little to clear the face of the
excavation, by means of the derrick motion jib or by the worm wheel and eccentrics,
where the crane is used as a fixed jib, the crane is then swung round, till the bucket
is over the waggon, when it is discharged, swung back, the bucket is again lowered,
the bucket is fed forward by lowering the jib, or by using the eccentrics, and the
operation repeated. If a boulder, too big to be dislodged at a single scrape, be found,
I scrape beneath it, and above it, and at the sides of it, using the derrick notion or the
eccentrics hereafter described, draw the bucket backward or forward past the boulder
till the boulder is sufficiently bored to be extricated. Whereas in Figure 2 a derrick
motion is not attached to the crane, I make the bracket, carrying the pin upon which
the arm swings, adjustable in any convenient manner, so as by means of hand wheel
gear to vary the feed of the bucket. As shown in Figure 3, the stud or pin C slides in

page_text: a slot J in the jib, and also in a circular slot K in the eccentric bracket L. At the
back of eccentric bracket L and fixed immovably to it, is a worm wheel L' concentric
with the axis N, worked by a worm M on hand wheel shaft M. By turning the handle
and thus the worm wheel, the eccentric is turned angularly, and thus the slot K eccentric
with the axis N in passing pin C forces it up or down slot J. A simple screw and hand-
wheel parallel with slot J could be used to regulate the position of C, but would not be so
convenient, or other well known mechanical equivalents such as a slotted bell crank lever
can be adopted. As the pressure of the cutting would be apt to strain the jib unless special
precautions were used, I place a strut and tie rods at the back of the jib, or otherwise
truss it or form it in girder fashion so as to stand the pressure and make it specially
unyielding at the centre bracket.
In some cases it is desirable to excavate considerably below the line on which the
crane or excavator runs, or in rare cases only considerably above the said line. To
allow for such cases I arrange parts C, D, etcetera, so that they can be taken off and
placed lower down or higher up the jib at special points such as C, C", in Figure 1.
The crane swivelling on its axis S, the excavator can take an entire semicircle of cuts
before being fed forward.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1. An excavator and crane combined, in which the excavating apparatus is attached
to the crane chain, and is guided by a radius arm or its equivalent, from some part
of the jib or its equivalent.
2. In machinery for excavating, a crane with a jib having one or more points of
attachment for a radius arm or quadrant, the said jib being extra strengthened at
these points, substantially as.and for the purposes described.
3. The arrangement of excavating machinery as a whole, substantially as herein
described.
4. The method of excavating, which consists in attaching to the chain of a horizon-
tally swinging travelling crane, an excavating bucket, guiding that excavating bucket
up the face and against the face of the cutting by a radius rod or equivalent mechanism
projecting from the crane, and when the bucket is full, swinging it round and
emptying it into a waggon behind the crane, or into other desired place, substantially
as described.
Dated this 19th day of September 1887.