IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WELL 'SINKING
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mather, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and
Platt, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WELL 'SINKING."
Sealed the 4th January 1878, and dated the 22nd August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mather at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd August 1877.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather & Platt, of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND
WELL SINKING."
In boring and well sinking for water or for other purposes, it frequently happens
that the strata penetrated are so loose that it is necessary to place cylindrical casings
in the bore, hole, or well, to prevent the sides falling in. When loose strata alternate
with strata of rock or other hard material, it is necessary when the hard strata has.
been penetrated to again sink casings.
In the ordinary mode of boring, the second set of casings must be smaller than
the first set, as they must necessarily pass down within them; consequently if there
are several such alternate strata, the bottom of the well or pit will be so contracted,
that the diameter is considerably reduced.
Now, my Invention consists in the use of an expanding boring tool by which the
holes through the hard strata are bored out sufficiently large to allow casings of the
full diameter to descend to the bottom of the well or pit.
The expanding boring tool consists of a disc to which are hinged two or more
elbow levers, one end of which is provided with a cutting tool, and the other ends
are weighted; the disc is keyed on a shaft which is connected to the usual lifting
gear.
When a hole has been bored by the ordinary boring tool through the loose strata,
until the descent of the casing is arrested by a hard strata, the ordinary tool must
be lifted up, and the improved expanding tool must be put in its place.
"

page_text: In lowering the expanding tool through the casing, the weights connected to
the elbow levers are raised to allow the cutting tools to pass down the casing,
and as soon as the cutting tools have descended until they get beyond the
casing, the weights cause them to expand until the points of the cutting tools
exceed the outer diameter of the casing; the whole tool is then set to work, and
turned partly round after each stroke by the ordinary means, until the hard
strata has been perforated; the casing can then follow down the enlarged bore
hole, and on removing the expanding tool, the ordinary boring tool can be used
through the succeeding soft strata, and these operations are repeated until the
well or pit is of the required depth.
By this means, artesian and other wells and pits are kept of a uniform diameter
throughout the entire depth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Mather in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
February 1878.
"
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND
WELL SINKING."
In boring and well sinking for water and other purposes, it frequently happens
that the strata penetrated are so loose that it is necessary to place cylindrical casings
in the bore, hole, or well, to prevent the sides falling in. When these seams of loose
strata alternate with the strata of rock or other hard material, it is necessary when
the hard seam has been penetrated to again sink casings.
In the ordinary mode of boring, the second set of casings must be smaller than
the first set, as they must necessarily pass down within them; consequently if there
be several such alternate seams, the bottom of the well or pit will be so contracted
that the aperture is considerably reduced.
Now, my Invention consists in the use of an expanding boring tool, by which the
holes through the hard seams are bored out sufficiently large to allow casings of the
full diameter to descend to the bottom of the well or pit.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a vertical section; and Fig. 2, a plan of my improved boring
apparatus suitable for well sinking.
a is the ordinary cylindrical casing which is lowered into the hole that is
bored, the lower edge of the casing is sharp to assist in penetrating the earth.
The expanding boring tool consists of a disc or ring c, to which are hinged four
or other convenient number of elbow levers d, one end of each of which is provided
with a cutting tool, and the other ends are weighted; the disc c is attached to the
cylinder e, the upper end of which is connected to a lifting rod, or the disc may be
fixed to a bar which is connected to any lifting gear.
When a hole has been bored through the loose stata until the descent of the
casing is arrested by a hard seam or other obstruction, the ordinary boring tool
must be lifted up, and the improved expanding tool must be put in its place.

page_text: In lowering the expanding tool through the casing, the weights connected to
the elbow levers d are raised by the cords or wires f, f, connected below to
the weighted ends of the elbow levers d, and above to the cross head g, which is
suspended from the top gear to allow the cutting tools to pass down the casing, and
as soon as the cutting tools have descended until they get to the bottom of the
cylinder a, the weights cause them to expand until the points of the cutting tools
exceed the outer diameter of the casing; the whole tool is then set to work and
turned partly round after each stroke, until the hard seam or other obstruction has
been perforated; the casing can then follow down the enlarged bore hole, and on
removing the expanding tool, the ordinary boring tool can be used through the
succeeding soft strata, through which the cutting edge of the casing can pass, and
these operations are repeated until the well or pit is of the required depth.
On Sheet 2 Fig. 3 is a vertical section of my improved expanding boring tool
constructed for boring artesian wells.
a is the casing, and e a tube, the upper end of which is connected to the lifting
gear, and to the lower end is fixed the cross piece e'; in the centre of this cross
piece is fixed the spindle e², to the lower end of which is keyed the disc or bush c;
in this bush are the fulcrum studs for the levers of the cutting tools d, the upper
ends of which are provided with antifriction bowls fitting in the conical bush h,
loose on the spindle e*, or the cutting tools may be expanded by other means.
The bush his suspended by cords or other connections f to the head gear at
the top of the bore hole; and to the upper side of the bush are cast or fixed
two or more projections h' for the shot bolts 2. Each shot bolt has an india-
rubber or other spring h³, to press the end of the shot bolt against the spindle e².
The suspending cords or other connections of pass through holes in the shot bolts.
The mode of operation is as follows:-When it becomes necessary to raise the
expanding tools through the casing a, the attendant by means of the cords or other
connections flifts the bush h, until the ends of the shot bolts h² rest on the shoulder e³
of the spindle e²; when the bush h is raised, the upper ends of the levers of the
cutting tools d are at liberty, so that when the lifting rod with the tube e is raised,
the cutters can pass upwards through the casing a.
When the tube e has again been lowered into the casing, the attendant by drawing
the cords fupwards, pulls the ends of the shot bolts off the shoulder e³, the bush h
then drops by its own gravity, and the conical recess at the under side of the bush,
acting on the bowls in the upper arms of the levers d, expands the cutting tools to
the required extent for continuing the sinking of the well.
By this means artesian and other wells and pits are kept of a uniform diameter
throughout the entire depth.
.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described two convenient
modes of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to be understood that I do
not intend to limit myself to the details given, as they may be considerably
varied or modified without departing from the peculiar character thereof; and I
claim,―
The improvements in apparatus for boring and well sinking herein-before described
and shewn in tlie Drawings, or any modification thereof, whereby the bore hole and
the casings may be kept of the same diameter from the top to the bottom of
the well or pit.
I also claim the improved expanding boring tools shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mather, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
W. MATHER. (L.S.)