INVENTION AND METHOD OF APPLYING THE USE OF ANIMALS TO MACHINERY IN GENERAL
Year: 1795

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY"
GEORGE ECKHARDT, of Sloane Square, in the Parish of Saint Luke, Chelsea, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, in and by His certain Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first
day of January, in the thirty-fifth year of His reign, did, of His especial grace,
certain knowledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Anthony George Eckhardt, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Anthony George Eckhardt, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and every
of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Anthony George Eckhardt, my
exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my
"INVENTION AND METHOD OF APPLYING THE USE OF ANIMALS TO MACHINERY
IN GENERAL," within that part of the Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to me, the said Anthony George Eckhardt, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
or any of them, should seem meet, and that I, the said Anthony George
Eckhardt, my exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time
coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and

page_text: during the term of years therein mentioned, to hold, exercise, and enjoy the
said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or men-
tioned to be granted unto me, the said Anthony George Eckhardt, my exors,
adniors, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end audl term of four-
teen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately
ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the Statuto in such
case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that the same should be void unless I, the said Anthony George Eckhardt,
should particularly describo and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in the High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Anthony George Eckhardt, in pursu-
ance of the said proviso in the said Letters Patent, do hereby describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, as follows (that is to say) :— ;
The peculiar merits of the Invention consist in employing cattle and all
other bulky animals to give motion to mills, cranes, pumps, or any other kind
of mechanical apparatus whatsoever where force or motion is required, by
causing them, as it were, to walk on the top of large wheels, or on inclined
planes, in such a way and manner as to produce by the weight of their bodies
the effect intended.
The Figure or Drawing annexed more plainly shew the true nature of the
Invention.
A, B, Figure 1, is the section of a drum wheel of large diameter, and its
width not more than suflicient to allow two oxen or other bulky animals
to stand abreast upon. This wheel or drum is hung on a round iron spindle or
axis passing through its center, similar to a pully on its pin, and by means
of a rotchet wheel, which is fixed on the said spindle or axis, and a click or paul
on the wheel, the wheel is at liberty to turn one way without moving the axis,
but cannot be turned the contrary way without turning the said spindle or
nxis with it. This property is to give the axis, when a plurality of wheels nro
to operate together, the capacity of being turned by one or more wheels when
others are not in action, and thus admit of one animal or set of animals to be
at work while others are at rest. E and F represent two oxen treading with
their hind legs on the top or outside of the wheel A, B, while their fore feet
bear on the fixed floor G, G, and thus the animals may work while they are
feeding in a trough H, or in a rack I. In some cases it will be advantageous

page_text: to cause the animals to bear on the wheel with their fore feet also. K, K, is a
partition which separates the animals from each other. Behind the animals,
in every stall, there is a door or cross bar L, L, to which is fixed sharp points
or spurs, which prevent the animals from receding back from the place of
5 action.
'
M, M, M, M, shew the application of this power to a sugar mill, &c., as
represented in the Drawing, which by this mode has the peculiar advantages of
making the the sugar cane finds its way unassisted between three or more cylin-
ders, and thus save the expence of a man, preventing the loss of an arm or
O fingers to persons employed in directing the cane back (which very frequently
happens by the mills now in use), and on that account admits of the mills
working much faster than by the mode hitherto practised.
Figure 2 shews how two or any greater number of wheels may be applied
to the same machine for pumps, &c. A, B, and A, B, shew the sides of two
5 drum wheels (above mentioned, by A, B, in Figure 1,) connected by their
iron spindles B, B, and by an horizontal shaft H, H, communicate their motion
by a large cog wheel to a fly I, I, for the purpose of regulating the motion,
which will be particularly necessary when a considerable number of oxen are
employed. This fly consists of an upright shaft C, D, to which is joined
besides a fly wheel I, I, to wings or vanes E, F, and E, F, fixed in a large
cistern or vessel of water, as described by G, G, and the quantity of water
by K, L, M, N, which may be made in brick work under ground, or other-
wise, as the situation may require. This fly is put in motion by the rotation of
the shaft H, H, which shaft must be turned by a wheel joined to the axis of the
5 drum wheel so as to be always in motion, and consequently turn the large
quantity of water in the cistern by any of the drums which may be in action at
the time others may be standing still,
Figure 3 represents an ox A, walking on an inclined moveable floor B, B,B,B,
which may be varied according to the faculties of the animal employed. This
▸ floor consists of a chain of boards or planks connected by joints or hinges, as
C, C, C, C. The width of this floor must be sufficient to enable the animal to
walk without danger of approaching too near the side, or may be made for two
animals placed abreast. At each joint of the planks must be projecting pivots
or pins to fall into the notches of the clicks or rotchet wheel D, D, on each side
of the floor. These wheels are fixed on an angle, supported by the
frame E, E, F, F. In order to make the motion of the floor easy, there is a
chain of rollers under it, as described by G, G, G, G, resting on the fixed inclined
plane H, H, and revolving round the two drums I, I, I, I. In order to con-
Dect this apparatus with any other machine which it is to move, there must be
fixed a wheel or row of teeth or cogs K, K, K, to one of the click wheels D, D,

page_text: which is to turn or to communicate its motion to a second wheel or pignion L
which, by the means of an horizontal spindle M,.M, will turn the third wheel
N, N, from which wheel the motion may be distributed to any direction, and may
put in motion a fly as above mentioned, or any other sort that in many cases
may be necessary to regulate the motion of this machine or power. The
movement or power of this application may also be communicated by a row of
cogs or teeth on the moveable floor B, B, B, B, or by a wheel fixed to one on
the other drum wheel I, 1; or it is possible to communicate the motion by con-
structing teeth or cogs to the links of the chain of rollers G, G, G, G. The motion
may also be communicated by a spliced rope, leather straps, or a chain on wheels
fixed to the click or rotchet wheel D, D, or on the axis of the druins I, I, or any way
used in mechanicks, as that of friction rollers, &c, &c. With respect to the ox,
an addition may be made to his weight by the introduction of a roller or car, as
in the figure is described by O, O; or the ox may be made to pull a rope P, P,
fixed to a post Q behind him. If horses should be used instead of oxen, the
last-mentioned application may be rendered particularly useful.
The acco-.
modation and treatment of the animal in this application is the same as that
already described in the reference to Figures 1 and 2. The apparatus,
according to Figure 3, may be so increased as to imploy whole rows of cattle
or other animals, as in the former case.
In witness whereof, I, tho said Anthony George Eckhardt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the
thirty-fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third,
by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King,
Defender of the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-five.
A. G. ECKHARDT, F.R.S. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1795, the aforesaid Anthony George Eckhardt came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-