CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND OTHER CHAINS
Year: 1813

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SMITH, of Coseley, in the Parish of Sedgley, in the County of Stafford, Iron
and Coal Master, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of
February, in the fifty-third year of Our reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Smith, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Smith, my exors,
admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND OTHER CHAINS;" in
which said Letters Patents there is contained a proviso that if I, the said
Joseph Smith, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then
the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the
same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso,
Joseph Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained as follows, that is to say:-
the said
My Invention consists of improvements in the constructing and making of

page_text: a chain which will spirally fold or lap upon itself, and by its strength, safety,
durability, and other good qualities, is adapted to the purpose of drawing or
raising coals, stone, and other minerals or weights out of mines, and is also
applicable to many other purposes where chain or rope is used, which
improvements are further described and delineated in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
No. 1 represents a piece or part of a chain put together and completed; and
No. 2 represents the same seen by a side view. For the purpose of making or
manufacturing the said chain, I proceed as herein-after described.
No. 3 represents, in the manner of a section across the axis, two steel or
chill-cast or otherwise duly constructed rollers A, A, having corresponding
grooves or cavities B, B, C, C, B, B, C, C, so cut or made in the faces thereof
as that when the said rollers are moved regularly, together with the faces
thereof, in contact, and kept fair in the run by means of wheelwork or other
known and similar contrivances, the said grooves or cavities shall afford an
opening or space of which the successive fooms during the rotation shall
answer to the successive cross sections of a simple link or bar of the chain;
and accordingly D, E, represents a bar of metal (either hot or cold, as may be
needful, according to the size and the material) in the act of passing through
the said opening or space in the direction of the small arrow near D, whereby
the said bar becomes fashioned and compressed into the form of such simple
links or bars, and may be, by means of cutters in the rollers at the time of
passing, or afterwards by other well-known mechanical means, divided into
separate pieces at the marks G, G. And I do fashion and make such simple
links or bars, and do afterwards, in preference or if required, more completely
fashion the said simple links or bars by passing and farther extending the
same between plain rollers, or the plain part of the same rollers, to act upon
the side or flat faces thereof, or by striking the same between dies properly
figured to give the precise form and dimensions to each and every thereof;
and I do afterwards, by fit gages and drills, or boring and broaching tools, or
by seat and punches, or other well-known mechanical methods, make holes in
the said simple links or bars, as shewn imperforated in No. 4, and perforated in
No.5, in such manner that the distances between hole and hole shall be precisely
equal, and all the holes of the same size in all the said simple links or bars;
or otherwise I do make the said simple links or bars by striking or stamping the
same in swages, or forms, or dies, or by cutting the same with tools of the
nature of seat and punch out of flat iron, or by various other known mecha-
nical means, but I do greatly prefer the method by rollers, as shewn at No. 3.
And further, I do make a number of pius, represented at No. 6, all of the
same size and length, suitable to the width of the intended chain, and of such
Fx

page_text: And
diameter as shall well fit the holes H, H. And I do also make a number of
rings, collets, or washers, as represented at No. 7, or nearly of that form,
having holes therein to fit upon the ends of No. 6, and to be there stopped and
kept in their respective places by rivetting or by screw and nutt, or by cotter
or key, or any of the other well-known means adapted to such works.
further, in constructing or putting together the chain as represented by No. 1,
I do take any required number of simple links or bars, and put the same
together by an even number of links at each joint, or in the manner shown;
namely, by inserting an odd number of such links or bars alternately between
an even number (having, where great precision is required, made each of the
odd links so much stronger than each of the even ones as that each set in the
main or compound links of the chain shall be of the same weight or nearly),
and I do pass a pin or rivet thro' each correspondent set of holes, having first
put a washer thereon, if fashioned with a swell, as at A in No. 6. And I do
put on the second washer, and do rivet or screw or key together or make fast
the said pin or rivet, so that the same shall allow of free motion and be
secured against coming out of its place. And I do make the said chains of
any required size or strength, and of any one tenacious and fit metal or com-
pound metal, or of more metals or metallic compounds than one; as to the
several parts thereof, and of or concerning which no directions can or need
be given, because the manufacturer must, and can with facility, direct his
proceedings according to the nature of such materials, and the uses or purposes
to which the said chain is or may be intended to be applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year. of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirtoon.