IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MINING COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lauder, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MINING COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad
by William Watson Grier and Robert H. Boyd, of Hulton, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
Sealed the 25th August 1865, and dated the 28th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lauder at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
February 1865.
I, GEORGE LAUDER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MINING COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," (a communication to me
from abroad by William Watson Grier and Robert H. Boyd, of Hulton,
Pennsylvania, United States of America,) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the cutting of continuous channels or
grooves in coal and other substances by means of a series of rotating boring
bits, augers, or drills, resting in and on a moveable frame placed on a wheeled
truck or carriage, herein-after to be described, motion being communicated to
a train of wheels which connect the said borers, by or from a steam, com-
pressed air, or other engine placed on the same truck or carriage, or in any

page_text: other convenient position. The ends of the said borers are tipped with cutting
pieces of any suitable form, but it is preferred to use such as have a triangular
outline with edges slightly curved and serrated; they are placed close together,
so that when in operation the circle described by each shall cut into the circle
described by the adjoining ones. The moveable frame is of suitable width
and height to carry the said borers and their driving wheels, and is constructed
to move forward during the cutting at a proper speed, and backward after the
desired depth has been reached, at a greater speed, by the following arrangement
of parts: There is secured to the frame of the truck or carriage in suitable
bearings, a strong rod or shaft, having a screw thread cut on its surface. On
this shaft two sleeves or collars are placed, the one outside the other, the
inner one having a screw thread cut on its inner surface to correspond to that
on the rigid rod or shaft, and the outer one prevented from turning on the
inner by a feather or spline and groove. The outer sleeve carries or bas
secured thereon a toothed wheel, capable of being geared with one of the
wheels for rotating the borers, or a wheel specially provided, and in this way
when the machine is in operation the sleeves are made to rotate together on
the screwed shaft, and to move forward with the moveable frame and borers
at the desired speed. When the requisite depth has been reached the outer
and shorter sleeve and the wheel thereon are drawn back on the inner sleeve
by a lever or handle, and the wheel disengaged; but when they are drawn
back far enough the wheel gears with another and larger wheel rotating in
the contrary way, and the several parts are moved back on the screwed shaft
at increased speed; this may be done without stopping the engine. Other
devices may be employed to give the backward and forward motions, say by
causing the screwed shaft to rotate, and the sleeves and parts thereto con-
nected to slide thereon, or a toothed rack and pinion may be used.
Secondly, to machinery or arrangements of parts to permit free and simul-
taneous movement of the carrying wheels of trucks or carriages for supporting
the above or any other mining machinery mounted on a moveable frame, the
object being to facilitate the getting into position of such trucks or carriage
and the working parts. Four flanged rail wheels are employed, one at each
corner of the frame; each of these is journalled separately in a swivel
bearing placed under the frame. All these bearings are connected together
by a set of chains or rods; a lever connected thereto on being moved to the
right or left will turn the whole of the wheels at the same time (on the
machinery herein-after mentioned), and allow the machine to be got quickly
on to rails leading to the working face of the seam or vein.
And, thirdly, to machinery or parts on or by which mining machines or

page_text: machinery with wheels arranged or constructed as above may be run from
one line of rails on to another without turning the frame and the machine.
Four small turntables fitted to move in any convenient way are placed at
distances apart, corresponding to the wheels in the lines of rails where they
intersect each other. By turning the wheels as mentioned under the second
head, and with them these turntables, the working parts can be got into
osition
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Lauder in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE.
LAUDER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Lauder, Her special license that I, the said George
Lauder, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as the said
George Lauder, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MINING COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," (a communication to me
from abroad by William Watson Grier and Robert H. Boyd, of Hulton,
Pennsylvania, United States of America,) upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Lauder, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George. Lauder, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that
is to say):
This Invention relates to the mining or cutting of coal or other mineral or
fossilized vegetable substance by means of a series of boring bits, augurs, or
drills, operated by suitable mechanism propelled by steam, compressed air, or
any other suitable power. It also relates to the construction of a carriage
upon which the mechanism is mounted and operated, which said carriage can
be used for carrying other coal mining or getting apparatus or machines.
And it further relates to a special construction of parts of the railway on which
the above-named carriage is used and moved.
The first part of the Invention consists of the cutting tool or bit, shown of
full size by T, Fig. 4 of the accompanying Drawings. These bits are triangular
in their outline, as shown, having their edges slightly curved and serrated.
Other forms may be used, but this style has been found to work best. These
bits are securely attached to the ends of spindles or stems F in such a manner
that they can be readily detached and replaced as occasion may require. The
spindles or stems F may be either cylindrical, flat, or twisted, as shown in
Fig. 2. Each of the spindles F is screwed or otherwise secured to the end
of a mandrill or shaft E, which is provided at its outer end with a pinion, by
which motion is imparted to it, as hereafter explained. A series of these boring
tools are mounted in a suitable frame, as shown in plan in Fig. 2.
The manner of operating these drills or bits is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
In Fig. 3, A represents a main driving wheel, which imparts motion to the
wheel B', which in turn imparts motion to the wheels B, B, B, on either side
thereof. Each of the wheels B and B' gears into two smaller wheels C and C¹,
which are rigidly attached to the ends of shafts E and E, and thus the bits
attached to said shafts are driven. On the shaft E is mounted a second gear
wheel or pinion D of less diameter than wheel C, and which gears into the
pinions D, D, on either side, by which motion is imparted to the shafts E, E,
and the bits attached thereto. A secondary pinion D' is mounted on shaft E',
by which motion is imparted to the shaft E³, and consequently to the bit
secured thereto. It will thus be seen that wheel C operates three bits, and
wheel C¹ two bits, and as these two wheels are both driven by one of the
wheels B or B, it follows that each of the latter drives a series of five bits.
In Fig. 2, four of these series of five bits each are shown in plan, with an
extra bit added on each side of the whole series, thus making twenty-two bits
in all; both C and C in the outside series driving three bits each. It is
obvious that the gearing may be changed so as to reverse the order here
shown and cause C to operate two and C¹ three bits if desired; and also that

page_text: each of the wheels B and B' may be made to drive or more or less than five
bits by changing their sizes and adding to the number, if deemed expedient.
It is also further obvious that the capacity of the machine may be increased
by adding to the series of bits and driving wheels. Motion may be given
to the main driving wheel A by means of steam, compressed air, or other
pressure or power, the engine being mounted on the frame G and G¹, or in
any other suitable location.
The frame in which the series of shafts E with their gearing is mounted
is placed upon a rectangular frame I, and is arranged to move back and forth
thereon. M represents a strong metallic rod having a screw thread cut
thereon its entire length, which is rigidly secured at one end to frame I length-
wise thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A sleeve N, shown enlarged in
Fig. 5, having a corresponding thread cut on its inner surface, is placed on
rod M, and is secured at its front end to the frame G¹, as shown in Fig. 1, and
also in dotted lines in Fig. 5. A second sleeve O of proper size is fitted on
the sleeve N, and kept from turning thereon by a feather or spline S, which
is attached to sleeve N, and fits into a corresponding groove in sleeve O, as
shown also in cross section in Fig. 6. This sleeve O has secured to its front
end a gear wheel R, and at its rear end a groove P. The wheel R is of such
position on rod M, said
a size that when the sleeves N and O are placed in
wheel R will geȧr into one of the wheels D, as shown in Fig. 1, and the
sleeve N being connected to the frame in which the mechanism is mounted,
in such a way as not to interfere with the rotation of said sleeve, it follows
that when motion is imparted to the wheel R the two sleeves are caused to
rotate, and thus travel along the rod M, carrying the frame G, G¹, with its
series of bits and gearing forward with them, and thus the bits while being
made to revolve and cut away the coal or other substance, are at the same
time fed forward and made to penetrate to the required depth into the coal.
In order to reverse the movement of the parts so as to withdraw the bits from
the bank, a lever Z is provided, having its forked end engaging in the
groove P of sleeve O, by which the 'sleeve O is caused to slide back on
sleeve N far enough to bring wheel R into gear with wheel C, and as C
revolves in an opposite direction from D, it follows that the frame G, G', will
thus be moved backwards, whereby the bits will be withdrawn from the cut
they had made in their forward movement, and this may be done if desired
without stopping the engine. It is obvious that the forward movement of the
bits while in labor must be slower than their backward movement, and this is
provided for by wheel D, which operates R when moving forward, being
smaller than wheel C, which operates R when moving backward, the pitch

page_text: line of C and D coinciding, so that R can be thrown into gear with either D
or C at pleasure. Other devices may be substituted for these, and made to
accomplish the same results without departing at all from the spirit of the
Invention. The bits T are so arranged that as they rotate the circle described
by each shall intersect or cut into the circle described by the adjoining ones,
as shown in Fig. 7, by which means the series are made to form a continuous
cut or channel equal in extent to the width or space occupied by the entire
series of bits. A rest L secured to the stationary frame of the machine
serves to support and steady the spindles F while in operation, as shown in
Fig. 1.
On the right of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3, another series of bits is
mounted in a frame, one above another, for the purpose of making a vertical
cut into the bank or bed of coal. Theso bits are in all respects similar to
those already described, and are driven by the right-hand wheel B. The
frame in this series is mounted or pivoted at the right of G, in such a position
and manner that when not desired for use they can be thrown out of gear and
swung around in front of G, as indicated in red in Fig. 2, or can be removed
bodily from the machine until wanted, if desired. The frame G, G', with its
mechanism is mounted upon the rectangular frame I, which is fitted within,
and is supported by the main framing H, upon which latter frame I is
arranged to be adjusted vertically by means of wedges or screws, as may be
found most expedient. By this means the bits can be adjusted, that is,
raised or lowered bodily, as the vein of coal may require. The main frame H
is mounted on four small flanged railway wheels Y, one at each corner, as
shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Each of these wheels is journalled separately in
a rotating bearing J secured underneath the projections K at the corners of
frame H, the wheels Y with their bearings J being thus arranged to operate
like castor wheels. These bearings J are all connected by a set of chains or
rods U, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. At the rear of frame H is pivotted a
lever V connected by the chains U₁ to the bearings J at that end of the frame,
in such a manner that by operating a lever, the bearings J, with their
wheels Y, can be turned either to the right or left, as may be desired. These
wheel bearings J, connected by chains or rods or otherwise, can be employed
it is obvious for carrying any kind or construction of coal-getting machine.
A track is constructed in the ordinary manner extending into the pit, upon
which the machine is run up to the face of the bank to be worked;
track, composed of the rails W₁, W', being so laid as to convey the machine
up to the front of the vein at the left-hand side thereof. It now becomes
necessary to move the machine along to the right parallel with the face of the
this

page_text: bank to be cut, and in order to accomplish this, a second track is provided
composed of the rails W, W, which are laid parallel with the face of the
bank. At the points where the rails of these two tracks intersect each other,
small turntables X are placed, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 7. It will thus be
seen that when the machine arrives at the end of the main track it, will stand
with the ends of the bits facing the front to be cut, each of the wheels Y
resting upon one of the turntables X. After the first cut has been made, and
which will be made with the machine standing where it is first placed when
brought up to the face of the bank, the lever V is operated, by which the
wheels Y and the turntables X, upon which they rest, will be turned so as to
correspond with the rails W, W, upon which the machine can then be moved
sidewise along the side of the bank, and thus made ready for another cut.
This operation of moving the machine will be repeated until it shall have
traversed along the entire front or face of the vein to be cut, by which a con-
tinuous channel will be cut horizontally to the desired depth along the base
of the vein or bank from one to the other side thereof. When the last cut is
to be made the vertical series of bits are to be put in operation also, whereby
the cutting both horizontally and vertically is completed, and the mass can
then be broken down and removed in the ordinary manner. If desired, the
vertical series may be mounted upon a separate machine, and each series be
used independently. It is also obvious that one or more series of bits
operating on this plan may be so mounted as to cut at any desired angle, and it
is contemplated so arranging them when necessary. These small turntables X
can be used with the rotating bearings mentioned in connection with the
said boring machine, or with rotating bearings attached to any other mining
machine.
Having now described the Invention communicated to me, claim is hereby
made,-
1st, cutting coal by a series of bits, substantially as herein described.
2nd, the bit T, constructed and operating as shown and described.
3rd, the combination of gearing herein shown and described for operating
the machine.
4th, the mounting of the bits with their gearing or mechanism in a move-
able frame for the purpose of feeding then forward and back, substantially as
described.
5th, the combination of the frames I and II, substantially as set forth.
6th, the wheels Y, when so connected to the frame II, or to the frame or
any other part of any coal-getting machine that they can be rotated for the
purpose of switching or moving the machine off upon another track.

page_text: And, 7th, the separate turntables X, when constructed to operate substan-
tially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lauder, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
GEORGE LAUDER. (L.S.)