IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKS AND RAILWAYS FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, PART OF WHICH CAN BE APPLIED TO RAILWAYS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Firth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on-the-
29th March 1869...
I, SAMUEL FIRTH, of Leeds, in the County of York, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PICKS AND RAILWAYS FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, PART OF WHICH
CAN BE APPLIED TO RAILWAYS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
First as to picks. It has hitherto been the custom to work picks.
with points solid, that is, the point and pick in one piece. Now this
obliges the whole pick to be brought out of the pit to be sharpened
whenever blunted..
Now my improvement consists in making a boss on that part of the

page_text: pick nearest the point. In this boss is a socket of any suitable shape, by
preference I use a circular taper, socket, the loose point being cottered
into the socket against a piece of india-rubber or other suitable substance
at the bottom of the socket or around the outer edge of the socket, so
that when the blow is given some part of the strain is taken off the point.
The edge of the socket is brought as close as possible to the point, for
as the socket must enter the groove made in the coal, and must be clear
of the top and bottom of the groove, and as in some cases, the groove is
not more than one and three-quarter inches in height, it will be readily
seen that the closer the socket is to the point the greater the resisting
strength of the point.
I now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to the railway.
By the term sleeper as hereafter" used I mean a sleeper with a pair of
chairs made in one piece.
It is the present custom in fixing the railroad for coal-cutting
machines, to use rails about four yards in length, having one sleeper for
each joint and one or more intermediate sleepers for each pair of rails.
The kind of sleeper hitherto used has been of such a form that the
intermediate sleepers have to be hammered on and off each time the road
has to be removed nearer to the face of the coal. My improvement
consists in making the intermediate sleepers of such a form that rails can
be twisted out of and into them, instead of hammering the sleepers off and'
on to the rails, which improvement tends to a great saving of labor and
time in making the railroad for coal-cutting machines, and subsequently
in taking it to pieces and putting it together again. whenever it has to
be removed. At the outer end of the sleeper is a lug under which the
outer flange or edge of the foot of the rail enters, and the foot of the rail.
of the foo
then drops below a stop on the sleeper, which prevents the rail escaping
laterally until its' inner edge is intentionally raised.
The same form, or a modification of the same form, can be applied to
the tramroads of mines generally, also to sidings and railroads of other
descriptions, and by this, means no wooden wedges or keys are required
to keep the rails in their places.."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Firth in the Great Seal. Patent Office
⚫ on the 29th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
FIRTH, of Leeds, in the County of York, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year
of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Firth, Her special
licence that I, the said Samuel Firth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Firth, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and ño.
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
PICKS AND RAILWAYS FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, PART OF WHICH
CAN BE APPLIED TO RAILWAYS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the. con
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Firth, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument 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 Samuel Firth, 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 statement thereof, that is to say :-
First as to picks. It has hitherto been the custom to work picks
with points solid, that is, the point and pick in one piece. Now this
obliges the whole pick to be brought out of the pit to be sharpened
whenever. blunted.
Now my improvement consists in making a boss on that part of the
pick nearest the point. In this boss is a socket of any suitable shape,
by preference I use a circular taper. socket, the loose point being cot-
:

page_text: tered into the socket against a piece of india-rubber or other suitable
substance at the bottom of the socket or around the outer edge of the
socket, so that when the blow is given some part of the strain is taken
off the point. The edge of the socket is brought as close as possible
to the point, for as the socket must enter the groove made in the coal,
and must be clear of the top and bottom of the groove, and as in some
cases the groove is not more than one and three-quarter inches in
height, it will be readily seen that the closer the socket is to the point
the greater the resisting strength of the.point.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed is shown the end of a moveable
pick or cutter applied in the manner ahove described to the end of a
pick shaft such as is used when cutting grooves into coal or mineral by
machinery.
A in Figure 1 shows the pick point inserted in the hollow or socket
made for it in the end of the pick shaft B; C is the cotter, fitting into
a groove or cotter hole in the socket, and to a corresponding groove in
the stem of the pick point; D is a cushion of india-rubber or other
suitable elastic material at the bottom of the socket, or, as before stated,
in place of the elastic cushion being placed at the bottom of the socket
it might be placed around the outer edge of the socket, as shown in
dotted lines at D, D, but when this is used it is necessary to have a pro-
jection or shoulder F on the pick point to rest on the cushion D, D.
Metallic cushions to act as springs may be used in place of cushions of
india-rubber. I prefer that the socket for the pick point should be a
circular tapering socket (that is, circular in section, but tapering
upwards), as shown at Figure 1, Figures 2 & 3 show sections through
the socket of the pick shaft.
What I claim as regards this part of my Invention is the forming
picks for cutting coal and other minerals with moveable cutters fitting
into sockets and resting upon cushions of india-rubber or elastic material
and secured by cotters or keys, as herein described.
I now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to the railway.
By the term sleeper as hereafter used I mean a sleeper with a pair of
chairs made in one piece.
It is the present, custom, in fixing the railroad for coal-cutting
machines to use rails about four yards in length, having one sleeper for

page_text: each joint and one or more intermediate sleepers for each pair of rails.
The kind of sleeper hitherto used has been of such a form that the inter-
mediate sleepers have to be hammered on and off each time the road has
to be removed nearer to the face of the coal. My improvement consists
in making the intermediate sleepers of such a form that rails can be
twisted out of and into them instead of hammering the sleepers off and
on to the rails, which improvement tends to a great saving of labor and
time in making the railroad for coal-cutting machines, and subsequently
in taking it to pieces and putting it together again whenever it has to be
removed. At the outer end of the sleeper is a lug under which the
outer flange or edge of the foot of the rail enters, and the foot of the rail
then drops below a stop on the sleeper, which prevents the rail escaping
laterally until its inner edge is intentionally raised.
i
The same form or a modification of the same form can be applied to
the tramroads of mines generally, also to sidings and railroads of other
descriptions, and by this means no wooden wedges or keys are required
to keep the rails in their places.
At Figure 4 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shown the form
of sleeper now generally in use; Figures 5 shew a longitudinal.
section and plan of a sleeper constructed in the manner I prefer.
It will be seen that when a sleeper such as is shown at Figure 4 is
employed the cavity or chair which receives the lower portion of the
rail is so formed that whenever the rail is to be moved the sleeper chair
has to be hammered off the end of the rail and again hammered on to it,
thus causing a great loss of time and much expenditure in labor; but
by forming the sleeper in the manner above described the rails and
sleepers can readily be separated from one another, as the inner.
flange a, a, shown at Figure 4, is altogether dispensed with, and the
inner portion of the cavity for receiving the lower part of the rail B is
made perpendicular, so that if the rail be simply tilted back it may at
once be lifted out of its place. When, however, the rail is in its place
the outer lug C, C, and the perpendicular inner surface of the recess
which receives the base of the rail will keep the rail firmly fixed, and
will entirely prevent any lateral movement.
When using sleeper chairs such as are above described I prefer to

page_text: shewn at Figure 6 so that the railway can be laid without bolts, nails, or
wedges.
What I claim as regards this part of my Invention is forming sleepers
for supporting the rails of railways, substantially in the manner herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Firth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.