AN IMPROVED ARMY TRENCHING TOOL
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Harley Storey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1882.
ALBERT HARLEY STOREY of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey AN
IMPROVED ARMY TRENCHING TOOL
The object of my Invention is to provide a tool that shall be portable and light
and at the same time a most serviceable pick and shoved or spade. With this
object I make a shaft in a suitable shape of wood or other convenient material.
On the end of the shaft I fit a pick, the head of which fits over the end of the shaft
and is pivotted thereon, so that when required the pick can lie along the sliaft and
be secured in that position by a ring or other convenient method. The end of the
shaft may be so formed that when the pick is turned into position ready for use
there will be no strain on the pivot. I can also use the ring to assist in securing
the pick. The pick is prolonged beyond the head and formed in any convenient
shape. The end may be sharpened and used as an adze or axe. I form the blade
of a shovel or spade in any convenient shape and a hole is made in the top part to
receive the prolongation of the pick, or a socket or other arrangement may be
made on either side of the blade for the same purpose; or I can make the blade of
the shovel and the pick in one piece if I choose, and forin the part that fits the
shaft and is pivotted thereto between them. This tool can therefore be used as a
shovel or spade by turning the pick down on the shaft and securing it there when
the blade of the shovel is in continuation of the line of the shaft, and it can be
used as a pick by turning the pick up at right angles or thereabouts to the shaft
and securing it in that position, leaving the shovel blade on the opposite end of the
pick or not as may be expedient. When the blade of the shovel is separate from
the pick, holes may be made where required for convenience of carrying. In this
case I can also fit it to be arranged vertically on the barrel of the rifle or other
fire arm where it would be a protection for the head of the person firing and I
should make a narrow hole in the same in shape like the sight of a rifle to concen-
trate the attention on the object fired at. The blade could be secured in this
position by any convenient and easily disengaged method.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Albert Harley Storey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th July 1882.
ALBERT HARLEY STOREY of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey AN
IMPROVED ARMY TRENCHING TOOL
The object of my Invention is to provide a tool that shall be portable and light
and at the same time a most serviceable pick and shovel or spade. With this
object I make a handle shaft of wood or other material in any convenient shape
and of any suitable size. The pick and the shovel or spade are made in one piece
of any suitable metal or the blade of the shovel or spade may be joined to the
shaft of the pick by rivetting or otherwise. The metal I prefer to use is hardened
steel. In the shaft between the pick and the spade or shovel I form a head or
socket which fits over the end of the handle shaft and is pivoted or turns thereon
as is hereinafter described. A metal ring is formed round the handle shaft which
fits quite loosely thereon and therefore can easily be moved up and down the
same. To clearly explain this tool and in what manner it is used I refer to the
accompanying Drawing. Figures 1. 2 and 3 shew a simple form of my tool. In
Figure 1 it is ready for use as a pick, and in Figures 2 and 3 it is ready for use as
a spade. A is the handle shaft B is the pick C is the shovel or spade and D is
the head or socket that fits over the end of the shaft A. To make this tool ready
for use as a spade the pick B is turned down on the shaft A and the metal ring E
is passed up over the end of the pick B as shewn in Figure 2. The spade C is then
in continuation of the line of the shaft A or thereabouts and the tool is ready for
use as a spade. To make this tool ready for use as a pick the ring E is drawn
back off the end of the pick B and the pick is turned up at right angles or
thereabouts to the line of the shaft A as shewn in Figure 1. The ring E is then
passed up the shaft into position at the base of the socket D ns hereinafter
explained and the tool is ready for use as a pick. I can fit the studs F F if
desirable on the shaft A to assist in securing the ring E in its two positions.
A modification of this tool consists in making the blade of the shovel or spade
entirely separate from the pick. The pick is formed and the head or socket thereof
fitted over the end of the handle shaft as hereinbefore described but the shaft is
only prolonged a little beyond the head or socket and the end may be sharpened
and used as an adze or axe. In the top part of the blade of the shovel or spade is
formed a recess to receive the end of the prolongation of the pick shaft or a socket
may be formed on the side of the blade for the same purpose and the said blade is
secured on the said end by any suitable method. The tool with this modification
is used in the same manner as herein before described. I utilize this separate blade
of the shovel or spade as a shield for the head of a person firing a rifle or other fire
arm. A small rod is passed through the stock of the fire arm below the barrel and
the ends thereof are bent parallel with each other. When these ends are turned
up vertically at right angles to the barrel of the fire arm the blade of the shovel
or spade can be placed in a reversed position on these ends which would enter the
before mentioned recess or socket or other sockets to be made therefor and the
said blade would stand up vertically across the said barrel. I should also make a
long narrow slit in the said blade to serve as a sight for the fire arm. To clearly
explain this tool with these modifications and the manner in which it is used I
refer to Figures 4. 5. 6. 7. S and 9 in the accompanying Drawing. Figures 4 and 5
shew the pick with the prolongation of its shaft in which B is the pick D is the
head or socket and G is the end of the prolongation which may be sharpened and

page_text: used as an adze or axe as herein before described. Figure 6 shews one form of the
top part of the blade of the shovel or spade in which the end G is inserted in the
recess H formed in the said blade and Figure 7 shews another form of the said
top part in which the end G is inserted in the socket H' formed on the side of the
said blade. Figures 8 and 9 shew the manner of fitting and using the separate
blade of the shovel or spade as a shield for the head of a person firing a rifle or
other fire arm. C is the blade I is the barrel of the fire arm K is the stock under-
neath the said barrel and L is the small rod which is passed through the stock K.
The ends of the rod L are bent parallel with each other and turned vertically up
as shewn in the Drawing The blade C is then placed upon them in a reversed
position as herein beforo described. M is the slit which serves as a sight for the
fire arm.
When the rod L is not in use in this manner the ends can be turned
down as shewn at L' in Figure 8.
I shew in the Drawing on an enlarged scale three methods of pivotting
or securing the pick on the end of the handle shaft but though I consider
these three methods to be the best I would have it understood that I do not
limit myself to these exact methods as shewn but that I may use any convenient
method of pivotting or securing the pick on the shaft which will allow me to turn
the pick up and down for the purpose herein before described. One method is
shewn in Figures 10. 11 and 12. Figure 10 shews the shape of the head or
socket D and parts of the pick B and the spade C. The internal shape of the
socket D is shewn by dotted lines. Figures 11 and 12 shew the shape of the end
of the handle shaft A. In this method the pivot pin passes through the end of
the shaft A which may or may not have thin metal plates on the sides thereof
and the socket D is prolonged downwards so that the ring E may pass up over the
lower part of the same and bind it firmly to the end of the handle shaft. Another
method is shewn in Figures 13. 14 and 15. Figuro 13 shews the shape of the
socket D the internal shape whereof is again shewn by dotted lines In
Figures 14 and 15 N is a metal head or metal cheeks secured on the end of the
shaft A and the pivot pin passes through projecting parts of this head N on the
forward side of the shaft A. In this method when the ring E is passed up the
shaft A as hereinbefore described to secure the pick in position it passes under
projecting lips on the bottoms of the sides of the socket D which thus bear against
it, as shewn in Figure 13. In both of these two methods it will be seen on
reference to the Drawing that the pick is prevented from turning up further than
the required position by shoulder peices on the back sides of the ends of the shafts
which engage corresponding peices behind the sockets. The third method is
shewn in Figures 16. 17 and 18. In this method there is no pivot pin. The end
of the handle shaft A has a band of metal P passed round it as shewn in Figure 17.
The forward projecting part of the band P is made broader than the socket D as
shewn at R to prevent the pick from getting off the end of the handle shaft. The
socket D is shewn in Figure 16 and the internal shape thereof is again shewn by
dotted lines. Against the end of the socket D nearest the spade is fixed a tongue
of metal S which engages a suitable slot formed in the band P when the tool is
arranged for use as a pick and the ring E passes up over this tongue S and secures the
pick in position. A recess T is cut out of the upper surface of the socket D in which
the projection R engages when the tool is arranged for use as a spade, which engage-
ment secures the socket in that position In all these cases the tool is arranged
for use as a spade as hereinbefore described. It is obvious that this tool can be
used for various other purposes as well as for army work, and would be found very
useful for geologists, travellers, persons prospecting for minerals, and others, for it
is very light and portable while it is an extremely powerful and serviceable tool
I would also have it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact shapes
of the pick, the spade or shovel, and the handle shaft as shewn in the Drawing
though I consider these shapes as shewn to be the best adapted for the majority of
purposes for which I use the tool, but I may make the pick and the spade
or shovel, and the bandle shaft or any one or more of them of any suitable shape

page_text: or shapes having regard to the purpose to which each particular tool is to be
applied.
Having thus particularly described and clearly explained my Invention and in
which manner the same is to be performed and used, I claim as my Invention
which is protected by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent
1. The army trenching tool herein before described.
2. The tool, consisting of a combined pick and shovel or spade pivotted or
turning on the end of a handle shaft and constructed combined and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described and declared and shewn in the accompanying
Drawing.
3. The tool, consisting of a pick pivotted or turning on the end of a handle
shaft combined with the separate blade of a shovel or spade fitting on a
prolongation of the pick shaft and combined constructed and operating sub-
stantially as herein before described and declared and shewn in the accompanying
Drawing.
4. The tool, consisting of a pick pivotted or turning on the end of a handle
shaft with the prolongation of the pick shaft sharpened and made fit for use as
an adze or axe combined with the separate blade of a shovel or spade fitting on
the said prolongation the whole constructed combined and operating sub-
stantially as bereinbefore described and declared and shewn in the accompanying
Drawing,
5. The manner of making, fitting and arranging the separate blade of the
shovel cr spade of the herein before described tool so as to use the said blade as
a shield for the head of a person firing a rifle or other fire arm, substantially as
herein before described and declared and shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said Albert Harley Storey have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fifth day of July in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
ALBERT HARLEY STOREY. (L.S.)