A New or Improved Apparatus for Use in Digging.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Use in Digging.
I, THOMAS WARD GODDARD of Nazing Vicarage Waltham Cross in the County
of Essex Clerk in Holy Orders do hereby declare the 'nature of this invention
to be as follows:"
To an ordinary spade suitable for digging I add an excrescence on the handle
immediately above the top line of the blade and jutting out from that side of the
handle which is pressed against the earth in the act of levering up the spit of
ground-which has to be raised when digging.
The excrescence is of such a size as will provide a fulcrum on which after the
blade is driven into the earth the leverage obtained by pressing down the handle.
may raise the. blade with the spit of ground upon it to a position horizontal or
nearly horizontal with the handle well clear from the earth. The ground can then
be dealt with by turning it over or as otherwise desired. I find that a convenient
form.of excrescence is that which juts out about three inches from the handle.
After driving the spade home in the earth the base of the fulcrum will be the
lower part of the excrescence but as the handle is pressed down the base of the
fulcrum will gradually shift on to that part furthest from the handle and the spit of
ground may be raised so high and the handle pressed down so close to the earth
as to make the upper part of the excrescence the base of the fulcrum. These parts
of theiexcrescence which form the base of the fulcrum from time to time must be
sufficiently! broad and long to. prevent the excrescence penetrating the earth sto
any material extent but it should not be made so wide as to interfere with the
foot of the digger on the top of the blade at the time when he is passing the blade
into.the earth...
...I prefer a width of about 2 in: and a length of about 3 in: for those parts
of the excrescence which are called upon to become the base of the fulcrum.
Amongst the advantages to be obtained by this adoption of an excrescence
jutting out immediately above the blade and providing a fulcrum with its base in
aplane well behind the plane formed by the back of the blade are the improve.
ment in the leverage for freeing and detaching the, spit of ground from the
earth of which it formed part and the raising of the handle and blade well clear
of, the earth and some 2 or 3 inches above it when. the spit of ground is clear
of the earth and ready to be turned over or otherwise dealt with thus reducing
the labor of flevering stooping; and turning which occurs in digging.
The excrescence may be made as part of the spade itself or detachable therefrom
and it may be rigid as to all its parts or having the part, affixed to the handle
Hivoted with the base, of the fulcrum rigidly attached. to the part sonpivoted in
which latter case the fulcrum base will remain the same and the lever .e.the
handle will move on the pivot as the spit of iground is raised.
!]
This Invention, is applicable to the mattocks used abroad for digging and other

page_text: digging instruments where it is desired to lever the ground away from the
Earth.
DALOT 1 en
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Use in Digging.
I, THOMAS WARD GODDARD of Nazing Vicarage Waltham Cross in the County
of Essex Clerk in Holy Orders. do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
To an ordinary spade suitable for digging I add an excrescence on the handle
immediately above the top line of the blade and jutting out from that side of the
handle which is pressed against the earth in the act of levering up the spit of
ground which has to be raised when digging.
The 'excrescence, is of such a size as will provide a fulcrum on which after the
blade is driven into the earth the leverage obtained by pressing down the handle
may raise the blade with the spit of ground upon it to a position horizontal or
nearly horizontal with the handle, well clear from the earth, ground can then
be dealt with by turning it over or as otherwise desired. I find that a convenient
form of excrescence is that which juts out about 3 inches from the handle.
After driving the spade home in the earth the base of the fulcrum will be the
lower part of the excrescence but as the handle is pressed down the base of the
fulcrum will gradually shift on to that part furthest from the handle and the spit of
ground may be raised so high and the handle pressed down so close to the earth
as to make the upper part of the excrescence.the base of the fulcrum. Those parts
of the excrescence which form the base of the fulcrum from time to time must be
sufficiently broad and long to prevent the excrescence penetrating the earth to
any material extent but it should not be made so wide as to interfere with the
foot of the digger on the top of the blade at the time when he is pressing the blade
into the earth. I prefer a width of about 24 inches and a length of about 3 inches
for those parts of the excresence which are called upon to become the base of the
fulcrum.
Amongst the advantages to be obtained by this adoption of an excrescence
jutting out immediately above the blade and providing a fulcrum with its base in
a plane well behind the plane formed by the back of the blade are the improve-
ments in the leverage for freeing and detaching the spit of ground from the
earth of which it formed part and the raising of the handle and blade well clear
of the earth and some two or three inches above it when the spitiof ground is clear
of the earth and ready to be-turned over or otherwise dealt with thus reducing
the labour of levering stooping and turning which occurs in digging,
The excrescence may be made as part of the spade itself or detachable therefrom
and it may be rigid as to all its parts or having the part affixed to the handle
pivoted with the base of the fulcrum rigidly attached to the part so pivotted in
which latter case the fulcrum base will remain the same and the lever i.e. the
handle will move on the pivot as the spit of ground is raised.
This invention is applicable to the mattocks used abroad for digging and other
digging instruments where it is desired to lever the ground away from the
earth.
I have prepared drawings illustrating various forms of my invention.
Damn the intention attached to the anada 'hut datankahla

page_text: Figure 2 shews the invention attached to the spade and undetachable or forming
an integral part of the whole spade.
Figure 3 is a different view of the detachment in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is my invention attached to the spade. by one attachment and
detachable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed! I declare that what I
claim is
(1) The principle of including an excrescence as above described as an auxiliary
to a spade as at present manufactured and all variations of this principle as
applicable to all descriptions of digging or kindred instruments as suitable on the
lines aforesaid.
(2) The attachment of an excrescence to a spade or other digging or kindred
instrument either as part of or as detachable from the spade or instrument for the
purpose of forming a fulcrum or to increase the advantages, derived from a spade
in digging and for casing the work of using it.
(3) The attachment as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 above.
(4) The permanent attachment as illustrated in Figure 2 above.
The attachment as illustrated in Figure 4 above.
3000
THOMAS WARD GODDARD: