Improvements in Dredgers or Excavators for Cleaning the Beds or Bottoms of Ponds, Pools, Mill-dams, Rivers, and other Water Courses, and for other like purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dredgers or Excavators for Cleaning the Beds or
Bottoms of Ponds, Pools, Mill-dams, Rivers, and other Water
Courses, and for other like purposes.
We RAYMOND. BOMFORD of Bevington Hall, Salford Priors, in the County of
Warwick Farmer and BENJAMIN BOMFORD, of Harvington Lodge, Harvington,
in the County of Worcester Farmer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in constructing
dredgers or excavators for cleaning the beds or bottoms of ponds, pools, mill-dams,
rivers and other water courses and for other like purposes and the method herein-
after described of working the said dredgers or excavators so as to fill them änd
discharge their contents.
A dredger or excavator constructed according to our invention consists of a
scoop, box or receptacle of strong sheet iron having nearly a rectangular figure
with an open end or mouth, the lower parts or edges of the open end or
mouth being inclined and forming cutting edges for penetrating the material
to be dredged or excavated, the said open end or mouth being presented to the
mud, soil or dirt to be dredged or excavated. The bottom, or that part of
the dredger which first receives the mud or soil, is flat and on this flat bottom the
dredger travels for filling it the said bottom being somewhat wider than the sides
of the dredger. The closed end of the dredger or the end opposite the open or
filling end or mouth is flat but joins the sides and top, which top is shorter than
the bottom, by curved parts. On the closed end described the filled dredger
travels to be emptied as hereinafter described. The dredger to be filled is drawn
and forced into the material to be dredged by forward pulling chains attached to
it at the bottoms or lowest parts of the inclined edges of its open end or mouth
the material dredged being received on the first travelling hottom of the dredger.
When the dredger filled it is so turned as to bring the filled dredger into the
back or return travelling position, that is, it is turned through a right angle and its
closed end brought into a horizontal position and its bottom on which the soil was
first received brought into a vertical position. The soil in the dredger now rests on
the closed end (which is in a horizontal position) of the dredger.
The turning of the filled dredger into the back travelling position described is
effected by back pulling chains attached to the bottom parts of the open end or
mouth and conducted by pulleys along the top of the dredger. The dredger is
now supported and travels on its closed end the open end or mouth being upper-
most and in this position the dredger is drawn by the back drawing chains to the
place where the dredged material is to be deposited or emptied.
In order to discharge the contents of the dredger the back pulling chains are
disengaged from the guiding pulleys on the dredger and the pull of the said chains
now acting on the open mouth of the dredger, which is uppermost the dredger is
inverted and its contents discharged. The forward pulling chains being now
brought into operation the dredger takes its original position so as to present its
open mouth or end to the material to be dredged and bring the travelling bottom,
which is first to receive the dredged material, into a horizontal position.
Dated this 4th day of May 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dredgers or Excavators for Cleaning the Beds or
Bottoms of Ponds, Pools, Mill-dams, Rivers, and other Water
Courses, and for other like purposes.
We RAYMOND BOMFORD, of Bevington Hall Salford Priors, in the County of
Warwick, Farmer and BENJAMIN BOMFORD, of Harvington Lodge Harvington,
in the County of Worcester Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in constructing
dredgers or excavators for cleaning the beds or bottoms of ponds pools, mill-dams,
rivers and other water courses and for other like purposes and the method herein-
after described of working the said dredgers or excavators so as to fill and move
them and discharge their contents.
A dredger or excavator constructed according to our invention consists of a
scoop, box or receptacle of strong sheet iron having nearly a rectangular figure
with an open end or mouth the lower part or edge of the open end or mouth being
inclined and forming a cutting edge for penetrating the material to be dredged or
excavated, the said open end or mouth being presented to the mud, soil or dirt to
be dredged or excavated. The bottom or that part of the dredger which first
receives the mud or soil, is flat and on this flat bottom, the dredger travels for
filling it. The closed end of the dredger or the end opposite the open or filling end
or mouth is flat but joins the sides and top, which top shorter than the bottom,
by curved parts. On the closed end described the filled dredger travels to be
emptied, as hereinafter described. The dredger to be filled is drawn and forced
into the material to be dredged by forward pulling chains attached to it at the
bottom or lowest parts of the inclined edges of its open end or mouth and at its top,
the material dredged being received on the first travelling bottom of the dredger.
When the dredger is filled it is so turned as to bring the filled dredger into the back
or return travelling position, that is, it is turned through a right angle and its closed
end brought into a horizontal position and its bottom on which the soil was first
received brought into a vertical position. The soil in the dredger now rests on the
closed end (which is in a horizontal position) of the dredger. The turning of the
filled dredger into the back travelling position described is effected by back pulling
chains attached near the open end or mouth and also conducted to near the top of
the dredger. The dredger is now supported and travels on its closed end the open
end or mouth being uppermost, and in this position the dredger is drawn by the back
drawing chains to the place where the dredged material is to be deposited or
emptied.
In order to discharge the contents of the dredger the back pulling chains are
disengaged from the lower part of the dredger and the pull of the said chains now
acting on the open mouth of the dredger, which is uppermost, the dredger
inverted and its contents discharged. The forward pulling chains being now
brought into operation the dredger takes its original position so as to present its
open mouth or end to the material to be dredged and bring the travelling bottom
which is first to receive the dredged material, into a horizontal position.
•
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section and Figure 2 in plan a dredger or
excavator constructed according to our invention, the said dredger being
represented in its working position, that is, ready to be pulled in the direction of
the arrow Figure 1 for dredging or excavating the mud or material and partly.
filling the dredger with the said dredged or excavated mud or material:

page_text: Figure 3 represents the dredger in side elevation in the position which it occupies
after it has been filled and turned through a right angle ready for travelling in the
direction of the arrow near the said Figure 3;
Figure 4 represents the dredger in side elevation after it has been inverted for
emptying it of its contents and
Figure 5 represents an inside elevation of the top portion of the dredger
Figures 1 and 2, drawn to a larger scale, the said Figure 5 exhibiting the arrange-
ment of parts for holding and releasing the back pulling chains by which the
dredger is turned into its back travelling position Figure 3 and drawn in that
position and also turned into its inverted or emptying position Figure 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
The nearly rectangular scoop, box or receptacle made of angle iron and sheet
iron, constituting the dredger or excavator is marked a, a, a³ and a; a being its
open mouth or end which is presented to the mud or material to be dredged or
excavated; a the flat bottom or that part on which the mud or material is first
received, and on which the scoop. travels during the dredging operation; a the
closed shorter end on which the scoop travels when filled and a the inclined top. of
the scoop, the flat bottom a² and the inclined top a' joining the closed end a³ by
curves as represented. By means of the curved and inclined end a', when turned
into the position Figure 3, the filled scoop is readily permitted to travel up banks
on its return motion. The lower part or edge as of the open mouth a of the scoop,
which is presented to the mud or soil to be dredged is inclined and forms a cutting
edge (see Figure 1) for penetrating the said mud or soil.
The dredger is pulled forward into the mud or soil to be dredged by means of
the three forward pulling chains marked b, 63, 6, the chains 6, 6 being fastened to
the bottom of the scoop at the sides of the open end and the chain to the middle
of the scoop near the top of the open end as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The cutting
angle of the scoop may be adjusted by altering the length of the top middle chain b.
This may be effected by connecting the said middle chain by a shackle or hook to
the side chains, where they meet.
The forward pulling chains b, 63, 62 and the back pulling chains c, c are operated
by traction engines in the manner employed in working steam ploughs.
On the angle iron arms d,'d at opposite sides of the scoop the back pulling
chains c, c are connected by shackles. These chains are pulled in a direction
opposite to that in which the forward pulling chains 6, 62, 62 are pulled for the
dredging operation, as indicated by the arrow Figure 3. By the use of the chains c, c
the filled scoop can be turned into the position represented in Figure 3 and in that
position made to travel on the part as to the place where it is to be emptied. During
the travelling of the filled scoop Figure 3, the back pulling chains c, c pass between
and rest on the side guides e, e and the said, chains are prevented from leaving the
said guides by the sliding bolts f, f (see Figure 5). The bolts are jointed to
opposite arms of the lever g, the said lever being pulled into the position represented
in Figure 5 by the spring h so as to cause the two bolts, to take their advanced
or shot positions for holding the chains c, c, in the guides e, e. So long as the
chains c, c are preserved in the position represented in Figure 5, that is, are retained
in the guides e, e
the dredger is maintained in the upright or travelling position
represented in Figure 3, but when the dredger has arrived at the place where the
mud or excavated material is to be deposited and it is desired. to discharge the
contents of the dredger, the handle end of the lever is moved in the direction of
the arrow near the said lever Figure 5, when the two bolts f,f' are simultaneously
withdrawn and the chains c, c are released from the guides e, e. The chains c, c
being now straightened and the pull being direct upon the angle bar arms d, d the
dredger is turned over or inverted and emptied of its contents as represented in
Figure 4, the open mouth of the dredger when so inverted being supported above
the level of the ground by the arms d, d and prop i.
When the front pulling chains b, b³, bª are drawing forward the scoop for the

page_text: L
dredging operation the back pulling chains c, c are being payed out and are slack;
and when the back pulling chains c, c are tightened for the travelling of the filled
scoop and the emptying of the same, the front pulling chains 6, 63, 62 are being
payed out and are slack.
After the dredger has been emptied the pull on the back chains c, c is relaxed
and the forward pulling chains are brought into action, whereby the dredger having
the position Figure 4 is turned into the position represented in Figures 1 and 2
ready for a second dredging operation and so on..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as
our invention of "Improvements in Dredgers or Excavators for Cleaning the Beds
or Bottoms of Ponds Pools, Mill-dams, Rivers and other Water Courses and for
other like purposes
32
Making the said dredgers or excavators essentially of a scoop, box or receptacle
having an open end or mouth with a bottom cutting edge, at which open end or
mouth it is filled; and a flat bottom on which the scoop travels during the dredging
or excavating operation and on which the mud or material is first received; also
making the said scoop with a flat short end opposite the open mouth on which short
end the filled scoop is turned for travelling, together with a curved and inclined
part for permitting the filled travelling scoop to readily pass up banks substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated, the said dredger or excavator being so
operated by forward and back pulling chains worked preferably by traction
engines, that the dredger is made to travel forward for filling, the filled dredger
turned through a right angle and made to travel backwards and afterwards inverted
for emptying the said dredger, the several parts being constructed and arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated the Sixteenth day of January 1894.
RAYMOND BOMFORD.
BENJAMIN BOMFORD.