IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT, AND FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME INTO FUEL
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Healy, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY
FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT, AND FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME
INTO FUEL"
Sealed the 19th September 1878, and dated the 21st March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Healy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st March 1873.
I, FRANCIS HEALY, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT, AND FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF THE SAME INTO FUEL," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention consists in the construction of certain improved
machinery for the purpose of extracting and raising and manufacturing
raw peat and converting the same into fuel.
A wooden or iron framing is constructed provided with suitable rollers
or wheels on which it is moveable laterally, and by which is supported

page_text: a long iron scoop or cradle, which is capable of being raised or lowered
by means of a winch handle carrying a pinion on its axis, and which
pinion gears into a large toothed wheel, on the horizontal shaft of which
is another pinion gearing into a rack which is attached to the scoop or
cradle, and at the bottom of the scoop or cradle is a square iron box ¿
furnished with a double valve which opens upwards on either side for
the purpose of retaining the peat within the scoop or cradle, being
lowered into the bog by means of the before-mentioned mechanism;
the peat is forced into the same, and when the scoop or cradle is raised
it lifts the peat contained therein (the valves closing so as to retain it), 1
and forces it as it arrives at the surface through a hollow tube provided
for that purpose, and which tube is somewhat larger than the scoop or
cradle to ease its delivery.
The last-mentioned tube carries the peat to a hopper placed at the
top of a cylinder, such tube, hopper, and cylinder forming essential parts 1
of the machine. The interior of the cylinder is provided with a series
of knives or cutting blades extending towards the centre and dividing
the cylinder into segments, and within the same is placed a vertical
shaft capable of rotating by means of bevil gearing arranged at the top
of the cylinder with the before-mentioned horizontal shaft..
2
The shaft is provided with arms which form a skeleton screw, and
which in the course of their revolution press the peat against the knives
or cutting blades and cuts up the fibres contained in the peat, and
passing between the blades carry the cut peat with them into the next
division or compartment, and reduce the same to a state of pulp. 2
Horizontal divisions or diaphragms are arranged in the interior of the
cylinder, by means of which the descent of the peat is retarded so as
to subject the peat to the knives or cutting blades until it has been
thoroughly cut and pulped. Two curved arms are placed on the lower
part of the vertical shaft, and by their revolution force the peat which g
Iras been reduced to a state of pulp outwards towards the circumference
of the cylinder, at the lower part of the sides of which are provided
holes through which the peat issues in a continuous stream of sods,
which are cut off in the interior of the machine by the joints of the
curved arms as they pass the openings or holes in their revolution. 3
The sods can then be removed for the purpose of being dried. The
bottom of the cylinder is perforated to allow the water which has been
expressed from the peat to escape. More than one scoop or cradle
-

page_text: can be used in connection with one frame with a corresponding number
of cylinders.
It should be observed that the apparatus herein-before described may
be actuated by means of steam or any other suitablo motive power, and
also that the several parts of the apparatus may be used separate and
apart from each other for the respective purposes for which they are
adapted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Healy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
HEALY, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, tho said Francis Healy, Her special licence
that I, the said Francis Healy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Healy, 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND TREATING PEAT, AND FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME INTO FUEL," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Francis Healy, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner thic same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar monthis next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Healy, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the annexed Drawings, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :—
My said Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of
certain machinery for the purpose of extracting and raising and manu- ¡
facturing raw peat, and converting the same into fuel, and of which the
following is a general description:—
A wooden or iron framing is constructed, the same being provided with
suitable rollers or wheels on which it is moveable laterally, and which
framing is set in motion by a shaft carrying screws and gearing into worm
wheels which are fixed on the axes of the wheels carrying the frame, a
vertical shaft actuated by a bevil pinion fixed on to a winch handle
giving motion to the screw shaft, the pinion being so arranged as to move
in and out of gear with the winch handle as required.
A long iron scoop or cradle open at the side facing the cylinder herein-
after mentioned is attached to an iron rack which slides up and down
through suitable guides attached to a plate bolted on to the framing, the
said scoop or cradle being raised or lowered as may be desired by means
of the winch handle before mentioned, on the other end of which is
fixed a spur pinion gearing into a large toothed wheel, and which spur
pinion also slides out or into gear with the handle.
The mechanism for moving the frame carrying the machinery is out
of gear when that for raising or lowering the scoop or cradle is in motion,
and the bevil pinion is placed in gear after each lift to move on the
machine for another cut as herein-after mentioned.
On the horizontal shaft of the toothed wheel is another pinion, which
working into the rack gives the vertical motion to the cradle. A break
wheel is fixed on the same shaft.
On the lower end of the scoop or cradle is fixed a square box formed
of iron, or preferably of steel, provided with suitable cutting edges, for
the purpose of cutting down through the peat. Within the said box are
two valves, respectively opening upwards against either side of the scoop
or cradle, and which open as the scoop or cradle is lowered and imme-
diately close on the latter being raised, and thus retain the peat, and
enable it to be raised to the surface.
In order to lower and fill the 'scoop or cradle the winch handle with
the spur pinion is slid out of gear with the toothed wheel, and the scoop

page_text: or cradle descends by its own weight into the soft bog, the same being
held under controul by means of the break wheel. When lowered to the
required depth the winch handle is again shifted to put the pinion into
work, and the scoop or cradle with its load of peat is raised to the surface.
As the scoop or cradle ascends, the peat within is forced through an iron
tube, one end of which extends into the open side of the scoop or cradle,
the other end, which is rather larger, in order to ease the delivery, rest-
ing on and being attached to the upper side of a vertical cylinder, into
which the raw peat is forced through the tube. The interior of the
cylinder is provided with a series of four sets of cutting blades extending
towards the centre thereof and dividing the cylinder into four quadrants.
The cutting blades range vertically nearly to the bottom of the cylinder,
the lower cutting blades being placed much closer together than the
upper ones. A vertical shaft is placed within the cylinder, which shaft
rotates by means of bevel gearing arranged on the top of the cylinder,
the horizontal shaft carrying a fly wheel and driving pulleys..
The vertical shaft is provided with arms which form a "skeleton"
screw, and which, in the course of their revolution, press the peat which
is delivered on to the first of a series of shelves or diaphragms within the
cylinder against the cutting blades, the fibres of the peat being thereby
cut and passed between the cutting blades, and carrying the cut peat
with them into the next quadrant, which is provided with another inter-
cepting shelf or diaphragm in a lower plane than the first, when the
lower arms pass it again through the cutting blades, and on to a third;
fourth, and fifth series of diaphragms, each lower than the other, but in
different quadrants of the cylinder, and each time passing through the
different ranges of cutting blades and falling on to the bottom of the
cylinder, having by the operation above described been thoroughly cut
and pulped.
On the lower part of the vertical shaft are placed two curved arms
which, by their revolution, force the peat outwards towards the circum-
ference of the cylinder, at the lower part of one side of which is a mouth-
piece with four openings, through which the peat issues in the form of
sods or bricks, which are cut off by the points of the curved arms as
they pass the openings in their revolution. The lower shelf or diaphragm
of the series is placed directly over the mouth piece of the cylinder, and
serves with the curved arms to slightly compress the peat whilst it is
being forced out through the openings, the arms passing closely between

page_text: the last shelf or diaphragm and the bottom of the cylinder, which latter
is perforated, so as to allow as much of the water as is freed from the
peat to pass away. A frame is arranged underneath the cylinder with
fixed rollers, leaving sufficient space to allow trays formed of laths to
be passed from behind under the cylinder, and which, passing under
the openings of the mouth piece, receive the formed sods or bricks of
peat, and on which they are carried away to be laid out to dry.
.
It should be observed that more than one scoop or cradle can be used
in connection with one frame with a corresponding number of cylinders,
and that steam or any other suitable motive power may be employed for
actuating the apparatus. It is also obvious that the several parts of the
apparatus may be used separate and apart from each other for the.
respective purposes for which they are adapted.
I will now proceed to refer to the annexed Drawings, from which
the nature of my said Invention will be more clearly understood.
Figure 1 is a plan shewing the arrangement of frame, tube, and
cylinder, and also the cutting blades and skeleton screw, with three of
the intersecting shelves or diaphragms.
Figure 2 is a side elevation; Figure 3 is a front elevation shewing the
cradle partly lowered as when at work.
Figure 4 is a plan through the cylinder at T, K, in Figure 5.
Figure 5 is a section of the cylinder, shewing the position of the
intercepting diaphragms, the dotted lines X2, X 3, shewing the relative
positions of the diaphragms in the other half of the cylinder. It should
be observed that the line X1 extends through one half of the cylinder,
the other lines X2, X 3, X 4, and X 5, occupying only one quadrant
each. Similar letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures.
a is the frame; b, the wheels; c, the shaft carrying the screws and
gearing into the worm wheels as before mentioned; d is the vertical
shaft, actuated by a bevil pinion fixed on the winch handle e; fis the {
scoop or cradle; g is the iron rack which slides in the guides h; I is
the spur pinion gearing into the large toothed whcel J, J; k is the
pinion on the horizontal shaft of the toothed wheel, which working into
the rack gives the vertical motion to the cradle. Z is the break wheel.
The valves in the square box are shewn at m. The cylinder is indicated {
by the letters m, m. The iron tube is shown at n. The cutting blades
in the cylinder are marked o; p is the vertical shaft rotating by micans of

page_text: bevil gearing arranged on the top of the cylinder; r are the arms on
the vertical shaft forming a skeleton screw. The two curved arms placed
on the lower part of the vertical shaft are shewn at w; z is the mouth
piece of the cylinder, and is the frame, in connection with which the
trays of lath for the reception of the sods or bricks are arranged.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and therefore
claim as constituting the Invention secured to me by the said herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and arrange-
ment of machinery and apparatus substantially as and for the pur-
poses herein-before set forth and described, or any mere modifications
thereof.
In witness whereof I, the said Francis Healy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year
of our Tow One thousand night hundred and somente thune