IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING, MOVING, ELEVATING, And Lowering Salt, and other Granular SUBSTANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Williamson, of Wincham, in the County
of Chester, Salt Manufacturer, and Josiah Dale, of the same Place,.
Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
COLLECTING, MOVING, ELEVATING, And Lowering Salt, and other Granular
SUBSTANCES."
Scaled the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 9th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Williamson
and Josiah Dale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th October 1873.
We, ROBERT WILLIAMSON, of Wincham; in the County of Chester,
Salt Manufacturer, and JOSIAH DALE, of the same Place, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING, MOVING, ELEVATING, AND LOWERING, SALT AND OTHER¸*
Granular SubstanCES," to be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object to dispense in a great measure with
hand labour in collecting, moving, elevating, and lowering salt and other .
granular substances, and consists essentially in making use of an endless..

page_text: band operating in a novel manner and provided with buckets or collectors
of novel form and design.
An endless band collector constructed in accordance with our Inven-
tion is caused to traverse by passing over horizontal rotating cogged
drums, and is so adjusted that the under part has an amount of slack
sufficient to allow the buckets collecting salt or other granular substance
to follow the irregularities in shape of the surface from which the salt or
other granular substance is being collected.
To prevent the buckets from sliding over the surface of the granular
substance without collecting they are so shaped that they will, when in
motion, dig into the said granular substance. When salt or other caking
substance is being collected cutters are attached to the bands in front of
the buckets to break the said substance.
After the granular substance has been collected it is carried direct to
the warehouse, wagon, barge, or other desired receptacle, without aid
other than that of the band and buckets.
To collect granular substances from surfaces broader than the width
of the buckets, such as warehouse floors, we give the collecting band and
buckets lateral as well as longitudinal travel, and if the depth of substance
being collected requires it, we allow greater slack in the collecting band
or we make the carrying drums adjustable vertically.
In the case of salt pans we prefer to use a series of endless collecting
bands and buckets placed side by side. The buckets are caused, after
collecting the salt, to traverse back over the pan so as to drain off
whatever brine they may have taken up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Williamson and Josiah Dale in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 9th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
WILLIAMSON, of Wincham, in the County of Chester, Salt Manu-
facturer, and JOSIAH DALE, of the same Place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the.

page_text: thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Williamson and
Josiah Dale, Her special licence that we, the said Robert Williamson
and Josiah Dale, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Robert Williamson and Josiah Dale,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING, MOVING,
ELEVATING, AND LOWERING SALT AND OTHER GRANULAR SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Williamson and
Josiah Dale, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Robert Williamson and Josiah
Dale, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Sheet of illustrative Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—.
This Invention has for its object to dispense in a great measure with.
hand labour in collecting, moving, elevating, and lowering salt and other
granular substances, and consists essentially in making use of an endless
band, buckets, and collectors of novel form and design.
An endless band collector constructed in accordance with our Inven-
tion is caused to traverse by passing over horizontal rotating cogged
drums, and is so adjusted that the under part has an amount of slack
sufficient to allow the buckets collecting salt or other granular substance
to follow the irregularities in shape of the surface from which the salt or
other granular substance is being collected.
To prevent the buckets from sliding over the surface of the granular
substance without collecting they are so shaped that they will, when in

page_text: motion, dig into the said granular substance. When salt or other cakey
substance is being collected cutters are attached to the bands in front of
the buckets to break the said substance.
After the granulár substance has been collected it is carried direct to
the warehouse, wagon, barge, or other desired receptacle, without aid
other than that of the band and buckets.
To collect granular substances from surfaces broader than the width
of the buckets, such as warehouse floors, we give the collecting band and
buckets lateral as well as longitudinal travel, and if the depth of substanco
being collected requires it we allow greater slack in the collecting band
or we make the carrying drums adjustable vertically.
In the case of salt pans we prefer to use a series of endless collecting.
bands and buckets placed side by side. The buckets are caused, after
collecting the salt, to traverse back over the pan so as to drain off what-
ever brina thov maw havo takon un

page_text: Instead of using a series of bands and buckets a single set of bands
and buckets can be used, as shown in Fig. 3. In this case the carrying
drums are caused to slide along the driving and driven shafts k, k¹.
The said drums could be secured on shafts sliding in bearings, or one
could be secured and one loose.
The arrangement above described is specially adapted for use in ware-
houses where it is desirable that the floor should as much as possible be
free from machinery.
It will be obvious that the above described apparatus is suitable for
collecting, carrying, and elevating and lowering grain and other sub-
stances besides salt, and can be used in warehouses and other places.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and parti-
cularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to
construct and use our improved apparatus, we claim,―
First. Arranging, combining, and operating endless bands and buckets,
substantially in the manner described and for the purposes set forth.
Second. In combination with the endless travelling bands b, arranged
and operating as described, constructing buckets substantially in the
manner and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as
described and illustrated under Figs. 1 and 2 for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as
described and illustrated under Fig. 3 for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Dale, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.·
.
In the presence of
JAMES JOHNSON,
Patent Office,
Clayton Square,
Liverpool.
JOSIAH DALE. (L.S.)