IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE DRILLING APPARATUS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE DRILLING
APPARATUS."-A communication from abroad by Samuel Lewis
and William McFarland, both of Brooklyn, in the State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 24th August 1869, and dated the 11th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th June 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE DRILLING
APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved submarine
drilling apparatus, which shall be so constructed and arranged that the
vessel, raft, or platform that supports the operating mechanism may be

page_text: raised and supported so as to be unaffected by the ebb and flow of the
tide and the force of the current, so that the drilling may be continued
whatever be the state of the water. To this end a series of spuds or
vertical anchors are employed, and are capable of being raised or
lowered by means of pinions taking into racks on the sides of the
spuds, the lower ends of which rest on the ground, so that when the
water falls the vessel will rest on the vertical spuds, which are tem-
porarily but firmly secured to the platform or framing. The drills pass
down through tubes fixed in a cross framing which serves as a guide for
the drills and also for the vertical spuds. The tubes protect the
drills from the pressure of the current. The drills may also be
raised and revolved automatically by means of rotating cams, tappets,
or other equivalent devices which act upon a rotating tube and collar
on the drill shaft. Any one of the gang of drills may be detached or
lifted out of work and maintained in that position by a clutch arrange-
ment, and may be replaced when required without stopping or inter-
fering with the operation of the other drills. The drill proper may be
fixed at the end of a compound spindle or shaft consisting of a tubular
shell and solid spindle with the devices above-named 'for lifting or
working it. The cross frame is capable of being raised or lowered as
may be required by means of chains or other gearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 11th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the time 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 SUBMARINE DRILLING APPARATUS," being a communication
to me from abroad by Samuel Lewis and William MacFarlane, both of
Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
my executors or administrators, by an. instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the 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 Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
:-
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a vertical longitudinal section of a vessel to which
the improved apparatus has been attached; Fig. 2, Sheet II., is a
vertical cross section of the same taken through the line x, x, Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, Sheet II., is a detailed sectional view taken through the line y, y,
Fig. 1; Fig. 4, Sheet II., is a front view of the mechanism for raising
and supporting the vessel or platform; Fig. 5, Sheet II., is a vertical
section of the same taken through the line z, z, Fig. 4; Fig. 6, Sheet II.,
is a horizontal section of the same taken through the line v, v, Fig. 5;
Fig. 7, Sheet III., is a plan view of the guide frame or rack; Fig. 8,
Sheet III., is an enlarged detail view of three of the drills shewing the
mechanism by means of which they are raised and rotated, parts being
broken away to show the construction; Fig. 9, Sheet III., is a detail view
of the same, partly in section, taken through the line u, u, Fig. 8;
Fig. 10, Sheet III., is a top view of the clutch for raising and holding
the drills to allow them to be detached while the other drills are being
operated; Fig. 11, Sheet III., is a detail in longitudinal section of the
lower part of one of the spuds or vertical anchors.
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved submarine

page_text: arnung apparatus which shall be so constructed and arranged that the
vessel, raft, or platform that supports the operating mechanism may be
raised and supported so as to be unaffected by the ebb and flow of the
tide and the force of the current, so that the drilling may be continued
whatever be the state of the water; and which shall also be so con-
structed that the drills may be raised and revolved automatically, and at
the same time any one of the gang of drills may be detached and
replaced without stopping or interfering with the operation of the other
drills.
And the Invention also consists in the construction and combination
of the various parts of the apparatus as herein-after more fully
described.
A represents the vessel, raft, or platform to which the apparatus is
attached, and which is made with an opening or holes through it, as
shewn in Fig. 2, for the passage of the drills and tubes; B, are the spuds
or vertical archors, which pass down through holes in the body of the
vessel or platform A. The lower ends of the spuds B are shod with iron
and are provided with steel points to enable them to take a firmer hold
upon the bottom. To one side of the spuds B is attached a toothed
rack C, into the teeth of which mesh the teeth of the gear wheel D (see
Fig. 6), by which the spuds are raised and lowered and also the vessel or
platform A, when the ends of the said spuds have reached and rest upon
the bottom. The gear wheel D is attached to a short shaft E, to which
shaft is also attached a larger gear wheel F, the teeth of which mesh
into the teeth of the small gear wheel G attached to the short shaft H.
To the shaft H is also attached a large gear wheel I, the teeth of which
mesh into the teeth of the small gear wheel J, which slides upon the
shafting K and is thrown into and out of gear with the gear wheel I by
operating the lever clutch L. The line of shafting K extends all around
the vessel or platform and is connected with the engine in any ordinary
M is a toothed clutch which gears into the rack C. Upon the
ends of the toothed clutch block M are attached arms N, between the
outer ends of which upon the opposite side of the spuds B from the
rack C is pivotted an excentric or cam roller O provided with a lever
handle P, so that by partially revolving the said excentric O the clutch
block M may be thrown into gear with the rack C of the spud B so as
to rigidly connect the spud and platform and firmly support the said
platform however much it may be raised. The clutch M, N, O, P, is
manner.

page_text: securely connected with the framework surrounding the spud, and con-
nected with the vessel or platform A by the pivotted bars Q, R, S, so that
the said clutch may move freely while being thrown into and out of gear.
T is a pinion wheel sliding upon the shaft K and provided with a lever
clutch U, by means of which it is thrown into and out of gear with the
large gear wheel V attached to the shaft, cylinder, or drum W. The
cylinder W is provided with a ratchet wheel X and pawl Y, by which
it is securely held in any position into which it may be revolved. To
the drum or cylinder W is attached one end of the chain Z, which
extends down through a guide tube in the vessel or platform A, and the
lower end of which is attached to the frame or rack A', so that the said
frame may be easily raised, lowered, and held suspended close to or at
any desired distance below the bottom of the vessel or platform A. The
frame or rack is formed of longitudinal, transverse, and inclined or brace
timbers securely framed and bolted to cach other, and bound and
strengthened where required by iron straps or plates, as shewn in Fig. 7..
The spuds B pass through holes in the frame A¹ so as to hold the said
frame secure and stationary when adjusted in position, the play of the
frame A¹ upon the spuds B being prevented by a friction roller pivotted
in one end of the slots or holes through which the spuds pass, and by a.
toothed friction roller pivotted in the other end of the slots. The teeth
of this friction roller mesh into the teeth of the racks C. B' are tubes.
the lower ends of which pass through holes in the timbers of the rack
or frame A¹, and are supported by having collars formed upon them.
which rest upon the upper sides of the timbers of the frame or rack A',
so that the tubes may not only he supported by the frame A' but may be
raised and lowered by and with the frame if desired. The upper ends of
the tubes B' extend up through the opening or holes in the vessel or
platform A or through holes in a rack or frame secured in said opening,
at or a little above the water line of the vessel or platform. The
tubes B' are made of such a size that the drills O¹ may pass through.
and work in them freely, and should be made in sections so that their
length may be regulated according to the depth of water in which
the drilling is to be done. The drill shaft c¹ should also be made in
sections so that its length may be regulated as required. In the
lower part or section of the shaft c¹ is formed a socket having a steel
plug or hammer block secured in its upper end; c is the stem of
the drill which enters the socket in the lower part of the shaft c¹; where
limited by a pin
it is kept from revolving and its vertical movement

page_text: may
passing through the upper part of the stem c², and through longitudinal
slots in the sides of the hollow or perforated lower part of the shaft c¹.
In the lower end of the stem e is formed a screw hole or socket, into
which screws the upper end of the drill proper c³, so that the said part
may be readily detached when required for convenience in replacing it
with another drill when the drill is dulled or broken. The drills C¹ are
made longer than the tubes B¹ so as to project above said tubes, and
pass up through holes in the timbers of the framework D', with which
frame is connected the mechanism by means of which the drills are
raised, rotated, and dropped to make a stroke. E¹ is a tube through
which the drills C₁ pass, and which passes through and works freely in
sleeves or bushing placed in the holes in the timbers of the frame D'.
Upon the middle part of the tube E¹ is formed or to it is securely
attached a collar F, against which the cams act by which the tube E' is
raised and rotated. The upper end of the tube E¹ is enlarged, which
enlargement by striking against the timbers of the frame D' stops
the descent of the tubes, and prevents their dropping down too far.
To the enlarged upper ends of the tubes E¹ are pivotted two or more
excentrics or cams G'in such positions that their inner ends rest
against the drills C', as shewn in Fig. 8. The outer ends of the
excentrics G¹ are held up, holding the inner ends of the said excentrics
against the drill C³, by small springs g¹, which springs will not be re-
quired in large machines, the weight of the excentrics themselves in
such case being sufficient to hold them in proper position. In the
outer ends of the excentrics or levers G are pivotted small friction
wheels or rollers to diminish the friction when the said ends strike
against the plate H' swivelled to a sleeve I' through which the drill C
passes, and which passes through and is secured to the timbers of the
frame D¹ by set screws or other convenient means. By this con-
struction as the tubes E are raised and revolved by the action of the
cams upon the collars F" as the ends of the excentrics G¹ come in con-
tact with the swivelled plate H', they carry the said plate with them
in their revolution, and at the same time they are depressed, raising their
inner ends away from the drill C, and allowing the said drill to drop,
making the stroke as the cams pass away from the collar F", the tubes
E drop to their former position ready to again raise and rotate the drills
for another stroke. J¹ are the cams by which the drills C₁ are raised and
rotated, and which are attached to the shafts K' which pass longitu-
dinally through and revolve in bearings in the frame D. To the pro-

page_text: jeeting ends of the shafts K' are attached bevil gear wheels L¹ the teeth
of which mesh into the bevil gear wheels M attached to the shaft N', to
which power is applied from the engine in any convenient manner.
The
frame D' rests and slides laterally upon ways attached to the vessel or plat-
form A as it is moved by the screws O' swivelled to supports attached to
the vessel or platform A and passing through nuts attached to the said
frame D¹. The screws O¹ are connected with each other by a longitudinal
shaft P', so that they may be operated at the same time and equally for
moving the said frame back and forth. The shaft P¹ may be revolved to
move the frame D' by a hand crank or from the engine as may be desired or
convenient; Q is a catch pivotted to the frame D' and hanging in such a
position that its hook or shoulder may catch upon the collar F¹, said
shoulder or hook being made inclined so that when left free the said collar
will push the said hook back and will not be held by it. R¹ is a cord
attached to the hook or catch Q' passing over guide pulleys and extending
down into such a position that it may be conveniently reached and operated
by the attendant. By this device when the tube E' has been raised to its
highest point by drawing down upon the cord R¹ the inclined hook Q¹
will be forced beneath the collar F¹ and will slightly raise the tube E¹,
and hold it suspended so that the collar F¹ can no longer be operated
upon by the cams J'. This enables any one of the drills to be stopped
whenever desired without interfering with the operation of the other
drills; S is a clutch box provided with a handle T, and in the end
of which, farthest from the handle T, is pivotted a friction wheel U¹,
the face of which is grooved to correspond with the drill O'. In the
other end of the box S¹ is pivotted a lever V₁ having two cams
formed upon its forward end. The lever V₁ is held up by a
spring attached to the handle T and pressing against the lever V¹.
The open side of the box S¹ may be closed with a door if desired.
This clutch is to be placed upon the drills C₁ between the lower ends
of the tubes E¹ and the upper ends of the tubes B¹ and between two
longitudinal timbers of the frame D¹. When thus placed when the
drills C are raised by the excentrics G the clutch S, T, U, V, will hold
it from dropping down, so that it will be raised higher and higher by the
successive movements of the tubes E¹ and their attachments. This
enables the drills to be raised from the tubes B¹ by the same mechanism
and by the same movements by which they are operated to drill the
rock. By bearing down upon the handle or outer end of the lever V¹
the lower cam of said lever will be. made to bear against the drill,

page_text: allowing it to be conveniently lowered to its place. W is a sleeve or
short tube through which the drill C¹ passes, and which rests upon the
upper end of the tube or sleeve I' and is provided with a set screw w',
so that when the drills C₁ have been elevated to the desired height
they may be secured in such a position by the said set screw. This
enables the lower parts c³ of the drills to be conveniently and safely
removed and replaced with a new part without stopping the other drills
or interfering with their working. It also enables the drills to be
conveniently raised out of the tubes B' and securely held while moving
the frame D¹ back to allow the tubes B' and the rack A' to be raised, or
while moving it forward to replace the drills. The vessel or platform A
is secured in position by quarter anchors, to which side anchors may be
added when necessary. This construction enables the vessel or platform
to be warped away from the place where the drilling has been done when
the blasting is to be done and again warped back to its former position.
It also enables the position of the vessel or platform to be conveniently
shifted for drilling another set of holes.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention as com-
municated to me from my foreign correspondent, and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,—
First. The combination of a vessel or platform with spuds or vertical
anchors so that the weight of the said vessel or platform may be mado
to bear upon said spuds, and at the same time be raised clear of the current,
for the purpose set forth.
Second. The clutch composed of the parts M, N, O, P, Q, R, S,
constructed as shown and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The guide rack or frame A connecting and embracing the lower
ends of the spuds or vertical anchors B and connecting and supporting
the lower ends of the guide tubes B', constructed and operating as herein
described.
Fourth. The tubes B' as guides for the drills and a protection against
the pressure of the current when combined with the rack or frame A', as
herein described.
Fifth. Connecting the lower parts of the spuds or vertical anchors B'
by means of an adjustable frame that may be raised and lowered as
required, for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Sixth. The excentrics G³, drill C¹, sliding rotating tube E', collar F',
cam J, and swivelled disc H or their or either of their substantial
equivalents in combination with each other and with the frame D',
substantially as herein described.
Seventh. The revolving disc H in combination with the excentrics G¹
attached to the sliding and. rotating tube E', as herein described and for
the purpose set forth.
Eighth. The clutch S, T, U, V, constructed substantially as herein
described when used for raising and lowering the drills, as and for the
purposes set forth.
Ninth. The sleeve W₁ and set screw w' in combination with the drills
C¹ and tube I' or frame D¹, as herein described.
Tenth. The hook or catch Q' constructed and operating in connection
with the collar F of the sliding and rotating tube E', substantially as
herein described
Eleventh. The drills C₁ formed by the combination of the sectional
part or shaft c¹, stem c², sliding in the lower section of said part c¹ and
the drill proper c³ with each other, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.