IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING OR CONSTRUCTING OF CHAINS FOR PITS, SHAFTS, MINES, OR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1839

page_text: HORTON AND SMITH'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, WC, THOMAS
HORTON, of Prince's End, in the Parish of Tipton, in the County of Stafford,
Boiler and Gasometer Manufacturer, and THOMAS SMITH, of Horseley Heath,
in the same Parish and County, Mine Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria the First,
by Iler Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
late at Westminster, the Sixth day of March, in the second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Horton and Thomas Smith, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said Thomas Horton and Thomas Smith, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, and every of us, by ourselves or by our deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as we, the said Thomas Horton and Thomas Smith,
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of four,
teen years from the date thereof, as therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING OR
CONSTRUCTING OF CHAINS FOR PITS, SHAFTS, MINES, OR OTHER PURPOSES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said Thomas
Horton and Thomas Smith, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under our or one of our hands and seals, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being had thereto, will uioru
fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Thomas Horton and Thomas Smith, do declare the nature of our said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
Our Invention consists in the application of flat wrought-iron plates to
chains used for mining and other purposes in such way that the links of such
chains are more securely connected and supported, as will be hereafter
particularly described. The flat iron chains now ordinarily used for raising
coals and other minerals from pits and mines are of so complicated a con-
struction that they are frequently out of order and require to be repaired,
occasioning thereby great loss and inconvenience. And, moreover, the mode
, of connecting the links is such, that these chains are apt to break, occasioning
.not unfrequently loss of life, and at all times creating distrust and fear in the
miners and others using them. Our object is to introduce at once greater
simplicity and more perfect security, and with this view we make our chains
in the following manner :-We take solid wrought iron plates of the form,
size, and thickness shewn by the Drawing hereunto annexed and therein
described as Figure 1, in or through which, by meas of machinery, we punch
or stamp six round or square holes, as shewn in such Figure by the letters
A, A, A; into these holes we insert or admit the links marked Bat Figure 2,
which are formed of round, flat, or square rolled iron, strongly and accurately
welded, and by this arrangement the use of rivets of any kind, which is the
weak part of the flat chains now in use, is altogether avoided. The size of
the links as described in the Drawing is in just proportion to the plates therein
also described; but the dimensions of both may be varied as occasion may
require, and so as to adapt them to the particular purpose to which the chain
is to be applied. Figure 3 is a stay C formed of wood placed between the links
B, B, B, with small wrought iron stubbs towards the extremities thereof marked
D, the use of which is to keep the said links firm in their position. Figure 4
gives a lateral or edge view of a portion of the chain as put together; and
Figure 5 shews the flat part of a portion of the chain in a finished state. In
all these Figures the same letters are used to denote the same parts. It is to
be understood, that although we have here shewn only three square holes or.
openings at each end of the flat wrought iron plates for connecting the links of
the chain together with stays of wood and iron stubbs for keeping such links
in their proper position, we do not confine ourselves to this number, neither
do we limit ourselves to the precise size or form of the plates, holes, links, or

page_text: stays shewn in the annexed Drawing, or to any average weight per yard of
such chains when completed, as variations in this respect may be made, effecting
the object of our Patent without deviating from the principle of the Invention.
For instance, four links instead of three may be connected with such wrought-
iron plates by an equal number of holes stamped or pressed through the said
plates in the manner herein-before described; or the holes may be round instead
of square, and the links may be made of round instead of square, or flat rod
or hammered iron, or any other substance effectual as a stay may be used in the
place of the wooden stays shewn by Figure 3. At present, however, we prefer
the chain as shewn entire at Figure 5, both as to construction and dimensions,
apprehending that thereby lightness may be obtained with the requisite
strength. And we would have it understood that we lay no claim to the
rolling of the iron intended to be used either for such plates or links, nor to
the shape or manner of preparing the stays, nor to any of the parts separately;
but what we do lay claim to as our Invention is the application of wrought-
iron plates, with holes stamped therethrough in any form, instead of rivets or
welding to the links of flat chains, to be used either for pits, shafts, mines, or
other purposes, whereby the links, with or without the aid of stays made of
wood or other substance, may be firmly secured and kept in the proper position
for forming a flat chain, whatever the number or form of the links or of the
holes into which they are inserted.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Horton and Thomas Smith,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of
August, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.