A METHOD TO CUT AND EXCAVATE EARTH
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
VAUGHAN PALMER, of the Parish of St. Peter's, in the City of Worcester, Artist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Eighth day of June, in the eleventh year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said George Vaughan Palmer, His espe-
cial licence that I, the said George Vaughan Palmer, my exors, admors,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said George Vaughan Palmer, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Ma-
jesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A METHOD TO
CUT AND EXCAVATE EARTH;" in which said Letters Patent is contained &
proviso that I, the said George Vaughan Palmer, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Vaughan Palmer, do hereby describe the manner in which my said

page_text: Invention is to be performed, by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):
:-
My method of cutting and excavating earth consists in the manner herein-
after described of adapting knives or cutters of a suitable shape and size to ex-
cavate any depth and width required (in proportion to the motive power); there-
fore, whatever breadth and depth the engine is intended to excavate (at one
time) will determine the size of the knives or cutters intended to be used. But
my Drawing represents a row of them to cut out three feet wide and eighteen
inches in depth. The engine operates by the combined powers of cranks 3
(turned with circular motions by winch handles or otherwise) connected to
levers and beams u, to the one end of which beams 2 is applied the motion
derived from the cranks 3; and to the other ends of the beams u is attached
sharp instruments v, called knives and pickers, which the beams u when in
motion strike downwards, cutting the whole breadth and depth of the face
of earth they are applied to. On each rising of the beams u the engine is
made to advance forward on a railway by means of a chain y, wheel d, and
pinions 2, which advancing motion is locked (by a pall 2 dropping between
the teeth of a spur wheel x attached to the carriage wheel a) during the act
of cutting. The earth thus cut falling to the bottom of the excavation is
taken up by receivers or boxes n, which taking up is assisted by a drag or
scraper w, whose motion is similar to that which is described by a man
when using a pickaxe, and in some soils it may be made to accomplish
the work without the use of the front knives v. The boxes n when filled are
conveyed up an inclined plane f or frame (by means of an endless chain m),
emptying themselves when at top into any vehicle which may be placed to
receive their contents, and returning underneath the inclined frame to the
bottom ready for the next supply. When an engine has to commence cutting
through a plane, it would then be first requisite to make a cavity (by manual
operation) of the above dimensions, and of sufficient length to receive the
engine, thus preparing a face of earth for it to act upon, and when the engine
is put in motion it continues cutting any length required. The Figure repre-
sents the whole engine suspended from the axletrees 6 of the wheels a, a,
resting on a railway, but when suspension is not necessary the carriage wheels
may be placed underneath the inclined frame, the whole engine would then
rest on the earth's surface.
My Drawing shews the manner in which the knives, pickers, and scrapers
are placed when used in conjunction, but there are cases when each will be
used separately without the aid of the other two, as the nature of the work

page_text: may suggest, and then I describe as follows:-When half pickers only are
used, I remove the knives and scrapers and attach my half pickers to the
same fastenings that the scrapers åre taken from, for, as I have before stated,
their motion being similar to that of a man using a pickaxe, or forming part
of a circle, they will consequently cut and drag the earth without the use
of knives or scrapers. When I use the Fig. 4, in form like unto the letter S
(which I call a complete picker), in such case the motion given to it will be
a complete circle. The rods 4 being removed, the beams it are then made
stationary (by a bolt passing through one end of the beams), and the pickers
are mounted at the other ends of the beams. I then connect those revolving
pickers Fig..4' by a chain from the stud wheel ġ on the fly-wheel shaft, or
to the stud wheel d, which drives the forward motion; the revolving pickers,
Fig. 4, then perform their work by a rotatory motion describing a complete
circle. When the knives or scrapers are used only or separately, they remain
in the relative situation which is 'assigned to them in the Drawing.
The dimensions of an engine may be varied in its proportions to suit any
power required according to the width and depth the knives may be made or
required to cut. The construction of the boxes u bears some resemblance to
those of the drudging machine, but the principal features in which they differ
are in their shape and application, those in the drudging machine being
employed to dredge up sediment from the bottom of rivers; &c., but mine to
take up each previously prepared by cutting. In shape the boxes of the
drudging machine may be compared to a coal scuttle; mine are formed of the
planes of two parallelograms joined on their longest sides at right angles. Note,
I have spoken of the power being applied at the winch handle, but it is to be
noted that the rods 4 are intended to be applied at either end of the beams, as
may be required. When the rods 4 are attached to that end of the beams to
which the knives or prickers are fixed, it may be.done by means of a perpendi-
cular connecting rod. As the engine travels on a railway it answers a double
purpose, as the carts convey away their loads by the railway and return back
empty by its side. I have before remarked, that the carriage is stationary
while cutting and advances during the time the knives or cutters are ascend-
ing; this is effected by a pall or detent 2, which is risen by the revolving of
the pinion z, which advances the carriage one or two cogs of the wheel x at a
time, as the nature of the soil may require. And the said engine is so con-
structed that by the revolution of a pinion (which in my Drawing shews.
the cogs only placed opposite to each other) that it is the lowest cog which
propels the spur wheel which is fixed to the inner side of one of the fore:
carriage wheels a which revolves on a fixed axletree b in the usual way.

page_text: In the general combination or construction of the whole engine as applied
to horse-engine power (see Figures 1 and 2) a, a, represent the carriage
wheels; b, the axletrees; c, the framework made fast to the axletrees by means
of bolts and nuts. The studded wheel d, which makes the forward motion, is
mounted on that framework, which is fastened to the inclined planė f, and
to the axles 6, by means of bolts and nuts, and on which framework the
shaft g of the fly wheel h is supported. On the upper end of the inclined
frame is a shaft k, on which are the three studded wheels 1, 1, 1, on two of
which the chain m and boxes n' revolve round. The external studded wheel
on the shaft k has an endless chain o connected to the fly wheel h and shaft g,
which drives the endless chain m and its boxes n along the inclined frame.
At the lower end of the inclined frame is a roller v, around which the chain m
and boxes n also move. s is an iron projecting plate to keep the earth
from escaping laterally from being taken up by the boxes t, t, the bearing
on which rest the centres of the seams u. At the ends of the beams are the
knives or cutters v; w, the drag or scrapers. A spur wheel is attached
to the carriage wheel a, which is worked by (motion given by the chain y
attached to the shaft of the fly wheel h) to the studded wheel d and pinion
of the shaft 1, which when in motion propels the whole engine forward
between each cutting; while the pinion z is performing this office, it lifts and
falls the pall 2 out and in the interstices of the teeth of the spur wheel a.
On each end of the fly-wheel shaft is a crank 3, from which are two con-
necting rods 4 to the beam ends u, on which the knives or cutters are fixed.
Figure 3 is a front view of the row of knives and pickers connected together
with bolts and ferules. A, a side view of a picker and knife with the holes
shewing where they are bolted, having a ferule between each knife. Figure 4,
a complete picker in shape somewhat like the letter S. Note, a half picker
is in shape like half a complete picker..
In witness whereof, I, the said George Vaughan Palmer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1830, the aforesaid George Vaughan Palmer came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty.