IMPROVEMENTS IN COLLECTING AND RAISING STONE OR SUBSTANCES FROM BELOW WATER
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, WILLIAM
ROBINSON MULLEY and GEORGE MASON, junior, of Ipswich, Contractors, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Robinson Mulley and George Mason, junior, our executors, adiiors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that we, the said William Robinson Mulley and George Mason, our exors,
adiñors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Robinson Mulley
and George Mason, our exors, adñiors, 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 the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COLLECTING AND RAISING STONE OR SUBSTANCES
FROM BELOW WATER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
that we, the said William Robinson Mulley and George Mason, junior, or
one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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 in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will moro fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Robinson Mulley and George Mason, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
Our Invention is chiefly intended for raising cement stone from below water
off West Rock, near Harwich, or other places similarly circumstanced, which
at present is performed by sailing vessels, the dredging bags being raised by
manual labor. Now the object of our Invention is to apply the power of
steam in a suitable vessel to drag dredging bags and to raise them and cement
stone or other matters collected thereby into the vessel.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, we will proceed
to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Drawing A, Figure 1, shows a vessel worked by a usual marine steam
engine. a, a, are chains attached to the after paddle beam b, and to the dredge
c at the ends marked 'd, d. The dredge c (see plan, marked A, Figure 2,)
consists of a strong wrought-iron frame, in the shape shewn in the Drawing A,
Figure 2, the eilge at e being slightly curved, and steeled, and made thin at the
outer edge, the more readily to collect. Securely fastened to the frame or
dredge c is a bag of chain network f (occasionally lined to prevent substances
passing through it, intended to receive and retain the substances collected.
At the extremity of the bag a provision is made, more readily to discharge the
substances collected, by two bars g. 9, passing through the rings of the bag,f,
which are secured at one end by an eye, sec h, at the end y; one of the rods,
into which the other slides; the other end i is secured by a double joint passing
round the end and over the eye j, through which, to retain it'in that: position,
a small piece of chain or pin is passed, which admits of its 'being readily
disengaged. The form and length of the frame gives great facilities 'in
removing and collecting stones or substances, and the chains being attached
at the points d, d, to the' frame, give considerable leverage.
By reference to Figure B, the mode in which the dredge c'is' raised is seen
k is the hoisting chain, passing over a sheave at the gib-head, and to the
windlass m. Motion is given to the windlass m by 'the pinion on paddle
shaft working into the wheel o. Upon the same shaft as the wheel o is

page_text: attched a suitable rigger p, which works the endless rag chain 7 on a similar
rigger, and thereby gives motion to the windlass m, upon which the hoisting
chain is wound. The machinery is arranged so that when the dredge and
bag c, f, is hoisted sufliciently high to discharge its contents into the vessel
the motion of the windlass m is stopped by the lever s, operated upon by the
hoisting chain k, passing through a collar, to which small chains are brought,
operating on the lever, whereby the clutch which connects the moving power
with the pinion n is disengaged. The windlass m is retained in its position by
a break wheel.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with for performing the same, we would have it understood that
we do not confine ourselves to the details shewn, so long as the peculiar
character of our Invention be retained; but what we claim is, the applying
or adapting steam power on board a suitable vessel for dragging and raising
dredging bags.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Robinson Mulley and George
Mason, junior, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and forty-five.
Enrolled the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-five.