IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRILLING, BORING, OR EXCAVATING ROCK OR OTHER EARTHY SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Smith Crease, of No. 17, Gracechurch Street,
in the City of London, Mining Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR DRILLING, BORING, OR EXCAVATING ROCK OR OTHER EARTHY
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 15th August 1862, and dated the 21st February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Smith Crease
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st February 1862.
I, EDWARD SMITH CREASE, of No. 17, Gracechurch Street, in the City of
London, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRILLING, BORING, OR EXCAVATING ROCK OR
OTHER EARTHY SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
In perforating rock or other hard substance, instead of striking the boring
tool or drill with a hammer, I propose to effect the same by means of a
cylinder and piston with a suitable hammer head attached to the piston rod
to strike the head of the boring tool or other instrument which is held in
suitable guides, the boring tool to be either connected with the hammer head,
or it may be affixed to it. Motion is to be given to the piston by steam or
any other motive power through an arrangement of self-acting valves. I also
give a jumping rotative motion to the drill or other instrument by means of
the hammer head if attached to it, or if not connected to it by means of

page_text: tappets on the hammer head communicating the necessary motion through
levers to a ratchet wheel on the head of the tool. I also apply a self-acting
arrangement by which the cylinder, piston, and hammer head are steadily
advanced as the tool progresses in its work by the following means:-The
slide valve rod which works the slide valve for admitting steam to the cylinder
I carry right through the slide valve chest, and to the upper end of the rod I
attach a lever, which acts at every alternate motion of the valve rod upon a
ratchet wheel mounted upon the top of the cylinder, which ratchet wheel has
on its face a cam or shape which transmits the motion through another lever to
a ratchet wheel attached to a screw working in bearings at the top and bottom
flange of the cylinder. The screw passes through a nut attached to the
guides, in which the cylinder and hammer head are free to travel. The shape
or cam on the first ratchet wheel is so constructed that motion is only trans-
mitted to the screw at the completion of every half revolution of the boring
tool. Upon the necessary motion being given to the screw, and so causing it
to travel a certain distance through the nut, it of course carries the cylinder,
piston, and hammer head a corresponding distance in the guides. The
rate of progress is easily adjustable by means of a set screw, which is so
applied as to increase or decrease at pleasure the travel of the lever, which
acts upon the screw, and so of course increasing or decreasing the travel of
the screw in a corresponding degree. The rate of progress will, of course,
depend upon the substance which is being worked. I mount the whole upon
a frame so constructed that it can be worked either vertical, horizontal, or at
any angle which may be required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Smith Crease in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
SMITH CREASE, of 17, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London, Mining
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Smith Crease, Her special licence that I, the
said Edward Smith Crease, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or

page_text: such others as I, the said Edward Smith Crease, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRILLING, BORING, OR EXCAVATING
ROCK OR OTHER EARTHY SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Edward Smith Crease, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that the said Edward Smith Crease, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-
In perforating rocks or other hard substances, instead of striking the boring
tool or drill with a hammer, I propose to effect the same by means of a
cylinder and piston with a suitable hammer head attached to the piston rod to
strike the head of the boring tool or other instrument, which is held in
suitable guides, the boring tool to be either disconnected with the hammer
head, or it may be affixed to it. Motion is to be given to the piston by steam
or any other motive power through an arrangement of self-acting valves. I
also give a jumping rotative motion to the drill or other instrument by means
of the hammer head, or by means of tappits communicating the necessary
motion through levers to a ratchet wheel on the head of the tool. I also
apply a self-acting arrangement by which the cylinder, piston, and hammer
head are steadily advanced as the tool progresses in its work by the following
means: The slide valve rod which works the slide valve for admitting steam
to the cylinder I carry right through the slide valve chest and to the upper
end of the rod 1 attach a lever, which acts at every alternate motion of the
valve rod upon a ratchet wheel mounted upon the top of the cylinder, which
ratchet wheel has upon its face a cam or shape which transmits the motion
through another lever to a ratchet wheel attached to a screw working
in bearings at the top and bottom flange of the cylinder; this screw passes.
through a nut attached to the guides in which the cylinder and hammer head.
are free to travel. The shape or cam on the first mentioned ratchet wheel is
so constructed that motion is only transmitted to the screw at the completion

page_text: of every half revolution of the boring tool. Upon the necessary motion being
given to the screw, and so causing it to travel a certain distance through the
nut, it of course carries the cylinder, piston, and hammer head a corresponding
distance in the guides. The rate of progress is easily adjustable by means of
a set screw, which is so applied as to increase or decrease at pleasure the
travel of the lever, which acts upon the screw, and so of course increasing or
decreasing the travel of the screw in a corresponding degree. The rate of
progress will of course depend upon the substance being worked. I mount
the whole upon a suitable frame so constructed that it can be worked either
vertical, horizontal, or at any angle which may be required.
In order more clearly to illustrate the nature of my Invention, and show
how the same is constructed and acts, I have to this Specification appended
the accompanying Drawings, which are only intended, however, to shew the
leading principles of my Invention, and how the same acts, as the mode of
applying and working the same must be modified and altered to suit the
peculiar situation in which it may be placed, and the kind of material to be
acted upon; also various modifications and substitutions may be introduced
Jong as
the uninciple is matained

page_text: to which is connected the boring tool M. Immediately above and below the
hammer head C are fixed 2 shapes G, G; the bottom one is of a conical
form as it revolves with the wheel or hammer head C and the boring tool M.
These shapes G, G, communicate the necessary alternate motion to the
slide valve rod K by acting upon the levers H, H, H, H, in the manner
shewn in the Drawing; one end of the levers H, H, being attached to the
slide valve rod, as shewn at a, a, the other end b, b, being connected to the
side frames I, I. Upon the shape G acting upon the levers at c, the distance
between the points a and b is of course lengthened alternately, and so com-
municating the necessary motion to the slide valve rod K. On the rod K is
fixed a shape d, which every time the rod is lifted forces out a stud e, which
acting upon the toothed wheel c, causes it and the boring tool connected to
it to revolve at every stroke the same distance that the teeth on the wheel or
hammer head c are out of the perpendicular. On the stud e is, a spiral
spring f, which causes the stud e to return to its normal position upon the
depression of the slide valve rod K, and thus preventing it coming in contact
with the wheel C during the down stroke of the piston rod. The upper end
of the slide valve rod K, which passes right through the slide valve chest, as
shewn in section in Fig. 3, acts upon a ratchet wheel N (through the medium
of the lever m), which ratchet wheel has upon its inner face a shape or
cam g, which acts upon a lever h, to which is attached an india-rubber or
spiral spring i, which at every complete revolution of the wheel N causes the
lever h to return, and so by acting upon the ratchet wheel 0 (through the
medium of the lever n) on the end of the screw P, passing through the nut Q,
causes the cylinder, boring tool, &c., to advance in the guides F a distance
corresponding to the distance traversed through the nut by the screw. The
small set screws are for the purpose of adjusting the rate of progress, as it
is evident that by their use you can allow the levers m and n to act upon one
or more teeth of the ratchet wheels N and O, according to the description of
the material being worked. The machine in the Drawing is placed vertically
for convenience, but it will be easily seen that it can be worked in any position
or direction.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how the same is
constructed and acts, I now state that I claim and wish secured to me by the
before in part recited Letters Patent,-
First, the application and use of steam or other agent as a motive power
when applied by any machine to actuate tools used for boring or perforating
rocks or other earthy substances, substantially as herewithin described and set
forth in the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Secondly, the use of a moveable cylinder in combination with a moveable
piston and hammer actuated by means of steam or other motive power in
such a manner as to give successive blows to a drill or borer used in perfo-
rating rocks and other earthy substances, the said drill being made to rotate
by mechanical arrangements, substantially as herewithin described and set
forth in the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly, the application and use of self-acting mechanical arrangements
for advancing the cylinder and piston as the work progresses, substantially as
herewithin described and set forth in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Smith Crense, have hereunto
:set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
HENRY G. WILLIAMS,
Cambrian Foundry,
Aberystwith.
(L.S.) EDW. S. CREASE.