MENTS IN STREET CLEANERS AND SNOW REMOVERS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1883. Commu-
nicated to him from abroad by Andrew Jackson Reynolds of Chicago in the
State of Illinois in the United States of America
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STREET CLEANERS AND SNOW REMOVERS. A communication to me from
abroad by Andrew Jackson Reynolds of Chicago in the State of Illinois in the
United States of America
One object of this invention is to construct a street cleaner which will in the
act of sweeping the street load the dust and dirt or snow into the wagon ready to
be hauled away so as to dispense with the loading of the dirt or snow into carts
by men with shovels after the same has been swept into the sides of tho street as
is now done; and it consists in combining a wagon and a street sweeper into one
with appropriate mechanism for operating the same as will be more fully described
hereafter.
The improved street cleaner is made with a close or covered box of any desired
length and width, and it is placed on large wheels and so that the bottom will lie
very near to the ground. In this way the dust and dirt do not need to be lifted
very high from the ground to be thrown into the wagon. The floor of the wagon
box is made of pivotted sections and a lever is attached so that it can be opened
and closed and shaken like the bars of a grate when it is desired to dump the load
of dirt. Toward the rear end of the wagon box is placed an endless elevator which
operates around drums for carrying anything, that may be deposited in the same,
up and depositing it in the wagon box. This elevator is operated by means of a
sprocket wheel and a chain passing around another sprocket wheel on an upper
drum. At the lower end of the elevator is placed a jointed shoe which drags on
the ground just in front of the revolving brush or broom. This brush is suspended
on a shaft in bearings in the rear part of the wagon box and is revolved by means
of a pulley. It sweeps the dirt and dust up onto the shoe and elevator whence it
is carried forward and deposited in the wagon box. To lift this brush and shoo
from the ground when not in use a lever is provided. To loosen the dirt
preparatory to removal by the brush a pivotted toothed rake is employed which

page_text: precedes the broom and loosens, spreads and pulverizes the hard and beaten dirt.
A lever is employed to raise this during transportation or while the machine is not
in use.
In use the clevator, may be dispensed with. In this case the revolving
brush should be run at a bigh rate of speed so as to throw the dust and dirt well
forward into the wagon bed. This rapid revolution of the brush will be found
fully sufficient to load the dirt into the forward part of the wagon bed in all
ordinary cases without the use of the elevator.
To remove the dirt from the side gutters of the street a cross elevator is placed
in the forward part of the wagon. When in operation this elevator and the
revolving brush or broom move transversely to the direction of the wagon. The
When the wagon
elevator is operated by means of sprocket wheel and pinions.
is being driven from place to place the revolving brush or broom and the jointed
shoe may be turned up, or it may be raised and lowered to pass obstructions in the
gutter. The portion of the bed body in which this cross elevator and brush work
may be extended so that the bed body at that point is wider than elsewhere.
use of this cross carrier is much facilitated by the omission of the elevator first
above described.
The
Some of the advantages that are secured in this improved street cleaner are that
the very operation of sweeping the street loads the dirt and dust into the wagon
ready for removal instead of sweeping it into the gutters and removing it in
_ separate carts with men and shovels; the wagon being covered close except the
small space where the brush operates; the wagon can be operated..and the street_
cleaned as readily and conveniently in the day time without interruption of
business as in the night; and from the simple construction of the machine but one
-man-is required in the operation of street cleaning instead of a gang.
In some cases the elevators are entirely dispensed with and the side brushes are
employed to sweep the contents of the gutters into the track of the rear brush
which latter sweeps the dirt and dust up into the wagon, and in order to enable
the car to be readily filled and the contents thereof to be discharged when desired
a series of suspended floors or trays are employed which are capable of rosting
closely on each other at the bottom of the wagon near the ground and when each
has received its load it is raised so as to carry it up into the wagon and allow the
next floor or tray to receive its load and so on until all are loaded, these suspended
floors or trays are placed within a suspended inner case capable of being raised and
lowered within the outer case or body of the wagon. The inner suspended case is
provided with a series of spring stops or catches which are capable of moving out
of the way to permit of the ascent of the floors or trays and the latter are formed
in two parts hinged together at the centre so that when it is desired to discharge
their contents they are in succession lowered and in doing so the spring stops or
catches will for a time prevent the descent of their outer edges the floors will then
open in the centre and thereby discharge their loads. The inner suspended case
and the floors or trays are suspended by chains from rollers provided with means
for rotating the same.
The carrying wheels are not mounted on an axis passing right through the
wagon but are carried by studs or short axles fixed to the outside case of the
wagon.
In some cases I use at the side of the wagon a series of brush rakes operated by
cranks in such manner as to cause the brush rakes to move outwards from the
machine to clear the gutters and rake the contents thereof under the wagon into
the track of the rear broom or sweeper.
The following arrangement is more especially applicable to the removal of snow.
The object of this part of the invention is to make a snow car (using the word
car in a liberal sense), for removing snow from streets and roads, in which the
horses for moving the car shall walk behind the snow remover, in the cleaned
track, instead of ahead of the car in the snow, and to make a snow car capable of
operation on runners as well as on wheels; and the invention consists in so
arranging the location and construction of the different parts as to permit these

page_text: results, and in providing for the operation of the snow remover when the car is
placed on runners.
In constructing the improved snow car it is built sufficiently high and long to
permit of horses standing in the same. No floor is made in the car and the horses
walk on the ground. At or near the rear end of the car means are provided for
hitching the horses, their heads being toward the front of the car. Behind and
above the horses is placed the driver's seat so that while driving the horses he can
see in advance of his car. At the front end of the car is placed an inclined
elevator having an endless carrier revolving around drums. The snow is gathered
and brushed up on this elevator by means of a revolving brush. The rear drum
around which the endless carrier travels is operated, when the car is placed on
wheels, by means of gear wheels, or by means of driving wheel and pulleys and
belting, when the car is placed on runners. This elevator causes the loose snow
taken up on to the carrier to be carried back until it passes over the rear drum
when it falls upon the cross carrier placed transverse of the car.
This cross
carrier is an endless carrier of any suitable width which passes around drums
revolved by means of the shaft and pinion and by means of the pulleys and pinion
wheels. The snow falling on this cross carrier is carried to one side of the track
and as far away as the carrier is extended beyond the side of the car, which
depends on the pleasure of the builder, where it is deposited either on the ground
or in wagons or sleighs which may be driven up to receive the same.
When the snow car is placed on runners in order to get the necessary power to
ope.ate the elevator and carriers for elevating and discharging the snow, a large
driving wheel is placed in the rear of the cross carrier and in the middle of the
car, measuring from side to side, which is provided with a shaft, operating in
bearings in the sides of the car. This wheel moving on the ground, constantly
revolves and turns a pulley placed on the outer end of the shaft.
This pulley is
connected by a belt to a pulley on the outer end of the shaft passing through and
operating the upper and rear drum of the snow elevator. This drum is provided
with a gear wheel into which the pinion wheel on the shaft of one of the drums
of the cross carrier meshes by means of which the drums of the cross carrier are
operated, or this pinion wheel may mesh into the cogs of a wheel on a shaft
revolved by a pulley. In either case the result is the same.
The operative wheel moving over the ground imparts motion to the drums of
the elevator and cross carrier and causes them to revolve whereby the snow is
elevated and discharged when the car is placed on runners the same as when
placed on wheels. Tho bearings in the sides of the car for the shaft of the
operative wheel are provided with slots immediately above the shaft to admit of a
spring being placed so that the operative wheel may rise when passing over a
casual obstruction without lifting the car, and sink into depressious in the ground
without ceasing its operation. A lever is also provided by means of which the
driver may raise the operative wheel up off the ground while going from place
to place or while turning around and thus suspend the operation of the elevator
and cross carrier.
To admit of the driver turning and guiding the, car when placed on two pairs of
runners, the leading runners are made short and a shaft is run through the top of
the car from rear to front, having a crank or wheel at the rear end, and a pulley
at the front end. Below this and nearly on a level with the top of the runners is
placed another pulley with its shaft placed in bearings in the front end of the car,
and a piece or strap fastened to the front end of the car and bent outward to
permit the pulley to work between it and the front end of the car, a belt is
passed around these two pulleys, and a rope or chain around the lower pulley and
fastened at its ends to the front ends of the front runners. By turning the crank
or wheel on the rear end of the shaft, the rope or chain attached to the front
runners is taken up by the lower pulley on the one side or the other, as the crank
is turned the one way or the other, and the runners turned and guided
accordingly.

page_text: As a modification of the invention the horses are attached in front, and only
one pair of runners is employed.
In applying the invention to the removal of dust and dirt from the street the
brush or revolving broom is placed in advance of the horses, but it is obvious that
it could be placed behind them to operate with equal effectiveness. Tho operation
of the machine in removing dirt from streets and roads is substantially the same
as when removing snow.
When it is desired to scatter the snow which falls from the cross carrier and
distribute it over the surface of the snow instead of letting it fall in one continuous
stream, a distributor is employed for that purpose. This distributor is made with
wings and so placed that the snow falling against it will cause it to revolve
rapidly and scatter the snow, no other means are needed to set and keep it in
operation.
For use with the snow car when mounted on wheels a driving wheel is employed
which is provided with spokes at suitable intervals apart. The spokes are made
hollow and are provided with springs in such hollows. Pointed pieces rest on
these springs and extend through the tire of the wheel forming teeth or points to
increase the tractile power of the wheel. This wheel may be used in connection
with the runners also, but it is particularly designed to be used when the car is
placed on wheels to afford a constant and positive power to operate the snow
remover in case the car wheels should slip on the ice or snow. It should be placed
on the middle of the front axle to secure-its-constant. action-and. the uninterrupted_
operation of the gear wheels.
A number of important advantages are obtained in this car that are not to be
found in any others so far as I am aware.
The horses are preferably placed inside the car, and are thus protected from the
storm, and enabled, by working on the cleaned track, to do far more and better
work;
the car being placed ou runners can be operated on streets and roads where
there is no car track, and much more easily and effectively than on wheels, us
runners are much better suited for use in snow than wheels; the snow is picked
up and removed without scraping or dragging heavy ploughs over the surface of
the ground which press and pack the snow at the sides of the road; and the whole
machine is capable of being run and operated by only one man instead of a
number as is usually necessary. It can also be used to remove dirt or dust from
the street the brushes gathering and sweeping it on to the elevator for removal,
as above described.