CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING EARTH
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Alexander King, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING EARTH."
Sealed the 7th April 1876, and dated the 12th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION_left by the said James Alexander King
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th October 1875.
I, JAMES ALEXANDER KING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXCAVATING EARTH," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in machinery
for excavating earth, and is particularly applicable for forming canals
and railway cuttings.
My Invention is designed to adapt cranes of ordinary construction to
the purpose of excavating earth, and relates to the combination and
arrangement with an ordinary steam or hand-power bogie travelling
crane of arms or stays, a scoop or bucket, a catch or holding device, and
other parts, said arms or stays carrying the scoop or bucket and being
1

page_text: moved radially by the lifting chain. The scoop or bucket is attached to
the end of the lifting chain. On each side of the scoop and between it
and the crane is a stay having one end on a round pin attached to the
side of the scoop, the other end on a similar pin attached to the crane.
A cross bar is placed between the stays immediately behind the scoop.
On this bar is fixed a catch to keep the scoop in position; on the catch
being released the scoop will tip. A pulley and chain are placed
between the scoop and bar to bring the scoop back to position. The
scoop is provided with a movable bottom working on a hinge which
may be used as a means of emptying it instead of by tipping as just
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Alexander King in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ALEXANDER KING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Alexander King,
Her special license that I, the said James Alexander King, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Alexander King, my executors, administrators, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR EXCAVATING
EARTH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Alexander King, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Alexander King, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thercof, and the two Sheets
of Drawings therein referred to (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in machinery
for excavating earth, and is particularly applicable for forming canals
and railway cuttings.
My Invention is designed to adapt cranes of ordinary construction to
the purpose of excavating earth, and relates to the combination and
arrangement with an ordinary steam or hand-power bogie travelling
crane of arms or stays, a scoop or bucket, a catch or holding device and
other parts, said arms or stays carrying the scoop or bucket and being
moved radially by the lifting chain.
clevation an ordinary crane
The scoop or bucket a is
On each side of the scoop
having one end ou a round
Fig. 1 of the Drawings shews in side
having my improvements applied to it.
attached to the end of the lifting chain b.
and between it and the crane is a stay c
pin & attached to the side of the scoop; the other end is on a similar
pin e attached to the crane. A cross bar f is placed between the stays
immediately behind the scoop. On this bar is fixed a catch g to keep
the scoop in position; on the catch being released the scoop will tip.
A pulley and chain i are placed between the scoop and bar, as shewn,
to bring the scoop back to position. The scoop is provided with a
moveable bottom a working on a hinge which may be used as a
means of emptying it instead of by tipping as just described.
Fig. 2 shews in side elevation the application of my improvements in
a modified form to an ordinary steam crane with a double jib. In this
case the scoop or bucket a attached to the end of the lifting chain & has
a moveable bottom a¹ working on hinges a'; g is a slip bolt fixed to the
bottom a; c is a stay or thrust bar passing between the two members
of the crane jib k, and having a forked end; to this forked end is
attached the scoop a by means of pins at d; c¹ is a stay to keep the
scoop
in position in relation to the stay or thrust bar c; 1, 1, are chains

page_text: one attached to each extremity of the stay or thrust bar c; these chains
pass round the barrel m in opposite directions. The barrel m revolves
in bearings placed on the crane jib, and is provided with a clutch for
throwing it out of and in gear; n is a chain pulley fixed on the end of
the barrel shaft; o is another chain pulley fixed on the end of the centre t
pin of the lifting chain pulley at the end of the crane jib; p is an
endless chain passing round the pulleys n and o for transmitting motion
to the barrel m, so that when the crane lifts the scoop it at the same
time forces the scoop outwards from the crane, and when the crane
lowers the scoop it at the same time draws it inward; q is a small chain 1
led to any convenient part of the crane for drawing the bolt g.
When the scoop is full the crane may be turned to any desired
position, whereupon the bolt g may be drawn and the contents of the
scoop will fall out.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and explained the 1
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I desire to have it
understood that I do not claim as of my Invention, the construction
of either of the cranes herein shewn and referred to, nor do I claim
generally the use of a scoop or bucket for excavating, and save and
except as herein-after mentioned I do not intend to claim any of the 2
mechanical parts of the apparatus herein-before shewn and described
when taken separately and apart from the combination or application
thereof in manner and for the purposes herein described, but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the method sub- 2
stantially as described of adapting cranes of ordinary construction to the
purpose of excavating earth by combining therewith arms or stays, and
scoops or buckets arranged to be operated as herein above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Alexander King, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of April, in {
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.