IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WORKING IN ROCK, STONE, OR EARTH, APPLICABLE TO SINKING ARTESIAN AND OTHER WELLS, TO MINING, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lewthwaite, of Woburn Place, in the
.County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WORKING IN ROCK, STONE, OR EARTH, APPLICABLE
TO SINKING ARTESIAN AND OTHER WELLS, TO MINING, AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 4th May 1869, and dated the 7th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lewthwaite at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th November 1868.
I, JOHN LEWTHWAITE, of Woburn Place, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WORKING IN ROCK, STONE, OR EARTH, APPLICABLE
TO SINKING ARTESIAN AND OTHER WELLS, TO MINING, AND OTHER PURPOSES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention mainly consists in the employment of a guide cylinder
for the bar of the boring tool to work through, whereby I greatly
diminish friction, and am enabled with more expedition and at less cost

page_text: and labour to bore or cut through rock or stone in sinking artesian and
other wells, and in boring holes for mining and other purposes.
My guide cylinder for vertical boring is suspended by means of a
bridle link or other attachment connected to a rope or chain carried up
to above the surface of the ground. In boring a vertical hole I proceed
as follows:-I first sink a hole in any ordinary manner to receive a tube,
say, 6 to 9 feet long. I take care, as usual, that this tube is exactly
vertical. Into the tube I place the first section of the well tube, and in
this well tube I place my guide cylinder through which the bar of the
tool works, and I allow the cylinder and tool to reach the bottom of
the hole. I then haul up the cylinder about 2 feet, more or less, to
allow the tool bar to work up and down in it, and I give a jumping and
When the tool has
rotating motion to the tool in any ordinary manner.
cut to the depth of a few inches I haul up the cylinder and tool, let
down a bucket pump to raise the debris, then take out the pump and
again let down the cylinder and tool as before. As the boring proceeds
I add extra lengths to the well tube, and I connect extra bars or rope to
the bar of the boring tool. While the tool is working the guide cylinder
remains at rest, and the only friction to overcome is that between the
bar of the tool and the sides of the openings in the cylinder ends. I
prefer wooden bars and to connect the extra lengths of bars by strips of
gutta percha or other suitable material with enlarged ends let into
corresponding slots and apertures in the ends of the bars, and I wind up
the bars when the tool is hauled out on a polygonal drum. The weight
of the tool bars and cylinder is compensated for by a weight attached to
the drum. I prefer the tools to be of cast steel, and to be of cross form
in section. As large tools of this form cannot readily.be made in one
piece of cast steel, I make the wings separately with enlargements at
their upper ends, and connect them to a single head by letting them into
corresponding slots and apertures in the head.
A novel form of tool, which is intended chiefly for raising debris from
the bottom of the bore hole or for lifting a bolt or nut which may
accidentally fall into the hole, is constructed as follows:-It consists of
two hollow cylinders fitted one within another so that the inner one is
free to turn. At and near the lower end of each cylinder about one-half
of the surface is removed, so as to leave a half cylinder. The two half
cylinders when in one position leave a free opening for the entrance of
debris, and when moved into the reverse position they close together and

page_text: form a full cylinder, which encloses the debris so that it can be lifted
out of the hole. In boring horizontal holes, or holes more or less
inclined, I prefer to give the tool a percussive action; for this purpose
I fit a spring in my cylinder or guide which bears at one end against a
shoulder on the tool bar, and at the other cud against one end of the
guide; in some cases another spring may be fitted between the shoulder
and the other end of the guide. The spring or springs is or are com-
pressed by drawing upon the tool bar by any convenient contrivance,
and then suddenly released to produce a percussive action of the tool.
The guide cylinder must be held firmly against the inner end of the bore
hole, and this may be effected by adding extra lengths to the cylinder as
the work proceeds to enable the cylinder to be held at the outer end of
the hole. The arrangement first described for producing a percussive
action of the tool may also be applied to cutting and dressing stone, and
several tools may be arranged in a line or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Lewthwaite in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEWTHWAITE, of Woburn Place, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Lewthwaite, Her special licence that
I, the said John Lewthwaite, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Lewthwaite, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
POR BORING AND WORKING IN ROCK, STONE, OR EARTH, APPLICABLE. TO SINKING
ARTESIAN AND OTHER WELLS, TO MINING, AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Lewthwaite, my exe-
cutors 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 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 John Lewthwaite, 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 1
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention mainly consists in the employment of a guide cylinder
for the bar of the boring tool to work through, whereby I greatly
diminish friction and am enabled with more expedition and at less cost
and labor to bore or cut through rock or stone in sinking artesian and
other wells and in boring holes for mining and other purposes.
My guide cylinder for vertical boring is suspended by means of a
bridle link or other attachment connected to a rope or chain carried
up to above the surface of the ground. In boring a vertical hole I
proceed as follows:-I first sink a hole in any ordinary manner to
receive a tube, say 6 to 9 feet long. I take care as usual that this tube
is exactly vertical. Into the tube I place the first section of the well
tube, and in this well tube I place my guide cylinder through which the
bar of the tool works, and I allow the cylinder and tool to reach the
bottom of the hole. I then haul up the cylinder about two feet, more or
less, to allow the tool bar to work up and down in it, and I give a
jumping and rotating motion to the tool in any ordinary manner.
When the tool has cut to the depth of a few inches I haul up the
cylinder and tool, let down a bucket pump to raise the debris, then take
out the pump and again let down the cylinder and tool as before. As
the boring proceeds I add extra lengths to the well tube, and I connect
extra bars or rope to the bar of the boring tool. While the tool is
working the guide cylinder remains at rest, and the only friction to
overcome is that between the bar of the tool and the sides of the openings
in the cylinder ends. I prefer wooden bars, and to connect the extra
lengths of bars by strips of gutta percha or other suitable material with
enlarged ends let into corresponding slots and apertures in the ends of

page_text: the bars, and I wind up the bars when the tool is hauled, out on a
polygonal drum. The weight of the tool bars and cylinder is com-
pensated for by a weight attached to the drum. I prefer the tools to be
of cast steel and to be of cross form in section, as large tools of this
form cannot readily be made in one piece of cast steel. I make the
wings separately with enlargements at their upper ends and connect
them to a single head by letting them into corresponding slots and
apertures in the head.
A novel form of tool which is intended chiefly for raising debris from
the bottom of the bore hole or for lifting a bolt, nut, or other article
which may accidentally fall into the hole, is constructed as follows:-
It consists of two hollow cylinders fitted one within another so that the
inner one is free to turn at and near the lower end of each cylinder;
about one-half of the surface is removed so as to leave a half cylinder.
The two half cylinders when in one position leave a free opening for the
entrance of debris, and when moved into the reverse position they close
together and form a full cylinder which encloses the debris so that it can
be lifted out of the hole.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation of one of my
guide cylinders A through which the tool, rod, or bar B passes as pre-
viously described. The tool on the lower end of the bar may be, of the
form shewn in the Figure, or of any other suitable form for cutting or
boring through the material in which the tool is required to work. The
guide cylinder A, shewn in the Figure, is allowed to fall within a well
tube previously inserted in an outer tube, which outer tube fits a hole
dug in the ground for the purpose of receiving it. When the guide
cylinder and the tool have reached the bottom of the hole in which the
well tube is situated the guide cylinder is raised sufficiently high to allow
an up and down motion to be given to the tool. The guide cylinder is
fitted at the top with a bridle loop or eye a by which it is suspended by
a rope, chain, or rods in any convenient manner. The upper end of the
tool bar is likewise formed or fitted with a loop, eye, or other con-
trivance to enable it to be lifted by connecting links c, c, which are
connected to a spring d attached to any suitable frame or structure as
found most convenient. The connecting link above the level of the
ground is drawn down forcibly by hand or by mechanism to give the
required blow of the tool upon the rock or other material in which it is
working. If found necessary the tool may have a partial rotation

page_text: tool is employed. When the tool has cut the hole to the depth of a
few inches I haul up the guide cylinder and the tool by a rope, chain, or
by any mechanism.
Figure 2 is an elevation of a frame composed of three legs or struts
C, D, E, placed over the spot where a hole is required to be bored.
These legs are connected by tie rods or bars F, G, H; the upper ends of
the legs are connected by a bolt g being passed through them, as shown;
the leg C is composed of two bars connected by rounds or treads to form
a ladder to enable a workman to get to and adjust a rope or chain which
passes over a pulley on the top of the frame. The rope or chain is led
over the pulley, one end is attached to the spring d of the tool links
and the other end to a winch on the lower part of the leg C as shown.
The tie rods F carries a drum on which the connecting links of the tool
bar are wound; when the tool is required to be raised the drum may
be turned in any convenient manner, but I prefer placing a roller at the
side of the drum over which a cord or rope may be wound. One of the
other tie. bars also carries a grooved roller over which a rope or chain
passes for supporting the guide cylinder in the well tube at any suitable
height. When working a very hard rock or a material of a similar
hardness I first bore a hole of sufficient depth by a tool of, say, 14 inches
in diameter, as shown in Figure 1, and then insert a tool of, say, 4 inches
diameter, as shown in Figure 3, and cut to the same depth as previously,
after which I insert a tool of larger diameter, say 10 inches, as shown at
Figure 4, and so on at each cutting I make the hole of larger diameter,
and when the full diameter of the hole has been cut I then insert a
bucket to raise the debris from the hole; I cause the bucket to sink
into the debris by pressure either by a weight on the head of the bucket
or by a weighted link fitted above it. The lower end of the bucket is
formed with a cutting edge to facilitate its entry into the debris and a
valve in its lower end retains the debris therein. For some purposes
I employ a bucket composed of half cylinders e, f, Figures 5, 6, and 7,
one within the other portion of the lower end are removed to form
openings and when the bucket is let down upon the debris in the hole,
the openings in the ends correspond and thus form a passage for the
debris into the bucket; a rotatory motion being imparted to the outer half
cylinder causes the debris to enter therein and allows the bucket to sink

page_text: to the bottom of the hole on the outer cylinder, being turned half round
to bring the covered portion over the opening of the outer cylinder a
perfect cylindrical bucket with a closed end is formed, the bucket is
then lifted out of the hole, and the guide cylinder and tool again
lowered to operate upon a fresh portion of the rock.
When working in soft material or loose shingle I sometimes employ a
tool of the form shown in Figures 8 and 9: This tool is fitted with a
shoulder or shoulders to bear against the lower edge of the well tube
when it is necessary to raise the tool and cylinder out of the hole. The
upper part of the tool rod is undercut, by means of which it can be
lifted by an apparatus lowered for the purpose. Water is injected into
the hole while the tool is at work, or at other convenient times as found
necessary. In boring horizontal holes or holes more or less inclined I
prefer to give the tool a percussive action. For this purpose I fit a
spring in my cylinder or guide which bears at one end against a
shoulder on the tool bar and at the other end against one end of the
guide. In some cases another spring may be fitted between the should
and the other end of the guide. The spring or springs is or are
compressed by drawing upon the tool bar by any convenient contrivance
and then suddenly released to produce a percussive action of the tool.
The guide cylinder must be held firmly against the inner end of the
bore hole, and this may be effected by adding extra lengths to the
cylinder as the work proceeds to enable the cylinder to be held at the
outer end of the hole. The arrangement just described for producing
a percussive action of the tool may also be applied to cutting and
dressing stone, and several tools may be arranged in a line or otherwise.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. Boring and working in rock, stone, or earth by the employment
of apparatus, as herein-before described and represented in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Second. The employment of a guide cylinder through which the tool
bar passes, substantially in the manner herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
5 Third. The particular mode of boring holes by means of tools of
gradually increasing diameter in the manner described and shown in
the Drawings.

page_text: Fourth. The construction and employment of apparatus for raising
debris, substantially in the manner described and shown in the
Drawings.
Fifth. The particular arrangement and employment of apparatus for
producing the percussive blows with the tool when working in a
horizontal or inclined position as herein-before described.
And, sixth. I claim the employment of the apparatus for producing
percussive blows with tools for cutting and dressing stone, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lewthwaite, have hercunto 1
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JNO. LEWTHWAITE. (L.S.)