A NEW THRASHING MACKING WORKED DIRECTLY ON THE THRASHING FLOOR BY OXEN OR HORSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theophilus Berrens, of the Town of Tarbes, but
now of No. 60, Boulevart de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Railway Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW THRASHING
MACKING WORKED DIRECTLY ON THE THRASHING FLOOR BY OXEN OR HORSES."
Sealed the 1st May 1866, and dated the 9th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theophilus Berrens at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
... 9th November 1865.
I, THEOPHILUS BERRENS, of the Town of Tarbes, but now of No. 60,
Boulevart de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of France, Railway
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW
THRASHING MACHINE WORKED DIRECTLY ON THE THRASHING FLOOR BY OXEN OR
HORSES," to be as follows:-
This thrashing machine is composed of a wooden cylinder rolling
forward over the thrashing floor. The ends of the axletree of the said
cylinder carry suitable shafts, into which is put the driving ox or horse;
and cast-iron plates are also keyed fast on both ends of the said axletree,
the periphery of these plates forming several cams and rotating with the
axletree when the horse or ox steps forward, raises up at each end an iron
cross piece carrying a set of 12 or 14 long steel blades, the upper ends of
which are bolted fast on a wooden cross piece carried by the framing of the
machine. These steel blades spring down and strike all together on the
straw to be thrashed, when the cross piece which raises them up escapes
the lifting cams of the rotating plates. The steel blades are pliable, but

page_text: they are forced down to strike by the action of springs bolted fast on the
frame and bearing on the blade carrying the cross piece when it is raised
up. The frame is loaded with heavy stones to compel the cylinder to
rotate when progressing forward. A cylindrical piece raises up the striking
blades and keeps them so when the machine is not at work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Theophilus Berrens in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEOPHILUS
BERRENS, of the Town of Tarbes, but now of No. 60, Boulevart de Stras-
bourg, Paris, in the Empire of France, Railway Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Theophilus Berrens, Her special licence that I, the said
Theophilus Berrens, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Theophilus Berrens, 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 Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "A NEW THRASHING MACHINE WORKED DIRECTLY ON THE THRASH-
ING FLOOR BY OXEN OR HORSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Theophilus Berrens, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Theophilus Berrens, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The object of this thrashing machine is to dispense with the use of either
steam or water power, which until now have been used to perform this

page_text: mechanical work, and to substitute in lieu thereof either oxen or horse
power. This machine is represented on the annexed Sheet of Drawing
forming part of this my Specification, Fig. 1 being a side view, and Fig. 2
a plan drawn to a scale of 1.
It is composed as may be seen of a wooden cylinder A strengthened
by iron rings. The ends of the shaft K, on which the cylinder A is fitted,
run in brass rings inserted in or fastened to the frame B, which is thus
carried by the said shaft. To carry the thrashing machine from place to
place a pair of wheels S¹, S', are fitted on the axle; they are taken off when
the machine is to work, and replaced by flanged iron wheels Q, Q, of a
smaller diameter than the cylinder A. The team of cattle is put to the
machine either on each side of the frame B to suitable hooks, or to a
central one T, so that the cattle tread either at each side or in front of the
thrasher. Two cast-iron plates C, C, are keyed fast on the shaft and inside
the frame; their periphery is shaped, as shewn, Fig. 1, to form four lifting
cogs or cams. A kind of hurdle is composed of 12, 14, or any number of
pliable steel blades D, D, D, bolted fast on the upper cross piece of the
frame at F, F. The said blades rest on the iron cross piece G, shewn alone
Fig. 2*. They are kept separated by small wooden blocks inserted
betwixt two iron cross pieces I, tightened on each other by bolts. Two
rollers H, shewn in dotted circle at Fig. 1, can revolve on proper bearings
fixed under the cross piece G. At each revolution of the roller A the
lifting cams of the plates C raise up four times the cross piece G, and the
latter raises up the blades D, which as they fall back strike down on the
floor strewn with corn in the straw and thrash it as a flail. Four reacting
springs J are bolted fast at one end on the frame, the other end of the said
springs bearing on rollers K¹, carried by the cross piece G, which holds all
the thrashing blades at about their middle part. The strength of the
springs J can be regulated at pleasure by bending them more or less by
means of bolts U. A fore wheel L is fitted in a frame moveable on a
vertical shaft. The frame of this wheel L can be lengthened or lowered
by means of thick washers put on its shaft, so as to modify the inclination
of the frame and thrashing blades according to the thickness of straw laid
down. The cylinder A is composed of wooden staves screwed fast on
cast-iron cross bars (croisillons) d, d, and is strengthened by outer iron
rings M. In order to prevent the cylinder A from sliding on the ground
the frame is loaded with heavy stones P. When the machine is to be
conveyed from place to place the flanged wheels Q are taken out and
larger wheels S₁ are substituted.

page_text: The arrangement of the machine may be modified to suit the custom
of the district and the space where the thrashing is to be performed, and
the thrashing be carried on either out of doors on the field itself or in a
barn; for instance, to thrash on a circular space the cylinder A should
be lightly tapered, and the ox or horse put to it on the outside, so as to
prevent their treading over the straw, and the ground should incline from
the centre outwards. Under such conditions the horse or ox working
the machine would walk in a circular way.
in a
Now the most convenient system of working this thrashing machine is
to drive it in a straightforward direction, either out of doors or on the
threshing floor of a barn, but in this condition a contrivance must be
established both on the machine and at each end of the track for turning
reverse direction. This contrivance consists in providing the
machine with two flanged wheels already mentioned, revolving freely
on the axletrees; as they are smaller than the cylinder A, they of course
have no action when the latter by its forward revolving motion over the
straw causes the lifting cams of the plates C to actuate the thrashing
blades, but at each end of the way there is a circular cross upper track
with inclined ends, over which the outside flanged wheel catches and runs,
stopping the motion of the cylinder A, which no longer touches on the
straw. In order to better maintain the said blades in a motionless state, a
round piece of wood R (Fig. 1) may be introduced beneath, when one of
the cams C is stopped at its upper position. Small blocks S fastened on
either side of the frame keep the roller R from falling out.
The Figures 3 and 4, drawn to a scale of 3, shew in plan and end view
the arrangement of a long threshing floor, situated either in a barn or out
of doors. The sheaves to be thrashed are spread at p, p', the team driving
the machine walks on the paths b, c, or b, c. At each end of the said paths
there are circular wooden tracks d, d, lined with iron, and rising about 3
inches above the ground. The ends of the said tracks being slanting the
outside of flanged wheel Qruns on them, and the cylinder A no longer
touching the straw the thrashing blades stop working, and the machine
turns round, and it will thus by turns work over the straw spread at p and
that at p. If this arrangement is applied to a barn the walls w must have
several large doors for allowing the men to carry in the sheaves and take
out the straw, and the premises must be suitably arranged so as to have
space for forming on one side heaps m for the sheaves, and on the other
side heaps m¹ of thrashed straw.
My Invention being now described, I wish to have it understood that I

page_text: do not confine myself to the precise arrangement of the thrashing machine
represented on the annexed Sheet of Drawing, as I reserve the right of
modifying some of its parts should I deem advisable; but I claim as my
Invention,
The combination of pliable steel blades attached to a frame carried by
the shaft of a cylinder, which cylinder as the machine is driven forward by
horses or oxen rolls on the corn straw spread on the ground so as to cause
the blades to strike down as flails as described.
I claim also the arrangement or fitting of the thrashing floor of barns or
of out doors places, to cause the thrashing machine to turn round when at
the end of the path, by means of flanged wheels carried by the shaft of the
cylinder, which run on circular upper tracks, substantially as set forth and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theophilus Berrens, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
L. D'AUBRÉVILLE, C.E.
T. BERRENS. (L.S.)