IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PRODUCE, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR SHOOTING AND FILLING SACKS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mitchell, of Brandon, in the County of
Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING
AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PRODUCE, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR SHOOTING AND FILLING
SACKS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 9th October 1874, and dated the 15th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mitchell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th April 1874.
I, WILLIAM MITCHELL, of Brandon, in the County of Suffolk, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUḥ
FOR ELEVATING AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PRODUCE, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR SHOOTING
AND FILLING SACKs and for other Purposes," to be as follows:
My Invention relates to improved apparatus adapted for clevating all
kinds of agricultural and other produce, and suitable for use in a variety
of operations, such as pitching hay, corn, and other produce from a field

page_text: on to a waggon or on to a stack, for hoisting sacks, bags or bales, and
such like purposes, and for shooting or emptying, filling, and transporting
sacks, it being also partly applicable for use as a fire escape.
The apparatus consists of a main frame of rectangular form propped
up or supported by a second frame hinged thereto at its upper end, the
two frames standing at an inclination to one another, and both being
supported on wheels to enable the apparatus to be readily moved about.
Upon a horizontal driving shaft mounted across the main frame are keyed
two heavy wheels of large diameter, which may serve as driving
wheels to assist in working the apparatus, or as running wheels for
transporting it from place to place by letting them down upon the
ground. For this purpose the shaft is mounted at such a height that by
extending the frames somewhat the wheels will bear on the ground, this
inclination of the frames being controlled by chains wound on a barrel
also mounted on the main frame. On the main frame a longitudinal
screw shaft is mounted to turn in bearings, said shaft extending upwards
to a considerable height, and being driven from the main shaft by bevel
gearing arranged to admit of the screw shaft being rotated cither to the
right or left for raising or lowering a scries of telescopic sliding tubes.
through which the produce is clevated, or of being thrown out of gear
when required to work the main shaft without operating the screw.
the upper end of the screw shaft is mounted a frame carrying a pair of
drums, a similar pair being mounted near the base of the apparatus and
geared with the main shaft. Over these drums passes an endless belt
furnished with tines (or with cups when used for elevating grain, the
one half of the belt ascending through the telescopic tubes before
mentioned whilst the other half descend outside the same, or vice-
versa. In some cases the drums over which the band passes are
adjustable to cause the tines on the band to work nearer or farther from
the back of the tube to admit of a greater or less bulk of hay, corn, or
other produce being carried up between the band and the inside of the
At

page_text: gather up the said produce and feed it to the elevator, by which it is
raised and deposited on an inclined adjustable shoot and thereby con-
veyed on to the waggon.
The driving wheels running on the ground serve to work the elevator.
When used as a stationary elevator these wheels are raised from the
ground and worked by hand or power.
For hoisting sacks and such like purposes the elevating tubes and belt
are removed, and a rope or chain passed over a pulley fitted at the top of
the screw shaft or of an extension thereof and wound upon a drum
driven from the main shaft.
For shooting and filling sacks, as for instance, for transferring grain
from one sack to another, a tilting platform is fitted at the front of the
apparatus upon which to place the full sack, said platform being raised
or tilted by chains wound on a barrel operated from the main shaft and
provided with a shoot or hopper, and at the back of the apparatus is a
receiving platform with a sack holder for keeping open the mouth of the
empty sack. The sack holder consists of 2 curved spring arms placed
within the mouth of the sack, and provided with pins whereby the
mouth of the sack is held open to receive the contents of the other sack,
which are transferred to it through the shoot. or hopper on the tilting
platform before mentioned, after which the sack may be tied up and
hoisted and deposited where required, as before described.
A tremulous motion is imparted to the receiving platform to shake the
corn down into the sack.
As a fire escape the persons to be rescued may either be conveyed
down the telescopic tubing supported in an apparatus constructed to be
worked up and down inside the same by means of a suitable chains or
tackle winding on the barrels before mentioned and worked from the
main shaft, or the apparatus may be used to raise and lower a chain in
the same manner as for hoisting sacks, as before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Mitchell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MITCHELL, of Brandon, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Mitchell, Her special licence that
I, the said William Mitchell, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Mitchell, 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 APPARATUS FOR
ELEVATING AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PRODUCE, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR SHOOTING AND
FILLING SACKS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Mitchell, 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 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 William Mitchell, do hereby déclare
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, reference being had to the Sheets of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say-

page_text: operations, such as pitching hay, corn, and other produce from a field
on to a waggon or on to a stack, for hoisting sacks, bags, or bales, or
such like purposes, and for shooting or emptying, filling, and tran-
sporting sacks, it being also partly applicable for use as a fire escape.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings Figs. 1 and 2 represent a side and front
elevation respectively of the machine as arranged for the purpose of
an elevator for pitching hay or corn from a field on to a waggon or
stack.
The apparatus consists of a main frame A, preferably of rectangular
form, supported by a second frame B hinged thereto at its upper end, the
two frames standing at an inclination to one another, both being provided
with wheels C, C', to enable the apparatus to be readily moved about.
Upon a horizontal driving shaft D mounted across the main frame A. are
keyed two heavy wheels E, E, of large diameter, which serve in this
arrangement of the apparatus as running wheels for transporting it from
place to place, but in the arrangement to be hereafter described may serve
as driving or fly wheels to assist in working. The shaft D is mounted at
such a height that by extending the frames A and B at their lower ends
the wheels E, E, will bear on the ground, as shown, whilst if the lower
ends of the said frames are drawn together the wheels C¹, C¹, on the
frame A are brought to bear on the ground, and the wheels E, E, are
raised off the ground, the necessary inclination of the frames to produce
these effects being controlled by chains F, F, wound on a barrel G
(which is prevented from running backwards by the ratchet H and
click I) also mounted on the main frame A. In the said main frame a
screw shaft J is mounted and arranged to turn in bearings, the said shaft
extending upwards to a considerable height, as shown, being driven
from the main shaft D by suitable bevel or other gearing arranged to
admit of the screw shaft being rotated to the right or left according as
one or other of the bevel pinions K or K' on the sleeve L (which slides
by means of a feather in the main shaft) is put in gear with the bevel
pinion M on the lower end of the screw shaft, the rotation of the screw
shaft to the right or left raising or lowering by means of the nut-formed
bearings N, N, the telescopically sliding portions O', O2, of the tube or
trunk O through which the produce is elevated.
:
When the bevel pinions K, K', are both held out of gear with the
pinion M the main shaft D may be rotated without operating the screw.

page_text: At the upper end of the screw shaft a frame P is so mounted by means
of a socket Q taking over the end of the screw shaft as not to turn with
the latter. In the frame P a pair of drums R, R', are carried, a similar
pair S, S', being provided near the bottom of the tube or trunk.
In the Drawing the drum S¹ is shown driven from the pulley T on the
main shaft D by an endless band or cord U, but a pitch chain, train of
toothed gearing, or other convenient means of driving may be employed.
Over the drums R, R', and S, S', is passed a pair of endless belts V, V,
furnished with cross bars carrying tynes or pins W when hay, corn, or
straw is to be elevated, or cups when grain is to be elevated; the one
half of the band ascends through the tube or trunk O, and the other half
.descends outside the same, or vice versa. The drums R, R³, over which
the bands pass are adjustable to cause the tynes or pins to work nearer to
or further from the back of the tube or trunk to admit of a greater or
less bulk of hay, corn, or other produce being carried up between the
band and the inside of the said tube or trunk.
In order to gather up hay, corn, or other produce and pitch the same
on to a waggon, the apparatus is provided with a frame X extending at the
front and lower part. This frame is connected to the waggon by means
of a hooked piece Y, or by other convenient means, so as to be drawn
alongside thereof, a rake Z being also provided at the lower front part
of the apparatus to gather up the said produce and feed it to the elevator.
The produce raised by means of the elevator is deposited in an inclined
adjustable shoot Z' (capable of being arranged to deposit on either side
of the apparatus at will), and thereby conveyed on to the waggon or stack.
In Sheet 2 Figs. 3 and 4 represent respectively a side and front
elevation of the apparatus arranged as a portable machine for hoisting
sacks, bags, or bales, and such like purposes, and for shooting or
emptying, filling, and transporting sacks, similar letters referring in
these Figures to similar parts of Figs. 1 and 2 in Sheet 1. In this
arrangement the tube or trunk O and elevator belts V, V, with the upper
pair of drums R, R', shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are removed, and a rope or
chain 1 passed over a pulley 2 fitted at the top of the screw shaft J or
on an extension thereof, and wound upon a drum 3 driven from the main
shaft D by a band or strap U, as seen more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2,
.Sheet 1, or by a pitch chain, tooth gearing, or other suitable means.

page_text: It will be observed that in this arrangement of the apparatus the lower
ends of the frames A and B are drawn closer together than in the
arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by which means the wheels C¹, C¹,
on the frame A are made to bear on the ground, the main wheels E, E,
being raised off the ground and left free to act as fly wheels to the main
shaft D, the whole apparatus then running on the wheels C, C¹, by
which it can be removed from place to place as required.
For shooting and filling sacks (as for instance for transferring grain
from one sack to another) a tilting platform 4 is fitted at the front of
the apparatus being centred on a pin or rod 5 passing through eyes or
bearings in the frame A. The full sack 6 is placed upon the tilting
platform 4, which is raised by a chain 7 wound on the barrel 3 operated
from the main shaft, as above explained, and is provided with a shoot or
hopper 8. At the back of the apparatus is a receiving platform 9, by
preference hinged at its upper end on the pin or rod 5, and carrying a
sack holder 10 for keeping open the mouth of the empty sack 11. The
said sack holder consists of two curved spring arms 12 (see also detached
Figure 5) placed within the mouth of the sack, and provided with
pins 13, whereby the mouth of the sack is held open to receive the
contents of the other or full sack 6, which are transferred to it through
the shoot or hopper 8 on the tilting platform 4 being raised, as before
mentioned, into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 by means of
the barrel 3 and chain 7. The chain 7 is attached at one end to a hook
in the barrel 3, and by preference at the other end to a lever or tail
piece 14 centred on a pivot on the tilting platform 4, capable of being
turned aside out of the way with its chain into the position shown in
dotted lines, Fig. 4, when it is required to put a fresh full sack on to the
tilting platform, the lever or tail piece being returned to the central
position, and held therein by a stud and notch when it is required to
raise the tilting platform. When the corn has been transferred from the
sack 6 to the sack 11 the latter may be tied up and hoisted as may be
required by the chain 1 and barrel 3, a fresh full sack being in the
meantime placed on the tilting platform, and a fresh empty sack on the
receiving platform, the chain 7 for raising the tilting platform being at
that time unhooked from the barrel 3 to allow of such hoisting being
effected without moving the tilting platform.
A tremulous motion may be imparted to the receiving platform to

page_text: shake the corn down into the sack by means of a tappet or eccentric on
the main shaft connected to the receiving platform by a connecting rod,
or any other well-known mechanical device may be employed for that
purpose. I have not thought it necessary to illustrate this motion, as
it will be well understood by persons conversant with this class of
machinery.
In order to prevent the screw J from bending when employed as a jib
to hoist the sacks or other objects as above described, an arm or arms
may be attached thereto at a suitable height or heights, projecting back-
wards from the said screw, and having guy chains or ropes attached to
the end or ends thereof, the other ends of such guys being carried down
and fixed to the lower part of the frame A, the jib chain 1 being by
preference rove through or over a pulley on each of the said arms before
descending to the drum 3.
When the apparatus is arranged for shooting and filling sacks only,
the tilting of the platform 4 may be effected by applying power direct
to the drum or barrel 3, without the intervention of the main shaft D
and wheels E, which may then be dispensed with, as also the bevel
gearing, and instead of the screw J a plain jib of any suitable material
may be employed.
As a fire-escape the persons to be rescued may either be conveyed down
the telescopic tube or trunk supported on a platform, or in a kind of
cage constructed so as to be worked up and down inside the same by
means of suitable chains or tackle winding on the barrels before
mentioned and worked from the main shaft. Or the apparatus may be
used to raise and lower a basket or other receptacle connected to a chain
in the same manner as for hoisting sacks, as before described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to or may be performed, I would have it
understood that what I claim as my Invention is,-
First. The general arrangement, combination, and adaptation of appa-
ratus for collecting and elevating produce on to wagons, stacks, or other
elevated positions, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Second. The general arrangement, combination, and adaptation of
apparatus for shooting or emptying, filling, and transporting sacks,

page_text: whether combined or not with the apparatus for hoisting such sacks or
other objects, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mitchell, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.