IMPROVEMENTS IN SIFTING SHOVELS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIFTING SHOVELS."-A communication from
abroad by George Washington Dean, of the City, County, and
State of New York. United States of America.
Sealed the 21st March 1873, and dated the 29th January 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 29th January 1873, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SIFTING SHOVELS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent

page_text: for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been
communicated to me from abroad by George Washington Dean, of
the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to what are known as sifting shovels for
sifting ashes, coals, and other substances.
The improvement consists, firstly, in constructing the bottom of
the shovel of wire; secondly, in a novel method of attaching the
wire to the shovel frame; and, thirdly, in a novel method of adjusting
or regulating the distances between the wires which form the sifter.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of
the improved sifting shovel, as it appears previous to the appli-
cation of the wires thereto; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the
improvement in a complete state after the wires have been attached;
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing the manner of attaching the
wires to the frame. Similar letters of reference indicate corres-
ponding parts.
A is the handle, to be made in the form shown or in any desired
form or size; B is the frame of the shovel to be composed of metal
made in the form shown or in any other desired form; C, the wires
of which the sifter is composed. The ends of these wires a, a', are
turned over in the form of hooks, as shown, the ends being bent
nearly double so as to hook over the edge of the recesses at the front
end of frame B, as shown in Figure 3. It will be observed that the
front edge of the frame is provided with numerous recesses or notches b,
either in single or double row, into which the cuds a of the wires are
secured. The opposite end of the frame B is provided with a series
of apertures or notches which receive the other ends of the wires a¹, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2. d is a cross wire or bar the ends of which
arc bent so as to hook into apertures in the side of the frame, as
shown. In small sifters this cross bar is dispensed with. The cross

page_text: wire d, of which one or more may be used, serves to assist in keeping
the wires C in place, and also to prevent the sides of the shovel frame
from spreading, and forms a support to the longitudinal wires.
The object and advantage of the numerous holes or notches in
either end of the shovel frame are to allow the wires to be readily
changed to make alterations in width of spaces between the wires for
sifting substances of different sizes. By the use of one or more series
of holes or recesses at the ends of the frame I can vary at pleasure
the width of the meshes.
I do not limit or confine myself to the particular form or dimensions
of any of the parts herein described, as these may be varied at the
pleasure of the maker without departing from the Invention. Any
desired number of series of apertures for hooking in the wires may
be employed.
Among the advantages of the improvement are the following:-The
special advantage of wire is its great strength, its shape being round,
no place is left for lodgment of dirt or ashes; the lightness of the
wire makes the shovel less liable to break in a fall, and more desirable
for those who use them; the simplicity of the method of securing the
wire gives it the very great advantage of being easily repaired by
any housekeeper if any of the wires should become broken, whereas
in other shovels they become useless if one of the bars is broken.
The advantages of the numerous holes and recesses at either end of
the shovel frame are, it allows any one to alter the size of the spaces
or openings between wires for the sifting of larger coal or substance
if required. In ordinary sifting shovels the spaces or openings between
the bars are set positively, and cannot be easily altered.
Having described the nature of the Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, —
-
1st. The application of wires in the construction of sifting shovels
made substantially as herein described.
2ndly. I claim the method herein described of attaching the wire to
the frame of the shovel by holes or notches, as herein set forth.

page_text: 3rdly. I claim the method herein described of varying or changing
the width of the openings in the shovel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
Witness,
JAS. O. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)