IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR BAKING AND SCRAPING OR CLEANING ROADS, STREETS, WAYS, AND PLACES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 77, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR MACHINES FOR BAKING AND SCRAPING OR CLEANING ROADS, STREETS, WAYS,
AND PLACES." -A communication from Mr Marmet.
Sealed the 19th March-1858, and dated the 5th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by, the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
October 1857.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 77, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR RAKING AND SCRAPING OR CLEANING ROADS,
STREETS, WAYS, AND PLACES," communicated to me by Mr Marmet, a foreigner
residing abroad, to be as follows:-
According to these improvements an apparatus is constructed in which a
set of scrapers (for which rakes may be substituted) is so contrived that the
scrapers may work independently of one another, and thus accommodate them-
selves to the irregularities or unevenness of the surface over which they travel;
the scrapers slightly overlap one another in such manner as to present a more
continuous working surface, and the two end or outside scrapers are inclined;
so as to collect the mud, mire, and other matters to be scraped together
towards the centre of the machine and prevent their escape at the sides.

page_text: According to these improvements also, the scrapers are connected to a shaft
or axle uniting or supported by wheels, each scraper of the set being sepa-
rately connected to such axle, so as to work or rise and fall independently, the
scrapers or rather their shanks or shank arms being so fitted to this axle as
to turn on it or move to the required extent for rising and falling or accommo-
dating themselves to the irregularities or unevenness of the road or surface.
The scrapers are weighted with sliding or adjustable weights, which cause
them to bear more or less heavily on the road. Under the shanks or arms of
the scrapers extends a rod or bar by which the scrapers may be lifted off the
ground when not at work, which may be conveniently done by attaching such
rod or bar to the ends of a forked handle for drawing the machine, which acts
as a lever resting on the axle of the apparatus as a fulcrum, by which handle
the rod, and with it the scrapers, may be lifted. The working part of the
scraper may be detachable, or an adjustable scraper may be fitted to it, which
is so contrived as to be lowered or detached when desired.
When the apparatus is to be used for raking, serrated or toothed raking
tools or rakes may be substituted for the scrapers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the 'conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 77, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Michael. Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael
Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Michael Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there;
after 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 "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR RAKING AND SCRAPING OR CLEANING ROADS,
STREETS, WAYS, AND PLACES," communicated to me by Mr. Marmet, a foreigner
residing abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael
Henry, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Michael Henry, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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, reference being had to the Drawings annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention refers to the construction of apparatus suitable for raking
and scraping roads and other surfaces, and especially applicable for cleaning
streets, paths, and other like ways and places.
This improved machine, constructed according to the present Invention, con-
sists of a set of scrapers (for which rakes or raking tools may be substituted)
so contrived as to collect the mud, &c. as they are drawn along the road, but
working independently of one another, to accommodate themselves to the
irregularities of the surface over which they travel. The scrapers slightly
overlap one another. in such manner as to present a continuous working
surface, and the two end or outer scrapers are inclined, in order to scrape the
mud, &c. towards the centre of the machine, and prevent its escape at the
sides. The machine has a shaft or axle mounted on wheels and common to
the whole set of scrapers, each of which is connected to it separately and in
such manner as to be free to rise and fall with the unevenness of the road.
The scrapers are provided with adjustable weights for causing' them to bear
more or less heavily on the roadway, and under their shanks or arms extends
a rod or bar for raising them off the ground when desired, which may con-
veniently be done by attaching the bar to the ends of a forked traction
handle, made to act as a lever, and rest on the axle of the machine as a
fulcrum.
.:
Figure 1 of the Drawings annexed is a side view, and Figure 2 a plan, of a
hand road-cleaning machine constructed according to this Invention; Figure 3,
a view of one of the scrapers detached. a, a, a, b, b, are a set of scrapers over-
Japping one another, as shewn, the two end scrapers 6, 6, being inclined, the
better to gather the mud towards the centre and preclude its escaping at the

page_text: sides, as stated; d is a shaft or axle supported on wheels e, e; all the scrapers
are separately connected by shank arms a to this axle d, but in such manner
as to be free to move or turn to a certain extent on it, and thus rise and fall
independently, while they also have a certain lateral play or oscillation on a
horizontal axis I, and thereby accommodate themselves to the various undu-
lations, of the roadway; f,f, are ferrules attached to the axle d for keeping the
scraping tools duly apart; g is a lifting rod held under the arms x by the ends
k of the, traction handle h, by dépressing which handle and causing it to bear
on the axis d as a fulcrum, the rod and scrapers may be lifted off the ground
when not at work. To use the machine the handle h is raised so as to bring
the rod g away from the scrapers and allow them to drop on the road; the
mud, &c. on which they scrape together into heaps as the machine is drawn
along. The working part of the scraper may be made, detachable, and the
scraper may be fitted with an adjustable or reserve piece fixed to the other
part by the pin, which serves as the pivot or axis for the lateral play of the
scraper. m, m, are adjustable slide weights, which are fitted with screws, and
may be so regulated as to bear more or less on the scrapers and adapt them for
various degrees of liquidity and hardness of mud, &c. Small chains are pro-
vided to suspend the end scrapers b, b, when not at work. The scrapers may
be replaced by brushes (Figure 5) for removing dust, or otherwise, when
desirable.
When the apparatus is to be used for raking, serrated or toothed raking
tools, as illustrated in Figure 4, or rakes may be substituted for the scrapers.
The other parts and arrangements of the machine being (in other respects) the
same.
I do not confine myself to any particular form or number of scraping or
raking tools, nor to the exact details shewn, provided the general character of
the Invention be retained.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention as communi-
cated to me, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is,-
The general construction, arrangement, and combination of parts of raking
and scraping machine herein-before described, that is to say, constructing such
machine of a set of scrapers, for which rakes or raking tools may be sub-
stituted, so overlapping as to present a continuous working surface, and so
mounted as to accommodate themselves to irregularities of the roadway or
place over which they may travel, and fitted with adjustable pressure regu-
lating weights and with a lifting bar (connected to a lever handle and acting as

page_text: explained), and having the two outermost scrapers or rakes inclined, all in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
C. DARBY,
77, Fleet Street.
M. HENRY. (L.B.)