IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING COAL. STONE. OR OTHER MINERALS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Firth, of Burley, near Leeds, in the
County of York, Merchant, and Samuel Firth, of the same Place,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING COAL. STONE. OR OTHER MINERALS."
Sealed the 25th November 1864, and dated the 31st May 1864..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Firth an
Samuel Firth, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 31st May 1864.
WE, WILLIAM FIRTH, of Burley, near Leeds, in the County of York,
Merchant, and SAMUEL FIRTH, of the same Place, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR
CUTTING COAL, STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS," to be as follows:
First, one of our improvements consists in a new form of pick having two
or more cutting blades on the same face of the stem or shaft of the pick, so as
to cut the coal or other mineral at two or more points at each stroke of the
machine, the lengths of each blade to vary in such manner and proportions as
shall be found suitable as the distance from the spindle increases. In many
cases the coal or other mineral will not stand up after it has been cut into

page_text: and sprags or wedges have to be inserted to prevent its falling, which have to
be again removed to admit of the second or third course, which is attended
with some danger, trouble, and expense, in addition to the increased con-
sumption of power. By our improved arrangement a groove may be cut into
the coal or other mineral deeper from the face than can be effected by a single
pointed instrument, and, in many cases, a sufficient depth may be undercut by
passing the machine only once over the face instead of twice or three times, as
now usually done.
Secondly, in working the compressed air" pick machines it is found that
when the cutter strikes the coal or other mineral it causes a jerking motion to
the whole machine, which has to be resisted by the flanges of the wheels
resting upon the rails upon which the machine travels in front of the coal. This
jerking motion is a great disadvantage, both to the road and to the effective
management of the machine, and it increases in proportion as the machine is
shortened in its length, or the bearings or axles of the wheels are brought nearer
to each other. Our improvements for the purpose of diminishing these objections
are as follows:-We place "slippers" or "sledges" within or between the front
and bind wheels, which, after machine is set in position, are made to descend
until they span each rail, they thus present bearings longitudinally upon the
rails, and being firmly held to the frame of the machine, break the force of
the jerking motion, and hold the machine more steadily to its work. When
the machine has to be removed off the road, the slippers are lifted off by screws
or other suitable means, so that they are out of the reach of the rails, and
offer no impediment to the turning of the machine in any direction.
The sledges or slippers may also be placed in front of or behind the frame,
or both behind and in front, and may be attached to or detached from, or
made to work upon a hinge or other suitable contrivance, so as to allow the
machine to be turned off the road when not at work.
Another mode of effecting the same end is by applying wheels with double
or single flanges on axles to gauge or span the road and of any suitable
diameter, which may be lowered and lifted, attached and detached, as may be
required in a similar manner to the slippers.
"
Thirdly, another improvement consists in placing one or more rollers or
other contrivance, so arranged as to prevent the machine " dipping" or
lifting" from the rails. This may be done either by fixing brackets to the
frame of the machine, to which is attached a roller placed across the line of
rails pressing upon their surface, or the form of the rail may be of a concave
or other suitable shape to admit of pulley rollers being attached to the frame
of the machine, and placed so as to press against the rails whenever the

page_text: tendency of the machine is to lift or dip in such manner as to counteract that
tendency.
Fourthly, another improvement consists in a a spring or springs so arranged
as to be acted upon by the pick, cutter, or balance weight on the return
stroke, the spring or springs acting as a buffer to relieve the piston on its
return from the blow. This arrangement will accellerate the change or
reciprocating action from the back to the outward stroke, and give increased
velocity to the pick, and a corresponding increase of force by momentum,
which, by aiding the motive power, is equivalent to a saving of compressed
air.
Fifthly, another of our improvements consists in fixing arms and connecting
rods to a pair or more of tram-wheel axles on both sides of the machine, so
that when motion is given to the machine it shall be communicated simul-
taneously to all the wheels, and a greater command is thereby given over the
machine. In the old form of pick machine, the fore and hind wheels are
geared together by means of bevil wheels carried on a cross shaft, and gearing
into bevil wheels carried on the tram-wheel axles. In this arrangement the
wheels soon get out of order owing to the great strain put upon them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Firth and Samuel Firth in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, We, WILLIAM
FIRTH, of Burley, near Leeds, in the County of York, Merchant, and SAMUEL
FIRTH, of the same Place, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Firth and Samuel Firth, Her special licence that we, the said
William Firth and Samuel Firth, our executors; administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said William Firth and Samuel Firth, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the terni
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING COAL, STONE, OR OTHER MINERALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Firth and Samuel Firth, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Samuel Firth, on behalf of myself and
the said William Firth, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
One of our improvements consists in a new form of pick having two or more
cutting blades on the same face of the stem or shaft of the pick, so as to cut the
coal or other mineral at two or more points at each stroke of the machine;
the lengths of each blade is made to vary in such manner and proportions as
shall be found, suitable as the distance from the spindle increases. In many
cases the coal or other mineral will not stand up after it has been cut into,
and heretofore sprags or wedges have had to be inserted to prevent its falling,
which have to be again removed to admit of the cutting of second or third
course; this is attended with some danger, trouble, and expense, in addition to
the increased consumption of power. By our improved arrangement a groove
may be cut into the coal or other mineral deeper from the face than can be
effected by a single pointed instrument, and in many cases a sufficient depth
may be undercut by passing the machine only once over the face instead of
twice or three times as now usually done.
Figure 1 is a plan of a pick constructed according to our Invention; a, a, is
the stem or shaft of the pick which at a' fits into a socket or pick box in the
usual manner and is there secured by a key or wedge; a³ and as are two
cutting blades formed on the stem or shaft; they have steel tips welded on to
them as is usual. The length to which the blades a² and a³ are made should
be adapted to the depth of cut which it is desired to make, and the distance
of the centre or axis of the pick from the face of the work. The adjustment
should be such that about the same time that the blade a strikes the face of
the work the blade a³ strikes the bottom of the grove cut by the blade a².
Another improvement consists in placing one or more rollers or other
contrivance so arranged as to prevent the machine "dipping" or "lifting
from the rails. This may be done by fixing brackets to the frame of the

page_text: machine to which is attached a roller placed across the line of rails and
pressing upon their surfaces. This arrangement is shown at Figure 2; at a the
fore part of the frame of the machine is represented; b is one of the ordinary
carrying wheels; c is the pick axis, capable of turning in bearings at the top
and bottom of the frame; c' is an arm on the axis c, and to this the connecting
rod d, from which the axis receives its motion, is attached; e is the pick socket,
or box, it can be slidden up and down on the axis c by means of the bell
crank f and rod g; h is the stem or shaft of the pick; the roller for preventing
the carriage tipping is shown at i; it is carried by the brackets k fixed to the
frame. The roller may have flanges on it as is shown, but the flanges are not
essential. By employing in this manner, in addition to the ordinary carrying
wheels of the machine which are behind the axis of the pick, a roller in front
of the said axis, all tendency of the machine to tipping whilst at work is
overcome, or in place of this arrangement the side of the rail may be of a
concave or other suitable shape, and pulley rollers may be attached to the frame
of the machine and placed so as to press against the rails whenever the
tendency of the machine is to lift or dip in such manner as to counteract
that tendency.
This arrangement is shown at Figure 3; a is the frame of the machine as
seen from the front; b, b, the fore carrying wheels with their axle 6'; a¹, a¹,
are brackets from the frame projecting in front of the wheels b and carrying
the stud axes of pulleys c, c, which, as is seen, run in grooves on the sides of
the rails d. These rails are formed underneath to any convenient shape to
facilitate the attachment of them to the sleepers so as not to interfere with the
pulleys c. Figure 4 shews a modification of the arrangement where a central
rail is used to receive the pulleys c. If desired toothed pinions may be
substituted for the pulleys c and corresponding rack teeth formed on the
rails, this will be useful where the machine has to work on a steep incline. In
this case, as is indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4, the axes of the
pinions should be geared together at their upper ends, and a hand wheel fixed
on one of the axes, then by turning the hand wheel the machine may be
moved along as the work progresses, or by securing this wheel the machine
may be locked stationary in any required position. The pulleys or pinions c
should be so arranged as to be readily removed or raised up out of the way to
allow of the machine travelling from place to place when off its line of rails.
Another improvement consists in a spring or springs so arranged as to
be acted upon by the pick or cutter, or the balance weight thereof, on the
return stroke, the spring or springs acting as a buffer to relieve the piston on
its return from the blow. This arrangement will accelerate the change or

page_text: reciprocating action from the back to the outward stroke and give increased
velocity to the pick and a corresponding increase of force by momentum, which
by aiding the motive power is equivalent to a saving of compressed air.
In Figure 5 a is a plan of the fore part of the frame of the machine; b, the
fore carrying wheels; c, the axis of the pick; d, the stem thereof; e, an arm
on the axis c, carrying a counterpoise f, for the weight of the pick or cutter;
g is a buffer, the stem of which passes through a spring box g¹, in which is a
strong spiral or other spring or springs, and e¹ is a projection on the coun-
terpoise arm, which at the end of the return stroke comes in contact with the
buffer. This buffer, with its spring box, is firmly clamped to the frame and
its position is adjustable along the slot h, so as to limit the length of the return
motion of the pick or cutter as may be required. The buffer may, if preferred,
be applied directly to the stem of the pick or cutter.
Another of our improvements consists in fixing arms and connecting rods to
a pair or more of train wheel axles on both sides of the machine, so that when
motion is given to the machine it shall be communicated simultaneously to
all the wheels, and a greater command is thereby given over the machine.
Figure 6 is a side view of a portion of a machine; a, a, is the frame, and b
the axis of the pick; c, c, are the carrying wheels, which on each side of the
machine are connected together by a connecting rod or link d, these, as is
shown, not being placed opposite each other, but the cranks or crank pins on
one side are so placed or situated as to be about 90° in advance of those on
the other side, or at right angles thereto; e is a worm wheel on the axis of the
hinder wheels, by means of which they can be rotated, and the motion is
communicated to the fore wheels the connecting rods or links. The
connection between the fore and hind wheels is in this Figure shewn to be
through cranks fixed at the outer ends of the axles; when outside wheels are
employed it may be done in the manner shown at Figure 7, when studs are
fixed eccentrically into the sides of the wheels to receive the connecting rods
or links; or again, as in Figure 8, the axles may be cranked intermediate of
their length.
In the old form of pick machine, the fore and hind wheels are geared
together by means of bevil wheels carried on a cross shaft and gearing into
bevil wheels carried on the tram wheel axles. In this arrangement the
wheels soon get out of order, owing to the great strain put upon them, and
they also become clogged with coal dust, which renders it difficult to retain a
proper command over the machine. It will be seen also that in our arrange-
ment, where, as is shown in the Drawing, a worm wheel is applied to one of
the axes with a worm either to turn it so as to propel the carriage or to lock

page_text: it in any required position, that the four wheels all act together either to propel
or retain the carriage in position, whereas when gear is used in consequence of
the backlash of the teeth one pair of wheels is able to turn partly round
independently of the other pair.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Firth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
SAMUEL FIRTH.
(L.S.)