Year: 1899

page_text: I, LUTHER HENRY WIGHTMAN, of 130, State Street, Boston, in the County
of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: -
This invention relates to implements for use in forming trenches for army
fortification and it has for its object to provide a tool possessing the necessary
strength and durability and yet of such light weight that it may be carried
in a case suspended from the belt, that it shall possess a comparatively large
lifting or dirt-holding surface and be adapted for use in cutting down brush,
small trees and the like.
According to my invention the blade or body portion of the implement is
pointed at its front end and is curved transversely at its central portion and
provided with a tang integral therewith and which is received in and secured to
à hollow handle. The blade is extended outwards in substantially horizontal
planes at the upper edge so as to form a tread for the foot in forcing the tool
into the ground. The handle is tubular, and it has at its rear side a flattened
portion which extends down into the blade of the tool and is rivetted thereto,
so that the handle reinforces the blade at the tang portion or weakest point of
the tool. There are three objects aimed at in making the handle tubular first,
for the sake of lightness; second, to adapt it to receive the end of a stick to form
a long handle; and third, to form a scabbard for a bayonet, thus making it
unnecessary to carry the usual scabbard. The end of the handle is provided
with an outwardly extended flange to prevent the device from slipping from
the hand while using the tool for chopping, or otherwise. The central portion
of the blade as above stated is curved in cross section, but the opposite edges
however, are carried out in substantially horizontal planes in direct line with
the centre of the handle. One of the side portions is sharpened so that the tool
may serve as a hatchet or cutting device for cutting down brush, small trees or
the like.
The object in making the cutting edge especially in a direct line with the
casing of the handle is to facilitate the handling of the tool while cutting
wood, as obviously, were such cutting edge arranged laterally or forward or
rearward of the handle, the tool would have a tendency to turn in the hand
while chopping.
This tool is complete in itself, but if a long handle is desired, such handle
may be easily formed from any stick of wood that may be found in the field,
Tinted in 5th day of A 1900
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.

page_text: Improvements in Intrenching Tools.
I, LUTHER HENRY WIGHTMAN, of 130, State Street, Boston, in the County
of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to implements for use in forming trenches for army
fortification. Various tools have been designed for digging trenches, but they
have not proved a success, because in some instances the tool is of too much
weight to be conveniently carried by a soldier, and in other instances the tool,
a spade bayonet, is too small to carry or handle sufficient quantities of earth.
It is the object of my invention, to provide a tool that shall be strong and
durable, yet of comparatively light weight, so that it may be carried in a case
suspended from a belt, thereby being at all times in the possession of the soldier.
It is a further object to provide the tool with a comparatively large lifting or
dirt-holding surface; and further to provide the tool with a sharp cutting edge,
for cutting down brush, small trees and the like.
I will describe an intrenching tool embodying my invention, and then point
out the novel features in the appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of an intrenching tool embodying my invention;
Figure 2 is a rear elevation thereof;
Figure 3 is an edge elevation thereof;
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 in Figure 1;
Figure is a section on the line - in Figure 1, drawn on a larger scale
than in said Figure 1, to clearly show the cross-sectional shape of the tool body;
und
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 in Figure 1.
The tool comprises a body portion 1, which is extended to a point and has an
integral tang 2 extended from it. At the sides of the tang 2, the body portion
is extended out in straight lines on the upper edge, as indicated at 3, so that
a person may place his foot on these portions, if desired, in forcing the tool into
the ground.
The tang 2 extends into a handle 4, and is secured by means of rivets or
otherwise. This handle 4 is tubular, and it has at its rear side a portion 5,
which extends down onto the blade of the tool and is riveted thereto, so that
the handle will form a reinforce at the tang portion or weakest point of the tool.
There are three objects aimed at in making the handle 4 tubular; first-for
the sake of lightness; second-to adapt it to receive the end of a stick to form a
long handle; and third-to form a scabbard for a bayonet, thus making it un-
necessary to carry the usual scabbard. The end of the handle 4 has an outwardly
extended flange 6, which will prevent the device from slipping from a person's
hand while using the tool for chopping, or otherwise. The central portion of
the blade is curved in cross section, as plainly indicated in Figure 5; the opposite
edges however, are carried out in substantially horizontal planes, as at 7, 8,
and these portions 7, 8, are in direct line with the centre of the handle 4. One
of the side portions, here shown as the side portion 7, is sharpened as at 9,
thus providing a hatchet or cutting device for cutting down brush, small trees
or the like.

page_text: The object in making the cutting edge especially in a direct line with the
casing of the handle 4, is to facilitate the handling of the tool while cutting
wood, as obviously, were such cutting edge arranged laterally or forward or
rearward of the handle, the tool would have a tendency to turn in the hand
while chopping.
The tool is complete in itself, but if a long handle is desired, such handle may
be easily formed from any stick of wood that may be found in the field, such for
instance as a limb of a tree, or even a small tree.
This instrument complete has a weight of about 1 pounds, and it has a
dirt-holding or lifting surface of about thirty-four square inches, therefore it
is well adapted for carrying earth, and as it is pointed, it may be easily forced
into sod or hard earth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An intrenching tool, having a pointed body provided with a tang at one
end, the said body portion being transversely curved at its central portion and
having its sides extended out in substantially horizontal planes, the edge of
one of said sides being sharpened, and a hollow handle riveted to the tang and
also having a portion extended upon the body portion of the tool and riveted
thereto, substantially as specified.
2. An intrenching tool, comprising a pointed body portion and having an
integral tang extended from its upper end, and a tubular handle riveted to said
tang and having a portion extended upon the body portion and riveted thereto,
the said body portion of the tool being transversely curved at its central portion
and then having its side portions extended outward in substantially horizontal
planes and in line with the longitudinal centre of the handle, an edge of one of
said side portions being sharpened, substantially as specified.
3. An intrenching tool, comprising a body pointed at one end and having a
tang extended from the other end, a tubular handle into which said tang extends,
a flange on the outer end of the handle, a portion of the inner end of the handle
extended from the rear side of the handle upon the body portion of the tool and
riveted thereto, one of the edges of the body or the tool being sharpened and
arranged in line with the longitudinal centre of the tubular handle, substantially
as specified.
Dated this 5th day of January 1900.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.