CERTAIN MECHANICAL MEANS BY WHICH THE CONVEYANCE OF COALS, MINERALS, AND OTHER ARTICLES IS FACILITATED, AND THE EXPENCE ATTENDING THE SAME IS RENDERED LESS THAN HERETOFORE
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BLENKINSOP, of Middleton, in the Parish of Rothwell, in the County of York,
Coal Viewer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of April, in the
fifty-first year of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said John
Blenkinsop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His said Majesty's
special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Blenkinsop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by
myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said John Blenkinsop, 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 of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, my Invention of
"CERTAIN MECHANICAL MEANS BY WHICH THE CONVEYANCE OF COALS, MINERALS,
AND OTHER ARTICLES IS FACILITATED, AND THE EXPENCE ATTENDING THE SAME IS
RENDERED LESS THAN HERETOFORE," within that part of His Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, in such manner as to me, the said John
Blenkinsop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should

page_text: in my or their discretion seem meet; and that I, the said John Blenkinsop, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage, from time to time
coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for
and during the term of years therein mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and
enjoy the said licences, powers, privileges, and advantages therein before
granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said John Blenkinsop, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end
and term of fourteen years from the date thereof, next and immediately
ensuing, and fully to be complete, ended, according to the Statute in such case
made and provided; in which said recited Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that if I, the said John Blenkinsop, should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months next and immediately after the date thereof,
that then the said recited Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages
whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become
void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise
notwithstanding, as in and by the said recited Letters Patent, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Blenkinsop, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained, as follows (that is to say) :-
Firstly, I do construct, place, and fix in and upon the ground or road over
which such conveyance is to be made, a toothed rack or longitudinal piece of
cast iron or other fit material, having the teeth or protuberences or other parts
of the nature of teeth, standing either upwards or downwards or sideways, in
any required position, and I do continue and prolong the said toothed rack or
longitudinal piece by the addition and duly placing and fixing of other like
pieces, all along or as far as may be required upon the said ground or road.
Secondly, I do apply, fix, and connect with a carriage required to bear and
convey goods along the said ground or road, a wheel having teeth or probu-
terences, or other parts of the nature of teeth, at or near the circumference
thereof, so formed and placed as to become -connected with and fairly to act
upon the teeth, protuberences, or other parts of the nature of teeth, belonging
to the said rack or longitudinal piece when the said carriage shall be suitably
placed with regard to the same.

page_text: Thirdly, I do cause the said wheel to revolve and drive the carriage along
by the application of any such well-known power or first mover as can be
placed upon and carried along with the said carriage, and I do declare that a
steam engine is greatly to be preferred to any other first mover; and further,
that I do connect the said wheel with the first mover by crank, assisted by a
fly, or by any other of the several methods of connection which are well known
and easy to be applied and used by any competent mechanic, and I do make
the said connection, either directly with the arbor of the said wheel, or
indirectly by other wheel work, when the crank or other driving piece cannot.
with convenience or effect be fixed upon the arbor of the said wheel.
Fourthly, in order to render the motion of my said carriage more easy, I, as
may be most convenient, do avail myself of the contrivances and expedients
heretofore used for improving roads, such as platforms, pavements, connected
timbers, and more especially the iron railway, upon which I do by preference,
in every instance, cause the untoothed or common wheels of my carriage to
run, and I do then and in that case connect my longitudinal pieces aforesaid
with the railroad itself, or otherwise, by preference, I do cast one of the sides
or range of pieces forming the said railroad with teeth or protuberences or
other parts of the nature of teeth standing as aforesaid, so that the same side
or range shall constitute my said toothed rack or longitudinal piece, and at the
same time afford a regular and even bearing for the wheels and for the toothed
wheel, which (if its plane be vertical, may be made with a side rim to
bear upon the smooth part of the rail, and prevent the teeth from locking
too deep.
And, lastly, I do give motion to other carriages by attaching the same to
the carriage upon which the first mover is placed, as aforesaid, and these other
carriages are fitted up as usual, without the toothed wheel; and I do, where
the same may be preferred, make use of two toothed wheels acting upon
correspondent racks on each side.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Blenkinsop, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of May, in the fifty-first year of the reign
of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God, of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of
the Faith, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eleven.
LOO PICACIO
JOHN (L.S.) BLENKINSUP.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Ninth day of May,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Blenkinsop came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery; and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute 5
in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Sixteenth day of May, in the year above written.