IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, DRILLING, OR OTHERWISE TREATING ORES, STONE, QUARTZ, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES IN MINING OPERATIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Pidding, of the Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRUSHING, DRILLING, OR OTHERWISE TREATING ORES, STONE, QUARTZ,
OR OTHER SUBSTANCES IN MINING OPERATIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 5th August 1853, and dated the 12th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Pidding
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th February 1853.
I, WILLIAM PIDDING, do hereby declare the nature of the said
5 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, DRILLING, OR OTHERWISE
TREATING ORES, STONE, QUARTZ, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES IN MINING OPERA-
TIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to
be as follows:.
-
. I propose to crush, compress, or drill quartz, ore, stone, and other
0 substances previous to blasting (in mining operations), by using
"" rammers" made or shaped so as to be most fit for the purposes
mentioned, and acted upon by detonation of either gunpowder or

page_text: other detonating force, or steam, where steam power may be ob-
tained. I fit the rammer (say for quartz crushing) into a frame
work, along which it may slide (similar to the monkey used in pile
driving), horizontally or on an incline or railway, bringing the tail
thereof close to into the mouth of a common cannon, on the dis-
charge of which the rammer sliding with great velocity along the
frame work, strikes its head against the object to be crushed, drilled,
driven, or compressed. I propose to use a spring or springs,
made of any elastic material whatever, which I so arrange as to
return the rammer to or near its original position, or it may be
returned by other means. These rammers will be in some instances
furnished with projections or scoops, to throw the earth or other
substances sideways into vehicles, or simply sideways. When these
rammers are used for drilling, their shapes both in the head and
body will vary, or be jointed or otherwise, as preferred.
I believe the before written to be such an outline description of
my Invention as will be easily understood, but in my Final Speci-
fication my improvements will be fully described and illustrated by
diagrams thereof.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters 20
Patent, filed by the said William Pidding in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM PIDDING, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man, send greeting..
:25
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of. February, in.
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and.
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Pidding, 30
Her special licence that I, the said. William Pidding, my .exe-

page_text: cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Pidding, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, DRILLING,
OR OTHERWISE TREATING ORES, STONE, QUARTZ, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES IN
MINING OPERATIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Pidding, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 William Pidding, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
The nature of this Invention is, as its title imports, an improved
means of performing mining operations, by the use of which quartz,
ore, stone, and other similar substances are compressed, crushed, or
drilled previous to and after or subsequent to blasting; and to effect
this operation, I use rammers made or shaped so as to be most fit for
the purposes mentioned, and such raminers are acted upon by deto-
nating force, either by gunpowder or by steam power. When I can
obtain steam power, I fit the rammer (say for crushing quartz) into
a framing, along which such rammer may slide (similar to the
monkey used in pile driving, but horizontally or angularly instead
of vertically), or a rail or rails may be placed on the timbers similar
to a railway. I bring the tail of the rammer close into the mouth
of a cylindrical vessel capable of containing it, and apply steam
power in any of the ordinary modes. When I use gunpowder, the
tail of said rammer must be brought close to or into the mouth

page_text: of a common cannon, on the discharge of which, the rammer sliding
with great velocity along the frame work, or on the rails aforesaid,
.strikes its head against the object to be crushed, drilled, driven, or
compressed, and effects the purpose. In order to avoid the labor
of returning the rammer to its position at the cannon's mouth, I use
a spring or several springs made of india rubber, vulcanized or
otherwise, or of any suitable elastic material. This or these I fix
both to the rammer and the frame work aforesaid, so that the said
rammer acting upon the spring or springs just before the blow on
the quartz or other substance is delivered, distends or extends it or
them. The rebound consequent upon the shock, assisted by the con-
traction of this spring or these springs, and guided and confined by
the framing, will return the rammer to its original position, without,
or nearly so, the aid of the operator. I sometimes furnish my
rammer with a projection or scoop at its head, by which the earthy
substances aforesaid are thrown-sideways, and may be deposited in
barrows or other vehicles, without other labor than that of remov-
ing such vehicle when loaded, and replacing it by another. When
I use these rammers for drilling, I form their heads and bodies in
a shape most convenient for that purpose, and as such shapes are
-well known in mining operations, it will not be necessary to describe
or illustrate them in this.my Specification. And I would also
reinark, that these rammers may be made in jointed pieces, where
preferred, as being more portable or otherwise.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is performed or carried into effect, I
would here remark that as the apparatus for the monkey in pile
driving is so well known, and the slide used by me for mining
operations is so similar, except that it is used in a horizontal or
angular position, I have not thought it necessary to annex any
Drawings thereof to this my Specification. The placing of the rails
- when required or desired, is so simple, and the form of a cannon and
rammer so well known, that any engineer, carpenter, smith, or other
person reading the foregoing description, would be enabled to effect
the combination of parts for the purposes of my Invention. Nor do

page_text: I claim any of these parts taken separately, but only as they are
combined for the purpose of crushing, drilling, or otherwise treating
ores, stone, quartz, or other substances in mining operations.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pidding, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three
D
Witness,
JAMES PIDDING,
3, Crown Court,
Threadneedle Street.
W. PIDDING. (L.S.)