A CERTAIN ENGINE OR MACHINE, OR CERTAIN MACHINERY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING AND REMOVING OF EARTH, SAND, GRAVEL, CLAY, STONES, OR ANY OTHER THING, FROM THE BOTTOM OF CANALS, OR OTHER PLACES OF ANY DEPTH, TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, OR HIGHER IF REQUIRED
Year: 1795

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, NATHANIEL
HECKFORD, of the City of Gloucester, Gentleman, sendeth greeting.
WHEREAS His Sovereign Majesty King George tho Third, by His Royal
Letters Patent under His Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the thirty-fifth year of His reign,
reciting (amongst other things) that the said Nathaniel Heckford had, by his
Petition, represented to His said Majesty that, after much study and expence, he
had invented "A CERTAIN ENGINE OR MACHINE, OR CERTAIN MACHINERY, FOR THE
PURPOSE OF RAISING AND REMOVING OF EARTH, SAND, GRAVEL, CLAY, STONES, OR ANY
OTHER THING, FROM THE BOTTOM OF CANALS, OR OTHER PLACES OF ANY DEPTH, TO
THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, OR HIGHER IF REQUIRED," which he believed would
be of great public utility, and that he was the first and true Inventor thereof;
His said Majesty did give and grant unto the said Nathaniel Heckford, his
executors, administrators, and assigns, His said Majesty's especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said Nathaniel Heckford,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and
themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as he, the said Nathaniel Heckford, his executors, administrators, or
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 his said Invention within that
part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner' as to

page_text: him, the said Nathaniel Heckford, bis executors, administrators, and assigns, or
any of them, should in his or their discretions seem meet, and that he, the said
Nathaniel Heckford, his 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 licence, powers, privileges, and
advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto the said
Nathaniel Heckford, his executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and
ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Letters Patent is (amongst other things) contained a proviso that if the
said Nathaniel Heckford should not particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of his said Invention, and in what manner tho samo is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar
month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that
then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, should utterly coase, determine, and become void, anything
therein-before contained to tho contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as
in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may and doth
more fully and at large appear.
NOW THESE PRESENTS WITNESS, that in pursuance of the said
Letters Patent, and in conformity to the proviso therein contained, the said
Nathaniel Heckford hath described and ascertained, and by these Presents
doth fully and particularly describe and ascertain, the nature of his said
Invention, or new-invented engine or machine, or machinery, and in what
manner the same is to be performed (that is to say):-
The engine or machine, or machinery, is designed to raise earth, gravel,
stone, or any other weighty substance, from the bottom of canals, wells, or
other deep places, to a moderate elevation, the degree of which will depend
upon the proportions and size of the machine. In order to obtain this object,
a lever is extended on the top of a perpendicular shaft or upright, which
is its fulcrum or support. This lever is capable of two sorts of motions,
the one up and down like that of a scale beam, the other circulatory or
horizontal round the top of the upright, like that of the flyer of a jack.
To produce the first of these two sorts of motions, the lover is suspended
on an axis or pivot which rests upon the top of an iron cap; this cap is like

page_text: the bowl of an inverted wine glass, or a thimble, and turns round like the
top of a windmill upon the summit of the upright; and as the axis or pivot
of the lever rests upon it, the second sort of motion is easily produced. When
one end of this lever has been sufficiently lowered that the weight may.
; be attached to it, it is raised again by the depression of the opposite or
acting end, which end is managed by a rope, capable of contraction or
extension by being wound on or off a roller, as the movement of the lever
may require. The resisting end of the lover, or that to which the weight is
fastened, is the longer of the two, in order that it may stoop into the bottom of
the canal or well, which it will do, the lower in proportion to its length. To
the acting end, which consequently is the shorter, is fixed an iron are, or
segment of a circle, with a groove upon it's outer side for the reception of a
chain, which works in it like a rope in the wheel of a steeplo bell, and is
connected with the roller and cogged wheels, by which the whole is ultimately
moved. At the end of the chain, which terminates at a little distance below
the lower end of the iron arc or segment, is fastened a block or pully to
receive the rope. Towards the bottom of the upright, which stands upon a.
foot or cross, is placed a wooden frame to hold the roller and cogged wheels;
to this frame one end of the rope is fastened, which then passes through the
block or pully, and has its other end fastened to the roller, on or off which it
may be wound or unwound at pleasure. One end of this roller is fastened to
a large cogged wheel, which is turned by another of about one third of its
diameter, which second also turns a third, which turns a fourth, which is made
to roll upon an iron track or rut, in a circular direction, round the bottom of
the upright; and the wooden frame (which, though attached to the upright, is
yet made moveable for this purpose) as well as the lever which is connected
with the frame through the medium of the chain and rope, move round with
it. Thus a weight, when raised to the necessary height, may, by the horizontal
movement which is then to be resorted to, be placed upon the bank of the
canal or wall with the greatest possible facility, and the machine may be
worked either on the surface or at any moderate depth, according to the length
and proportions of the upright and the lever.
The nature and particulars of this contrivance will be more clearly understood
by the following reference to the Plans hereto annexed :—
Fig. 1 is a specimen of this machine in its most simple form. Fig. 2.
is a ground plan of the foot or cross on which it stands. A is a wooden
perpendicular shaft or upright, 18 feet in heighth, with a tennon at the
bottom, made of iron, fixed in mortice B on Fig. 2. B, in Fig. 1, is a
pinion wheel, made of iron, with a handle for a man to turn it,, acting on C,:

page_text: the large iron cogged wheel, which is fustened to the end of the roller on
which the rope is wound. D is a wooden frame, in which the iron wheels
C, B, E, F, all work, and which, by the assistance of an iron collar containing
eight iron friction wheels or rollers, may be turned in a circular direction
round the upright. E is an iron cogged wheel acted on by B. F is an iron
cogged wheel acted on by E, and moving on the iron track or rut C in Fig. 2,
in a circular direction round upright A, taking frame D and lover G round
with it. G is a wooden lever, of 6 by 5 inches square, of nineteen feet in length
from 1 and 2, and of fifteen feet in length from 2 to 3, turning on an axis or
pivot which rests upon cap P. P is an iron cap, with a joint on top, supporting
lever G, and fitted to the top of upright A, so as to turn round it in a
circular direction. H is an iron are, or segment of a circle, fixed to the end of
lever G, with a groove from 4 to 5 for a chain to work in. I, I, I, I, are
four iron stays or braces to strengthen the are or segment H and lever G, of
length that may appear best to support H and G. K is an iron chain
working in the groove of are or segment II from 4 to 5, and fastened by its
end at 4. L is a single sheave, block, or pully, fastened to the end of chain K.
M is a rope fastened at one end to frame D at 7, passing round block or
pully L, and working round the roller in frame D at 6. N is the wooden
foot or cross on which the upright stands, 0, 0, are four iron knees to keep
the upright steady. Qis a weight raised to the height of eighteen feet. S is
the surface of the earth, or the point of heighth to which a weight may be
raised by a machine of these dimensions.
Fig. 2.-A, A, in Fig 2, are two pieces of timber, one foot square and
eighteen feet long, crossing each other at right angles, and containing mortice B
at their place of junction for the reception of the tennon of the upright. B is
the iron mortice for the reception of the tennon. C is an indented iron track
or rut, on which wheel F in Fig. 1 is made to move, in a circular direction,
round the upright. X is a dotted iron are, or segment of a circle, of the same
kind with segment II, by which the other end of the lever may bo mado to
raiso a weight suspended at V, to which point the lever should in that case be
extended, so that each end as it rose might raise a weight. Y is a dotted cog
wheel, to act with a roller when tho are or segment X is required.
Fig. 3 represents the top of frame D in Fig. 1. A, A, are the sides of the
wooden frame, 9 feet in length and three inches thick. B, B, are two pieces
of hard wood, two feet in width cach and three inches thick, cut out at C to
receive Fig. 4 at B as a collar. C, C, C, C, are four friction iron rollers, and
at bottom of B, B, are four more friction iron rolers, to work in the shoulders
at B in Fig. 4. D is the roller for rope 6 in Fig. 1. At the end No. 1 is

page_text: fixed the wheel C in Fig. 1. F is an iron spindle. At No. 2 is fixed the
wheel B on Fig. 1. F, F, F, F, are two iron bolts with nutts to screw the
sides A, A, and B, B, when on Fig. 4, at B, together. G is a dotted roller
to act with the dotted are or segment X on Fig. 1 when required. H is the
handle for a man to turn the pinion B on.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4. A is the wooden perpendicular shaft, as A in Fig. 1. B, the part
where C in Fig. 3 is fixed and turns on. G the pivot acting in P, Fig. 1.
D, D, are two iron bands or hoops. C is an iron tennon fixed in mortice B
in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 represents the front of wheel and spindle F in Fig. 1. A, the cog
wheel; B, the spindle; C, an iron leaver to shift the wheel F in Fig. 1 from
wheel B and F, or to them, when required.
Which description above contained is a full and true description of the said
Invention.
In witness whereof, the said Nathaniel Heckford hath hereunto set his
hand and scal, the Eighteenth day of September, in the thirty-fifth
year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord Georgo the Third, by the
grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of
the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and ninety-five.
NATHANIEL (L.S.) HECKFORD.