AN IMPROVED METHOD OF GETTING COAL, AND FOR THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Stuart Norris, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF GETTING COAL, AND FOR THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH."
Sealed the 20th August 1869, and dated the 27th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Stuart Norris
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th February 1869.
I, RICHARD STUART NORRIS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF GETTING COAL, AND FOR THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
At the front of the seam of coal I place a bed or frame of metal
carrying a sliding block, which is moved forwards and backwards along
the bed by means of a screw and nut, or rack and pinion, worked by
hand or power. The sliding block carries two cutters and also a screw

page_text: having a nut, to which one end of the cutters are connected, there being
small eccentrics or levers for alternately placing the cutting edge of one
cutter slightly in advance of the other.
At the commencement of operations an ordinary drilling machine is
fixed to one end of the bed, and a hole is made in the scam, after which
the drilling machine is fixed at the other end of the bed and another
hole made in the seam. The drilling machine is now removed and the
foremost cutter forced against the coal and moved from one end of the
bed to. the other by means of the screw and nut or rack and pinion
before mentioned, and cuts a slot or groove in the coal. The cutter is
now brought back and the other cutter pushed forwards by the small
eccentrics or levers, and this second cutter after being forced against the
coal is moved in the reverse direction along the bed and cuts another
slot or groove in the coal; this cutter is now brought back and the
other pushed forwards in the first slot against the coal and moved in the
first direction, and these operations are repeated until there are deep
slots or grooves in the seam, and then the block of coal between them is
broken off. The sliding block and cutters may be worked vertically,
horizontally, or at an angle, and one, two, or more cutters can be
employed, and the block and cutters are raised, lowered, and placed at
any required position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Stuart Norris in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
STUART NORRIS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
32nd year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Richard Stuart Norris, Her special license.
that I, the said Richard Stuart Norris, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Stuart Norris, my

page_text: 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 "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF GETTING COAL, AND FOR THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Richard Stuart Norris, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Richard Stuart Norris, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Figures
on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters of
reference marked thereon (that is to say):-
At the front of the seam of coal I place a bed or frame of metal
carrying a sliding block, which is moved forwards and backwards along
the bed by means of a screw and nut worked by hand or power. The
sliding block carries one or more cutters and also a screw having a nut,
to which the cutter or cutters are connected, and when two cutters one
above the other are used the nut is provided with slots, through which
the back ends of the cutters are passed, there being small eccentrics for
alternately placing the cutting edge of one cutter slightly in advance of
the other.
On Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan and
Fig. 2 an end elevation of this machine with two cutters when worked
by hand.
a represents the bed or frame; b, the sliding block; c, d, the screw and
nut for moving the, sliding block; e, f, the cutters; g, h, i, the screw,
nut, and hand wheel for moving the cutters forwards; and j the eccen-
trics placed in spaces in the cutters for changing their positions. To
the bed or frame a is fixed the standard k, carrying the shaft l, to which

page_text: is fixed the hand wheel m and the bevil wheel n, there being fixed or
cast to the standard a bearing o, in which works the upper part of the
shaft p, the lower part of the shaft working in the bearing a fixed to the
bed a.
The shaft p carries at the top the bevil wheel gearing into the
bevil wheel n, and at the bottom the bevil wheel & gearing into the bevil
wheel t, fixed to the screw c; and when revolving motion is given to
the hand wheel m the bevil wheels turn the screw and move the sliding
block and cutters along the bed, first in one direction and then in
another, according to the way the hand wheel is turned. In order to
keep the top of the machine steady I place in a screwed hole at the top
of the standard a screw u, on which a piece of wood or metal extending
to the roof is placed, and afterwards tightened by means of the handle v.
At the commencement of operations an ordinary drilling machine is
fixed to one end of the bed a, and two holes corresponding with the
positions of the cutters are made in the seam of coal, after which the
drilling machine is fixed at the other end of the bed, and two other holes
made in the seam in line with the first, or holes may be made in any
other manner. The drilling machine is now removed, and the cutters
moved forwards by turning the screw by means of the hand wheel i, the
foremost cutter entering one of the holes, and then by turning the hand
wheel m the sliding block is moved from one end of the bed to the other,
causing the cutter to cut a groove in the coal. The cutter is now
brought back and the other cutter moved forwards by the small eccen-
trics, and this second cutter after being entered into its corresponding
hole is moved in the reverse direction and cuts another groove in the
coal. This cutter is now brought back and the other cutter moved for-
wards by the eccentrics, and after the cutters are moved bodily forwards
for another cut by the screw 9 and hand wheel i the sliding block is
moved in the first direction, and these operations are repeated until there
are deep grooves in the seam, and then the block of coal between them
ís broken off. The sliding block and cutters may be moved to and fro
by a rack and pinion, and instead of eccentrics for shifting the cutters
small levers may be employed, and by using a cutter with two cutting
edges w, Fig. 3, each groove, can be cut in the seam of coal in both
directions, the eccentrics or levers being used when the machine is
worked by hand for preventing both cutters from cutting at the same
time if necessary.
The sliding block and cutters may be worked
vertically, horizontally, or at an angle, and one, two, or more cutters can

page_text: at any required position.
When the machinery or apparatus is worked by motive power four,
five, or more cutters may be cutting at the same time, some vertically
and the others horizontally, and Figs. 4 and 5, Sheet 2, are front and
end elevations, and Fig. 6 a plan of this description of machine worked
by a small steam or air engine. The main bed of the machine is shewn
at a, to which is fitted the sliding block b, having at the top a pillar c
with a deep socket, in which is placed the ram of a block d, which can
be raised and lowered as required, and be kept fast by screws e, and the
sliding block b is moved to and fro by the screw worked by bevil
gearing g, h, turned by the small oscillating steam or air engine i, i, i.
To the ends of the bed a are fixed standards k having sliding blocks 2,
which are raised and lowered-by screws m worked by the bevil gearing
h, n, and o, p, and in these blocks are placed the gutters q, r, for cutting
vertical grooves in the seam of coal. The cutters for cutting the
horizontal grooves are marked 8, t, u, and all the cutters are connected
at their back ends to nuts worked by screws w and hand wheels x, the
cutters t, u, being acted upon by eccentrics or not as desired, and for
keeping the standards steady at the top there are screws and nuts y.
All the cutters have one or two cutting edges, and cut the grooves in
the seam of coal in one or both directions, and for each horizontal cutter
one hole is drilled or cut in the seam for the cutter to start from, and
another hole z at the other side for the cutter to finish in, and one or
two holes for the vertical cutters, and when the steam or air engine is
set to work the cutters 8, t, u, move to and fro and the cutters q, r, up
and down according to the direction in which the crank and fly wheel
revolve, the motion being reversed at the termination of each stroke of
the cutters, which are kept up to their work by the screws to and hand
wheels x, and when grooves are cut sufficiently deep the blocks between
them are broken off.
By the use of the foregoing improved machinery or apparatus the
holing is performed with slight waste of material, and by the upright
grooving the cutting of side work is easily effected with a minimum
amount of waste, and the coal can also be cut into various sized blocks,

page_text: Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire
it to be understood that I claim the improved method of cutting deep
grooves in coal or cannel vertically or horizontally by means of the
machinery or apparatus herein described and illustrated on the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings,
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Stuart Norris, have here.
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the within-named Richard Stuart
Norris, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
R. S. NORRIS. (L.S.)