IMPROVE- MENTS IN COVERINGS FOR RICKS OR STACKS OF HAY, CORN, STRAW, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR BARK RICKS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walker, of Colner Farm, Bosham, near
Chichester, in the County of Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COVERINGS FOR RICKS OR STACKS OF HAY, CORN, STRAW, AND OTHER
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR BARK RICKS."
Sealed the 17th November 1871, and dated the 12th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th July 1871.
I, WILLIAM WALKER, of Colner Farm, Bosham, near Chichester, in
the County of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERINGS FOR RICKS OR STACKS OF HAY, CORN,
STRAW, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR BARK RICKS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in providing ricks or stacks of hay, corn, straw,
and other agricultural produce, as also bark ricks with a covering, con-

page_text: sisting of separate sheets or plates of metal, by preference galvanized,
corrugated, or plain sheet iron of a conveniently portable size, and
placed upon the top of the rick or stack in such manner as to overlap
each other both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction.
The upper end of each plate or sheet is secured to the rick by means
of metal pins driven through holes in the plate into the rick, while
the lower ends of the lowest row, as also the outer edges of the end
rows of the plates are by preference tied down by means of short lengths
of chain or links attached thereto and secured to the sides of the ricks
by pins or staples.
At the ridge of the rick I provide. lengths of angular sheet metal
ridge picces overlapping cach other and also the upper plates on either
side, which ridge pieces are tied down to the rick by pins driven through
holes into the rick.
When corrugated sheet metal is employed the intestices left between
the valleys of the corrugations and the covering ridge pieces will con-
veniently form ventilating apertures.
When flat sheet metal is employed I prefer to bend the one longitu-
dinal edge of each plate up and the other edge down so that the turned-
down edge of the one plate will overlap the turned-up edge of the
contiguous plate.
When the sheet metal covering is used for hay ricks I prefer to make
the plates of such a width as will correspond with the ordinary size of the
trusses to be cut therefrom, the combined width of three plates being
conveniently made to correspond with the combined width of two trusses,
so that for cutting the trusses from the rick only the corresponding
number of covering plates need be removed therefrom.
In applying my improved covering to circular ricks I make the plates
of a tapering form, the narrow ends being fixed at the top of the rick
by pins, as before described, while the wide ends are secured at the
edge of the rick by links secured by pins or staples, as before described.
A cap is provided at the top or apex of the rick so as to cover the
upper ends of the plates.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER, of Colner Farm, Bosham, near Chichester, in the County of
Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Walker, Her special licence that
I, the said William Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Walker, my exccutors, 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 COVERINGS FOR RICKS OR
STACKS OF HAY, CORN, STRAW, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, ALSO APPLICABLE
TO BARK RICKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Walker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
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 William Walker, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention consists in providing ricks or stacks of hay, corn,
straw, and other agricultural produce, as also bark ricks, with a covering.
consisting of separate sheets or plates of metal, by preference galvanized,
corrugated, or plain sheet iron of a conveniently portable size, and
placed upon the top of the rick or stack in such manner as to overlap

page_text: each other, both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction;
the upper end of each plate or sheet is secured to the rick by means of
metal pins driven through holes in the plate into the rick, while the
lower ends of the lowest row, as also the outer edges of the end rows
of the plates are by preference tied down by means of short lengths of
chain or links attached thereto and secured to the sides of the ricks by
pins or staples, or they may be held down by weights hung from short
chains.
At the ridge of the rick I provide lengths of angular sheet metal
ridge pieces overlapping each other and also the upper plates on either
side, which ridge pieces are tied down to the rick by pins driven through
holes into the rick..
When corrugated sheet metal is employed the interstices left between
the valleys of the corrugations and the covering ridge pieces will con-
veniently form ventilating apertures.
When flat sheet metal is employed I prefer to bend the one longitu-
dinal edge of each plate up and the other edge down, so that the turned-
down edge of the one plate will overlap the turned-up edge of the
contiguous plate.
When the sheet metal covering is used for hay ricks I prefer to make
the plates of such a width as will correspond with the ordinary size of
the trusses to be cut therefrom, the combined width of three plates
being conveniently made to correspond with the combined width of two
trusses, so that for cutting the trusses from the rick only the corre-
sponding number of covering plates need be removed therefrom.
In applying my improved covering to circular ricks I make the plates
of a tapering form, the narrow ends being fixed at the top of the rick
by pins, as before described, while the wide ends are secured at the edge
of the rick by links secured by pins or staples, or by having weights
hung from them, as before described.
A cap is provided at the top or apex of the rick so as to cover the
upper ends of the plates.
Figure 1 represents a plan of part of a covering for a rick or stack
constructed according to my Invention; Fig. 2 represents a transverse 35
section of the same; and Fig. 5 represents part of a side elevation.

page_text: a, a, are the metal plates bent over at their sides and ends so that they
can be hooked together in the manner shewn on the Drawing, and laid
upon the sloping top of the rick or stack; each plate having its one
lateral edge turned upwards and its other lateral edge turned down-
wards, lies on the rick or stack in a sloping position longitudinally, as
indicated in Fig. 5, so that rain falling on the plate flows towards the
turned-up edge and runs down the channel bounded by it. b, b, are
ridge pieces hooked to the upper rows of plates. The plates are secured
by pegs or pins c, c, passed through holes into the rick or stack; these
pin holes are by preference pierced through the plates near their highest
edges, so that rain falling on the plates shall flow away from the holes,
and as a further protection against the passage of wet through the holes
they are preferably formed by punching from the under side, so that a
burr or slightly elevated edge presents itself round each hole on the
upper side of the plate; d, d, are pegs or pins attached by short chains
or links to the outer plates, which are secured by driving these pegs or
pins into the rick or stack.
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the covering in a modified
form. In this case ridge pieces are not employed, the upper plates
being made to hook to cach other at the ridge of the rick or stack;
also instead of using pegs or pins for securing the outer plates they are
held down by weights hung from them, f, f.
Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of another mode of securing
together the plates at the ridge of the rick or stack. In this case these
plates have their upper edges turned up so as to form two butting rolls
or flanges. Short chains e are passed through holes in the plates, and
prevented from being drawn back by pins inserted in their exterior
links.
When trusses have to be cut from a rick or stack covered as above
described it is convenient to have the covering plates of such width that
a whole number of them shall correspond with the extent of the required
cutting, so that after removing one, two, or more widths and cutting
the desired quantity the rick or stack shall still remain completely
covered. In such a case weights may be hooked to the bent edges of
the plates left on the stack, or plates may be removed to the extent of
one width more than the width to be cut, and after cutting the plates
that originally formed the outer or end plates being provided with the

page_text: chains and pegs or weights for holding them down may be refixed so
as to form the end plates of the diminished covering.
For circular ricks or stacks the covering plates are made of a tapering
or segmental form with edges turned over, so as to hook to each other
in the manner above described, with a circular crown or ridge piece
hooked to the uppermost plates, and with chains or pegs or weights
attached to the lowest plates, so as to keep them down.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner it is to be performed, I claim the mode of covering ricks or
stacks by metal plates, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
WILLIAM WALKER. (L.S.)