IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING AND EXCAVATING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Augustus Ball, of Oakland, in the County
of Alameda, State of California, United States of America,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING AND
EXCAVATING MACHINES."
Sealed the 29th May 1874, and dated the 11th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Augustus Ball
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th December 1873.
I, JOHN AUGUSTUS BALL, of Oakland, in the County of Alameda,
State of California, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING
AND EXCAVATING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention relates to the construction and
arrangement of dredger and excavator clevator buckets in such a.
manner as to cause the cut to be made in a lifting or upward direction,
cutting from the side as the land is cut in ploughing, where the land

page_text: cut is thrown into the furrow instead of being pressed out against the
solid carth. I thereby reduce the friction and lessen the power required
in removing the earth to little more than the force required to dis-
integrate and lift the same to the required elevation.
Secondly. I arrange the elevator frame so that it is adjustable and
works automatically to the desired width of cut and the depth and
form of excavation by vibrating or swinging the lower or cutting
part of the elevators upon the rear or discharging end of the elevator
frame.
Thirdly. I combine the bed or main frame with the elevator frame, so
as to allow the horizontal and vertical sweep or motion necessary in the
operation of the machine without increasing the gear or causing extra
strain upon the machinery.
My Invention further relates to the construction and arrangement of
the details by which the machinery is made to work automatically and
the most advantageous application of power is effected.
The aforesaid bed frame or carriage supports the whole of the
machinery. The elevator frame is hinged or pivoted to swing and
operate upon a track which forms the outer bearing and is traversed by
rolls. A ladder is hinged or pivoted upon a shaft to which a toothed
chain wheel is attached for the purpose of carrying the chain and
buckets. The lower end of the said ladder holds a spool or pulley over
which the said elevator chain and buckets pass. Spur wheels connect
a crank shaft with the driving shaft. There is a clutch or shifting gear
wheel operated by bevel gear wheel upon the said driving shaft for the
purpose of operating the feed gear.
The clutch or shifting gear wheel which is operated by the aforesaid
bevel gear wheel upon the crank shaft operates the lifting gear through
a rod for raising the outer end of the said elevator ladder. The coupling
upon the crank shaft is operated to throw the chain wheel in gear and
move the machine forward.
I provide a strong upright frame to support the elevator frame as it
swings upon its bearing, and so support a cylinder, the lower head of
which rests upon the bed frame. The buckets are attached by a pivot
or journal operating in a link box or bearing, which forms the only
direct attachment to the chain.

page_text: A connecting link is provided to allow the swing of the bucket and
regulate the leverage upon the same when making the turn upon the
lower part of the cut as it passes around the aforesaid wheel or
spool.
A roll is placed upon the chain to support a door which conforms to
the bottom, and has the same shape as the sweep or curve made by the
bucket as it passes outside of the line of the chain when passing around
the wheels upon the elevator ladder, thereby sustaining the load upon
the door when the bucket is loaded and allowing the same to be dis-
charged at the proper time. A shoot carries the dirt out from the
machine to the required distance.
The chain is composed of two kinds of links, a simple solid link to
operate over the spur upon the chain wheel, and a flat link open at the
side for the purpose of attaching the connecting plate or the journal
bearing which is bolted or rivetted into the link. The gear wheels are
shifted to reverse the cutters by rods coming in contact with stops. A
coupling upon the crank shaft is thrown in and out of gear at each
swing of the elevator ladder for the purpose of moving the machine
forward.
The lower elevator wheel or spool is of greater diameter than the
upper or toothed chain wheel, and the lower or back end of the bucket
is not passed outside the line of the chain as it passes around the same,
hence the bottom is not released.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Augustus Ball in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
AUGUSTUS BALL, of Oakland, in the County of Alameda, State of
California, United States of America, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Augustus Ball, Her

page_text: special licence that I, the said John Augustus Ball, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Augustus
Ball, 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 DREDGING AND EXCAVATING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Augustus Ball, 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 John Augustus Ball, 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
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
The first part of my Invention relates to the construction and
arrangement of dredger and excavator elevator buckets in such a
manner as to cause the cut to be made in a lifting or upward direction,
cutting from the side as the land is cut in ploughing, where the land
cut is thrown into the furrow instead of being pressed out against the
solid earth. I thereby reduce the friction and lessen the power required
in removing the earth to little more than the force required to dis-
integrate and lift the same to the required elevation.
Secondly. I arrange the elevator frame so that it is adjustable and
works automatically to the desired width of cut and the depth and
form of excavation by vibrating or swinging the lower or cutting
part of the elevators upon the rear or discharging end of the elevator
frame.
Thirdly. I combine the bed or main frame with the elevator frame,
so as to allow the horizontal and vertical sweep or motion necessary in
the operation of the machine without increasing the gear or causing
extra strain upon the machinery.

page_text: the most advantageous appication of power is enected.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine constructed according to my said
Invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation; Figure 3, a front elevation ;
and Figure 4, a rear elevation of the said machine.
Figure 5 shows one of the buckets and the manner of its attachment
to the chain.
A represents the bed frame or carriage which supports the whole of
the machinery; B is the elevator frame hinged or pivoted at a to swing
and operate upon the track e which forms the outer bearing for the
same and is traversed by the rolls d.
The ladder C is hinged or
pivoted upon the shaft I to which the toothed chain wheel is attached
for the purpose of carrying the chain F and buckets H. The lower end
of the ladder C holds the spool or pulley E over which the said elevator
chain and buckets pass. J and K are spur wheels designed to connect
the crank shaft with the driving shaft; L is the clutch or shifting gear
wheel which is operated by the bevil gear wheel upon the driving
shaft for the purpose of operating the feed gear M and N by means of
the shaft O. R is the clutch or shifting gear wheel which is operated by
the bevil gear wheel upon the crank shaft, and operates the lifting gear
wheel through the rod S for raising the outer end of the elevator ladder.
X is the coupling upon the crank shaft, operated to throw the chain
wheel
and move the machine forward. Z is the boiler; b is a
in gear
g
strong upright frame designed to support the elevator frame as it swings
upon its bearing a which is concentric with the piston p, and to
support the cylinder / whose lower end rests upon the bed frame A.
The buckets H are attached by a pivot or a journal operating in the link
box or bearing which forms the only direct attachment to the chain.
The connecting link m is designed to allow the swing of the bucket and
regulate the leverage upon the same when making the turn upon the
lower part of the cut as it passes around the wheel or spool E. The
roll n is placed upon the chain to support the door t which comforms
to the bottom of the bucket, and has the same shape as the sweep or
curve made by the bucket as it passes outside of the line of the chain
when moving around the wheels upon the elevator ladder, thereby

page_text: sustaining the load upon the door when the bucket is loaded, and
allowing the same to be discharged at the proper time, as will be
shown. The shoot S carries the dirt out from the machine to the
required distance at the side of the cut, or to be disposed of as
required.
The chain is composed of two kinds of links, a simple solid link ƒ to
operate over the spur upon the chain wheel, and a flat link ; open at the
side for the purpose of attaching the connecting plate k on the journal
bearing V which is bolted or riveted into the link, as shown in
Figure 5; c is an elbow lever designed to operate the rod h, h, to shift
the gear wheels L when the cutters have traversed the width of the cut
by coming in contact with the stops i. The stop 7 reverses the same at
the opposite side of the cut; o is the rod which operates for the purpose
of shifting the gear wheel R; it is operated by suitable stops. The
coupling w upon the crank shaft is thrown in and out of gear at each
swing of the elevator ladder for the purpose of moving the machine
forward.
The following is the operation of the said machine:-It is brought in
line with the excavation to be made. The crank shaft is set in motion
by the engine. The buckets descend and cut to the required depth,
which is regulated by the shifting clutch or gear wheel R, when the
ladder ceases to descend the feed gear is operated causing the end of the
ladder to swing over to the stop which is adjusted to regulate the width
of the cut. It is then raised to form the side of the cut, raising the
buckets above the surface of the ground; when the stop is reached by
the rod the lifting gear is reversed and the ladder again descends. The
stop being adjusted to a greater depth the end of the ladder descends,
cutting to the depth required for the buckets to fill as it swings over,
which it then does, and is reversed as before. When by continuing this
process the depth designed for the ditch or excavation is reached, the
machine is ready to move forward. Its swinging forward is effected by
the clutch and chain wheel upon the crank shaft at each lateral swing
of the elevator ladder, when the ladder has descended until the stop is
reached or the machine is moved forward to that extent the ladder is
again swung over, as above described. The ladder is raised at each out
sweep to form the side of the ditch. The dirt cut from the bank or
side of the cut as the ladder is rising, is taken up when the ladder
descends.

page_text: It will be seen that the buckets cut in an upward direction so as to
bring the weight down upon the machine, thereby serving to steady the
same during its operation. The dirt being cut as the land is cut into
the furrow in ploughing causes the least friction in disintegrating and
removing the dirt.
It will be seen that the lower elevator wheel or spool is of greater
diameter than the upper or toothed chain wheel, and that the lower or
back end of the bucket is not, passed outside of the line of the chain as
it passes around the same, hence the bottom is not released.
JOHN AUGUSTUS BALL. (L.S.)