IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING ROADS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO TRACTION ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, Engineer in Chief to the Justices of
the Peace of Calcutta, in the Empire of India, now residing in London,
and William Fothergill Batho, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR ROLLING ROADS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO TRACTION
ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 14th June 1864, and dated the 21st December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark and William
Fothergill Batho at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st December 1863.
We, WILLIAM CLARK, Engineer in Chief to the Justices of the Peace of
5 Calcutta, in the Empire of India; now residing in London, and WILLIAM
FOTHERGILL BATHO, of Birmingham, in, the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of: the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING ROADS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO
TRACTION ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
We make a machine or apparatus in the form of an ordinary perambulator
with two back wheels or rollers and one front wheel or roller, the said wheels
or rollers being so placed that the front or guiding one covers the space
between the back ones. We place a steam engine and vertical boiler (such
as is generally used for portable cranes) on a platform which is supported by
the said wheels or rollers, each hind wheel or roller consisting of two separate

page_text: castings free to work loose on its own axle, which castings may be connected
or not at pleasure; but we make the inner part of each of the said wheels or
rollers somewhat larger than the outer parts with an eccentric on the axle, so
that the said inner parts may be brought to bear hard on the ground and
relieve the outer parts of the hind wheels or rollers from contact with the
ground. The axle of each wheel or roller is actuated by a quadrant and worm
under the control of the steerer. The front guiding wheel or roller we make
in three or more parts, the centre one being the largest, and runs on an
eccentric formed on the axle similar to the hind axle, this axle being again
actuated by a quadrant and worm, the whole being carried on a turntable
working on antifriction rollers with suitable gearing for the purpose of
guiding or turning the machine. It is evident this machine or apparatus may
be used either as a steam roller for roads, a traction engine, or a portable
engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark and William Fothergill Batho in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 21st. June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLARK, Engineer in Chief to the Justices of the Peace of Calcutta, in the
Empire of India, now residing in London, and WILLIAM FOTHERGILL BATHO,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Clark and William Fothergill Batho, Her special licence
that we, the said William Clark and William Fothergill Batho, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Clark.and
William Fothergill Batho, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING ROADS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO TRACTION ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Clark and William Fothergill Batho, our

page_text: executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 we, the said William Clark and William Fothergill
Batho, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement (that is to say): :-
We make a machine or apparatus in the form of an ordinary perambulator,
the front roller or wheel being of such a width as to cover the ground between
the two hind rollers or wheels. In order to facilitate the turning of the
machine we form the front roller or wheel of three separate parts, each working
loose on the axle, the centre part being somewhat larger in diameter than the
two outer parts and working on a portion of the axle eccentric with those
portions on which work the two outer parts of the roller.
The steering apparatus, of which the front roller forms part, consists of a
horizontal ring or turntable which encircles the three parts of the roller and
carries the axle bearings, the said table being free to revolve on antifriction
bowls placed so as to support the vertical weight and resist the lateral thrust.
We employ suitable gearing for enabling the steerer to turn the turntable and
front roller, and to render this operation as easy as possible the front axle is
turned partly round by means of a worm and worm wheel, so that the eccentric
portion of the axle shall raise or relieve the two outer parts of the front roller
from contact with the ground and place the weight of the front end of the
machine on the central part of the said roller. The hind rollers or wheels
have separate axles and are each in two parts, the inside parts serve as driving
wheels and are larger in diameter than the outside parts, and each inside part
works upon an eccentric portion of its corresponding axle, and for raising the
outside parts from the ground when required worms and worm wheels are
employed similar to those for raising the outside parts of the front roller. We
fix a steam engine and boiler on a framework or platform supported by the
axles, and prefer to make the boiler vertical and multitubular, and the engine
with at least two cylinders, the machine being driven by link or pitch chains
direct from the crank shaft of the engine, or, if more power is desired, toothed
gearing may be added.
It is evident that this machine may be used, firstly, as a steam roller for

page_text: rolling macadamized or other roads; secondly, as a traction engine, if the
outer parts of the rollers are raised in order to throw the weight on the central
part of the front roller and on the inside parts of the back rollers; and;
thirdly, as a stationary steam engine by disengaging the chain or chains from
the driving wheels.
'.
:
.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, with part in section, of our improved
machinery or apparatus with the outer parts of the rollers in their lowest
position for rolling roads and other places, the Figures being drawn to a scale.
of about one inch to the foot, and the same letters referring to similar parts
in both Figures.
a represents the outer parts, and 6 the central part of the front roller; c, the
turntable, which carries the bearings of the front axle; d, the parts. of the
axle on which the outer parts a of the roller revolve; e, the eccentric part of
the axle on which the central part 6 revolves; f, the steering gear, which
consists of a segment of a toothed wheel attached to the turntable, and is
actuated by a pinion worm and worm wheel; and the driving handle g of the
gear is placed so as to be under the perfect control of the steerer; h is a
segment of a worm wheel keyed on to the front axle and geared into a worm.
on a vertical shaft having at the top a worm wheel i gearing into the worm l
connected to a handle l, also under the control of the steerer, for the purpose
of raising or lowering the outer parts of the front roller. The hind wheels or
rollers consist each of the two parts m, n, the outer parts working on the
portion o of the axle, and the inside parts m on the eccentric portions p, and
the outer parts are raised or lowered by means of toothed or worm segments.
and worms and worm wheels, similar to that employed for the front roller.
Thus, when all the parts of the rollers are in their lowest positions they are
suitable for rolling roads or other places, and when the machine has to be
turned, the outer parts of the front rollers are raised from the ground, and
when the machine is to be used as a traction engine all the outer parts are
raised, it being understood that the hind axles can be worked by any suitable
steam engine, which can be disconnected and worked as a stationary engine
when required.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be under-
stood that we claim, in machinery or apparatus for rolling roads, which is also
applicable to traction engines and other similar purposes,―

page_text: Firstly, the system of making the front wheel or roller of such width as to
cover the ground between the two hind wheels or rollers and the arrangement
of turntable for the purpose of guiding the machine.
Secondly, the division of the front and back rollers into parts working on
axles having eccentric portions for enabling the outer parts to be raised from
the ground when required.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fothergill Batho, for and on behalf
of myself and the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four.