AN IMPROVED EXCAVATING MACHINE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
.
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED EXCAVATING MACHINE."-A communication from abroad
by Peter I. Stryker, of New Brunswick, State of New Jersey,
United States of America.
Sealed the 11th February 1876, and dated the 17th November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th November 1875.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED EXCAVATING MACHINE," to be as
follows:
--
1

page_text: Also in an arrangement of mechanism for opening and closing from
the driver's seat hinged doors in the bottom of the box, in which the
earth is received from the plough and carted away.
The Invention also consists in the arrangement of the doors and their
latches and catches for fastening and unfastening by a contrivance con-
nected with the driver's seat.
And the Invention further consists of a lever and latch contrivance,
whereby the doors are opened and closed by the aforesaid contrivance in
connection with the driver's seat.
According to this Invention the plough is attached to the forward
part of the frame of the machine, which is adjustably mounted on the
front axle by a loose drum and a yoke. This drum is connected by a
chain with the shaft, mounted in the forward part of the machine, by a
toothed wheel, with which a hand crank gears by a pinion for adjusting
the plough higher or lower, as may be required, to regulate the depth
of the furrow, a pawl lever and pawl locking the wheel to hold the
plough in position when adjusted. The earth is carried from the plough
up into a box by an elevator to be carted to the place for discharging,
the bottom of the box consisting of a series of pivoted doors for opening
to discharge the load. In order to open these doors from the driver's
seat a rod or cord is extended therefrom to a lever provided with a latch,
which is pressed under the edge of the hinder door by a spring arranged
behind the lever to fasten the doors; and is pulled out by the cord to
unfasten them. The other doors are fastened by latches attached to the
door in advance, and forced against them by the inclines when the doors
are closed, said latches being kept fastened as long as the first door is
fastened by its latch, but released as soon as it opens. These doors
are closed by a cord extending from arms on the door pivots to the
driver's seat.
In order that the latch of the hinder door shall not return after being
pulled out to open the doors until they are closed again à catch is
attached to the upper end of the lever to engage the top edge of the box
and hold it back against the spring. To trip it and let the catch be
moved under the door a sliding bar is fitted on the box side so as to be
pushed up by the door when it closes:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
Her special license that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Melville Clark, 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 "AN IMPROVED EXCAVATING
MACHINE," a communication to me from abroad by Peter I. Stryker,
of New Brunswick, State of New Jersey, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Melville
Clark, 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 Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
:
>

page_text: released as soon as it opens. The doors are closed by the cord G¹
extending from the arms G on the door pivots to the driver's seat.
In order that catch I shall not return after being pulled out to open
the doors until they are closed again, which would prevent their closing,
the catch I" is attached to the upper end of lever I' to engage the top
edge of the box, and hold it back against the spring, and to trip it and
let the catch be moved under the door, the sliding bar K is fitted on the
box side so as to be pushed up by the door when it closes.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The combination of the drum L, chain M, wheel N, pinion O,
and crank P when used to regulate the height of the plough or shovel A,
adjustably sustained by the front axle, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2nd. In combination with the driver's seat Q the cord I" and
rope G¹, or their equivalents, for opening and closing from the driver's
seat the hinged doors F in the bottom of the box E, substantially as set
forth.
3rd. The doors F, latches H, and inclines H¹ in combination when
constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.
4th. The combination with the doors F, the latch I, lever I', arm I",
and bar K, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.
AT
DTZ