IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM EXCAVATORS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Eddington, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM EXCAVATORS."
Sealed the 6th August 1878, and dated the 20th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Eddington at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1878.
WILLIAM EDDINGTON, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex.
IN STEAM EXCAVATORS."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam excavators.
The apparatus consists of a frame carried upon wheels, and at the front of the
frame there is a scoop. The implement is drawn to and fro over the land by means
of hauling ropes worked by steam power, and when it is drawn forward the leading
edge of the scoop cuts into the soil, and the earth detached passes into the scoop.
When the scoop is full it is lifted by means of levers, and as the implement continues
to travel forward it conveys its load to the place where the earth is required to be
deposited.
The emptying of the scoop is effected by stopping the forward motion of the
implement, and commencing to wind upon the return rope; this rope is attached to
the under side of the scoop, and it passes up over a pulley on the frame of the
implement, and so away to the rear; thus, when the strain comes upon the return
rope, it operates first to capsise the scoop, and then the implement commences its
return journey.
When the strain is taken off the return rope the scoop returns, and when in the
proper position it is lowered down by means of the levers to take another cut from
the land.
The frame of the implement is approximately of a triangular form at the side or
front. Where the scoop is carried there is a supporting wheel at each angle of the
frame, and at the back of the implement (the third angle of the frame) there is an
upright spindle, carrying at its lower end the axle of a pair of steering wheels,
which are made to lock round in order to guide the implement by means of a hand

page_text: wheel actuating a worm, which engages with a worm wheel keyed upon the
spindle.
The stud axes of the leading wheels serve as the fulcra for the levers which carry
the scoop.
For the purpose of raising the scoop when it is full, chains are attached to the
hinder ends of the levers, and these chains can be wound upon drums which
receive motion from hand wheels through suitable gear. At the lower and
forward ends of the levers are the pivots by which the levers are connected with the
scoop.
The cutting edge of the scoop consists of a strong bar or knife forming the front
edge of the scoop bottom, and the hauling rope by which the implement is drawn
forward is attached near the extremities of this bar or knife, so that the strain
requisite for cutting the soil is not thrown upon the frame of the machine.
Sometimes, in place of employing levers to carry and raise the scoop, I employ
eccentrics to effect this purpose. I arrange the fore wheels to turn upon the
eccentrics, so that when the eccentrics are moved partly round the fore part of the
frame of the implement and with it the scoop is raised.
To actuate the eccentrics I provide arms upon them, and chains connected to
these arms pass to the main hauling rope. Until the scoop is full the hauling rope
is retained by a catch, so that no strain comes upon the arms of the eccentrics, but
when a sufficient load has been taken up the catch is slipped, and the eccentrics
move round until the scoop is raised sufficiently high to pass clear of the surface as
the implement continues to travel forward.
The overturning of the scoop is effected by means of the return rope, as already
described, and a connection with the return rope also brings back the main rope to
the catch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Eddington in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th August
1878.
WILLIAM EDDINGTON, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex.
IN STEAM EXCAVATORS."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam excavators.
The apparatus consists of a frame carried upon wheels, and at the front of the frame
there is a scoop. The implement is drawn to and fro over the land by means of
hauling ropes worked by steam power, and when it is drawn forward the leading
edge of the scoop cuts into the soil, and the earth detached passes into the scoop.
When the scoop is full it is lifted by means of levers, and as the implement continues
to travel forward it conveys its load to the place where the earth is required to be
deposited.
The emptying of the scoop is effected by stopping the forward motion of the
implement, and commencing to wind upon the return rope. This rope is attached
to the under side of the scoop, and it passes up over a pulley on the frame of the
implement, and so away to the rear; thus, when the strain comes upon the return
rope, it operates first to capsise the scoop, and then the implement commences its
return journey.
When the strain is taken off the return rope the scoop returns, and when in the
proper position it is lowered down by means of the levers to take another cut from
the land.
The frame of the implement is approximately of a triangular form at the side or
front. Where the scoop is carried there is a supporting wheel at each angle of the
frame, and at the back of the implement (the third angle of the frame) there is an
upright spindle carrying at its lower end the axle of a pair of steering wheels
which are made to lock round in order to guide the implement by means of a
hand wheel actuating a worm which engages with a worm wheel keyed upon the
spindle.
The stud axes of the leading wheels serve as the fulcra for the levers which carry
the scoop.
For the purpose of raising the scoop when it is full chains are attached to the
hinder ends of the levers, and these chains can be wound upon drums which receive
motion from hand wheels through suitable gear. At the lower and forward ends of
the levers are the pivots by which the levers are connected with the scoop.
The cutting edge of the scoop consists of a strong bar or knife, forming the front
edge of the scoop bottom, and the hauling rope by which the implement is drawn
forward is attached near the extremities of this bar or knife, or preferably to a rib
formed upon it near the centre, so that the strain requisite for cutting the soil is not
thrown upon the frame of the machine.
Sometimes, in place of employing levers to carry and raise the scoop, I employ
eccentrics to effect this purpose. I arrange the fore wheels to turn upon the
eccentrics, so that when the eccentrics are moved partly round the fore part of the
frame of the implement and with it the scoop is raised.
To actuate the eccentrics I provide arms upon them, and chains connected to
these arms pass to the main hauling rope. Until the scoop is full the hauling rope
is retained by a catch, so that no strain comes upon the arms of the eccentrics, but
when a sufficient load has been taken up the catch is slipped, and the eccentrics
move round until the scoop is raised sufficiently high to pass clear of the surface as
the implement continues to travel forward.
The overturning of the scoop is effected by means of the return rope, as already
described, and a connection with the return rope also brings back the main rope to
the catch.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 is a front elevation, and Figure 3 is a plan
of a steam excavator constructed according to my Invention.
In rear
A, A, is a frame approximately of a triangular form; it is supported in front by
the two wheels B, B. The frame is so formed as to case in the wheels partially,
and the stud axes of the wheels pass through the side plates of the frames.
the frame A is carried by the pair of steering wheels C, C, from the axle of which
the upright spindle D rises; it is received into a corresponding socket upon the
A worm F gears
frame, and upon its upper end it receives the worm wheel E.
with the wheel E, and by the hand wheel F¹ upon its axis the steering of the imple-
ment is effected. G, G, are levers mounted upon the stud axes of the wheels B, and
these levers at their lower ends support the scoop H, the pivots G', G¹, connecting
the levers to the scoop; H', H¹, is the knife or bar, with which the cutting edge of
the scoop is strengthened, and H2 is a rib upon it, to which the hauling rope is
attached. The levers G at their hinder ends are connected with endless chains
K, K, passing over the pulleys L, L, at the top of the machine, and also wound
several times around the rollers M, M ; or the two ends of the chains may be made
fast to the rollers M, M. N is a worm wheel upon the axis of the rollers M, and
by a hand wheel O and worm O' the worm wheel and rollers can be turned in such
manner as to raise or lower the hinder ends of the levers G, and so either to set the
scoop down that its edge may cut the land, or to raise it out of work.
The pulleys L, L, are carried by the beam P, which itself is mounted upon
standards Q, Q, rising from the sides of the frame A, and a strut R passes from the
beam P to the hinder part of the frame. The back of the scoop H hangs suspended
by the rope S, which is attached to or forms a part of the return rope. This rope S
passes from the back of the scoop up over the pulley T on the beam P, and so away
to the rear.
In working the implement is drawn to and fro by a winding engine or engines
and tackle in the manner in which steam ploughs are usually worked, and when it
arrives at the point or place where it is to take its load the leading edge of the
scoop is depressed and made to cut into the ground. As the engine moves tho
When the scoop
implement forward the soil is cut up and received into the scoop.
is full its leading edge is raised, and the implement travels on, conveying the load
to the place where it is required that it should be deposited. The winding forword
is then stopped, and the strain put upon the return rope. This strain before the
implement moves as a whole causes the back part of the scoop to rise into the
position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. The contents of the scoop
having been thus deposited the implement runs back to the place for obtaining
another load.
Figure 4 is a side elevation, and Figure 5 a plan of a machine in which the scoop
is raised by eccentrics. In these Figures the full lines show the implement in work
cutting the earth.
The draw pin is at a, and is held there by the arm c, and retained in position by
a spring catch b. When the scoop is full or it is desired to take it out of the ground,
the catch bis pulled back, and liberates the arm c and draw pin a, which latter then
travels to a'. On each side of draw pin a is a chain f, passing round two pulleys
g, g, and on to quadrants e, which are attached to eccentrics on which the wheels
work. When the draw pin a is liberated and drawn forward the chains pull the
eccentrics partly round, thereby raising the frame and with it the scoop, as shown
in dotted lines.
The scoop is held up by a suitable catch. When the machine is at the place to
discharge its load the draw rope is stopped, and the draw-back rope put in motion;
this being attached to the back of the scoop and to the draw pin a raises the scoop,
emptying it, as in the other machine, and also draws the draw pin back to its

page_text: former position. It then raises the whole of the front draw frame, allowing it to
pass over the earth deposited, and keeping the rope up, as shown in dotted lines.
When it is desired to begin cutting, the catch holding scoop up is liberated, and
it immediately drops into work.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that the details of the mechanism
may be varied without departing from my Invention, but I claim,-
First. The combination of the wheeled frame A with the scoop H in such manner
that the scoop can at pleasure be set down into the soil to take a load, and when
loaded can at the proper place be tipped and discharged by means of the return
rope, substantially as described.
Second. The construction of steam excavators, substantially as described, and
represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed Drawings.
Third. The construction of excavators, substantially as described, and represented
in Figures 4 and 5 of the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Eddington, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 17th day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM EDDINGTON. (L.S.)