IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRENCHING AND LAYING DRAIN PIPES FOR DRAINING LAND"
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Eddington, junior, of Chelmsford, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR TRENCHING AND LAYING DRAIN PIPES FOR DRAINING LAND"
APPARATUS FOR TRENCHING AND LAYING DRAIN PIPES FOR DRAINING LAND"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Eddington at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
May 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDDINGTON, junior, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR TRENCHING AND LAYING DRAIN PIPES FOR DRAINING LAND," to
be as follows:-
In laying down tiles by machinery it is usual to open the ground by means
of a mole plough, and draw in and insert the drain tiles at the same time, the
mole being held by a single coulter or stem depending from a plough beam.
According to my Invention I prefer to employ a double plough beam, although
a single one may be adopted; to the plough beam or beams I attach two
coulters, one behind the other, and so disposed as to traverse and sever the
soil at a distance apart according to the width of trench to be made. The
soil so cut or severed by the coulters comes in contact (immediately behind.

page_text: the rear coulter) with an inclined piece, which as the plough progresses lifts
the severed soil and forms the trench desired. Close behind the inclined
lifter of the soil is a curved guide, reaching to the same depth as the inclined
lifter; by means of which guide I introduce and deposit the drain tiles. The
sides of the trench are kept up by means of cheek plates, which extend
throughout the length of the inclined lift and the curved delivery piece which
deposits the drain tiles. This curved shoot delivers the tiles in a backward
direction. The plough is mounted on wheels, and regulated in its height from
the ground by adjusting screws somewhat in the usual manner. The operation
of the drain plough is as follows:-When propelled through the ground the two
coulters make two incisions in the soil to the required depth; the inclined
lifter follows immediately behind and lifts the slice of soil and forms a trench,
in which the tile depositor immediately follows. The drain tiles are placed on
end by hand in a vertical guide, one above the other, which tiles by their own
gravity slide down the curved guide and take up a horizontal position in the
ground end to end and closely abutting one on the other, the soil then falls
in above the tiles, and the draining is complete.
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
November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDDINGTON, junior, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Eddington, junior, Her special licence that I, the said William
Eddington, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Eddington, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRENCHING AND LAYING DRAIN PIPES FOR DRAINING LAND,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Eddington,

page_text: junior, 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 Eddington, junior, 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
In laying drain tiles by machinery it is usual to open the ground by means
of a mole plough, and draw it and insert the drain tiles at same time, the
mole being held by a single coulter or stem depending from a plough beam.
According to my Invention I prefer to employ a double plough beam, although
a single one may be adapted; to the plough beam or beams I attach two
coulters, one behind the other, and so disposed as to traverse and sever the
soil at a distance apart according to the width of trench to be made. The
soil so cut or severed by the coulters, immediately behind the rear coulter,
comes in contact with an inclined piece, which as the plough progresses lifts
the severed soil and leaving the trench desired. In the rear of the inclined
lifter of the soil is a curved guide reaching to the same depth as the inclined
lifter, by means of which guide I introduce and deposit the drain tiles. The
sides of the trench are kept up by means of cheek plates which extend throughout
the length of the inclined lift, as also the curved delivery piece which deposits
the drain tiles. The plough is mounted on wheels and regulated in its height
from the ground by adjusting screws, somewhat in the usual manner. Its
operation is as follows:-When propelled through the ground the two coulters
make two vertical incisions in the soil to the required depth. The inclined lifter
follows immediately behind and lifts the slice of the soil forming the trench, in
which the tile depositor follows. The drain tiles are placed on end by hand in
a vertical guide channel, which tiles by their own gravity slide down the curved
guide.and take up a horizontal position in the ground, end to end, and closely
abutting one on the other; the soil then falls in above the tiles and the draining
is complete.

page_text: my Invention. Fig. 1 may be supposed also to show a section of the land
in the direction of the trench or drain, the surface of the land being represented
by the line a, a.
A, A', is the beam or main framing seen separately at Fig. 9. It is
of one part A in the front, but at the coulters C, C, and in the rear is
separated into two parts A', A'. This beam is carried on four wheels B, B,
being suspended from the axles D, D, of such wheels by the screws E, E¹, by
means of which the beam A, A', and in fact the whole apparatus may be
raised from or lowered towards the ground. The necks of the screws E, E',
pass through and rotate freely in sockets formed on the axles D, D,
while the screws fit into nuts b, b, fixed to the beam A, A, as seen." A
chain wheel d is fixed on the top of each screw E, E¹, and in connection
therewith a hand wheel e is mounted on E. A chain f, f, encircles the
wheels d, d, so that any motion imparted to the one is transmitted to
the other. In laying drains on level land it is necessary to make them on
a gradual inclination; for this purpose I apply bevil wheels g, g', on the
fore wheels. A stud wheel h, gearing with one of the wheels g or g¹ com-
nunicates motion to a spur wheel i, formed of a piece with or fixed to h, this
spur wheel gears with a spur wheel fixed in the screw E or on the chain
wheel d. With this stud wheel h placed on the stud H and in gear with g
the beam A, A¹, will be lowered gradually and continuously while the
machine is in motion, whereas if placed on stud H' and in gear with glit
will be raised, thus producing a gradual rising or lowering of the coulters
by the motion and as the machinery traverses over the ground.
The parts of the plough beam A, A¹, I have represented as of wood sheathed
with plate iron, that is to say, covered with plate iron on its sides. The two
parts A, A, are solidly fixed together at the fore part, and metal plates or
castings m, m, fitted thereto above and below, adapted for the reception of
the coulters C, C; the two coulters are firmly fixed at top in a casting I, I,
which is free to slide up and down within the standards K, K. It is supported
on the screw L, by whose rotation the coulters C, C, can be raised out of or
depressed in the ground. The coulters C, C, at the lower part are fixed to a
fat metal sole or shoe o by the lugs p, p. The shoe o in the rear of the
coulters C, C, is bolted to the fore end of the inclined and hinder framing M,
M; this framing is represented dotted in Fig. 1, the sides being enclosed
with sheet iron N, N, (see Fig. 4) which forms surfaces to rub against the
sides of the trench.
The interior framing M I make of wood braced together in a suitable
manner, the sheet iron sides adding greatly to the strength. In the

page_text: after part of the framing M I omit all cross bracing in order to permit a view
of the pipes on looking down to see if they are properly laid. The framing
M with its sheet iron sides is fitted at the upper part between the parts
A, A', in which it is free to slide bodily up and down. The rear part of
this frame has fixed to it a bracket 7, through which the screw P is fitted,'
and by which the after part of the framing M may be raised or lowered.
R, R, are standards on which the screw P at its upper part is supported,
between the limbs of which standards the framing M is free to move up and
down. The lower part of the screw P is fitted into a step formed or fixed
on the rear end of beam A¹.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the coulters C, frame
M, and its appurtenances depend from or hang on the two screws L, P,
by rotating which the whole will be raised up from or lowered into the
ground, while the wheels and main frame or beam A, A, remain the same."
This raising or lowering of the coulters and frame M may be effected by
rotating the screws L and P separately or simultaneously, simply by hand'
wheels placed on the top of each screw; but in order to effect uniformity in the
simultaneous rising or lowering I prefer to mount bevil wheels S, S¹, on the
screws L, P, supported on frames or plates T, T¹, carried by the standards K, R.
On plates T, T, are fixed bearings carrying a hand wheel shaft U, U, on
which are fixed the pinions r, r, gearing with wheels S, S¹. By rotating
the hand wheel fixed on shaft U the desired motion is operated by one man.
If the screws L and P are rotated at separate times the fore end of coulters'
C, C, and the rear M must be raised a short distance only alternately.'
Within frame M, M, is formed a channel Y, into which the drain tiles x, x,"
are placed in a vertical position end to end, as seen dotted; this channel
curves towards the bottom, and delivers the pipes in the horizontal position
desired. I line this pipe channel V with plate iron to take the wear of the
pipes; it also forms a smooth surface for the pipes to slide upon. W is a
small tank containing water, mounted on the frame M; the channel V is
represented as passing through the middle of this tank, but it has no commu-'
nication therewith. The top of the tank forms a surface wherein to place a few
drain pipès preparatory to feeding them in at the top of the channel V. Y
is a wheel or roller intended to run in the bottom of the trench to carry the
weight of the frame M, N, or some portion thereof; the periphery of this
wheel being rounded it also forms a rounded bottom to the trench, the better
to receive the pipes x, x. The incline Z, Z, is sheathed or covered with iron,
underneath which is placed a pipe j, j, leading from the tank W to a distri-
butor or spreader p', through which a small supply of water is permitted to

page_text: flow, to lubricate the cut soil in passing up the incline Z, Z. G is the
traction bar for hauling the machinery by windless or steam power, it is con-
nected to the lower casting in which the coulters C, C, are fitted. F is the
gear for yoking horses to pull the machine in the backward direction. The
operation of the machine is this:-A trench being cut of the required depth
at the side of the field, the coulters and frame M, M, are lowered into it,
or the coulters and frame may be gradually lowered by the screws L and P
from the surface to the required depth as the machine progresses; the coulters
make two vertical incisions in the ground, say five or six inches apart, and
thus sever a slice of soil; this slice of soil passes between and leaves the
coulter by the onward motion of the machine, and comes in contact with the
incline Z, Z, whereby it is forced upwards above the surface of the ground,
leaving a trench, in which the frame N, N, follows; this it does while at the
same time the pipes x, x, are inserted at the top of channel V and left in the
soil behind the machine deposited at the desired depth, the loose soil falls
or is thrown in above them, when the draining is complete.
1, 1, is a hand wheel shaft for steering the machine, it is furnished with a
screw 2 passing through a fixed nut 3, and jointed to the fore axle and steering,
as will be readily understood.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be pro-
tected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination
and arrangement of apparatus or parts represented in the Drawings annexed,
or any mere mechanical equivalents therefor, whereby trenching and laying
drain pipes in land is performed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Eddington, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM EDDINGTON, JUN". (L.S.)