IMPROVEMENTS IN FLAT PIT CHAINS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
PERSHOUSE PARKES, of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Iron Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of August, in the seventh year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Pershouse Parkes, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Henry Pershouse Parkes, my exors, aditors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Pershouse Parkes, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FLAT PIT CHAINS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said Henry Pershouse Parkes, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Pershouse Parkes, do declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to, the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the application of certain iron stays to flat pit
chains, by which the individual links thereof are stayed or supported, and are
also combined together into one plane, as will be hereafter described. And in
order that my Invention may be more readily understood, I would observe,
that the flat pit chains ordinarily used for raising coals and other materials
from pits and mines have stays made of wood, fastened between every alternate
set of links by a flat nail, which, being driven through the wood stays and
riveted, secures the same within the links. But there are many objections to
these stays; for instance, the atmosphere affects the wood, and causes it to
expand and shrink, by the same being damp or dry, and hence the stays get
out of place in the midst of working, and frequently the chain breaks in
consequence thereof. Again, the rivet heads (which the hold the wooden
stays in the links of the chain) by continued friction against the sides of the
pulley wear away and fall out, and very often the chain becomes twisted and
otherwise thrown out of order, hence rendering the necessity of constant repair,
which is not only prejudicial in respect to expence, but the pitmen are
prevented working during the time repairs are being made. Now, to obviate
these difficulties, I make my stays of wrought iron or other suitable metal in
the following mannner:-I take a bar of iron, and roll it into the form shewn
in the Drawing at Figure 1, from which I cut stays according to the size
required, and then stamp out portions from the side, leaving it in the form
Figure 2, which is a plan, and is shown endwise at Figure 4.
b
Figure 3 shews a piece of iron, with ribs or projections 6 formed thereon by
rolling or otherwise. These pieces of iron are for making those links of the
chains where stays are employed, the projections 6 being made for the purpose
of fitting within the grooves of the stay. Care must be taken in making the
ribs or projections 6 that sufficient space be left to allow for the bending of the
link, as shewn. The stay is placed between the links, the ribs or projections b
fitting within the grooves a of the stay. The links, having the stay within them,
are then well hammered, and are thus caused firmly to bind the stay a within
the links; and although I recommend such projections 6 to the links, it will
be evident that the inner part of the link itself may lie within the groove a.
Figure 5 shews a portion of the chain in a finished state. In all these
Figures the same letters refer to similar parts.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that although I have here

page_text: shewn only three links combined by their stay into one plane for making flat
pit chains, other numbers may be used; and although I have recommended
stays by rolling bars into the form
And I would have it understood, that
the making of the iron or other metal
shewn, I do not confine myself thereto.
I do not confine myself to the precise form of stays herein shewn, as variations
may be made for effecting the object of my Patent without deviating from the
principle of my Invention; for instance, the grooved iron, Figure 1, may be
used as a stay without removing the side pieces, as shewn in Figure 2, but I
prefer the plan Figure 2, by which lightness may be obtained with the requi-
site strength. Or a narrower piece of metal, shewn at Figure 6, grooved in
the same manner as Figures 1 and 2, may be placed within the link. But I
have found the plan first described to answer best. And I would have it
understood, that I lay no claim to the rolling of the iron, nor to the mode of
preparing the stays, or to any of the parts separately. But what I do claim
as my Invention is, the application of wrought iron or other metal stays to flat
pit chains in such manner that the links where the stay is used shall be
combined into one plane, and kept into their proper positions for forming a flat
chain, whatever be the number of links used in the same plane; but I do not
claim the application of iron stays to chain links unless two or more be
thereby combined into one plane.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Pershouse Parkes, have hereunto
my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
HENRY PERSHOUSE PARKES. (L.B.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1837, the aforesaid Henry Pershouse Parkes came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and speci-
fied, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.