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Jlttorfceys.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. 0. C.

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Ν. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

Wited States patent james w. McGehee, of Fayetteville, texas.

Letters Patent No. 96,824, dated November 16, 1869.

IMPROVED DITCHING-MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of,the same.

To all whom it may concern ;

Be it known that I, James W. McGehee, of Fayetteville, in the county of Fayette, and State of Texas, have invented a new and improved Ditching-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ditchingmachines, whereby it is designed to provide an efficient arrangement of steam-power ditching-apparatus.

The invention consists essentially of a boring or ditchi.ug-auger, suspended from the frame of a truck, and having an enlarged head projecting in advance of the truck, and rotated, so as to bore out a groove as the truck is moved along, screwing the earth taken back through a trough, to an elevator, Which carries it up to a spout, chuting it to one side.

Another arrangement of tlie boring-tool and elevating-apparatus dispenses with the trough, the said elevating-apparatus being arranged immediately behind the boring-head.

Steam-power is placed upon the truck, for propelling it and the ditching-apparatus.

- Figure 1 represents an elevation of my improved machine, partly in longitudinal section ;

Figure 2 represents a transverse section;

Figure 3 represents a section of a part of the trough, showing a section, of the auger, and the bottom of the elevating-apparatus;

Figure 4 represents a transverse section, showing the bottom of the elevating-apparatus;

Figure 5 represents a side view of a boring-instrument;

Figure 6 represents an end view of the same;

Figure 7, a side and sectional view of another boring-instrument ; and

Figure 8, an end of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding partis.

From a strong frame, A, mounted on wheels B C, I suspend, in a trough, D, rotary boring-instruments E, with boring-heads larger than the troughs, and projecting beyond the same.

The said troughs are detachably connected to the frame, to permit of readily detaching tlie boring-instrument and trough when the machine is to be transported from place to place, said detachment being necessary because the apparatus must be suspended as much below the bottom of the truck-wheels as the required depth of the ditch.

F is a pi voted'hand-lever connected with the frontpivoted axle g of the wheels B, by means of a link, c, which constitutes the means of turning said axle so as to guide the machine in passing over the ground.

To commence work, a groove is first dug by hand, the machine placed over it, and the boring-apparatus attached.

The shaft I of the auger is provided with bearings G G, supported by the trough, and projects rearward to an end bearing-spindle, II, suitably suspended from , the frame.

The said shaft or its bearing supports a chain-wheel, K, at the rear of the trough, and working loosely thereon.

Motion is imparted to tlie boring-instrument by bevel-wheels L, receiving motion from the drivingcrank shaft M.

This shaft carries loose chain-wheels N, which clutch with fixed clutching-disks O, when required, and thereby imparts propelling motion to the truck-wheels 0, by belts or chains P.

The wheels are moved to and from the clutch-disks by an oscillating shaft, Q, working in sleeves B, having spiral grooves T, in which pins on the shaft work, to move the said sleeves longitudinally on the shaft.

These sleeves carry crotch-arms S, which engage the hubs of the chain-wheels N, and move them as required.

A handle, IT, is applied to the shaft, for working it.

An overhead-shaft, V, is provided for driving the elevator W, and is driven by an upright shaft, X, deriving motion from the main shaft below

This elevator-chain Wcarries cups Y, passing around the auger-shaft, in rear of the vaiies thereof, and moving in opposite directions thereto, taking the earth from the said vanes, and delivering it to the spout Z.

Spring-plates a are attached to the rear of the vanes of the auger, to press the earth into the cups.

As the augers may encounter large stones, or other obstructions in some soils, I have provided a crane, A', with grapples B', on a cord, O', working through a pulley thereon, and over the driving-shaft >M_? so that by throwing the driving-wheels out of gear, the said obstructions may be raised by the grapples, and swung out of the way.

A chain, D', is employed to hold the crane against the action of the rope 0' while raising the said obstructions.

The rear wheels of the truck arc fixed to a rotating shaft, but the front wheels work loosely on the axle, which is capable of turning, for guiding the machine, and a hand-lever, E', is provided for turning it.

For augers of small size, I propose to apply two scoops F', to form the cutting-head, as shown, fig. 6, but for larger ones I may use four, as shown in fig. 8.

Instead of using long auger-vanes and a trough, as shown in fig. 1,1 may dispense ‘with them, and place the chain-drum or wheel K. and elevator immediately behind the auger-head, as is partly shown in fig. 7, where I have represented the said chain-wheel on a sleeve working on the auger-shaft.

The said sleeve is grooved to be supported in a suspending bearing. When the auger is used without the trough, suitable bearings are provided for it.

When the ditching is accomplished, and the machine to be moved away, the trough and augers are detached by unbolting the suspending brackets ft. They are then slung from the crane by the rope O'and grapples.