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The rod or bar a, is the handle by which the combination of levers, called "lazy tongs," may be expanded or collapsed, the fellow rod or bar e, constituting the standard or fulcrum. On placing the end of the lever e, upon the ground, and forming a resistance by the foot of the fireman, (which may be aided by inserting the end a little way into the ground,) the fireman will be enabled, by his left hand, to hold the top of the lever e, securely, whilst, by his right hand, he depresses the lever a, which will cause the reverse end of the apparatus to be raised; and the hook b, at the top of the last lever, which turns horizontally on a swivel, may, by these means, be projected into the window of a house, and thereby the apparatus be suspended. A pulley c, attached to the upper lever, just under the hook, carries a rope, and when a proper purchase is obtained, a basket or other receptacle may be thereby raised to receive a person desirous of escaping from the window. A sector ratchet rack d, is attached to the lever a, passing through a socket formed on the side of the standard e, and a click taking into the ratchet, prevents the levers from collapsing, and retains the apparatus at any altitude to which the fireman may have raised it; and when it is properly secured, any person can ascend or descend as up and down a ladder.

It should be observed, that the lower end of the standard e, is furnished with a stirrup or iron, into which the fireman places his foot, so as to steady the apparatus.

The third improvement is represented at figs. 5, 6, and 7. This construction is made compact, and placed in a bedroom or dressing-room table, in order to be available at a moment's notice. Fig. 5, represents a horizontal view of the apparatus enclosed in a dressing table, the lid or top being removed; fig. 6, is a side view of the apparatus, with a section of the window and wall of the house; and fig. 7,

represents a vertical section of the table and apparatus. a, b, c, d, is a rectangular iron frame, forming the entrance of a canvas or net tube. The canvas e, is connected to this frame by sewing or otherwise. The lower rail a, of the iron frame-work is elongated, and in length is made about equal to the width of the window, for the purpose of preventing the apparatus from shifting laterally when laying in the window frame. This rail is furnished with two bent pins f,f, projecting downwards, which are intended to fall into holes made in the window sill, for the purpose of steadying the apparatus and preventing it from shifting when in use. The upper rail b, is secured by rivets, cords, or in any convenient manner, to a long horizontal rod g, g, which is some inches longer than the window is wide, and extends across the framing when brought into use. The apparatus is connected to the table by chains or bands h, h, attached to an iron rod i, fastened to the back of the table, by screws or otherwise.

When the apparatus is required for use, the canvas sacking is thrown out of the window, and gradually lowered to the ground by the cord j,j, which is attached to the bottom of the canvas; and the pins f,f, being placed in the holes formed for them in the window sill, the upper horizontal bar g, g, is brought into contact with the window framing, as seen in the figures, which renders the apparatus secure. Then any person, by the help of the knotted rope k, k, may easily descend or may be gradually lowered in the canvas tube, by means of the rope j,j. If required, a ladder made entirely of rope, or of rope with wooden spokes, may be adapted to the inside of the canvas tube; or a flexible ladder, made of metal rings about six inches in diameter, and connected together by short pieces of rope or cord, may be employed.

When the apparatus is not in use, it is to be packed up

and placed in the table, when the several parts will come into the position, shewn in fig. 5. If necessary, net-work may be placed over the canvas tube, in order to strengthen it, and as the combustible materials, of which the apparatus is composed, are liable to destruction, if unprotected, or injury from fire, it is desirable to saturate them with a solution of alum or some other anti-combustible material.[Inrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office, January 1841.]

Specification drawn by Messrs. Newton and Berry.

To JOSEPH ATKINSON, of Round Hill, near Masham, in the county of York, farmer, for his invention of improvements in thrashing and winnowing machines. [Sealed 7th March, 1840.]

THESE improvements in thrashing and winnowing machines, consist in a novel arrangement of parts for effecting the operations of thrashing or separating corn from its straw, and also for winnowing or clearing it from its chaff and husks.

The thrasher, or that part of the machine which strips or separates the grain from the ear and stalk, consists of a rotary drum or cylinder, furnished with any suitable number of spikes, made of iron, standing radially, or nearly so, round its periphery. This drum or cylinder is mounted in bearings, fixed on the frame-work, and is partially enclosed or surrounded by a semi-cylindrical box or recess; the interior of which is also furnished with spikes, standing in inclined positions.

In Plate V., fig. 1, represents a longitudinal section, taken vertically through the middle of the machine; fig. 2, is a horizontal view, as it would appear when seen from

above, some parts of the covering being removed to exhibit. the interior; and fig. 3, is an end elevation of the machine, shewing some of the internal parts; the same letters referring to similar parts in all the figures.

a, a, is the drum, armed with radial spikes, as before mentioned; b, b, is the semi-cylindrical recess, by which the cylinder a, is partially surrounded. The spikes fixed in this recess are placed obliquely, as represented in the drawing, fig. 1.

The wheat or other material to be thrashed, is placed on the inclined plane c, in front of the cylinder or drum a, a, and is conducted or fed into the machine under the roller d, which prevents the passage of stones. As the drum a, a, revolves, the spikes which are fixed therein, drag the wheat or other material forward into the space between the said drum and the recess b, where the grain is beaten out or stripped, and separated from the ear by the action of the radial spikes of the revolving drum; the oblique spikes in the concave recess being placed sufficiently close to hold or retain the ear of corn during the operation of beating or stripping it. When this has been accomplished, the grain and chaff will fall down the inclined plane e, on to the segmental sieve of wire-work f, the meshes or openings of which are sufficiently large to allow of the grain and chaff passing through and falling down into the hopper g, below. In passing through the opening at the bottom of the hopper, the chaff becomes separated from the grain by a current of wind, produced by the rotation of a rapidly revolving fan or blower h, which drives the chaff and dust away through the opening in the bottom and back of the machine; the grain, from its gravity, falling down on to the inclined shoots i, and k, as represented in the drawing, at fig. 1.

The straw, as it is brought down on to the sieve f, by

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the action of the drum a, is conducted or cleared out of the machine by a rake. This rake consists of four arms 1, 1, 1, 1, affixed to a revolving axle m. The arms are formed by plates n, n, n, n; the outer edge of each of which has a row of blunt teeth. As this rotary rake turns upon its axle in bearings, it rakes or throws out the straw at the opening p, as seen in the drawing.

The working parts of the machine are all enclosed in a wooden casing, and the whole is mounted on running wheels q, q, for the purpose of removing the machine with facility from one situation to another. In figs. 2 and 3, r, is the shaft, to which manual or other power must be applied to work the machine. Upon this shaft is mounted a cogwheels, s, which gears into the pinions t, and v; the pinion t, being mounted on the axle of the drum a, a, and the pinion v, on the shaft or axle m, of the revolving rake.

The fan or blower, for winnowing the corn, is actuated by a band or strap u, u, which communicates motion from a small band-wheel w, on the axle of the drum a, to a bandwheel x, on the axle of the fan or blower.

The patentee claims, first, the drum, with pegs or spikes on its periphery, or a series of arms or wheels, with pegs or spikes (which might answer the same purpose) revolving within a segmental casing, furnished also with pegs or spikes, as shewn in the drawing; or a series of bars or ribs, furnished with pegs or spikes, arranged in a similar manner, for the purpose of separating the corn from its ear, in passing through the machine; and also the adaptation and arrangement of the rotatory rake and blowing apparatus, in connection with the spiked drum and its segmental casing, for the purposes of thrashing and winnowing, as above stated.-[Inrolled in the Petty Bag Office, August, 1840.]

Specification drawn by Messrs. Newton and Berry.

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