US41304A - Improved railroad-jack - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

MICHAEL KELLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED RAILROAD-JACK.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent N0. 41,304, dated January 19, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MicHAEL KELLEY, or" the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Machine for Repairing Railroad Tracks, which I shall name a RailroadJack;77 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the reference ot' letters marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar mode or form ot' construction ot' a jack that will rest on the ground on each side of the rail and between the eross-ties of an ordinary railroad, with jaws attached to the lower end of a hoisting-screw, which shall be immediately over the said rail, so that incase of sunken rails or ties the track may be readily raised and repaired, instead of by the common mode of digging ont ties and raising them by pries, which method required double the number ot' hands and twice the expense incurred by my method.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

My improved jack consists ot1 the crossbar or nut a, to which are secured the four legs b b b b, the lower ends of the latter being secured,`two of the legs to a plate, c, and the other two to a similar plate.

A screw, D, is adapted to the nut a, the npper end of the screw being provided with a suitable handle, and a swivel, fn, is so connected to the lower end of the screw as to turn freely thereon, jaws P P being connected to this swivel by links o o.

It should be understood that the legs b b and plates c c are so constructed and arranged that the said plates shall rest on the ground, one plate on one side, and the other plate on the opposite side of the rail, as seen in Fig. l, and between the cross-ties, to which the rail is secured, as seen in Fig. 2, the jaws P P being consequently in a position to seize the rail, which, together with the cross-ties or sleepers, can be elevated by turning the screw D.

I am aware that a jack somewhat similarin form to that described has been used for eX- tracting the spikes, which hold the rails to the cross-ties. In this case, however, one of the legs was shorter than the other, so as to bear on the rails while the other legs rested on the cross-ties or sleepers, the instrument being consequently inapplicable to the performance of the duties accomplished by my improved jack, the plates o c of which must rest on the ground, clear of both rails and crossties.

I wish it to be understood that I lay no broad claim to any part of the jack viewed separately from the whole; but that l limit my claim to and desire to secure by Letters Patent for- The within-described jack, composed of the nut or plate a, the legs b, plates c, secured to the same, the screw D, swivel n, and jaws P, when the said plates are arranged to rest on the ground between the cross-ties, one plate on each side of the rail, and when the whole is otherwise constructed as and for the purpose herein set forth. MICHAEL KELLEY. Witnesses:

Gn. P. HAYES, WM. P. HENszEY,

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