US351264A - Oyster-dredge - Google Patents

Description

' (No Model.)

0. W. HOYT.

OYSTER DREDGE.

No. 351,264. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES NV. HOYT, OF NEWV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

OYSTER-DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,264, dated October 19,1886.

Application filed June 28,1886. Serial No. 206,440. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES XV. Hov'r, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Oyster-Dredges; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a top view; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 3, a top view of the receiver detached.

This invention relates to an improvement in a dredge for taking oysters from the beds, and particularly to that class of dredges which are drawn by steam or similar power over the oyster-beds, so as to gather a large quantity of oysters at a single drag Y As hitherto constructed the bottom of the receiver is run directly upon the bed of oysters, the load resting on the bottom of the re ceiver. The great weight of the load and the large bearing-surface of the receiver dragging over the bed breaks and destroys large numhers of oysters, it being understood that the dredge is not intended to take all the oysters from the bed, but simply to run over the bed and take those therefrom which are broken from their place of rest by the advancing dredge, the oysters so broken off passing into the receiver, the receiver being usually of a net-like character; and generally the bottom of the receiver has been made of metal links, forming a flexible network, which permits the bottom of the dredge to catch upon the oysters with the utmost facility, and from such dragging of the receiver a great loss occurs.

The object of my invention is to avoid to a very considerable extent the loss heretofore incurred in dredging oysters; and it consists in a receiver having a rigid or inflexible bottom resting upon runners hung to the dredgeframe, the said runners adapted to pass over the bed and support the bottom so far-above the bed as to prevent its contact with the oysters, as more fully hereinafter described.

The dredging-frame consists of a crossbar,

A, from the ends of which draft-arms B B extend forward, and are united into a suitable eye or loop, C, to which the drawing device is attached, and other arms, D, rise from the ends of the crossbar A, extending upward, turn forward, and are joined to the arms B near the eye C, between the arms D, and forward of the cross-bar O is a cross-bar, E.

The receiver consists of several runners, preferably three, one at each end, and the third intermediate the runners hung t0 the draft-frame, as at a, so as to be free to swing up and down. These runners gradually rise from the draftbar rearward, and are connected by several crossbars, G, so as to make a strong firm frame. Onto this frame the network to form the bottom is arranged and made fast. This net-work may be made from coarse wire-netting. At the forward end the bottom is substantially flush with the cross-bar A. Around the two ends and rear of the receiver a flexible net-work is secured, so as to form a cover for the receiver, and this net-work extends forward and is secured to the cross-bar E above, and so that there is an open mouth into the receiver over the cross-bar A and beneath the flexible net-work. This flexible net-work may be made from cord or any suit able material.

As the dredge is drawn over the bed the cross-bar A starts the oysters in the usual manner, and the oysters so started pass over the bar onto the bottom of the receiver, the runners pass over the bed, and they, taking a bearing thereon, support the bottom of the receiver above the bed and prevent its contact with the oysters, or any disturbance of the oysters by the bottom of the receiver, other than that which may be made by the runners; but the disturbance by the runners is so small a per cent., compared with that usually disturbed by the entire bottom of the receiver passing over the bed, that it is ineonsiderable.

The details which I have illustrated may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from my invention, the essential feature of which is a frame for supporting the bottom of the dredge, resting upon runners,

and hung to the cross-bar of the draggingframe, so as to be free to rise and fall.

I claim n An oyster-dredge consisting of a dragging- 5 frame combined with a receiver hinged thereto, the said receiver consisting of a frame and net-work forming the bottom of the receiver,

of the receiver, so as to support the said bottom above the bed, substantially as described.

CHARLES W. HOYT.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE,

FRED O. EARLE.

and arranged uponriinners below the bottom

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