Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-19
A COAL TRANSPORTER.

So far as is known to the writer, no
especial apparatus for this purpose has
been designed or constructed in this
country; possibly the idea Of coaling war
vessels in a seaway is of too recent adop-
ton here for such development. 1t will
be remembered that some experiments
have been made with coaling off sound
ings from a tender by American war
vessels, and If it shall seem to be de-
slrable to be prepared to receive fuel at
sea in this manner there is little doubt
that the genius Of American mechanics
will evolve an apparatus which shall be
at once simple and efficient. In all prob
ability the only principles to be applied
to this undertaking are those in daily use
on the travelling galloway. the coal stor-
age meohanisms and some of the extern
sive apparatus which is used for the re-
mOVal OF spalt from the great cut of the
Chicago drainage channel.
The appliance consists essentially of a
beam or spar which can be hoisted and
supported from a suitable hook. A trav-
eler runs on a hail attached to this spar
and carries a bucket. This traveller may
be stopped at any one of a Number of
fixed points in this rail and the bucket
lowered or raised. When the load is be-
ing lowered the traveller is rigidly locked
to It's ways, and when it is travelling the
load is locked so that it cannot b. low
cred. The whole of the various motions
OF lowering and travelling are controlled
by a single wire rope passing over a
pulley at the end Of the spar. The spar
is stayed at frequent intervals by wire
rope stays, which at their upper ends are
connected to a single ring. The whole
appliance can thus be strung from an
ordinary derrick or crane, and when used
on shlpboard it is not mounted until it
Is about to be used, being secured on deck
until wanted. The ends Of the spar are
stayed to fixed points. and when all is
hauled taut the transporter is quite rigid.
One of these transporters erected on a
wharf at Woolwich has a spar IS feet
long. which can be traversed along it's
beam a distance of 40 feet, so that a
iarge area may be commanded by the
bucket. The rail on which the traveller
runs Is made out Of channel iron and
is fitted with steps at intervals of five
feet. All the stops. save the one at the
lower end of the spar, are under control.
and the bucket may be stopped at any
one of them which the engineer or fire.
men may direct. Suspended from the
traveller head is the latching and locking
mechanism, which appears to be quite
ella borate n somewhat difficult to ex-
plain without the aid of a series Of dia-
grams. In operation the bucket is run
out to the end of the spar, where the
ravele locks itself, there being a spe-
cially deep stop there.
The bucket is then lowered and filled
anu HolSteu until a pail unlOckS the tray
eler and locks the load. 1t is then raw
ersed up the beam and past the desired
stop and allowed to back into it, when
the traveller ock itself and the load
may be lowered. On raising the bucket
again the traveller is unlocked, moved
slightly up the beam, and allowed to run
down again to the lower end, where the
former cycle of operations is repeated.
1t is said that one of these machines has
dispensed with the services of eight men
formerly employed to accomplish the
same amount of work, and that the
transporter has been extensively sold
both in England and abroad.