Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-26


A pair OF shear poles we're erected on
the deck Of the Massachusetts to sup
port a pulley wheel and canvas chute
to receive the bags Of coal The Mar
ceilus had specially constructed en-
gine having two winding drums which
was placed AFT the foremast. From
one Of these drums steel cable three
fourths Of an inch IN diameter led to
sheave or grooved pulley made fast 70
the top Of the foremost. whence It ex-
tended across the water to a similar
pulley attached to the war ship, and
thence back again to the other drum ot
the engine.
An Ingenious Carriage
This engine gives a reciprocating or
70 and fro motion to the transmission
rope, and the one to which the carriage
is secured is kept at tension or
strained so that the load easily clears
the INTERVENING water as IL passes to
and from the'war ship; the carriage, as
q reference to the photographs will
show. Is 50 designed that the wheels
roll on the lower part of the conveying
upper part Of the cable to sufficiently
carry it along, but should the carriage
strike either terminus It slips on the
rope The carriage will easily carry a
1000-pound bag Of coal. the latter being
held by pivoted hook at the lower
part of the carriage. and which Is fas-
tened there during its transit by a
latch; this is released when the car
riage comes in contact with the pulley
block on the war ship and the bag OF
coal is dumped automatically into the
chute.
Immediately this Is done the motion
of the cable Is reversed and the car
riage is started on its way to the coll
lier. and by the time 1t reaches 1t other
bags of coal have been hoisted from the
hold of the ship to the foremast. where
they are hooked on and the direction
of the conveying rope again reversed
when the load is started on its way TO
the war ship.
One of the lpecullarities of the engine
used for the galloway is that it always
runs in the same direction regardless of
the direction of the conveyer rope.
One of the drums upon which the rope
is wound Is provided with a friction
clutch and by this means the rope may
be drawn very tight, as from 1000 to
1000 pounds strain may be applied to it.
The second drum is also constructed
so that any strain over three thousand
pounds will cause it to slip, but by
proper adjustment, which may be made
while the system is doing it's work. the
loads may be made to sag as much or
as little as desired.
When in operation the engine causes
both drums to draw in both ropes, one
exerting pull Of three thousand
pounds and the other of four thousand
pounds. The effect of this action is
that the one overcomes the resistance
of the other and it is this difference la
pull that sustains the load in transit;
it is the mutual effect of these
drums on each other that equalizes the
ever varying distance between the two
masts. While this process is going on
the war ship is constantly dragging the
collier and the sea cone after it, thus
keeping the ships separated the proper
distance.
The question of the ability to coal at
any place and at any time increases IN
as the advent of a naval
battle becomes more certain, but coal
ing stations around the world, though
as numerous as those Of England, do
not by any means solve the problem.
for fleet, whether on blockade duty
or on the fighting line, to be effective
must continuously remain at its post.
Hence the statement of Rear Admiral
Pluddeman. !. G. N, who said: ut
will be- absolutely necessary in the
future to take coal from a collier at
sea-"