Improvements in Apparatus for Towing Ships and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 30th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Towing Ships and the like.
I, LEON GERARD, of 6, Rue du Méridien, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The haulage of ships by electricity implies a mechanical means of traction
whether such haulage is effected on the water or on the river bank, the motors used
derive their electrical energy either from accumulators or from overhead
conductors by which the motive power is supplied for the propulsion of the
tug-boat or for driving an electric motor vehicle which may run on rails or on the
road.
The improved apparatus hereinafter described is specially designed with a view
to facilitating the work of traction by combining with an apparatus for hauling
ships by hawsers, an electrical winch which enables the length of cable to be
reduced, the. hauling or towing apparatus remaining stationary or relatively
stationary, so that boats or vessels may be towed round curves and through
locks.
I would here remark that the following description only refers to an electric
road vehicle or locomotive but that the combination of the motive power for
propelling and an arrangement comprising an electric winch applies equally
well to a locomotive running on rails and also to an electric boat, the motor in
this last named case, being adapted, by means of a clutch, to rotate the screw
or the winch as may be desired.
The improved apparatus comprises a frame for either 3 or 4 wheels carried
on two axles. One of these axles is capable of movement to permit of steering
the vehicle while the other axle is held stationary in guide plates of the type
usually adopted for ordinary railway or tramway vehicles.
The stationary axle is mounted in bearings in the guide-plates and also in
bearings of a motor frame which carries a winch drum of conical form. The
winch is thus capable of oscillation having the axle for its pivot. This motor
frame is supported on the main frame by means of four spiral springs or by any
other suitable elastic body.
The motor frame carries the motor having a pinion adapted to drive a toothed
wheel of the winch, or if preferred this may be effected by a chain, by friction
or by any other mechanical means whereby the intermediate shaft can be rotated.
On this latter are loosely mounted two pinions which may be separately engaged
by a clutch keyed between them on the said shaft.
The clutch may be of any convenient construction and by preference is of
progressive action. One of the pinions through the intervention of an endless
chain acting on a chain wheel causes the rotation of the driving axle.
The other pinion gears with a toothed wheel upon a shaft of the conical drum.
The clutch may be disposed in an intermediate position so that only the motor
and shaft are in motion while the remaining mechanism is at rest.
The motor receives the current either from accumulators or through the

page_text: intervention of a trolley and is first started without load, the clutch being placed
in its middle position. The brake being tightened, or a wedge applied to a
pair of wheels, the clutch is then engaged with the pinion thereby causing the
winch to wind the hawser or cable upon the small diameter of the drum. The
lawser or cable may be supported on rollers or it may be arranged for direct
traction according as to whether the traction is towards the left or towards the
right side. The power developed by the winch is greater than that which is
required for normal propulsion of the vehicle that is to say when the clutch
engages the left hand pinion.
The reason and the necessity for this developing power with slow speed is
that the propelling of a boat in a canal often requires three times and even 5 to 6
times the normal effect of towing the same. After having acquired this power
without fear of excess of load on the motor, owing to the arrangement of gear
having a far larger leverage of power applied (diameters of the wheels) than
that of the effort (diameter of winch), the clutch leaves the right hand pinion
and engages with the left hand pinion while at the same time the wedged wheels
are or the brake is disengaged. The motor vehicle then commences to travel
without any severe stress owing to its starting without load by unwinding the
cable, previously wound upon the drum, until the moment the cable becomes
stretched. At this moment, the ship or vessel which is moving at a certain
speed, is taken in tow without any notable effort on the part of the motor;
the only momentary increase in the load on the motor arising from the difference
between the speed of the vehicle before the stiffening of the cable and the initial
speed of the vessel.
For travelling round curves or through a lock the vehicle is stopped at a con-
venient spot and then secured by wedges or by the brake, the winch is started
and if necessary draws the vessel towards the motor. The said motor vehicle
thereupon travels alone to another spot, is stopped, and acts as before.
Lastly when approaching a lock-weir in the up-hill direction, the vehicle has
to haul the vessel as it were on the slope and to this end the vehicle is stopped
for an instant at the base of the slope so as to slacken the hawser or cable, then
it travels up the slope by itself, stops at the top of the level and draws in cable
by the winch so as to enable the ship to cross the approach to the lock.
Dated this 19th day of July 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Towing Ships and the like.
I, LÉON GÉRARD, of 6, Rue du Méridien, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
-
The haulage of ships by electricity implies a mechanical means of traction
whether such haulage is effected on the water or on the river bank, the motors used
usually derive their electrical energy either from accumulators or from overhead
conductors by which the motive power is supplied for the propulsion of the
tug-boat or for driving an electric motor vehicle which may run on rails or on the
road.
The improved apparatus hereinafter described is specially designed with a view

page_text: to facilitating the work of traction by combining with an apparatus for hauling
ships by hawsers, an electrical winch which enables the length of cable to be
reduced, the hauling or towing apparatus remaining stationary or relatively
stationary, so that boats or vessels may be towed round curves and through
locks.
I would here remark that the following description only refers to an electric
road vehicle or locomotive but that the combination of the motive power for
propelling and an arrangement comprising an electric winch applies equally
well to a locomotive running on rails and also to an electric boat, the motor in
this last named case being adapted, by means of a clutch, to rotate the screw
or the winch as may be desired.
The accompanying drawings show by way of example only one
carrying my invention into effect.
Figure 1'is a sectional elevation of a road locomotive and
Figures 2 and 3 are detail views of the winch.
manner of
The improved apparatus comprising a frame for either 3 or 4 wheels is carried
on two axles. One of these axles is capable of movement to permit of steering
the vehicle while the other axle is held stationary in guide plates of the type
usually adopted for ordinary railway or tramway vehicles.
The stationary axle is mounted in bearings in the guide-plates and also in
bearings 1 of a motor frame 2 which carries a winch drum of conical form.
The winch is thus capable of oscillation having for its pivot the axle 4. This
motor frame is supported on the main frame by means of four spiral springs 5
or by any other suitable elastic body.
The motor frame 2 carries the motor having a pinion 7 adapted to drive a
toothed wheel 8 of the winch, or, if preferred, this may be effected by a chain,
by friction, or by any other mechanical means whereby the intermediate shaft 9
can be rotated. On this latter are loosely mounted two pinions 10 and 11 which
may be separately engaged by a clutch 12 keyed between them on the said
shaft 9.
The clutch may be of any convenient construction and by preference is a
friction or other clutch which is gradual in its coupling action, the claw clutch
shown in the drawing serving merely to explain the manner of operating the
winch. One of the pinions 10 through the intervention of an endless chain 13
acting on a chain wheel causes the rotation of the driving axle.
The pinion 11 gears with a toothed wheel 14 upon a shaft 15 of the conical
drum 3.
The clutch 12 may be disposed in an intermediate position so that only the
motor and shaft 9 are in motion while the remaining mechanism is at rest.
The motor receives the current either from accumulators or through the
intervention of a trolley and is first started without load the clutch being placed
in its middle position. The brake being tightened, or a wedge applied to a
pair of wheels, the clutch 12 is then engaged with the pinion 11 thereby
causing the winch to wind the hawser or cable upon the small diameter of the
drum. The hawser or cable may be supported on rollers 16 or it may be arranged
for direct traction according as to whether the traction is towards the left or
towards the right side. The power developed by the winch is greater than that
which is required for normal propulsion of the vehicle that is to say when the
clutch engages the left hand pinion 10.
The reason and the necessity for thus developing power with slow speed is
that the propelling of a boat in a canal often requires three times and even 5 to 6
times the normal effort of towing the same. After having acquired this power
without fear of excess of load on the motor, owing to the arrangement of gear
having a far larger leverage of power applied (diameters of the wheels) than
that of the effort (diameter of winch), the clutch leaves the right hand pinion 11
and engages with the left hand pinion 10 while at the same time the wedged
wheels are or the brake is disengaged. The motor vehicle then commences to

page_text: travel without any severe stress owing to its starting without load by winding
the cable, previously wound upon the drum, until the moment the cable
becomes stretched. At this moment, the ship or vessel which is moving
at a certain speed, is taken in tow without any notable effort on the part
of the motor; the only momentary increase in the load on the motor arising
from the difference between the speed of the vehicle before the stiffening of the
cable and the initial speed of the vessel.
For travelling round curves or through a lock the vehicle is stopped at a con-
venient spot and then secured by wedges or by the brake, the winch is started
and if necessary draws the vessel towards the motor. The said motor vehicle
thereupon travels alone to another spot, is stopped, and acts as before.
Lastly when approaching a lock weir in the up-hill direction, the vehicle has
to haul the vessel as it were on the slope and to this end the vehicle is stopped
for an instant at the base of the slope so as to slacken the hawser or cable, then
it travels up the slope by itself, stops at the top on the level and draws in cable
by the winch so as to enable the ship to cross the approach to the lock.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination of a winch with slow speed gear and having a conical
diameter with an electric locomotive for use in hauling ships or vessels and
for unmooring without danger to the dynamo through too great differences between
the starting and the normal effort in propelling substantially as described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In combination with a locomotive and a winch carried thereby, mechanism
characterized by a clutch mounted upon a conveniently disposed shaft and adapted
to be retained in a neutral position or to be engaged either with the pinion operat-
ing the winch or with that actuating the driving wheels of the locomotive, in
order to permit of the dynamo being started alone without load, then working
with an effort required for travelling of the vehicle and finally with a slight
additional effort required for the normal propulsion, this latter being started by
an initial propulsion derived from the action of the winchsubstantially
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
as described
3. The general arrangement and details of construction of an apparatus per-
mitting of reducing the length of the hawser or cable for traction when the
apparatus rests stationary, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.