IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS. AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR THE MORE RAPID SHIPMENT OF COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS, FROM RAILWAY WAGONS
Year: 1884

page_text: I SAMUEL BUTLER, of N° 5 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STAITHS. AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR THE MORE RAPID
SHIPMENT OF COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS, FROM RAILWAY
WAGONS," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The staiths and apparatus hitherto employed for shipment of coal from railway
wagons, are so constructed as to either raise or lower the wagon as occasion may
require (depending on the railway being high or low level) until the right elevation
is acquired.
My Invention has particular reference to the tipping of two or more wagons at
the same time or alternately, providing a more rapid means of loading ships, and is
applicable in all cases of staiths whether they be portable or stationary or whether
the wagon is raised or lowered to the point of tipping.
The staith may be worked by hydraulic, steam, or gravity, or other available
force.. I prefer to use either hydraulic or gravity as being most convenient. In
cases where it is necessary to raise the loaded wagon to tipping point, I prefer to
use hydraulic, and in cases where it is necessary to lower the wagon, gravity may
be used. The hydraulic staith is a structure of wood or iron or other suitable
material erected on the quay-side near to which the ship may be placed to be
loaded. The framework of the staith is formed by four or more strutted frames or
legs connected by cross frames and braced together, giving stability and in such a
manner as to give a free space within them to admit of lifts travelling from their
lowest to highest point in suitable guides without obstruction.
There may be
one, two, or more lifts in the same staith. In case only one be provided this
shall be of sufficient width to admit of two or more wagons standing upon it.
I prefer however to put the wagons on independent lifts, thus enabling them to
be tipped at will either together or alternately. Providing the staith be con-
structed for two wagons, there must be two independent lifts. Under ordinary
circumstances I propose to work them alternately, charging one lift with a full
wagon, and whilst this is being raised and tipped to utilize the time taken for
charging the other lift with a full wagon and so first tipping from one lift and
then from the other down a shoot into the hatchway. By this arrangement two
wagons may be discharged in the time now taken by one and moreover this is

page_text: effected without alterations of the siding arrangements which may have been
constructed for the supply of a single tip. The lifts may be worked by one or
more hydraulic cylinders placed beneath them in a vertical position and acting
in a direct upward thrust. Each lift is provided with a tilting. platform actuated
by an hydraulic cylinder beneath it and attached thereto. This mode of applying
power to the working of the lifts is open to objections, requiring expensive
foundations and necessitating considerable weight in construction. I therefore
apply my Invention to another form of hydraulic staith, the lifts of which
arrange to work either by hydraulic or by gravity and suited for either high
or low level railways. The lifts may be actuated by by either one or other of these
forces at the will of the men in charge as circumstances may require. The
hydraulic force being used where it is required to raise the loaded wagons, and
gravity being used where it is required to lower the loaded wagons to the point of
tipping. The frame of this staith is constructed in a similar manner as for the
hydraulic staith before described.
I
Figure 1 is side elevation and Figure 2 back elevation of a staith constructed
for two wagons and to work by either hydraulic or gravity.
Each lift A. A. is suspended by four or more chains or ropes B, I prefer to use
flat wire ropes, which pass over sheaves C on the top of the staith and thence to
separate drums D upon which they wind and to which they are attached. These
drums are all keyed. on the same shaft, to ensure equal winding-on. For
convenience I place this shaft on the top of the staith at its outer edge at right
angles to the quay 'and in a horizontal position. Providing the staith to be
constructed for two lifts there shall be two of these shafts E. E'. on opposite sides
and parallel to each other. By turning these shafts the elevation or lowering of
the lifts are effected, and this may be done by gravity or hydraulic. Where the
wagons have to be raised to the tipping point, I employ a hydraulic cylinder F to
each lift standing vertically against the side of the staith, thrusting upwards and
having two rope sheaves G on the top of the ram and also two rope sheaves H on
the bottom of the cylinder. There are two separate ropes I. I, with the object of
safety and more even working of the cylinder, either one or the other separately is
capable of performing the work required, the ends of these ropes are attached to
the cylinder at opposite sides J. J. they then pass in opposite directions over the
sheaves G on the top of the ram (the sheaves being free to work in opposite
directions) they then pass .down and under the sheaves H on the bottom of the
cylinder in like manner as they are passed over the top ones, they then come up
one rope on one side and the other on the other side of the hydraulic cylinder to
the top of the staith passing round drums K. K. and having their ends attached
thereto. These drums are keyed upon the same shaft as the other drums, the ropes
being wound in the opposite direction to the other ropes. By an upward thrust of
the ram the two ropes pull down unwinding from the drums and imparting
movement to the shaft and winding upon the remaining drums, the ropes which
are attached to the lift, by continuing the thrust of the ram, the lift is raised to its
required height. When the wagons have to be lowered to tipping point, simple
gravity may be used for lowering the wagon full and elevating it again empty after
it has been discharged, for this object two balance weights L. L. are employed for
each lift, suspended on the end of flat wire ropes M. M. these ropes are wound
round the drums to which they are attached. These drums are also keyed upon
the drum shaft and their action pulling upon it is similar to that of the ropes from
the hydraulic cylinder. These balance weights L.,L', are only required when the
staith is working from high level and are of sufficient weight to ensure the return
of the lift to its highest point with the wagon after its contents have been
discharged. The weights are on the other hand light enough to be overcome by
the weight of the lift, when charged with a loaded wagon, in which case the lift
drops by gravitation to the tipping point. The ascent and descent of the lift in
this case is governed by a brake O on the top drum shaft. A simple means is
provided for detaching the balance weights and the lifts can at once be worked by

page_text: hydraulic. The lifts being thus arranged are useful for transferring wagons from
the lower to the upper levels of railways without or without tipping them,
and vice-versa. Each lift is provided with a tilting platform P. P¹. pivoted at the
end next the quay and free to be lifted at the other end to any required angle.
This is effected by a chain Q. Q. passed over the top and bottom sheaves R. R¹. of
a hydraulic cylinder and passed over sheaves S on the top of the staith and having
on its end a book T by which it is attached to the tilting platform. The tipping
of the wagon is thus effected by a thrust of the ram pulling upon the chain and
raising the end of the platform, as represented in Figure 1, the wagon being in
tipping position. A hydraulic cylinder and chain of this description is provided
for each lift.
The staith which I have just described, is designed to perform the double service
of high and low level working, but in cases where there may be only low level to
work, the arrangements for working by gravity may be dispensed with, and in
cases where only high level is required to be worked, the arrangements for hoisting
the lifts by means of hydraulic rams may be dispensed with.
The wagons may be tipped into one, two, or more shoots, preferably one shoot T,
sufficiently wide at the top to receive coal from both lifts and narrowing down at
the bottom to admit of the coal from either one or other of the lifts running into
the same hatchway. The shoot is supported by racks and guides U. U¹. between
the two legs of the staith nearest the quay. It is lifted or lowered by a chain
attached to each corner passing over sheaves on the top of the staith and hanging
down alongside the ropes I. I. from the hydraulic cylinder to which they may
be attached when required.. The shoot in this way rises and falls, with the lift.
The foregoing staith is constructed to tip coal into one hatchway, but it is
necessary in order to attain the maximum of despatch in loading ships to provide
means for tipping coal into more than one hatchway at once, and as the distance
between the hatchways vary according to the size and construction of ships,
I provide in connection with my staith, a stage extending along the quay upon
which the wagons are made to travel horizontally to the tipping point.
Figure 3 is cross section of the stage. It may extend to any required distance
alongside the quay. The whole structure may be lowered or raised by means of a
rack and pinion A to each leg or by other suitable means. These pins are all
connected by shafting and actuated by hydraulic or steam, worm gearing being
used for multiplying the lower and serving at the same time to sustain the stage at
any height. A carriage B is provided to receive the wagon or wagons, having upon
it one or more tilting platforms C actuated by a chain and hydraulic cylinder D in
the same way as for the hydraulic and gravity staith before described. This
carriage is free to run on rails to any point, being bauled backwards or forwards by
a wire rope passing over pulleys at each end of the stage. The carriage is first
hauled to a point opposite an ordinary lift, the full wagon is run out of the lift
onto the carriage which is then hauled opposite to the shoot and the tipping
effected..
The carriage is then returned to the lift and the empty wagon is run off it into
the lift. At the same time a full wagon, which has been prepared in the lift is run
out onto the carriage, there being two lines of rails in the lift as well as on the
carriage.
In this way the wagons are tipped first from one side of the carriage and
then from the other alternately. By this arrangement, no time is lost by the
carriage waiting at the lift. As the tipping is required to be done at any part of
the stage, the shoot and tipping cylinder are attached to a frame E spanning
the carriage and mounted upon suitable wheels F. This frame is free to travel
on rails from end to end of the stage.
When a ship is to be loaded, the height is first adjusted by the rack and pinion
gearing, the shoot and tipping cylinder are then hauled by the action of the
carriage opposite the hatchway and the tipping proceeds as before described,

page_text: In the foregoing arrangement the adjustment of height is done first and horizontal
motion given to the wagon afterwards. Should it be considered desirable this may
bo reversed. The wagon may be first conducted horizontally on the travelling
Carriage at the level of the railway and then run off, lowered or raised to the point.
of tipping. This is done by having the staith moveable on rails along the quay
and it may in every other respect be constructed as the staith before described,
except that it may be for one wagon as well as for two or more. Instead of
running the wagon off the travelling carriage into the staith, the, travelling carriage
may be run into the staith with the wagon upon it and the whole raised or lowered.
to the point of tipping.
J
...
In order to facilitate the despatch in loading, I provide in connection with my
Staith, a box, preferably square, as shewn in Figure 4, having its two sides hinged
at A. B. forming doors. The bottom of the box rises in the centre to permit of it
emptying itself, when the sides open. This box is suspended immediately under...
the mouth of the shoot: The weight being taken by the chains D, E. which are
attached to the bottom of the doors at the points F. G. passing over sheaves and up
through the .centre of the box. The doors are thus kept shut by the weight of
the box. There is another chain attached to the four corners having its end
attached to the staith so that the box may be lowered full until the weight is
taken up by it, which releases the chains attached to the doors, thus allowing them
"to open and the contents to be discharged.
This box may have one, two, or more doors, and may be large enough to hold a
full truck load and may be used for lowering the material from any height, thus
avoiding the necessity of lifts in shipping from high level. The wagons in this case
may be tipped at the level of the railway,
Having now 'described and particularly 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. A staith or tip as herein described for loading ships with coal, minerals, and
other like materials, by tipping two or more wagons together or alternately into the
same hatchway,
2. A stage of adjustable height working in connection with lifts having upon it
means for giving horizontal motion to wagons and tipping them, as herein
described, for loading coal, minerals, or other like materials, into hatchways in any
position without moving the ship.
3. The use of the travelling carriage for carrying the wagons along the quay
to a moveable staith.
4. The box shewn in Figure 4, for lowering coal, minerals or other materials into
the hold of a ship with means for discharging its contents as herein described.
5. The use of a vessel suspended under the shoot for lowering the material into
the ship, avoiding the necessity of lowering the wagon in shipping from high level,
Dated this 21st day of July 1884.