CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF CRANES FOR LIFTING AND REMOVING GOODS, BY WHICH SUCH MACHINES ARE RENDERED MORE GENERALLY USEFUL
Year: 1837

page_text: WHEN
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARTLEY HITCHEN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman,
and ROBERT ORAM, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Nineteenth day of July, in the first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said John
Hartley Hitchen and Robert Oram, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said John Hartley Hitchen and Robert
Oram, our exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said John
Hartley Hitchen and Robert Oram, our exors, admors, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no other, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND ARRANGEMENT OF CRANES FOR LIFTING AND REMOVING GOODS, BY WHICH SUCH
MACHINES ARE RENDERED MORE GENERALLY USEFUL;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that we, the said John Hartley Hitchen and
Robert Oram, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calender months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Hartley Hitchen and Robert Oram, do hereby declare the nature of

page_text: our certain improvements in the construction and arrangement of cranes for
lifting and removing goods, by which such machines are rendered more
generally useful, to consist in making such cranes capable of weighing or
recording the weight of such goods as are lifted, lowered, or removed by such
means; and the manner in which our certain improvements are performed
and carried into effect is set forth and described in the annexed Drawings, and
the following description thereof :-
The scale to which the annexed Drawings are made is marked thereon,
and the same letters and figures of reference indicate the same parts in the
various views and sections there represented.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an elevation or side view of a crane of my improved
construction or arrangement; Figure 2 is a sectional clevation of part of the
same; and Figure 3 a similar section, in which the interial construction is
varied; Figures 4 and 5 are plans of the respective Figures under which they
are placed. In Figure 1, A represents the handle at which the power is
applied; and B, the carrier pulley over which the rope or chain passes for
supporting the goods, as represented at D. These parts are attached to the
perpendicular column E, which moves on its centre for the convenience of
placing the goods as in ordinary cranes, and are too well known to need any
further description; but instead of supporting the perpendicular column E on
a fixed support, as in ordinary cranes, I support it in a step in the lever F,
which moves on its fulcrum at f, as best seen in section at Figures 3 and 4,
at the same time that the column E is allowed sufficient space at the supports
of its two extremities to rise and fall with the vibration of the lever F. At the
further extremity of the lever F from the fulcrum f is placed the lever or steel-
yard beam G, moving on the fulcrum 9, and connected with the lever F by
means of rod H. The lever or steelyard G is provided with the sliding
weight I, and calculated so as to indicate the exact weight of the crane and
its appendages when no goods are suspended, which balance between the
weight of the crane and the lever G is adjusted by means of the weight K,
which can be increased or diminished as occasion may require. Supposing,
therefore, that the weight I is placed near the fulcrum of the lever G, as
represented in dotted lines, and the weight of the crane and its appendages
supported on the lever F to be accurately balanced, it is clear that any
additional weight of goods placed on the crane will elevate the lever G, and
that the varied position of the weight I on such lever would shew the
additional weight of the goods suspended by the crane, similar to such weight

page_text: in the ordinary weighing machine. To prevent as much as possible any
binding or unnecessary friction in the supports of the perpendicular column E,
we have provided it with friction balls, as seen at S, S, Figures 2 and 4, and
are tinted red. The same object is effected by means of the projecting
pieces, r, seen at Figure 3, which are supported loose in the position there
shewn, and allow the elevation or depression of the crane at the same time
that the column E is kept accurately perpendicular; but these and similar
arrangements for the more accurate working of the machine may be variously
arranged, and must greatly depend on the size, nature, and construction of
the crane to which my improvements are to be applied.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, together with the
manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect, we wish
it to be understood that we do not claim any separate or well-known part or
parts of the crane and weighing apparatus herein-before described; but what
we do claim as our Invention is, the combination and arrangement herein-
before described, by means of which we are enabled to weigh goods while
suspended to such crane, and thereby economize the time and labour incident
to that process as now performed; and such being to the best of our know-
ledge new, and never before effected in that part of Her Majesty's Kingdom
called England, we herewith deliver this our true and faithful Specification of
the same.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Hartley Hitchen and Robert
Oram, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-eight
JOHN HARTLEY
ROBERT
(L.S.) HITCHEN.
(L.S.) ORAM.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid John Hartley Hitchen and Robert
Oram came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.