Improvements in Adjustable Chutes for Delivering Coal or other Substances to Lighters or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
[Communicated from abroad by JEREMIAII CAMPBELL, of Chelsea, in the County
of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Merchant.]
Improvements in Adjustable Chutes for Delivering Coal or other
Substances to Lighters or the like.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 invention relates to chutes especially adapted for transferring coal or other
substances from a given level to a lower variable level.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a view in vertical central section of a chute containing the features
of my invention.
Figure 2 is a view in front elevation thereof showing also a portion of the
trestle for supporting it, and
Figure 3 is a view in plan enlarged of gearing for operating the chute.
In loading lighters or vessels from railway trucks trams or other vehicles it is
customary to employ a hopper supported upon a trestle or other supporting device
at such a height in respect to the lighter or vessel that the coal or other substance
delivered to the hopper may be fed by gravity through a chute into the hold of the
said lighter or vessel.
Said chutes, however, have had no desirable provision whereby the force with
which the coal descends may be modified before leaving the end of the chute, and
whereby also the end of the chute may be adjustable up or down to the various
heights at which it is desirable to deliver the coal as the lighter lifts or falls with
the tide or falls as it is being loaded and whereby the coal may be delivered to the
hold of a lighter or vessel gently without any great fall and consequent breakage,
and my invention relates to a chute which is so constructed that the force of the
flow of the coal through its lower part may be calculated and governed and it is
also so constructed that its outlet may be raised or lowered to any desired position.
Referring to the drawings:-
His a receiving hopper at the mouth of which is hinged at h the chute A which
is composed of two sections or parts, namely the upper section A and the lower sec-
tion B. The lower section B supports the lower end of the upper section which
enters it and is itself vertically movable as a whole and is also movable upon an
arc, of which its upper end is a centre, whereby its inclination may be varied to
any extent.
These movements or adjustments of the lower section B of the chute
are represented as obtained by providing the lower section at its upper end with
pins p p to enter the guiding recesses furnished by the guides f, g on the
stationary posts, P, P, the guides of course facing each other and being upon oppo-
site sides of the upper end of the section B of the chute.
The section B of the chute is suspended by means of the two lines or tackles b. b',
the first of which extends from the upper end of said section B to the winding

page_text: drum or other actuating or holding device, and the second of which extends
from the lower end of the said section to the winding drum d' or other actuating
or holding device. I prefer that each line be made fast to the trestle and extend
through a sheave or pulley attached to the said section. The winding drums shown
are driven through their respective gears d², 3 by the pinions e, e'. These pinions
turn with the shafts but are free to slide along the shaft so that they may be
thrown into or out of gear with the gears of the winding drums. In this way
either or both of the drums may be caused to rotate by means of the shaft s.
The pawls w, w¹ hold their respective drums against rotation when it is so
desired.
At the lower end of the chute section B is the hinged valve or damper D which
may be operated through the line 7. The section A of the chute is free to slide
inside the section B. The dotted lines show the different positions in which the
sections A and B may be placed and held by the lines or tackles b, b.
I, Figure 1, represents a lighter in a high position in respect to the hopper
and La lighter in dotted outline in a lower position in respect thereto, and the
chute is represented in full lines in one position and by dotted outline in two other
positions.
It is desirable in some instances to raise or lower both ends of the chute sec-
tion B, together, in which event the shafts is operated to turn both winding drums.
In other instances it is desirable to elevate or depress only one end of the said
chute section B, in which event its appropriate drum or tackle operating device is
employed.
The shaft s may be operated by hand or power and in any desired way. In light
chutes the tackles may be operated directly by hand and secured to. cleats.
It is not necessary that the guides for guiding the inner end of the chute sec-
tion 13 be vertical, as they may be inclined in either direction, or curved, the
shape of the guides depending upon the various positions which it is desired that
the upper or lower end of said chute section shall occupy at various times.
It will be seen that the lower section of the chute B and the lower end of the
upper section A are entirely supported by means of the tackles and that each of
the tackles is capable of independent operation, so that not only may the angle of
the entire chute in relation to the hopper be changed, but the angle of the lower
section in relation to the upper may also be changed. This insures that the chute
shall always have provision for the gentle flow of the coal or other substance from
its lower end. This result is arrived at by providing both sections of the chute
with a relatively slight inclination, or when the upper section of the chute is
sharply inclined by providing the lower section with less inclination in respect to
it, whereby the feed of the coal or other material passing through it is caused to
be checked.
By closing and holding closed the damper or valve D at the lower end of the
chute section B the inclination or adjustment of the said chute may take place
without stopping the flow of the coal or material from the hopper.
In some instances the guides for providing or regulating the degree of endwise
movement of the lower chute section may be dispensed with, in which event to
prevent endwise movement of the said lower section it will be hinged to the upper
section at or near its lower end. The tackles or lines for adjusting and suspending
the chute will act with this form of construction substantially as they will act with
the construction employing the guides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. The combination of a receiving hopper, a chute section hinged at its upper
end and into which the hopper opens, and a second or lower chute section which
supports the lower end of the first named section and acts as a continuation thereof,

page_text: guides for holding said lower section of the chute against endwise movement and
means for vertically adjusting said chute and for holding it in its adjusted posi-
tion.
2. In a chute the combination of the movable section A, the lower end of which
is supported by the movable chute section B, stationary guide extending across
the line of movement of the lower end of the upper chute section A, and which
are connected with the upper end of the lower section and control the extent or
degree of lateral movement, with means for vertically moving said upper end of
said lower section in said guides and for holding it in any desired position, and
independent means for vertically moving the lower end of said lower section and
for holding it in any desired position, as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The combination of the chute section A hinged at its upper end, the lower end
of which is movable upon an arc, and the co-operating lower section B, the inner
end of which is vertically movable but is restrained by guides from lateral move-
ment, and the outer end of which is free to be moved with adjusting and support-
ing tackles or lines attached to the inner and outer ends of said chute and means
for simultaneously or independently operating said tackles or lines in adjusting
the position and inclination of the said section B and for holding them after they
have been so operated.
4. The combination of the chute B, the guides and pivots or pins extending from
the upper end of said chute section in said guides, and the operating and suspend-
ing lines or tackles b, b', as and for the purposes set forth.
5. The combination of the upper chute section A hinged at its upper end, the
lower chute section B connected with the lower end of the upper chute section in
a manner to permit of a variation of its angle in relation thereto, and means for
adjusting vertically the said chute for varying the inclination of the lower section
in relation to the upper, and for holding them in their adjusted position.
Dated this 15th day of
1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.