Year: 1885

page_text: We, WILLIAM YOUNG FLEMING and PETER FERGUSON, both of Phoenix Works,
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Engineers and Shipbuilders, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
In dredgers and hopper dredgers which are provided with traversing gear for
bringing forward the bucket ladder to the operative position for cutting ahead and
for moving it aft in order that it may be raised within the well the traversing
gear is connected to and operated by the main engines which drive the chain of
buckets. When the main engines or any of the connecting parts break down the
bucket ladder cannot conveniently be housed or traversed from the forward
position into the position in which it may with safety be raised into the well and
the vessel is liable to founder in the event of its grounding and driving the
forward end of the bucket ladder through the bottom of the hull. One of the
main objects of our invention is to overcome this objectionable feature of
the existing arrangements for traversing the bucket ladders of dredgers, and this
object we attain by employing auxiliary or independent engines for traversing the.
bucket ladder, such engines being also employed if desired for raising and lowering.
the doors of the hoppers or mud receptacles or for other purposes.
We connect the auxiliary engine or engines through suitable gearing to drive a
worm gearing into a worm wheel on a cross shaft fitted with pinions which gear
into and operate racks fitted on the traversing carriage of the bucket ladder and
we provide for automatically stopping the operating engines when the carriage of
the bucket ladder has reached the limit of its traverse in the forward or aft
direction by employing tappets or "kickers" which by the movement of the
carriage act on levers which throw the engines out of gear.
The operating lever for starting and stopping the engines of the traversing gear
is carried forward to a point where the ladderman who attends to the hoisting
engines for raising and lowering the forward end of the ladder may start or stop
the traversing engines. We also provide means for automatically stopping the
hoisting engines in the event of the bucket ladder being raised in the well
while its forward end projects beyond the end of the well and would be damaged
or cause damage to the hull of the vessel or to the hoisting gear if the raising
operation were continued.

page_text: This is conveniently effected by fitting a guard on the bucket ladder which,
when the ladder is raised in its forward position comes in contact with a wyper on
a shaft connected to the engine handing shaft or the quadrants to throw the
engine out of gear or stop it; but when the bucket ladder is being raised clear of
the front end of the well the guard does not come into contact with the wyper.
Dated this Sixteenth day of November 1885.
We, WILLIAM YOUNG FLEMING and PETER FERGUSON, both of Phoenix Works,
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Engineers and Shipbuilders, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In dredgers and hopper dredgers which are provided with traversing gear for
bringing forward the bucket ladder to the operative position for cutting ahead and
for moving it aft in order that it may be raised within the well the traversing
gear is ordinarily connected to and operated by the main engines which drive the
chain of buckets. When the main engines or any of the connecting parts break
down the bucket ladder cannot conveniently be housed or traversed from the
forward position into the position in which it may with safety be raised into the
well, and the vessel is liable to founder in the event of its grounding and driving
the forward end of the bucket ladder through the bottom of the hull. One of the
main objects of our invention is to overcome this objectionable feature of the
existing arrangements for traversing the bucket ladders of dredgers, and this
object we attain by employing auxiliary or independent engines for traversing
the bucket ladder, the auxiliary engines being also employed if desired for raising
and lowering the doors of the hoppers or mud receptacles or for other purposes.
In the accompanying drawings, figure 1, sheet 1, is a longitudinal sectional
elevation of part of a dredger showing a modification of our improved arrange-
ment of traversing gear, and figure 2, is a transverse vertical section of the same
while figures 3, 4 and 5, sheet 2, are respectively a side elevation, end elevation
and plan, showing the traversing gear to a larger scale as operated by auxiliary
engines. In carrying out our invention, as represented in these drawings, we
connect the auxiliary engine or engines A, through suitable gearing consisting of a
pinion B, on the engine crank shaft in gear with a spur wheel C, on a counter
shaft C, on whose end is a bevel pinion D, in gear with a pinion D¹, on a longi-
r
I

page_text: túdinal shaft E, which through spur wheels E', communicates movement to a
shaft F, to drive a worm F¹, on it, gearing into a worm wheel F³, on a cross
shaft G, fitted with pinions G¹ which gear into and operate racks H, fitted or
formed on the traversing carriage. H', to which the bucket ladder I, is attached by
eye bolts in the usual manner; and we provide for automatically stopping or
reversing the operating engines A, when the carriage of the bucket ladder has
reached the limit of its traverse in the [forward or aft direction, to prevent over-
running by employing tappets or "kickers" J and J¹, which are struck by the
bracket arm h on the carriage H¹, as said carriage reaches the respective ends of
its traverse, and by acting through rods j, j, and bell cranks, j, by which they
are connected to the link motion of the engines, throw the engines out of gear or
reverse them. The worm F', is connected to the shaft F, by a groove and feather
or similar means so that it may freely slide thereon with the bracket arm h by
which it is carried to keep it in gear with the worm wheel F' during the traversing
movement of the carriage. The arrangement of mechanism for communicating the
requisite fore and aft movement to the carriage H¹ may be varied, engines inde-
pendent of those which drive the chain of buckets being however provided under
our invention for this purpose. The chain of buckets K is driven in the usual way
by a drum K' on a shaft driven by spur gearing L from a shaft L¹ on which is a
bevel pinion in gear with a bevel pinion carried by a collar in a bearing
bracket h² on the carriage H and fitted to slide on a longitudinal shaft M which
is driven by the main driving engines through suitable gearing M¹. The arrange-
ment of gearing for driving the chain of buckets does not in itself form part of our
invention.
'
The operating lever N for starting and stopping the engines of the traversing
gear is carried forward to a point where the ladderman who attends to the hoisting
engines O, for raising and lowering the forward end of the ladder I may start or
stop the traversing engines A. This hand lever N is conveniently connected to
the link motion of the engines A by rods or links and bell crank or by chains
forming a continuation of the rods j, j, on which are carried the kickers J and J¹
which are acted on at the termination of the fore and aft traverse of the
carriage H¹.
We also provide means for automatically stopping the hoisting engines in the
event of the bucket ladder being raised in the well while its forward end projects
beyond the end of the well and would be damaged or cause damage to the hull of
the vessel or to the hoisting gear O¹ if the raising operation were continued. This
is conveniently effected by fitting a guard P on the bucket ladder which, when the
ladder is raised in its forward position comes in contact with a wyper Q fitted
across the well and which on being moved closes a stop cock R and shuts off the
supply of steam to the hoisting engines O: or the wyper Q may be connected to
the engine handing shaft or the quadrants to throw the engines O, out of gear
or stop them. When the bucket ladder is being raised within and clear of the front
end of the well the guard P does not come into contact with the wyper and the
hoisting operation may be continued. The hoisting gear is of the ordinary kind
and is connected to the bucket ladder in the usual way. In figure 1 the bucket
ladder I is represented in full lines in a position for dredging under the vessel and
at I in dotted lines as traversed forward to dredge in shallow water in front of
the vessel. At I and I³ the bucket ladder is in part shown as raised into and
through the well while traversed aft sufficiently to clear the well, the wyper Q
being clear of the path of the guard P on the ladder. A handing lever S is
provided for starting and stopping the hoisting engines O, and it is fitted in
proximity to the lever N by which the ladderman controls the traversing engines A.
The traversing engines A may also be connected and arranged to effect the
raising and lowering of the hopper doors X of the dredger by means of a bevel
pinion T fitted on the end of the countershaft C¹ in gear with a bevel pinion on a
vertical shaft U which through bevel gearing V and a shaft V₁ give motion to
winches W which in the usual way operate the hopper doors,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In dredging plant the provision of actuating mechanism for traversing the
bucket ladder independently of the main driving gear operating the chain of
buckets, substantially as described.
2. The combination of parts constituting the improved traversing gear for the
bucket ladder of a dredger or hopper dredger substantially as herein described with
reference to the drawings annexed.
3. In dredging plant the application of auxilliary engines working independently
of the main driving gear substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. In combination with actuating mechanism for independently traversing the
bucket ladder of a dredger or hopper dredger the arrangement of devices for
preventing overrunning of the traversing gear, substantially as herein described
with reference to the drawings annexed.
5. In dredgers or hopper dredgers the arrangement in combination of a guard
upon the bucket ladder and a wyper fitted in the well and adapted to stop the
hoisting engines substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Agents.