Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Coal and similar Material in Bulk.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Coal and similar
Material in Bulk.
I, PEETE BASIL CLARKE, of Birmingham, in the County of Jefferson, and
State of Alabama, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 improvements in apparatus for handling coal and
similar material in bulk.
The object of the present invention is to provide simple and comparatively
inexpensive means for transferring coal and similar material from barges and like
crafts to vessels, without the use of shovels and wheel-barrows.
The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrange-
ment of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings
and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a barge provided with apparatus for handling
coal constructed in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
1 designates a barge provided with transverse balk-heads 2 forming a series of
bins 3, beneath which is arranged a longitudinal chute 4 adapted to receive the
contents of the bins and provided with an endless conveyer for carrying the contents
of the bins to a suitable elevated point to enable the coal or other cargo to be
delivered from such point by inclined chutes to the bunkers of a vessel to be
loaded. Each bin is provided with the mechanism about to be described, so that
only a description of one of the bins will be necessary, and the barge is divided into
a number of transverse bins to facilitate loading from a wharf or pier, so that as
soon as one bin or compartment is filled the barge may be moved longitudinally to
bring another bin or compartment at the place of supply.
Each bin is provided with opposite swinging inclined dumping gates 5, extending
from bulkhead to bulkhead and forming an oppositely inclined bottom for the bin
to direct the coal into the conveyer chute 4, when horizontal sliding gates or
cut-offs 6 are open for this purpose. The dumping gates are hinged at their bottoms
at 7 at the sides of a horizontal bottom portion and above the conveyer chute 4, and
their tops or upper ends are connected to chains 8 which are wound around sheave-
drums 9 of opposite longitudinal shafts 10, and they are adapted to be arranged at
the desired angle or inclination to direct the coal into the chute and to cause the
bin to be entirely emptied. The barge is braced and the parts are supported by
horizontal and inclined timbers 11 and 12 and suitable connecting braces, and the
inclined timbers 12 are arranged to support the dumping gates 5 when the latter are
in their lowest position or at their widest angle.
The tops of the dumping gates are guided by curved walls 13 and in order to prevent
coal getting behind the dumping gates when the latter are raised beyond the upper
termini of the curved walls 13 hinged guards 14 are provided. The guards 14 are
hinged at their upper ends to vertical walls 15 of the bin, and consist of long
narrow plates disposed longitudinally of the barge and adapted to be engaged near

page_text: their lower edges by the tops of the dumping gates to close the spaces above the
latter, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
The drums 9 are loosely mounted in pairs at the side of each bin on the upper
longitudinal shafts 10 and are provided with clutch sections 16 adapted to be
engaged by corresponding clutch sections 17 which move longitudinally on the
shafts 10 and are connected with them by keys 18 whereby when the clutch
sections 17 are engaged with the sections 16 of the drums the latter will be fixed
to the shafts and will rotate with the same, and wind up the chains 8 and raise the
dumping gates. The movable clutch sections 17 are controlled by levers 19 with
which they are connected by rods 20. Each lever 19 which is arranged midway
between the drums 9 is fulcrummed near its lower end on the barge and has the
rods 20 pivoted to it above and below the fulcruming points, in order that the clutch
sections 17 may be simultaneously moved into and out of engagement with the
other clutch sections.
When it is desired to raise the dumping gates the levers 19 are moved to bring
the sections of each clutch into engagement with each other, thereby causing the
drums to rotate and wind up the chains, and after a dumping gate is elevated
sufficiently its lever 19 is released and the clutch sections 17 are disengaged from
the clutch sections 16 of the drums by a spiral spring 21, which is connected with
the lever 19. The drums are held against retrograde rotation after the clutch
sections are separated to prevent the chains unwinding by pawls 22 pivotally
mounted at the upper edge or top of the bin and engaging ratchet wheels 23
arranged at the sides of the drums. The ratchet wheels 23 are preferably formed
integral with the drums but may be otherwise provided, and after the bin has been
emptied the pawls may be disengaged from the ratchet wheels of the drums by the
blow of a hammer.
Any number of sliding gates or cut-offs may be provided in the bottom of the
bin and they are connected by horizontal rods 24 with levers 25 fulcrummed
intermediate of its ends on a bearing bracket 26 and extending upward through a
slot 27 in the deck of the barge and terminating in a handle.
The rear ends of the upper longitudinal shafts 10 are provided with pulleys 28
and connected by a belt 29 and one of the shafts 10 is connected by a belt 30 and
pulleys 31 and 32 with a lower longitudinal shaft 33 which is similarly connected
with a driving pulley 34 connected with any suitable power preferably an engine
(not shown) designed to be arranged in the stern of the barge or boat.
The lower shaft 33 extends longitudinally of the barge or boat adjacent to the
bottoms of the bins and is connected by cog-wheels 35 and pinions 36 with counter-
shafts 37 which carry agitators 38 operating through slots 39 cut in one of the
dumping gates and the adjacent edges of the sliding gates. Each agitator 38
consists of a spider, or radial arm extending from the hub, and the rapid rotation
of the agitator causes the coal to be quickly fed to the conveyer chute. Any
number of agitators may be provided for each bin, but preferably, three sets are
employed, two agitators being on each countershaft, and the sets of agitators are
controlled independently of one another whereby the discharge or feed of coal may
be readily regulated. Each countershaft is thrown into and out of operation by a
clutch 40 having one section secured to the cog-wheel 35 which is loosely mounted
on the shaft 33 and its other section keyed to the shaft and having a limited
movement to engage and be disengaged from the clutch section on the cog-wheel.
The movable section of the clutch 40 is actuated by a rod 41 extending rearward
and designed to communicate with and terminate at the engine room; it is provided
at its rear with a handle 42 and it has adjacent to the handle a series of teeth
forming a rack 43 which is adapted to engage a plate 44 whereby the clutch is
held securely against accidental movement.
The front portion 45 of the rod 41 is disposed at an angle to the rear portion
of the rod, and is connected to the movable section of the clutch 40.
The rods 41 gradually increase in length as the clutches 40 are more removed
from the engine room, and it will be readily apparent that the agitators by being

page_text: controlled independently of one another, one or more sets may be put in motion
as desired, and the discharge of coal from the bins to the conveyer chute may be
rendered uniform.
It will be apparent that by the apparatus herein set forth, coal or similar
material in bulk may be readily removed from a barge or similar craft for trans-
ferment to the bunkers of a vessel without employing shovels and wheel barrows,
or similar handling of the cargo. It will also be seen that the discharge of coal
from the various bins of a barge or vessel is under complete control and may be
readily regulated to render such discharge or feed to the conveyer chute uniform
throughout the length of the latter.
It will be understood that changes in the form, proportion and the minor details
of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or
sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk, the combination of a boat
having a bin provided with an oppositely inclined bottom with slots, cut-offs, a
conveyer chute arranged below the cut-offs and agitators having arms operating
through said slots and adapted to force the material downward, substantially as
described.
2. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk the combination of a boat
having a series of transverse bulkheads forming bins, opposite inclined bottoms for
the bins provided with slots, a longitudinally disposed conveyer chute located below
the cut-offs and the sets of independently-operated revolving agitators provided
with arms operating through the slots.
3. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk, the combination of a boat
having a bin, inclined dumping gates hinged at the bottom, the upwardly and
inwardly curved walls 13 arranged at the top of the bin at opposite sides thereof
and located adjacent to the upper edges of the dumping gates in the curved path
of the same, the oppositely disposed narrow guards hinged to the sides of
the bin above the upper termini of the curved walls and depending below
the same, cut-offs, and a conveyer chute arranged beneath the bin, substantially as
described.
4. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk the combination of a boat
provided with a series of transverse bulk-heads forming bins, a conveyer chute
arranged beneath the bins, the opposite inclined dumping gates hinged at the
bottoms and arranged in the bins, parallel shafts disposed longitudinally of the boat
and arranged at the top of the bins, drums loosely mounted on the shafts and
arranged in pairs at each bin and having ratchet-wheels, clutches mounted on the
shafts and located adjacent to the drums and adapted to connect the latter with
the shafts, chains secured to the tops of the dumping gates and wound around the
drum, levers located between the pairs of drums, the pairs of rods connected to
the levers above and below the fulcrum points and extending from the levers
in opposite directions and connected with the adjacent clutches and pawls to engage
the ratchet-wheels, substantially as described.
5. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk the combination of a boat
provided with a series of transverse bins having an oppositely inclined bottom
and provided with sliding gates and having slots, a longitudinally disposed conveyer
chute arranged below the bins, a longitudinally disposed shaft arranged adjacent
to the bottom of the bin, a series of counter-shafts arranged near the slots, rotary
agitators mounted on countershafts and operating through the slots, gearing for
connecting the countershafts with the longitudinal shafts and loosely connected
with the latter; clutches for connecting the gearing with the longitudinal shaft, and
rods connected to the clutches and terminating in handles and provided with racks,
substantially as described.

page_text: 6. In an apparatus for handling material in bulk the combination of a boat
provided with a series of transverse bulkheads forming bins, a conveyer chute
arranged beneath the bins, the opposite inclined dumping gates hinged at the
bottom and arranged in the bins, parallel shafts disposed longitudinally of the boat
and arranged at the top of the bins, drums loosely mounted on the shafts and
arranged in pairs at each bin and having ratchet-wheels, clutches mounted on the
shafts and located adjacent to the drums and adapted to connect the latter with
the shafts, chains secured to the dumping gates and wound around the drums,
levers located between the pairs of drums, the pairs of rods connected to the levers
above and below the fulcrum points and extending from the levers in opposite 1
directions and connected with the adjacent clutches, spiral springs connected to the
levers and adapted to return the same to their initial position, and pawls for engaging
the ratchet wheels, substantially as described.
101 1
1004
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,.
Agents for the Applicant.