IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE DISCHARGE AND TRANSHIPMENT OF CARGOES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Adams, of Queen Victoria Street, in the
Invention of
City of London, Civil and Mechanical Engineer, for an
"IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE DISCHARGE AND
TRANSHIPMENT OF CARGOES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Adams at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1880.
HENRY ADAMS, of Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, Civil and
Mechanical Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE
"
DISCHARGE AND TRANSHIPMENT OF CARGOES."
My Invention is designed to facilitate the discharge and transhipment of cargoes
between barges and similar craft and cargo vessels at a floating pontoon or wharf,
and to avoid the breakage consequent upon the present mode of dealing with coal
and such pontoons.
My apparatus consists of a floating pontoon or wharf of sufficient width or beam
in which construct one or more passages or recesses holding sufficient depth of
water to float any ordinary barge or similar craft. The cargo vessels are moored
to the outside of the said floating wharf, and the passage, passages, or recesses are
in or through the body of the floating wharf, leaving a narrow crane deck only
between vessel and barge.
On this crane deck the usual rotating cargo cranes are fitted, so that the lifting
chain plumbs hatchway of the vessel on one side and the barge on the other. The
discharge or transhipinent between vessel and barge is thus effected without
intermediate carriage of the cargo by trucks or shoots.
When a passage or passages are used for the barges through the body of the
floating wharf, the outer deck is securely fixed as part of the floating wharf
by bridges or continuous plating, with hatches which allow the barges to pass
under them, and further by continuous plating or trussing underneath or near the
bottom, which at the same time shall allow sufficient depth of water to float the
barges.

page_text: When recesses are preferred the central portion of the floating wharf is in one
structure with the crane portions. The plating of the deck and bottom may be
continuous except where hatchways are left for work into or out of the barges.
The crane deck which carries the rotating cranes, and which in my improved
arrangement lies between the vessel and the barge, is constructed of sufficient area
to accomodate any screening apparatus that it may be desired to use.
Upon the main body of the floating wharf the necessary area in watertight
compartments below deck is preserved for the accomodation of workshops, engines,
&c., such as are usually required upon floating wharves, and the deck space may
be utilized for accomodation for the men employed about the floating wharf and
vessels.
The cargo is by means of my apparatus transferred directly or through screens
between vessel and barge, and obviates all necessity under the methods now
practised on floating wharves for the employment of trucks or shoots.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Adams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th June
1881.
HENRY ADAMS, of Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, Civil and
Mechanical Engineer.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE
DISCHARGE AND TRANSHIPMENT OF CARGOES."
My Invention is designed to facilitate the discharge and transhipment of cargoes
between barges and similar craft and cargo vessels at a floating pontoon or wharf,
and to avoid the breakage consequent upon the present mode of dealing with coal
on such pontoons.
My apparatus consists of a floating pontoon or wharf of sufficient width or
beam in which I construct one or more passages or recesses holding_sufficient
depth of water to float any ordinary or sailing barge or similar craft. The cargo
vessels are moored to the outside of the said floating wharf, and the passages or
recesses are in or through the body of the floating wharf, leaving a narrow crane
deck only between vessel and barge.
On this crane deck the usual rotating (either portable or fixed) cargo cranes are
fitted, so that the lifting chain plumbs the hatchway of the vessel on one side and
the barge on the other. The discharge or transhipment between vessel and barge
is thus effected without intermediate carriage of the cargo by trucks or shoots,
except where screening is desired.
When a passage or passages are used for the barges through the body of the
floating wharf, the outer deck is securely fixed as part of the floating wharf by
girders, bridges, or continuous plating, with batches which allow the barges to pass
under them, and further by continuous plating or trussing underneath or near the
bottom, which at the same time shall allow sufficient depth of water to float the
barges.
When recesses are preferred the central portion of the floating wharf is in one
stracture with the crane portions. The plating of the deck and bottom' may be
continuous except where hatchways are left for work into or out of the barges.
The crane deck which carries the rotating cranes, and which in my improved
arrangement lies between the vessel and the barge, may be constructed of sufficient
area to accommodate any screening apparatus that it may be desired to use.
Upon the main body of the floating wharf the necessary area in watertight
compartments below deck is preserved for the accommodation of workshops,
engines, &c., such as are usually required upon floating wharves, and the deck space
may be utilized for accommodation for the men employed about the floating wharf
and vessels, or for the storing of coals or other merchandise.
The cargo is by means of my apparatus transferred directly or through screens
between vessel and barge, and obviates all necessity under the methods now
practised on floating wharves for the employment of trucks or long shoots.
And in order that my Invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the Drawings hereto annexed, referrence being had to the Figures and
letters marked thereon.
Figure I. is a plan, and Figure II. an end elevation of my floating wharf with
double passages; and Figure III. is a plan of a modified arrangement with only a
single passage. In Figures I. and II. A is the central portion of the pontoon, in
which below deck are conveniently placed the engines, boilers, workshops, &c.
The cabins and other accommodation for the crew or storage for coals or other
merchandise may be provided on deck.
The side pontoons B, B, each carry the rotating cranes C, C, C, C, which can
plumb down the hatchways of the cargo vessels D, D, moored along the outside

page_text: face of the pontoon, and also into barges E, E, moored in the passages or recesses F, F.
The side crane pontoons B, B, are connected to the main wharf or pontoon by
girder framing G, G, or by bridges H, H, on the deck level, and also by girders G¹, G¹,
across the bottom of the passages or recesses over which there is sufficient water to
float the barges. The cargoes are thus transhipped by means of the cranes C, C,
from the vessels D, D, direct or through screens to the barges E, E, thus dispensing
with the use of trucks or long shoots to effect such transhipment.
Figure III. shows an alternative arrangement where screening is desired in
which there is no central pontoon but only a single passage K, K, of double
width between two crane pontoons L, L', of which the one L¹ is of extra and
sufficient width to allow of the necessary workshops, engines, and boilers being
arranged below deck, screens, cabins, and storage accommodation being provided
above deck.
In this case as before the pontoons L, L', are united together by girder
trussing M, M, and a bridge N on the deck level, and by suitable girder or plate
trussing below so as to allow two barges O, O, room to float abreast in the passage
between the girder trussing between the pontoons.
In this case P, P, are the screens fitted above the deck of the wider pontoon L'.
In conjunction with these screens, a component part of which is necessarily a
shoot, I may employ trucks and shoots for the removal of the screenings, but not
affecting the purposes of my Invention.
And having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object
of my said Invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed, be it
known that although I have hereinfore specified the use of screens of which a
'shoot forms an essential part, and trucks and shoots for the removal of the
screenings, this does not form part of my Invention, but what I consider novel and
useful, and desire to protect by my Letters Patent is,-
1st. The method of effecting the discharge or transhipment of cargoes direct
from vessels to barges, or vice-versd, without the use of intermediate trucks or
handling of the said cargo by means of the apparatus, substantially as herein
described.
2nd. The apparatus consisting of a floating wharf intersected with a passage,
passages, or recesses, and fitted with revolving cranes, so that cargoes may be
discharged or transbipped direct from vessel to barge, or vice versa, without the
use of intermediate trucks or handling of the said cargoes, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Adams, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
In the presence of
S. P. WILDING,
23, Rood Lane, London, E.C.,
Patent Agent.
HENRY ADAMS. (L.S.)