IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND LIKE CARGOES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Percy Graham Buchanan Westmacott, of the Elswick
Works, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND LIKE CARGOES."
PROVISIONAL SPÉCIFICATION left by the said Percy Graham Buchanan
Westmacott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th
September 1880.
PERCY GRAHAM BUCHANAN WESTMACOTT, of the Elswick Works, in Newcastle
upon Tyne, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN
AND LIKE CARGOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for discharging.
grain and like cargoes.
The machinery which I employ for this purpose consists of a barge carrying a
crane with a tall jib and with slewing and luffing gear, also of an elevator arm
to be suspended from the jib of the crane, and lowered by it into the hatchway of
the ship from which the cargo is to be lifted. The elevating apparatus consists as
is usual of endless chains with buckets upon them passing around rollers at the
ends of a suitable long arm or casing, but it is so contrived, that it simply requires
to be suspended from the crane or rigging of the vessel, the motive power engine
which actuates the elevating mechanisin being carried upon the arm or casing.
I prefer that the crane should be an hydraulic crane; the mechanism for supplying
it with water under pressure is placed in the barge, and serves also to supply water
under pressure (by a jointed or flexible pipe) to an hydraulic engine mounted on
the elevator arm. Steam may however be employed both to work the crane and
the motor engine on the elevator arm.
I usually provide more than one elevator arm.
The elevator arm or arms when out of use lie upon the deck of the barge. The

page_text: crane is available for working cargoes of other descriptions, to facilitate which also
the barge may be provided with other small cranes or jiggers.
One advantage of the arrangement of machinery described is that by means of
the crane I can place more than one elevator in a ship, and thus work from several
hatchways at the same time. To large vessels this is important, as the too rapid 5
discharge from one hatch only in the vessel will strain the ship. With the crane I
can place weighing machines when required on the deck of the vessel. The
weighing machines for bulk are necessarily large and unwieldy.
.. The barge itself can be fitted with weighing and cleaning machinery for grain,
and the barge may be made self propelling. It may be fitted with hauling 1
machinery for hauling barges to and from where loading.

page_text: the said Percy Graham Buchanan Westmacott in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th March 1881.
PERCY GRAHAM BUCHANAN WESTMACOTT, of the Elswick Works, in Newcastle
upon Tyne, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN
AND LIKE CARGOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for discharging
grain and like cargoes.
The machinery which I employ for this purpose consists of a barge carrying a
crane with a tall jib and with slewing and luffing gear, also of an elevator arm
to be suspended from the jib of the crane, and lowered by it into the hatchway of
the ship from which the cargo is to be lifted. The elevating apparatus consists as
is usual of endless chains with buckets upon them passing around rollers at the
ends of a suitable long arm or casing, but it is so contrived that it simply requires
to be suspended from the crane or rigging of the vessel, the motive power engine
which actuates the elevating mechanism being carried upon the arm or casing.
I prefer that the crane should be an hydraulic crane; the mechanisin for supplying
it with water under pressure is placed in the barge, and serves also to supply water
under pressure (by a jointed or flexible pipe) to an hydraulic engine mounted on
the elevator arm. Steam may however be employed both to work the crane and
the motor engine on the elevator arm.
I usually provide more than one elevator arm.
The elevator arm or arms when out of use lie upon the deck of the barge. The
crane is available for working cargoes of other descriptions, to facilitate which also
the barge may be provided with other small cranes or jiggers.
One advantage of the arrangement of machinery described is that by means of
the crane I can place moro than one elevator in a ship, and thus work from
several hatchways at the same time. In large vessels this is important, as the too
rapid discharge from one hatch only in the vessel will strain the ship. With the
crane I can place weighing machines when required on the deck of the vessel. The
weighing machines for bulk are necessarily large and unwieldy.
The barge itself can be fitted with weighing and cleaning machinery for grain,
and the barge may be made selfpropelling. It may be fitted with hauling machinery
for hauling barges to and from where loading.
The arrangement is illustrated by the Drawing annexed, in which Figure 1 is a
side elevation, Figuro 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a transverse section.
a, a, is the hull of the cargo discharging barge; b is an hydraulic crane with its
tall jib b'; c, c, are the propelling engines; d, d, are the engines for working the
bydraulic apparatus of the crane and for supplying water under pressure to the
hydraulic engines mounted upon the elevator arms c, e. The elevator arms e are
similar to those now in use, except that they are free of all permanent or rigid
attachments to the barge, and cach arm carries upon it at its upper end an hydraulic
engine of the three cylinder or other ordinary type to drive the upper roller of the
elevator arm, and so to work the endless chain of buckets. f is a weighing machine
on board the barge. g, g, are hydraulic jiggers to aid in various ways in delivering
cargo from vessels. In Figure 3, the cargo discharging barge is shown lying
alongside of a ship, from which wheat or like cargo is being discharged. The
elevator arms e, c, have been lowered by the crane into the fore and aft holds of
the vessel, and are held suspended there in any convenient way. One of the
arms e is delivering the grain to a weighing machine h, which has been lifted by
the crane on to the deck of the vessel, and from this weighing machine the grain
passes by a shoot into a receiving barge i lying along side. The other elevator

page_text: .
arm e is delivering the grain to the weighing machine f upon the barge a, and after
being weighed, the grain passes into the hold of the barge. It is raised from thenco
by the short elevator arm k, and is discharged into the receiving barge l.
One of the elevator arms e is shown to a larger scale, and in more detail by the
Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the arm, a portion is broken away
from the centre of the Figure to reduce its length. Figure 5 is a back elevation of
the upper part of the arm which carries the motive power engine.
The engine here shown has a pair of cylinders m, m, actuating in the usual way
pistons, which through the piston rods and connecting rods drive the crank shaft n,
on which is a pinion driving a spur wheel upon the axis of the upper roller of the
elevator arm.
Such an engine as is represented in the Drawing inay be driven by
water or by steam.
It will be observed that space is economised by locating the engine in the space
between the ascending and the descending sides of the chain of buckets.
What I claim is,―
First. The elevator arm e with the motive power engine mounted upon it, and
supplied with water or other fluid under pressure by flexible or jointed connections.
Second. The combination consisting of the barge with its lofty crane and elevator
arm or arms carrying motive power engines upon them.
Third: The-general arrangement of machinery for discharging grain and like
cargoes, substantially as described and illustrated by the annexed-Drawings..
-
In witness whereof, I, the said Percy. Graham Buchanan Westmacott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this-Second-day-of-March, in the year of
our-Lord-One-thousand-eight-bundred and eighty-one.