IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF AND MODE OF APPLYING CRANES AND OTHER MACHINES TO HOISTING, SUSPENDING, AND LOWERING PURPOSES, ALSO IN GENERATING, TRANSMITTING, AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER TO THE SAME
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Stanley at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th November
1856.
I, JOHN STANLEY, Mechanical Engineer, of 244, Whitechapel Road, in the
Parish of Saint Mary, Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF AND MODE OF APPLYING CRANES AND OTHER MACHINES TO HOISTING,
SUSPENDING, AND LOWERING PURPOSES, ALSO IN GENERATING, TRANSMITTING, AND
APPLYING MOTIVE POWER TO THE SAME," to be as follows:--
Firstly, to provide against the inconvenience of procuring space for steam
boilers contiguous to wharf or self-supporting cranes when steam is required
as a motive power for working them, and to prevent the necessity of steam or
chain passing through the pivots upon which such cranes turn, I construct the
boilers and engines upon the parts of such cranes that turn round the vertical
axes, whereby I am able to bring such engines, &c. to act direct upon the
hoisting gear without passing either steam or chain through the pivots or
vertical axes. In the boilers I apply a novel principle of constructing
the fire box or other part of the boiler exposed to the heat of the furnace,
by making the surface so exposed corrugated, fluted, or recded, to increase the
heating surface; which novelty is applicable to all boilers for this and other
purposes.
Secondly, in cases where it is requisite have steam engines at a considerable

page_text: distance from cranes or other hoisting machines to which they have to supply
motive power,
I construct with such cranes or boisting machines water
turbines, and supply them with water forced through pipes by the power of
steam engines, or from reservoirs or accumulators into which the water has
been so forced, and apply the power of such turbines to the purpose of
hoisting. This mode of combining the use of turbines and steam engines
I also claim to be original to produce and transmit motive power generally.
Thirdly, in consequence of the work of steam hoisting machines being
intermittant, and greatly obstructed in working by the accumulation of water
from condensed steam in the cylinders at every starting, I place the cylinders
so as to work horizontal, and make the exhaust passages on their under side,
by which means the water is caused to drain away the instant it is formed.
Fourthly, to meet the various degrees of power required in working steam
cranes, I arrange the wheel gear so that the necessary changes may be made.
This I do by means of shifting pinions or clutches. In some instances I use
two or more cylinders and working pistons to act upon one lift, and arrange
their parts so that any one or more of them can be thrown out of work whilst
the other or others are working.
Fifthly, to obtain more substantial and at the same time less expensive
means of constructing the bases and foundations of self-supporting cranes
(better known as wharf cranes), I make the bottom of the centre pillars
somewhat in the shape of the mouth of a bell, spreaded outwards to an extent
sufficient to form a base capable of being fastened to any ordinary brick or
timber foundation, or to ships' decks or warehouse flooring, with holding down
bolts, &c., without such bases entering into either the foundations, ships
decks or flooring, upon which they may be placed.
Sixthly, in order to reduce the friction upon the bearing on the centre pillar
around which self-supporting cranes turn, in the top of each such pillars I
construct a conical-formed cup, about one and a half its greater diameter in
depth, into which I insert a turned pivot or gudgeon, (upon which I cause the
whole weight of the moveable parts to bear and act,) and fit such pivot or
gudgeon into the top part of the moveable stock in such manner that it can
be taken out to be cleaned without lifting the crane out of its ordinary
position; I also protect such bearing from the weather.
Seventhly, for the purpose of transmitting the lading of vessels from one
to another, also for shipping or landing the same upon a raft or suitable vessel,
I crect two or more steam cranes or dericks in such a manner that they will
each turn about a vertical axis and reach some considerable distance over.
either side of such vessel or raft, the whole arranged in such a manner that it

page_text: can be placed between any two floating vessels and made to hoist the lading
from one vessel and transfer it over to the other, having steam as a motive
power.
I claim particularly for placing two or more cranes or dericks upon one
raft or vessel; at the same time I believe one crane or derick so placed and
used to be a novelty.
Eighthly, in order to obtain the weight of bodies suspended by the chain or
rope of any crane or other hoisting machine, I construct the sheave over
which the chain or rope leads, and from which bodies are suspended, upon a
sort of loose carriage, and stay such carriage from moving in the direction of
the power applied with stays arranged in pairs, one of each pair acting in the
capacity of a prop and the other of a tie, both of them acting on a transverse
bar, at the middle of which the power is resisted, thereby leaving the carriage
and all that bears upon it to be lifted by or suspended from any ordinary
balance lever or steelyard, whereby the weight may be obtained.
Ninthly, in another way I accomplish the last-mentioned purpose, that is,
I apply measured force to cause the chain or rope (by which bodies are
suspended upon hoisting machines) to deviate from a straight line, and by the
force so required I am able to obtain the weight of the bodies suspended.
Tenthly, in order to increase the hoisting power of levers and to hold
bodies lifted in suspension, I attach to the end of the long arm of such levers
a geared segment or rack, and bring to bear upon the same a pinion fitted
upon a shaft, such shaft being arranged to work in fixed bearings, and acted
upon by a winch handle or lever. The first lever having a moveable fulcrum,
and the pinion made to traverse round the end of the rack, somewhat in the
manner of the pinion of a Baker's patent mangle, differing, inasmuch as the
rack and lever to which it is attached has a longitudinal movement, whilst
the pinion and shaft are stationary. As the pinion traverses from one end
to the other of the rack or segment it lifts or depresses the lever, and thereby
hoists the body bearing upon it; as it works round the end the lever and its
load are moved horizontally, so as to connect a hook and eye provided to
receive the load, and as the pinion progresses on the contrary.side of the
rack to which it traversed in hoisting it disengages the lever and leaves the
load suspended by the hook and eye. By reversing the operation the lever
This mode of
will disengage the hook and eye and let down the load.
lifting and suspending is particularly adapted to hoist the platforms of large
weighing machines from solid rests to a position for the operation of weighing,
in which case the long arm of the under lever is lifted and suspended from
the index lever or steelyard.

page_text: Eleventhly, in order to provent sudden jerk in lowering heavy bodies, I
apply a cylinder with an air-tight piston or ram, which I fit with a valve to
admit air freely as the piston or ram is withdrawn, also a small escape hole to
let the air gently out as the piston or ram is forced into the cylinder, by
bringing falling bodies to bear upon such piston or ram, so as to force such
piston or ram into the cylinder, in which case the pressed air acts as a sort of
buffer and lets the load gently down. This mode of lowering bodies is also
particularly adapted to striking large weighing machines, and may be said in
that case to be part of a Patent granted to me, dated August 2nd, 1855,
wherein I claimed the novelty of using fluid pressure to striking such
machines.
Twelfthly, and lastly, what I have herein-before stated is a general descrip-
tion of the improvements; but I wish it understood, that I claim to alter
somewhat in details of arrangement in my Completo Specification should
I find it necessary to do so, and although I claim each improvement separato,
I may seo it requisite to combino two or more of them, or make any other
general arrangement. The whole of these foregoing improvements are to be
constructed in metal, wood, and hemp.