IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Nicholson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
July 1873..
I, RICHARD NICHOLSON, of Dulwich, in the County of Surrey,
Architect and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND
DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar combination and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus to be worked by hand power for charging or
supplying and discharging or raking out the contents of gas retorts,
whereby greater simplicity, economy, cheapness, and efficiency are
obtained.
My improved combination of machinery consists of an open travelling
frame running upon wheels along rails laid upon the retort house floor
in front of the retorts, such frame being cranked downwards at the front
and rear ends to allow of the scoop being lowered nearly to the ground..
This travelling frame is caused to travel along its rails so as to bring the

page_text: machine which is mounted thereon opposite any retort by means of a
pinion turned by a winch handle, and gearing into a spur wheel mounted
on the axis of one of the running wheels, which may if desired be fitted
with breaks.
The sides of the travelling wheels form rails and racks along which
the framing carrying a combined scoop and rake travels towards.
or from the mouth of the retort, the running wheels and spur wheels
being driven by straps, pitch chains, gearing, or otherwise from the
main shaft of the machine, which is fitted with a winch handle at both
ends for actuating the same. This shaft carries also chain pulleys for
the purpose of driving overhead pulleys, over which other chains are
passed for supporting the combined scoop and rake, counterweights
being hung to the opposite ends of the suspending chains to balance the
weight of the scoop and rake; sliding clutch boxes are provided on the
driving shaft for throwing the travelling motion of the machine or the
raising and lowering motion of the scoop and rake in or out of gear as
required, and breaks are applied to the overhead pulleys for the purpose
of maintaining the scoop perfectly steady when within the retort. The
counterweights are disposed one on each side of the scoop, and centrally
to the machine, and are guided by a guide rod passing along a slot or
groove on one side or at both ends thereof. The scoop and rake are
disposed in the centre of the machine, and are weighted at the rear or
outer end.
The scoop is turned in its suspended bearings by a hand wheel at the
back, so as to discharge its contents into the retort, and the rake spindle
which passes longitudinally along the centre of the scoop and through
the centre of the said hand wheel is turned so as to cause its head which
is situate at the end of the scoop, and outside the same to cut through
the coke by a separate hand wheel, which has a square boss thereon
fitting a corresponding hole in the scoop actuating hand wheel, so that
when brought together the two may be locked in position, but when
separated the rake can be manovred without moving the scoop. This
arrangement is applicable to cylindrical retorts, but where ☐ retorts are
used I employ the following arrangement :-
In lieu of making the spindle of the rake to rotate I cause it to act
like a long lever on a central fulcrum, and I bend it slightly at its
forward end so as to admit of the rake head which is attached to it to lie

page_text: within the end of the scoop. On elevating the back end of the rake
shaft or lever its forward end with the rake head is depressed and cuts
into the coke.
The scoop is made removeable from the machine when worn out by
fitting it into a socket or holder formed in the part which is mounted in
the suspended bearings.
In order to fill the scoop a travelling tender with inclined bottom is
employed which I prefer should contain sufficient coal for nine retorts,
this tender runs along one of the first-mentioned guide rails on the
retort floor for carrying the open travelling frame, and along an inter-
mediate rail laid between them, and is moved by a pinion and spur
wheel actuated by a winch handle; a barrel or shaft with fitted arms is
provided across the mouth of the tender, and is rotated by a hand wheel
outside in order to expedite the delivery of the coals into the scoop.