IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND OTHER MATERIALS FROM VESSELS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Clark Wickum Mills, of Montclair, in the State
of New Jersey, United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND OTHER MATERIALS
FROM VESSELS,"
Sealed the 14th September 1875, and dated the 12th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Olark Wickum Mills
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents," with his Petition,
on the 12th July 1875.
I, OLARK WIOKUM MILLS, of Montclair, in the State of New Jersey,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND
OTHER MATERIALS FROM VESSELS," to be as follows :-
-
A well is built in the vessel, passing down through one or more of
the decks, and preferably from the upper deck to the upper surface of
the bottom of the vessel, and this well is to be water-tight, especially.
in the lower portion, and will generally be made of two thicknesses of
planking with felt or other intermediate waterproof material. Into

page_text: this well an elevating apparatus is introduced in the form of buckets
upon a chain or band that runs over a wheel at the top and below a
guide pulley at the bottom.
.
There are openings through the well at the respective decks or at the
bottoms of the bins containing grain or other loose material in bulk,
and to each opening there is a slide, cover, or gate, operated by a rod
from above, and closing preferably water-tight. By this device the
contents of the bins can be elevated in succession and run by a chute
or spout over the side of the vessel into a lighter, warehouse, or bin.
Below the lowest deck there is a slide cover over an opening, so that
if there is water in the hold from leakage or otherwise the same can be
admitted into the well and discharged by the elevator, while the grain
is excluded from the well..
This apparatus lessens the expense of discharging grain or other cargo
carried in bulk in bins, and at the same time serves as a protection in
case of accident or leakage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Clark Wickum Mills in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CLARK
WICKUM MILLS, of Montclair, in the State of New Jersey, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing dato the Twelfth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Clark Wickum Mills, Her special
licence, that I, the said Clark Wickum Mills, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Clark Wickum Mills,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GRAIN AND OTHER MATERIALS
FROM VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Olark Wickum Mills, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
$
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Olark Wickum Mills, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being made to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
A well is built in the vessel, passing down through one or more of
the decks, and preferably from the upper deck to the upper surface of
the bottom of the vessel, and this well is to be water-tight, especially in
the lower portion, and will generally be made of two thicknesses of
planking, with felt or other intermediate waterproof material. Into
this well an elevating apparatus is introduced in the form of buckets
upon a chain or band that runs over a wheel at the top and below a
guide pulley at the bottom.
There are openings through the well at the respective decks or at the
bottoms of the bins containing grain or other loose material in bulk,
and to each opening there is a slide cover, or gate, operated by a rod
from above, and closing, preferably, water-tight. By this device the
contents of the bins can be elevated in succession and run by a chute or
spout over the side of the vessel into a lighter, warehouse, or bin.
Below the lowest deck there is a slide cover over an opening, so that
if there is water in the hold from leakage or otherwise the same can be
admitted into the well and discharged by the elevator while the grain is
excluded from the well.
This apparatus lessens the expense of discharging grain or other cargo
'

page_text: . In the Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus as fitted into
a vessel, a portion of said vessel only being shown; Fig. 2 is a sectional
plan at the line x, x; and Fig. 8 is a similar view at the line y, y ;
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the said improvement in elevators.
Figs. 2, 3, & 4 are shown in larger size than Fig. 1.
c
.
My elevating apparatus may be fitted into any vessel; a portion of
the hull is shown at a, and portions of the decks at b. The decks may
form the bottoms of the grain bins, or special floors may be constructed.
d, d, are the divisions that separate the vessel into compartments or
bins. The well e is preferably made of planking laid together so as to 1
be water-tight; it may extend all the way down from the upper deck
to the bottom of the vessel, and into this well the elevating apparatus
is placed. It is generally best to make this well complete as aforesaid,
so that access will be given from above to all parts of the elevating
apparatus, but separate trunks for the elevator chains might be used. 1
The endless chain or belt i provided with buckets passes over the drum
or pulley at f, and is guided at the bottom by the pulley g, and the
power employed to drive the chain of buckets is connected with the
drum fand may be of any suitable character. The drum f is to be at
such a hight that the grain will be discharged by a spout or trough 2
over the side of the vessel into the receptacle provided therefor.
The divisions & will usually extend from the elevator well or trunks
so that the elevator is between two bins, or it may be at the angle
between four bins, and there are openings into the well one for each bin,
and to each opening there is a sliding gate 2 that is preferably made 2
water-tight and fitted with a rod extending up to the deck, so that
grain can be admitted from either bin into the well and discharged.
The opening into the well is to be at the level of the floor, so that
most of the contents of the bin will run by gravity, and the floor may
be inclined to aid this operation; but where the floor of the bin is level 30
the grain that will not run into the elevator is to be pushed or drawn to
the opening by hand with a suitable scraper.
Where one bin is above another it is preferable to discharge the bottom
one first, and then allow the contents of the upper bin to run through a
spout to the opening at the lower bin, and when the grain bin extends 8
lengthwise of the vessel two or more short elevators may be used to
raise the grain from the end bins and deliver the same to chutes that

page_text: convey it to the main elevator by which it is raised sufficiently to
discharge it by a spout from the vessel into lighters or into warehouses.
Below the floor of the lowest bin is an opening and slide or gate m,
operated by a rod extending above, so that the grain elevator can be
5 used for removing water in case of leakage or accident, and the well and
gates being made water-tight the grain will be protected from the water
that is carried up by the elevator.
This improvement is to be distinguished from elevators that are
movable and changed from place to place in removing grain from bins
or canal boats carrying such grain in bulk,, as it will be apparent that
my improved elevators fitted permanently into steam vessels and pro-.
vided with separate engines are always in position to be run even by the
steam that may remain in the boilers after the vessel reaches port.
What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
First. The water-tight well fitted into a vessel in combination with
the permanent elevating chain of buckets and the contiguous grain
bin, substantially as set forth.
.
Second. 'The water-tight well fitted into a vessel and extending below
the floor of the grain bins in combination with the elevating buckets
and two slides, one to admit grain from the bin and the other to admit
water from below the bins, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Clark Wickum Mills, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this 16th day of December, A.D.
1875.