Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus, applicable for Pile Drivers, Lifts, Portable and other Hoists, Fire Escapes, and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1894-Accepted. 14th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus, applicable for Pile Drivers,
Lifts, Portable and other Hoists, Fire Escapes, and the like.
I, GEORGE BROMILOW SHEPHERD of No. 34 Leadenhall Street in the City of
London, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention refers to apparatus for hoisting to be used for pile drivers, lifts,
portable and other hoists, fire escapes and the like. I employ a tube or cylinder
as described in my previous Patent Specification 14,592 of 1892 and Loudon's
Patent Specification 9794 of 1886 and I connect this tube or cylinder with a tank
or chamber which forms a vacuum vessel or, what may be termed for the sake of
explanation, a vacuum reservoir, so as to allow of the piston in the tube starting
more quickly and also for the purpose of giving more effective and immediate
control over the piston from the fact of there being always a vacuum formed in
the reservoir than if the connection were made direct with the ejector or other
apparatus for forming a vacuum in the tube.
In applying the invention to pile drivers the monkey, ram or weight is raised
by creating a vacuum in the tube and when it reaches the top the vacuum is fully
destroyed and it falls much in the usual manner either by or by not disconnecting
the rope or chain attached to the monkey.
As applied to lifts and portable and other hoists the application is much the same,
the cage in the case of a lift or hooks in the case of a hoist taking the place of the
bucket as described in the aforesaid Patent Specifications. The tube of the hoist
may serve for the jib and hoists may either be portable or stationary and if other
means be not available a steam boiler or other source of power may be applied
solely to work the ejector or other motor whereby the vacuum is formed in the
tube, so that it is all compact and self contained. The hoists may be arranged
in any convenient manner either ashore or afloat.
In applying my invention to a fire escape I mount the same on either two, four,
or more wheels as found convenient and I construct a framework which pivotted
or otherwise may extend up the face of a building and have a cage, platform or
other means for carrying or conveying persons or things up and down.
This cage
or platform may either be hoisted up and down as just described with reference to
hoists in the preceding paragraph, or the framework which preferably contains the
tube may have rails or guides thereon on which the said cage can run.
Dated this 15th day of June 1893.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus, applicable for Pile Drivers,
Lifts, Portable and other Hoists, Fire Escapes, and the like.
GEORGE BROMILOW SHEPHERD of No. 34 Leadenhall Street in the City of
London, Mechanical Engineer. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide improved means for raising or lowering

page_text: the weight or rams, whereby piles are driven into the earth, and for lifting material,
or other substances in the form of a jib, or for raising and lowering a cage, basket,
or other convenient vehicle when used as a fire escape. For this purpose, in all
cases I employ a tube, or cylinder containing a piston having a wire rope attached
to it, and running over a pulley or pulleys situated at the top end of the tube, or
in close vicinity thereto, as described and shewn in my previous Specification
No. 14592, of 1892 and Loudon's Patent Specification No. 9794, of 1886, in order
to obtain a vacuum in the tube, to work the piston I employ exactly the same
means of doing so as described in the above named Specifications (viz.) the lateral
action and induction apparatus, on the ejector principle either by steam, water or
compressed air. A convenient way of applying my invention for that of raising,
or lowering the weights, or rams of a pile driver, or in lifting material or other
substances, or for raising, or lowering a cage, basket or other convenient vehicle,
as a fire escape I exemplify in the accompanying drawings of which,
Figure 1. is a side elevation of the frame work of a pile driving apparatus,
shewing the tube fixed in position, the ejector, arrangement is attached to the
bottom of tube, exactly same as described in my previous Specification No. 14592
of 1892, the wire rope is connected to the piston, within the tube, and carried over
a pulley or pulleys, direct to the weight, or ram as shewn in Figure 1. and the
same means of exhausting the air, from below the piston, by the ejector apparatus
is employed, and the means of raising or lowering the weight, or
manipulated, by the same principle as before described in my previous Specification
No. 14592 of 1892. The steam boilers shewn in the accompanying drawings
marked Nos. 1. 2. 3. & 4. are intended to illustrate their use as an accessory for
the purpose of supplying the steam pressure necessary to operate the hoist machine
when being used by that means, or as a combination of both.
ram
are
Figure 2 is a profile drawing shewing the application of my invention as a
portable lift, in this case the tube forms the jib, pivotted at the bottom on a round
table, or platform for revolving purposes, and the tube is secured to a tee piece of
hollow tubeing fixed in bracket bearings as shewn in drawing Figure 2, which
allows the jib to be placed at any angle and controlled and supported by portable
wire stays from the head of the jib and carried to any convenient point or points,
on the end of the tube at jib head I fix a bracket to carry the pulley or pulleys
over which the wire rope runs direct to the weight, or cage, or other vehicle to be
lifted, the other end of wire rope is attached to the piston within the tube exactly
in the same manner as described in my previous Specification No. 14592, of 1892
and Loudon's Specification No. 9794, of 1886 the ejector is attached to either
end of the tee piece of tubeing as found most convenient for the purpose of
manipulation and I employ exactly the same means of operation with the ejector
for exhausting the air below the piston in the tube whereby the weight to be raised
or lowered is required and as described in my previous Specification No. 14592,
of 1892. I employ for the sake of portability a wagon or platform mounted on
two or more wheels to which I secure the pivot table on top of same as shewn in
accompanying drawing marked 2.
Figure 3. is a profile drawing shewing the application of my invention for
hoisting materials or substances, from a barge or barges, or other floating craft
I employ exactly the same contrivance as described in the previous paragraph.
The machine is secured to the bottom or deck of barge, or floating craft on the
same principle as shewn in drawing marked No. 2 and the manipulation of the
ejector and the machine in general is carried out precisely the same way as described
in my previous Specification No. 14592, of 1892.
Figure 4, is a drawing of a side elevation of the frame work of a fire escape,
shewing the application of my invention for the purposes of saveing life from
burning buildings. The drawing shews the tube, with the ejector fixed at bottom
of same the whole of which is arranged on a light frame work mounted on two or
more wheels, for sake of portability and the manipulation of the hoist is carried
out exactly in the manner as previously described, and the cage basket or other

page_text: vehicle is raised or lowered on the frame work of the escape much the same way
as in the case of the pile driver. My invention can easily be attached to and fixed
to .ire escapes as commonly used by fire brigades, the working of the tube, ejector
& means of manipulating the same being in all cases carried out on the exact
principle as described in my previous Specification No. 14592, of 1892.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is as follows-
1st. Apparatus for raising & lowering the weights, or rams of a pile driver.
2nd. Apparatus for lifting and lowering material and other substances, in the
form of a jib arrangement mounted on wheels for portability & the like.
3rd. Apparatus for lifting and lowering material and other substances in a barge,
or other floating craft or crafts.
4th. Apparatus for raising and lowering a cage, basket or other convenient
vehicle in the form of a portable fire escape. The machine together with the
boilers as shewn in the accompanying drawings marked 1. 2. 3. and 4. form a com-
bination and complete apparatus for the purposes which I have enumerated in this
Specification, and in all cases my principal claim is the application of my invention
and the means of employing the pneumatic tube actuated by the ejector power and
principle for the above purposes and the working of the hoist machine generally
as described in my previous Specification No. 14592, of 1892.
Dated this 10th day of March 1894.
G. B. SHEPHERD.