CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Sealed the 9th August 1856, and dated the 24th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of l'atents, with his Petition, on tho
24th March 1856.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements which admit of a crane
being constructed in a simple manner at comparatively small cost, and rendered
suitable for lifting, lowering, or moving about with facility and dispatch the
heaviest weights or articles, such as the bed plates of large marine engines, and
for the performance of such heavy work as is generally performed by sheers
or a derrick, the former of which is for many reasons inconvenient, and the
latter is of complicated construction, and very liable to accident or breakage,
owing to the large number of parts of which it is generally constructed, and
the difficulty of arranging the parts so that the strain shall be distributed
properly throughout. In a crane constructed according to the present Inven-

page_text: tion, tho jib with its immediate accompaniments and its load are borne
vertically on the top of the stationary post or tower. This feature, however, is
not entirely new in principle, but the present improvements consist, firstly, in
the employment in connection with the jib, thus supported, of a pendent
segmental traveller or foot piece to work round the lower part of the stationary
post, pillar, or tower as the jib is turned, and to support the outer portion of
the jib or part furthest from the post, pillar, or tower, and is braced and
strengthened to resist any tendency to lateral displacement. A second im-
provement consists in a certain arrangement of an antifriction roller frame in
combination with the segmental traveller or foot piece, so as to reduce the
friction and prevent the binding of the segmental traveller or foot piece against
the post, pillar, or tower.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of 1ler reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others), that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: 10, that 1, the sand wymam Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
relates to certain improvements in the construction of cranes, whereby they
are rendered suitable for lifting, lowering, or moving about with facility and,
despatch the heaviest weights or articles, such as the bed plates of large
marine engines, and for the performance of such heavy work as is generally
performed by shears or a derrick, the former of which is for many reasons
inconvenient, and the latter is of complicated construction, and very liable to
accident or breakage, owing to the large number of parts of which it is.
generally constructed, and the difficulty of arranging the parts so that the.
strain shall be distributed properly throughout. In cranes constructed
according to the present Invention, the jib with its immediate accompaniments
and its load are borne vertically on the top of the stationary post or tower
exclusively. This is not, however, a novel feature. The improvements con-
sist, firstly, in the employment in connection with the jib, thus supported, of a
pendent segmental traveller or foot piece, applied as berein-after described, to,
work round the lower part of the stationary post, pillar, or tower as the jib is
turned, and to support the outer portion of the jib or part furthest from the.
post, pillar, or tower, and braced against lateral displacement. A second
improvement consists in a certain arrangement of an antifriction roller frame.
in combination with the segmental traveller or foot piece, to reduce the fric-
tion and prevent the binding of the segmental traveller or foot piece against
the post, pillar, or tower.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents the improved crane in
elevation; Fig. 2 is a central section of the journal and cap at the top of the
tower, by which the whole vertical pressure or weight of the jib and the load
are received; Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of the antifriction roller frame,
against which the segmental traveller or foot piece works; aud Fig. 4 is a.
vertical section of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the several Figures. In this arrangement it will be seen that a
strong polygonal pyramidal tower or framework D, D, of timber, erected
upon posts or piles F, F, sunk in the ground, is used in place of the ordinary.
vertical post. The jib C, with its several braces and parts, as will be hereinafter,
explained, is supported horizontally on the top of this tower by means of a
cast-iron or other metal cap I (Figures 1 and 2), formed with a sleeve d

page_text: (Fig. 2), flange e, and groove k, the whole of which may be termed the "sleeve
cap," seated and secured firmly on the top of the tower, and receiving the
"sleeve journal" i, which forms one part with a plate G secured to the jib.
This plate rests on the top of the sleeve cap, and is provided with an annular
tongue or projection h to enter the groove k in the "sleeve cap." The slceve
journal i is made hollow for the crane rope or chain to pass through it to the
barrel, which with its gearing may be arranged within the tower, and may be
operated by human labour, horse power, or steam power. The barrel and
gearing are not represented, as they do not differ from those of other cranes.
To secure the full advantage without restriction of any kind or extent of sup-
porting the crane exclusively on the top of the tower, and prevent the tendency
to trip out sideways of what is known as the horizontal traveller, which, in
cranes of this kind, is used at the bottom of the jib, the Inventor deems it
advisable to restrict the horizontal traveller E to occupy only a segment of a
circle, and not to extend all round the tower, so that there shall be no binding
or twisting of it, and freely to suspend the "segmental traveller" from the jib
C by connecting, it therewith by main braces B, B, and backstays A, A, both
or all of which, (that is to say,) the two or more pieces or timbers making up
the duplicate main braces or backstays are arranged to spread outward or
apart from the jib downward, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to perfectly balanco
the said "segmental traveller" E, as well as suspend it at their feet or lowest
and widest spread ends, by which means all tripping out sideways, or tendency
to do so, of the horizontal traveller is prevented, while its free suspension from
the top of the tower, and exemption from all vertical or lateral binding is
secured. Having secured the above desiderata, the next point to be observed,
in order to secure an easy and steady operation of the jib, is to provide for the
lateral or horizontal strain or pressure of the foot of the crane, which in this
case is the segmental traveller E, which should occupy a position not far from
the base of the tower. To get an easy run of this traveller horizontally in
swinging the jib and its load, without interfering with the balance and free
suspension of the traveller from the top of the tower by the spreading main
braces B, B, and backstays A, A, as specified, and with exemption from all
vertical binding of the traveller, would appear to be easily obtained by causing
the traveller to rest against and work around a circle of vertical antifriction
rollers, arranged to run freely on their axes, but otherwise stationary, as is
common to lower crane post journals. But antifriction rollers thus arranged,
or what is equivalent, hung in the traveller and bearing against the post or
tower, are inapplicable to cranes having very heavy work to perform, the
journals of the rollers, though made as stout as practicable to insure an easy

page_text: run, being so liable to get bent, thereby interfering with the run of the rollers,
and in some instances being actually crushed and broken by the excessive.
horizontal pressure thrown upon them by the jib and its load. To obviate
this difficulty I employ, in connection with the segmental traveller. E, the
borizontal circular revolving frame H of vertical rollers v, arranged as follows:-
The circular revolving frame I is made of two rings, t and u, horizontally
parallel with each other, and connected together by stays n (see Figures 1 and.
3). These rings encircle the tower, as shewn in Fig. 1, and the upper ring t,
which is of smaller internal diameter than the lower ring, rests upon a circular
way (see Fig. 4), built in, on, or around the tower, so that the whole weight
of the circular frame H, with its vertical rollers v, v, arranged within and around
it,, is carried by the upper ring resting on the tower. This circular frame of
rollers is loosely seated on the tower, but is backed, as it were, though the parts.
aro distinct from each other, by a ring or band of ironx (see Fig. 4), spiked
or otherwise secured to and round the tower between the rings t and u. This
ring or band serves as an inner surface for the rollers v, v, to bear against as
the frame H is moved round the tower, the rollers v, v, projecting beyond the
rings t and u on the outer periphery of the circular travelling frame II, and
the segmental traveller pressing on the outside against the rollers v. Now it
will be obvious that by this arrangement all horizontal pressure of the jib and
its load is borne by the bodies of the rollers on or against the stationary ring
or band & which encircles the tower, and none of the said pressure is borne by
the journals of the rollers, which therefore preserve their true run, as all
bending or crushing of the journals is avoided.
In swinging round the jib with its load, the segmental traveller E rubs
against the rollers v on the outside, and in turning them causes them to bite
on or against the stationary metal ring or band x, and so to carry round the
whole circular frame H by the creeping of the rollers round the stationary
band, while all vertical pressure at the foot of the main braces, which support
the jib, is transferred by the backstays A, A, to the top of the tower, and in no
way affects the easy run of the circular frame II, which has only to carry its
own weight and that of the rollers. The swinging round of the crane may be
accomplished by means of a stationary spur-toothed ring S all round the
tower, and any suitable arrangement of gearing attached to the jib, or other-
wise, in any suitable manner..
Having now set forth the nature and object of the Invention of "Improve-
ments in Cranes," as cominunicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein

page_text: described, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the
principle of the Invention. Likewise, I do not confine myself to the strict
figure or form of any apparatus or part of apparatus, herein described; but
what I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,
First, the pendent segmental traveller E, freely suspended and balanced from
the jib and top of the tower by means of the main braces B and backstays A,
arranged to spread outwards from the upper part downwards, as shewn and
described, and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly, the combination with the segmental traveller E or swinging foot
of the crane of the circular revolving frame of antifriction rollers freely
suspended on the tower, and rotating round the same with the segmental
traveller or swinging foot substantially as and for the purposes herein fully
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)