RELATING TO NAVIGABLE VESSELS, AND TILE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREON, AND IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, TO BE USED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING AND FOR DREDGING PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Taylor at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 30th April 1883.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
JAMES TAYLOR, of Birkenhead, in the County of Chester
AND RELATING TO NAVIGABLE VESSELS, AND TILE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT
OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREON, AND IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, TO BE USED
FOR RAISING AND LOWERING AND FOR DREDGING PURPOSES
33
My Invention has for its object certain improvements in and relating to navigablo
vessels and the construction and arrangement of apparatus employed thereon and
in connection therewith to be used for raising and lowering and for dredging
purposes, such a vessel to be employed for general use in docks and for dock work,
or in harbours and for harbour work.
My Invention consists of a self manoeuvreable combined steam vessel and crano,
so constructed as to be adaptable either for ordinary raising and lowering and
elevating purposes, or for mechanical dredging purposes, or for suction dredging
purposes. The steam vessel is manoeuvred and propelled by either double twin
Ecrews, namely two screws on the twin principle at each end of the vessel, or by
slewing screw propellors, or by hydraulic propellors, so that the vessel is capable of
being easily manoeuvred round her own centro, or propelled from place to place.
The vessel is provided with a separate steam engine and with winding barrels and
with telescopic shear legs and on either side of the steam engine is fixed suction
dredging machinery.
The screw or hydraulic propellors are driven by suitable engines by steam from
a generator placed in any suitable position. This generator also supplies steam for
the engine operating the apparatus and mechanisms belonging to the vessel. I
place this operating engine on deck about midships and working athwartships and
it serves for working the raising and lowering mechanisms and for driving the
suction dredging machinery. I place the shear legs on the deck amidships so as to
work athwartships. The shear legs consist of three legs, jointed or hinged together

page_text: at their upper ends. Two of the legs are hinged at their feet on the deck of the
vessel at one side and 'the rear, or third leg is hinged at the other side and is of
telescopic construction. At the head of the shear legs I fix a sheave block, or
blocks through which takes the rope, or ropes, or chain, or chains to be used in the
raising and lowering of articles. The rope, or chain is raised or lowered by the
engine beforo spoken of, which works the winding barrels for this purpose. The
shear legs are provided with a movable balance weight under the rear leg and
deck, so that when an article is being raised, for example, from a quay and
conveyed to a ship in a dock, the head of the shear legs would extend over the side
of the vessel. When the article is raised from the quay the balance weight would
be towards the opposite side of the vessel, now on leaving the quay tho telescopic
leg is telescoped and the article becomes suspended over the deck of the vessel and
can be lowered onto the deck. While this is taking place the balance weight is
caused to move toward the centre of the vessel by suitable mechanism such as
worm, or screw gear. This combined action of telescoping, or extending the shear
leg and the moving outwards and inwards of the balance weight is simultaneous
and affords the means of keeping the vessel from side lists and on an even keel.
On the deck of the vessel I employ vertical revolving bollards. These bollards I
utilize in some cases as assisting manoeuvreing means to the propellors of the
vessel by fixing ropes to bollards on shore, or other mooring means and passing
such ropes round the bollards on board the vessel.
The use of a vessel with propellors and revolving bollards arranged as herein-
before described admits the use of a crane without turning, or swing gear, as the
vessel becomes by the use of such propellors a turntable of itself, thereby making
a large saving in expense and weight. This vessel and shear legs crane can be
employed for lifting weights such as boilers and for like work in docks and can
also be employed for various work for harbours and docks such as for conveying
stones, or blocks of concrete from a quay, or the shore, or elsewhere to sea walls
and the like in construction and the crane and winch are also provided with gear
for working self acting grapple buckets and forks for use in discharging grain, coal
and the like from ships holds to the quay, or in similar occupations and in dredging
operations and the crane may also be used to carry endless bucket elevator
apparatus for discharging grain, or like cargo from ships holds. Suction dredging
machinery is also fitted to the vessel on either side of the working engine, or pro-
pelling engine and with which it can be put in, or out of gear at will. This
dredging machinery consists of rotary, or equivalent pumps arranged on each side
of the engine, from which pumps descend flexible pipes below water to the point
to be dredged. Such pipes are connected at their lower end to a novel construction
of bottom suction device which consists of what may be termed a hollow metal
plough the upper portion of which developes into a pipe and flange with which the
suction pipe from the vessel is connected. The under portion of the device consists
of a flat base, or shoe with a front-opening and grid. In the centre of the opening
there is provided a plough share, or shares the function of which is to stir up the
sand, mud, or silt so that it will be as much as possible in suspension in the suction
water. In connection with the suction device I also provide an automatic closing
door, consisting of revolving blades suspended on a suitable shaft within the shoe,
and so arranged that should obstructions such as mats, or like rubbish be met with
the extra pressure occasioned would cause the closing of the door and the shutting
off the suction, the door being opened by a releasing gear worked by a chain, or
rope from the dredging vessel.
The dredging is run into hopper barges and conveyed away to the place of
discharge. The vessel when used as a dredger need not be moored but is manoeuvred
by the four screws or equivalent propellors with which the vessel is fitted, it thus
becomes a moorless dredger.
To move objects of large weight, or size, such for example as the lifting of large
blocks of concrete I propose to use two vessels of the construction herein described,

page_text: each of power sufficient to lift half the weight. The vessels are so positioned that
their shear legs together bridge the object, the two vessels being secured together
convey the concrete block to the required spot. The ropes or chains from the ends
of the shear legs pass through an arrangement of sheave blocks on a triangular
frame, which spans the space between the shear legs. The frame is also provided
with sheaves from which the chain, or rope for suspending the object to be lifted is
carried.