IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL AND GRAIN BOAT ELEVATORS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Solomon Kenyon Hoxsie, of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL AND GRAIN BOAT ELEVATORS."
Sealed the 25th May 1869, and dated the 2nd April 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Solomon Kenyon Hoxsie
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 2nd April 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SOLOMON
KENYON HOXSIE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COAL AND GRAIN BOAT ELEVATORS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am
the true and first inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Solomon Kenyon Hoxsie, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and

page_text: seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement:-
The nature of this Invention, in the first place, consists in the
combination and arrangement of an elevated platform with elevated
reservoirs and altitudinally moveable tanks which receive a supply of
water therefrom which causes them to descend, and the said tanks being
connected with the platform by means of chains or wire ropes which are
supported by means of sheaves, elevate the same to raise a boat or other
vessel, which is supported by the platform to a proper height and angle
for discharging its contents into another vessel or other receptacle.
In the second place, the Invention consists in the combination with
two wharves between which the boat is floated of a series of vertical
trunks with each wharf in which the said moveable tanks are caused to
ascend and descend for lowering the platform previous to floating the
boat above it and elevating the same to bring the boat to the proper
height and angle.
In the third place, it consists in increasing the length of the chains
for elevating and depressing the moveable tanks in regular succession
from one end of the platform to the other, so as to elevate one end of
it more than the other to bring the boat on an incline for the easy
discharge of its contents.
In the fourth place, it consists in the combination of brakes with the
platform to check or control its motion.
In the fifth place, it consists in the combination and arrangement of
a rod and series of chains and pulleys in such a manner as to open the
valves in each series of tanks at each side of the boat at the same time
for discharging the water therefrom when the boat is unloaded to cause
it to descend from its elevated position.
In the accompanying Drawings, which make a part of this Speci-
fication, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved elevator; Figure 2
is a longitudinal section through the middle; Figure 3, Sheet No. 2, is
an end elevation; Figures 4, 5, and 6 are respectively a plan, side
elevation, and reversed plan of one of the reservoirs G and parts in
connection with its bottom. Like letters in all the Figures indicate the
same parts.

page_text: There are wharves A, A, parallel to each other and of sufficient
distance apart to receive a canal boat or other vessel to be unloaded.
Projecting upwards from each wharf is a series of vertical trunks B for
the movement up and down of the tanks C; D is a moveable platform
which is elevated and depressed between the two series of trunks for
raising the boat which has been previously floated over it for the dis-
charge of its contents and lowering it into the river after it has been
unloaded to be floated off from between the wharves. The tanks are
provided with chains or wire ropes E which are passed over the sheaves
F at the top of the vertical trunks B and confined at their lower ends
to the eyes a which are secured to lugs on the edges of the platform D.
There are water reservoirs G which rest on the top of the trunks, which
combined hold water enough to elevate one or more boats in succession.
The reservoirs are filled by means of a pump operated by means of a
steam engine or other motive power. The water is pumped into the
highest reservoir, the rest are filled in succession from highest to lowest,
the water running from one to the other through the spouts b. The
water is discharged from the reservoirs into the tanks C through the
twin pipes H which convey it right and left from the chambers I, there
being valves J for opening and closing the communication between said
chambers and the reservoirs. The valves are operated by means of the
series of levers K with which is connected the operating rod L by means
of the wire ropes M. The trunks have successively an increased elevation,
as represented, so that when the tanks are brought to the upper end of
each, as represented in Figure 1, before the elevation of the vessel, and
are caused to descend by the weight of water admitted into them from
the reservoirs G, as described, to the bottom of the trunks, and the wire
ropes E are of corresponding length to the height of the trunks, the
platform D is brought on an angle, as represented in dotted lines in
Figure 2, to admit of the free discharge of the contents of the vessel.
The same object may be accomplished if the trunks are all of the same
height by still having the wire ropes E of unequal lengths, as described,
so that there shall be an increased descent of the tanks in regular order.
There is a brake shaft N at each end of the elevator which is provided
with pulleys O, O, over which and the stud pulleys O at the ends of the
wharves the chains P, P, pass, the said chains being connected at each
end with the swivels Q, Q, to which are jointed the upper ends of the
bars R, R, the lower ends of which are connected to the platform by

page_text: means of pins c. The joint connection of said pieces is to allow of a free
movement of the ends of the platform when the latter is thrown on an
angle, as shown in its elevated position by dotted lines in Figure 2. The
vessels S, S, which are suspended by means of the chains d, d, connected
On one end
with the pulleys O¹, O¹, are weighted to overcome friction.
of the shafts N are brake wheels T, T, with which are connected brakes
in any ordinary manner to control the up-and-down motion of the plat-
form. To guide the platform and prevent longitudinal motion as it is
brought on an angle, as represented by dotted lines in Figure 2, there
are at one end projecting pins c which move in the vertical grooved
guides u at that end of the platform. The wire ropes E are placed on
an angle, as represented in Figure 2, to favor the angular elevated
position of the platform. After the vessel has been unloaded it is lowered
into the river to be floated off from between the wharves A, A, by dis-
charging the water from the tanks O; this is done by opening the
valves V in the bottoms of the tanks. The valves are actuated by means
of the ropes W, which are connected at one end with the upper ends of
the weight shafts f, the lower ends of which are jointed to the said
valves V. The ropes pass around the sheaves g and connect with the
rod h, so that by depressing each end of the rod all the valves in the
tanks seen in Figure 1 are opened. The valves in the tanks in the
opposite side are opened at the same time by the ropes W, which also
connect with the rod and pass over the sheaves and similar sheaves g
on the opposite side of the elevator, and connect with the valves on that
side in the same manner, as above described. The arrangement of the
After
ropes with the sheaves is shown in detail in Figures 4 and 6.
the boat has been unloaded, as the water runs out of the tanks it passes
through the holes i and passes between the wharves into the river.
When the water is discharged from the tanks the latter are raised into
the position seen in Figure 1 by the descent of the boat and platform.
There are pins which are slipped through the grooved guides u when
the platform is brought into its elevated position represented by dotted
lines in Figure 2 which sustain the lower end of the platform. There
may be a more or less number of moveable tanks arranged as described
to suit the magnitude of the work to be accomplished; and if found
necessary there may be two or more rows on each of the wharves. There
is a gate Y at the lower end of the platform to regulate the discharge of
the freight.

page_text: What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination and arrangement of the vertical trunks B
with the wharves A, A, for the passage of the reciprocating tanks C,
substantially as described.
Second. The combination of the elevating platform D and recipro-
cating tanks C with the elevated water reservoirs G, the several parts
being arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the
purpose above set forth.
Third. The combination and arrangement of the brake shafts N,
wheels T, T, pulleys 0, 0, 0, 0, chains P, P, swivels Q, Q, and bars
R, R, with the platform D, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination and arrangement of the weighted vessels S,
chains d, and pulleys O¹, O', with the brake shafts N, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth. The connection of chains or ropes E of regularly increased
length with the moveable tanks C for giving an angle to the platform D
when in its elevated position, substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination and arrangement of the rod L, ropes M, and
levers K, with the valves J, for operating the latter, as above specified.
Seventh. The combination and arrangement of the rod h, ropes W
and W', sheaves g, g³, and g³, and weight shaft f, with the valves V,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Solomon Kenyon Hoxsie, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this 19th day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
STEPHEN USTICK.
SOLOMON KENYON HOXSIE. (L.S.)