IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES, HOISTS, AND APPARATUS FOR HOISTING, LOWERING, OR MOVING FUEL, GRAIN AND OTHER MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Francis Service at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1883.
FRANCIS SERVICE of Ebbw Vale near Newport in the County of Monmouth,
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES, HOISTS, AND APPARATUS FOR HOISTING,
LOWERING, OR MOVING FUEL, GRAIN AND OTHER MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES
This Invention relates to certain improvements in cranes, hoists and apparatus
for hoisting, lowering, or moving fuel, grain and other materials and substances.
According to the first construction or arrangement a column or columns is or are
fixed in or to a boat, barge, lighter, vessel, or steamer on water, or attached to a
building truck or other places on land whereby cranes of a special design are
required and are secured to a loose deep collar with brackets allowing the cranes to
gib round or rotate freely in a whole or semicircle, also to slide up and down the
column by means of a chain or rope attached to a drum revolved by a worm and
wheel so that the cranes may be adjusted to any convenient height suitable for
loading or unloading.
A spindle is connected to the top and bottom of the column for gibbing or
rotating the cranes, by means of connecting wrought iron straps to a bell crank
which slides upon a spindle up and down as the crane is adjusted to position.
At the bottom of the spindle is also fitted a lever worked by motive or manual
power to gib or rotate the cranes one right and the other left, lowering the full box
into the vessel and the empty one into the lighter for refilling.
The winding rope or chain passes over pulleys at the extreme end of the crane
and then passing down through the centre of the crane pivot thereby allowing the
crane to rotate at will then down to the drum which is so constructed as to admit
of a balance rope or chain securing one end to the drum, then passing to the top of
the column over a sheave, then down by the rotating spindle to the bottom of the
column and secured to balance weights, thereby considerably reducing the motive
power usually required to raise the material and boxes to the necessary height for
loading.
When one box is in the lighter loading and the other one in the vessel
discharging, the weights are then at the top of the column and the rope attached,
to the weights being secured to the drum in the opposite direction when the
materials and boxes are hoisted out of the vessel and lighter, tho weights are then,

page_text: brought to the bottom of the column and thus balance the load then being hoisted
up to the necessary height.
The load of material is then lowered by a brake attached to the winding drum
and when the boxes are lowered the weight then rises to the top of the column,
the weights so balance the load that it only requires very slight power to do the
necessary hoisting.
When the cranes are not in use they are lowered to the foot of the column and
placed longitudinally or side by side if necessary and stowed so as not to endanger
any vessel passing.
The loading boxes are so constructed that two sides are hinged. They are
secured with cross bar bent down at sides attached to four lever catches. When
lowered upon the resting place the cross bar drops, immediately releasing the
levers hooking the two side flaps causing them to fall sideways to allow the
materials to be disengaged by hand or tool as necessary; these boxes would only
be required for materials not to be broken up and are designed specially for that
purpose.
For loading coal and similar substances ordinary boxes or tubs are used with
cross bar connected to centre spindle with catch to allow their contents to be
discharged immediately it is turned over.
According to another construction or arrangement the column or columns is or
are provided with two checks secured to the deep loose collar which slides up and
down the column as required.
Each crane or arm is secured to the checks with a strong pin allowing them to
rotate freely on same. Each crane when moving describes a semi-circlo
- perpendicularly in a more contracted space than in the previous arrangement.
The double hoist will raise and deposit into or out of a space about eight feet
square affording a most material advantage to ships and steamers when space for
loading or bunkering is contracted and leaves no room for ordinary cranes swinging
round horizontally.
There is a small swinging crane or lever fitted to each large one projecting three
feet more or less to allow the box and contents to pass by when in a perpendicular
line.
When the beam lowers to its position it rests upon a bracket. To bring it into
position I use a balance weight attached to the rotating drums. A spring when in
position presses out a catch to prevent the beams from returning which they
otherwise would do when relieved of the load in consequence of the action of the
balance weight. I use drums for winding and brakes for lowering as in the
previous arrangement.
There are four additional rotating drums with two brakes worked by same or
separate motive power, each drum has a disc faced to fit each other with holes so as
to be bolted together when brought into position for working.
The ropes or chains used for giving motion to the cranes are secured to the
drums reversely and as the one slackens out the other draws up to counteract the
part secured to the disc in the centre of the crane and which I use to cause the
semi circular action.
By the Third arrangement a vessel may be loaded or unloaded or steamer
bunkered or loaded or unloaded from or to a boat barge &c to which the machinery
is fixed, or by placing the floating apparatus between two vessels or steamers,
barges &c the one may be loaded or bunkered from the other. The apparatus
may also be fixed on board a vossel, steamer &c for loading or discharging in
general her freight, ballast &c, or may be fixed to smaller vessels, steamers, barges,
rafts or pontoons &c for loading or discharging larger vessels in rivers or channels
not admitted into docks, also for use on land as with the previously described
methods. The arrangement is fixed to a face plate which slides up or down the
column or columns to its necessary height for loading.
The cranes are constructed each with one main crane gib or lever with a small
one swinging, thus working loose; it is also suitable to load a vessel, steamer,

page_text: barge &c from or to the one carrying the machinery. This is to convey a quantity
of inaterial alongside the intended vessel or steamer &c from which to commence
loading while other lighters acting as feeders are arriving with the material. Upon
their arrival the machinery immediately commences to discharge them and when
empty they return and reload. The machinery during their absence loading out of
its own carrier which is a considerablo save in time of changing lighters &c. This
will also load into or discharge from a small hatchway. It also has a balancing
capacity which reduces power considerably in hoisting. It has one set of drums
and brakes for hoisting and lowering, it also carries its loads in a semi circle
perpendicularly or horizontally as required. It has levers and spindles attached to
the large lever or beam which passes the small crane and turns it to the right or
to the left side as required when hoisted to its perpendicular with box.
These cranes may if necessary be worked or moved upon their axes by wheels
rack or other motion.