AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY BODIES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Chrétien, of No. 150, Boulevard Richard
Lenoir, Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY
BODIES."
Sealed the 16th July 1867, and dated the 22nd January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Chrétien at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd January
1867.
I, JEAN CHRÉTIEN, of No. 150, Boulevard Richard Lenoir, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY
BODIES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in an improved construction of apparatus for raising
and lowering weights or loads.
My apparatus is constructed of a cylinder in which works a piston, to the
rod of which is attached one end of a cord or chain passing round a pulley or
or several pulleys, or a series of pulleys forming a tackle; the other end of
the said chain or cord is attached to the weight or load to be raised or
lowered; the piston is worked either by steam or by air or other gas. The
distribution is effected by hand by means of a slide valve or other suitable

page_text: means. The steam cylinder may be fixed or moveable, and placed horizontally,
vertically, or inclined; it may be arranged so as to turn round a vertical axle,
and either be connected to a boiler or independent, the main object being to
directly remove loads or weights by directly drawing the cord or chain to
which the rod is attached.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Chrétien in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
CHRETIEN, of No. 150, Boulevard Richard Lenoir, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
the said Jean Chrétien,
me, the said Jean Chrétien, Her special licence that
my exocutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Jean Chrétien, 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 "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY BODIES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Jean Chrétien, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jean Chrétien, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention consists in an improved construction of apparatus for raising
and lowering weights or loads.

page_text: My apparatus is constructed of a cylinder in which works a piston, to the
rod of which is attached one end of a cord or chain passing round a pulley
or several pulleys, or a series of pulleys forming a tackle; the other end of
the said chain or cord is attached to the weight or load to be raised or
lowered; the piston is worked either by steam, or by air, or other gas. The
distribution is effected by hand by means of a slide valve, or other suitable
means. The steam cylinder may be fixed or moveable and placed horizontally,
vertically, or inclined; it may be arranged so as to turn round a vertical axle
and either be connected to a boiler or be independent, the main object being
to move directly loads or weights by directly drawing the cord or chain to
which the rod is attached.
Having now described the nature of my Invention I will now proceed to
describe the best means I am acquainted with for putting the same into effect
by reference to the accompanying Drawings in the several Figures of Sheet 1,
of which the same letters of reference represent similar parts:
Figure 1, Sheet 1, shews a travelling steam crane; it consists of a carriage
provided with a vertical pivot or axis which carries the whole of the other
part of the apparatus. The boiler A which is placed at the rear to act as a
counterweight is connected by longitudinal girders B to a bell-shaped casting C,
which covers the pivot; the jib composed of the cylinder E and iron arm F
is held fast in its position by two tie rods G, so that the strain acting on
a jointed mechanism is directed according to the axis of the jib. The
guiding movement is communicated by the hand by means of a crank handle
and gearing, one of the pinions acting on a cog wheel fixed at the lower part
of the pivot. The raising of weights is effected by the action of steam in the
cylinder E, the piston of which acts directly on the chain by means of tackled
pulleys arranged in the following manner :-Two pulleys H mounted on the
same axis passing through the top of the piston rod; a pulley I, the axis of
which is fixed to the jib, and another pulley J placed at the top, the axis
of which is also fixed, serves to attach the tie rods; the chain being attached
at K to the jib first passes under one of the pulleys H, then over the pulley I,
afterwards under the other pulley H, and lastly over the pulley J, thus
forming a tackle with four turns. Each piston stroke corresponds to a
journey of the hook; the arrangement just berein-before described is a tackle
with four turus, but this number may be modified at will without changing
he principle. The steam acts in the upper part of the cylinder, and causes
he weight to rise, while during the descent the same steam which caused the
ise in part passes underneath the piston and acts at the same time on its two
faces without causing any fresh consumption. The inlet distribution slide

page_text: valve is placed at the top of the cylinder, and the outlet slide valve at the
bottom, they are connected by the same rod S, and worked by the lever D;
the steam comes in from the boiler into the port L; when the feed valve is at
the upper part the ports L and M are in communication, and steam is
admitted above the piston; the escape valve is then opened and the ascent
takes place. When the valves are placed at the bottom and the ports M, N,
are opened a communication is set up between the top and bottom' of the
cylinder, then the escape is closed and the descent takes place. By this
arrangement I ensure a supply of steam in the upper part of the cylinder,
and only that in the lower part escapes. Instead of two slide valves, arranged
as herein-before described, only one may be employed, arranged as in ordinary
steam engines, or as shewn in Sheet 2, and herein-after described, the object
sought for being to cause the steam which has acted upon the upper part of
the piston to act underneath it. A self-acting arrangement is placed for the
purpose of limiting the stroke of the piston, and consists of a rod O jointed
to the lever P, which oscillates around the axis R, and which is connected to
the working rod S of the slide valves; other known arrangements may be
employed to obtain the same result, which consists in mechanically limiting
the ascent or descent of the piston. The weighing apparatus T may be
employed for weighing loads when raised, and which consists of a pressure
gauge put in communication with the upper part of the cylinder and graduated
for the raised loads.
Figure 2, Sheet 1, shews a crane with a fixed pivot; the boiler A is placed
in the rear, and is fixed to a bell-shaped casting C, which covers the pivot
sealed in the masonry work; this casting C is provided at its lower part
with a joint, which carries the bottom of the jib E; this jib consists of a long
cylinder E, having at its upper part an arm F to give the crane its range.
The piston acts by drawing on the pulleys H which it pulls down with it, and
as the chain which is attached rolls round the pulleys and over the pulley
fixed so as to form a tackle the piece of chain which carries the hook is
drawn in and travels over a space four times greater than the piston when the
tackle has four turns.
Figure 3, Sheet 1, represents a load lifter placed horizontally, with separate
boiler, which may be placed at a distance.
Figure 4, Sheet 1, shews a gibbet form of crane applied against a wall o
pillar of any kind. The cylinder E is independent of the lift, and its action is
transmitted to the hook by a series of pulleys.
Figure 5, Sheet 1; shews a load lifter placed along a scaffolding similar to
that employed for building purposes.

page_text: Figure 6, Sheet 1, shews a load lifter applied along a wall, and therefore
ixed without directing movement.
These apparatuses work in a similar manner, and I obtain the required lift
by proportioning the length of the cylinder to the number of turns of the
chain. The motion is communicated by hand, and each motion of the lever
corresponds to a journey of the hook; this journey is self-regulated at top
and at bottton by abutments which mechanically alter the distribution of
In all
steam when the piston arrives near the top or bottom of its stroke.
the said apparatuses the steam may be fed by other arrangements than by those
shewn, and in cases where it is desirable to have a means of retaining the
load I can either apply a click or catch, a gearing, or a brake of any kind
which will answer the purpose.
In Sheet 2, Figure 1 shews a crane in which steam is distributed by one
slide valve; in this crane the self-acting stop mechanism is different from
the preceding, and consists of the cleat or stud m fixed to the piston rod,
which cleat alternately strikes the rings n and o, which may be moveable or
fixed on the rod p, and thereby communicating motion to that rod and to the
lever by means of the pivot q, and afterwards to the rod r, working the
slide valve t.
Figure 2, Sheet 2, is a detailed section of the lower part of the steam
cylinder, shewing how the distribution takes place by means of one slide valve.
A is the inlet port for the supply of steam to the upper part of the cylinder
through the pipe A'; B¹, opening for putting in communication the upper
and the lower part of the cylinder when the weight descends; C, outlet port;
D, working lever. The other parts of this crane are similar to those shewn
in Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of putting the same
into execution, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details herein laid down, as the same may be varied provided the
principle of the Invention be retained, but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the mode of raising a load by means of steam pressing on a piston
placed in a cylinder, and connected to the load either directly by a single
chain or by means of a tackle, to obtain for the load a greater travel than that
of the piston, as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
5 Drawings.
Secondly, the means of effecting a communication between the lower part
and the upper part of the steam cylinder by means of one or two slide valves
for diminishing the consumption of steam, as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Thirdly, the application of various arrangements of parts for regulating the
mechanical working, or limiting the raising or descent, as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly, the application of any suitable mode of stop for stopping the
piston or chain when the load is rapidly removed, as in the discharge of a load
of coal, sand, minerals, or other like materials, as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifthly, the uniting the boiler in one apparatus, either fixed or moveable,
with the cylinder and other parts composing this kind of apparatus, as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Sixthly, the separation of the boiler from the other parts, such as the
cylinder, to obtain apparatuses which may be fed (although separate) by one
boiler, as herein-before described and represented in Sheet 1 of the acconi-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Chretien, have hereto set my
band and seal, this Twentieth day of July in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.