IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING, TRANSFERRING, AND CLEANING GRAIN
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING, TRANSFERRING, AND CLEANING GRAIN."
A communication from abroad by William Brown Reaney, of Baltimore,
Maryland, and Clement Acton Griscom, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, both in
the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th May 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex;
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING, TRANSFERRING,
AND CLEANING GRAIN." A communication from abroad by William Brown
Reaney, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Clement Acton Griscom, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, both in the United States of America.
This Invention, which relates to apparatus for elevating, transferring, and
cleaning grain, is more especially applicable to the unloading of grain from large or
small vessels, and transferring it to suitable houses, freight wagons, boats, or
other receptacles, and cleaning the grain on its passage from the vessel to the
receptacle.
In the following description the improvements are described as applied to a
floating grain-elevating apparatus, but the apparatus may be erected on land or on
wharves.
In carrying out this Invention the receiving elevator which is to raise the grain
from the hold of the vessel to be unloaded is hinged at the outer end of a swinging
arm pivoted to a frame which can be moved up or down on vertical guides on the
framework of the apparatus.
When the apparatus is not in use this frame is lowered on its guides to the
lower end of the framework, the opposite end of the arm being turned upwards,
and the receiving elevator by the same movement is drawn within the framework
of the apparatus.
When the apparatus is to be put in use the sliding frame to which the arm
carrying the receiving elevator is pivoted is raised on the guides until the lower
end of the receiving elevator can be swung over the rail of the vessel to be unloaded,

page_text: suitable hoisting ropes being provided. The receiving elevator, by the lowering of
the rope and the swinging of the arm, is then lowered down the hatchway into the
hold of the vessel to the depth necessary to permit the grain to flow steadily into
the elevator case to be elevated by the travelling buckets to the top of the case.
The raising and lowering of the slide, the swinging arm, and receiving elevator is
accomplished by means of suitable hoisting ropes of wire or other material
passing over pulleys at the upper end of the framework down to a drum or
drums at the lower end, connected by clutch devices to the main driving shaft.
From the top of the receiving elevator the grain flows through pipes to a shifting
spout. One of these pipes is hinged to the receiving elevator so as to accommodate
itself to the position of the latter. This pipe has a sleeve on the outside which is
hinged to slide blocks at the upper end of the spout, so that when the swinging
arm and receiving elevator are raised, and the pipe has been thereby withdrawn
from the other pipe, the slide blocks will move in vertical guides in the framework
immediately over the spout, and consequently when the elevator case and swinging
arm are lowered again into position the one pipe will slide back into proper position
with the other pipe.
Immediately below the shifting spout are two weighing hoppers, so that when one
hopper is filled with grain the spout is turned to fill the other. The full weighing-
hopper is then emptied by allowing the grain to flow into the hopper, from which it is
elevated by a second elevator, and delivered from the upper end of the latter
through a suitable spout and spreader into the cleaning apparatus, which will be
hereinafter described. From the cleaning apparatus the grain passes through a
spout to a hopper, from which it is elevated by a third elevator, and delivered from
the top of the latter through a spout to the necessary receptacle for transportation
or storage.
Each of the three elevators is constructed in the usual manner of a closed case
containing an endless belt carrying the usual elevating buckets, and passing over
pulleys at the top and bottom of the case. The spindle of the pulley at the
upper end of each case passes to the outside, and is provided with a pulley for the
driving belt. The upper pulleys of the two elevators secondly mentioned may be
inounted on the same shaft, in which case only one driving pulley will be necessary
for both elevators, this pulley being driven by a suitable belt from a pulley on the
driving shaft. The shaft at the upper end of the receiving elevator is provided
with two driving pulleys, over which pass driving belts passing round a pulley at
the point where the swinging arm is pivoted to the sliding frame. This latter
pulley driven by a belt passes over an idler pulley at the top, and over a driving
pulley-near the bottom of the apparatus, and round a combination of pulleys at the
point where the swinging arm is pivoted to the sliding frame.
The cleaner above referred to is provided at the top with the spreader, as has
been described, and below the latter is a shaking screen through which the grain
passes, while the cobs and the like pass into a box at the end. The grain from the
screen falls into an inclined tray, which directs it to a passage and hopper leading
to the delivery pipe or spout above described. A fan communicating with the
cleaning chamber draws air through the grain as it descends through the passage.
The heavy dust exhausted from the grain falls into a chamber, while the lighter
particles are carried with the air current through the fan and discharged outside
the apparatus. The current of air is regulated by a valve arranged at any suitable
point.
The cleaning apparatus above described may however be dispensed with, in
which case the second hopper and the third elevator will no longer be required,
and the grain can be discharged into the necessary receptacle for storage or
transportation by the second elevator, or even in some cases the grain may be
directly discharged from the receiving elevator through its delivery spout to the
desired receptacle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
November 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING, TRANSFERRING,
AND CLEANING GRAIN." A communication from abroad by William Brown
Reaney, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Clement Acton Griscom, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, both in the United States America.
The said Invention, which relates to apparatus for elevating, transferring, and
cleaning grain, is more especially applicable to the unloading of grain from large
or small vessels, and transferring it to suitable houses, freight wagons, boats, or
other receptacles, and cleaning the grain on its passage from the vessel to the
receptacle.
In the following description the Invention is described as applied to a floating
grain elevating apparatus, but the apparatus may be erected on land or on
wharves.
In the accompanying Drawings,
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a view shewing a transverse section of the vessel to be
unloaded and of the floating grain elevator alongside.
Figure 2 (Sheet 2) is a side or face view of the floating grain elevator, shewing
the interior parts in dotted lines.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are detached sectional views of the cleaning apparatus.
The receiving elevator A, which is to raise the grain from the hold of the
vessel H¹ to be unloaded, is hinged at the outer end of a swinging arm Gpivoted to
a frame N2, which can be moved up or down on vertical guides on the framework
of the apparatus.
Whon the apparatus is not in use this frame is lowered on its guides to the
lower end of the frame work to the position N¹ (Figure 1), the arm G being swung
up to the position shown by dotted lines at G¹, and the receiving elevator A by the
saine movement drawn within the framework of the grain boat or house to the
position shewn by dotted lines at A'.
When the apparatus is to be put in use the sliding frame, to which the arm G
carrying the receiving elevator A is pivoted, is raised on the guides by hoisting ropes,
as hereinafter described, until the lower end of the receiving elevator can be swung
over the rail of the vessel to be unloaded, as shewn by the dotted lines A2, G³, the
position of the hoisting rope or ropes for raising the outer end of the arm being
indicated at E. The receiving elevator, by the lowering of the rope E³ (E¹), and
the consequent swinging of the arm G, is then lowered down the hatchway K¹ into
the hold of the vessel to the depth necessary to permit the grain to flow steadily
into the elevator case to be elevated by the travelling buckets to the top of the
The raising and lowering of the sliding frame N2, the swinging arm, and
receiving elevator is accomplished by means of suitable hoisting ropes E, (E2), and
F, F, of wire or other material, passing over pulleys at the upper end of the frame-
work down to a drum or drums at the lower end, connected by clutch devices to
the main driving shaft L' (Figure 2).
case.
From the top of the receiving elevator A the grain flows through the pipes B
and C to the shifting spout D (Figure 1). The pipe B is hinged at U₁ to the
receiving elevator A, so as to accommodate itself to the position of the latter. The
pipe B has a sleeve on the outside, which is hinged to slide blocks at the upper

page_text: "
end of the spout D, so that when the swinging arm and receiving elevator A are
raised, and the pipe B has been thereby withdrawn from the pipes C, the slide-
blocks will move in vertical guides V₁ (Figure 1) in the framework, immediately
over the spout D, and consequently when the elevator case and swinging arm are
lowered again into position the pipe B will slide back into proper position with
respect to the pipe C.
The
Immediately below the shifting spout D are two weighing hoppers E, E, so that
when one hopper is filled with grain the spout D is turned to fill the other.
full weighing hopper is then emptied by allowing the grain to flow into the
hopper F, from which it is elevated by a second clevator F¹, and delivered from
the upper end of the latter through a suitable spout H and spreader K into
the cleaning apparatus L (Figures 2 and 3), which will be hereinafter described.
From the cleaning apparatus the grain passes through a spout M (Figure 2) to
a hopper N, from which it is elevated by a third elevator P, and delivered from
the top of the latter through a spout Q (Figure 1) to the necessary receptacle
for transportation or storage.
Each of the three elevators A, F', and P is constructed in the usual manner of a
closed case containing an endless belt carrying the usual elevating buckets, and
passing over pulleys at the top and bottom of the case. The spindle of the pulley
at the upper end of each case passes to the outside, and is provided with a pulley
for the driving belt. The upper pulleys of the elevator F1 and P may be mounted
on the same shaft T', in which case only one driving pulley S¹ (Figure 2) will be
necessary for both elevators, this pulley S₁ being driven by a suitable belt from a
pulley R on the driving shaft L¹. The shaft at the upper end of the receiving
elevator is provided with two driving pulleys Q1, over which pass driving belts
passing round a pulley at the point where the swinging arm G is pivoted to the
sliding frame N². This latter pulley is driven by a belt passing over it and under
guide pulleys n, above and below it (Figure 1), and round an idler pulley P¹ at the
top, and over a driving pulley M' near the bottom of the apparatus.
The cleaner L above referred to is provided at the top with the spreader K, as
has been described and as shown in Figures 3 and 4.
This spreader is provided with a regulating valve B2 hinged at B', and below the
spreader is a shaking screen R, through which the grain passes, while the cobs and
the like pass into a box S (Figure 3) at the end. The grain from the screen falls
into an inclined tray T, which directs it to a passage U and hopper V leading to
the delivery pipe or spout M above described. A fan W communicating with the
cleaning chamber draws air through the grain as it descends through the passage U,
as indicated by the arrows x. The heavy dust exhausted fron the grain
falls into a chamber C, while the lighter particles are carried with the air
current through the fan and discharged outside the apparatus, as indicated by the
arrows y. The current of air is regulated by a valve D' arranged at any suitable
point.
The cleaning apparatus above described may however be dispensed with, in
which case the second hopper N and the third elevator P will no longer be required,
and the grain can be discharged into the necessary receptacle for storage or
transportation by the second elevator, or even in some cases the grain may be
directly discharged from the receiving elevator through its delivery spout to the
desired receptacle.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the as the Invention secured to me by the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination of the receiving elevator with the swinging arm and
vertically sliding frame and hoisting ropes, by which the receiving elevator may be

page_text: readily introduced into and withdrawn from the holds of vessels of any size,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of parts con-
stituting an apparatus for elevating, transferring, and cleaning grain, substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)