IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISCHARGING AND LOADING OF COALS AND OTHER GOODS, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISCHARGING AND LOADING OF COALS AND OTHER
GOODS, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.”—A communication from abroad by
the "Societé des Mines de Lens," France.
Sealed the 23rd December 1878, and dated the 11th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th August 1873.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISCHARGING AND LOADING OF COALS AND
OTHER GOODS, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
*
This Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for discharging
coals and other goods from railway trucks, and loading them into
vessels. For this purpose a locomotive provided with a steam crane is

page_text: employed to bring a train of loaded trucks along a railway formed on
the quay at which the vessel to be loaded lies. When the train is
brought up to the proper position on the quay the locomotive is
detached and moved along a parallel line of rails so as to be brought
alongside of each of the trucks in succession. Each of the trucks consists
of an under frame on which is laid the box for containing the coals or
other goods, or in some cases instead of one such box, there may be two
or more on the one under frame.
The crane on the locomotive is preferably made to be worked without
intervening gear, so that the movement of a piston on the admission:
of steam from the locomotive boiler to the crane cylinder, shall by a
direct pull draw up the chain of the crane. To this chain is attached a
catch hook, which when the locomotive has been brought alongside one
of the trucks is made to catch the box thereon, the crane being then
worked the box is tipped so as to deliver its contents on to a slope 1
formed on the side of the quay. This slope is formed like a hopper
closed at bottom by a slide or door. On board the vessel to be loaded is
arranged a spout, preferably made of sheet metal of semi-cylindrical
form, and jointed so that it can be directed towards any part of the hold
of the vessel.
The coals or other goods discharged from the trucks into the hopper
of the quay are, when the slide or door of this hopper is opened delivered
along the spout into the hold of the vessel, and as one part of the hold
becomes filled the spout can be moved on its joints by means of a winch
so as to direct the delivery to another part.
1
1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
IMRAY, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the s
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-

page_text: seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Imray, Her special license, that
I, the said John Imray, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Imray, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DISCHARGING AND LOADING OF COALS AND OTHER GOODS, AND APPARATUS THERE-
FOR," a communication to me from abroad by the "Societé des Mines
de Lens," France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Imray, my executors or administrators, 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 John Imray, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:-
This Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for discharging
coals and other goods from railway trucks, and loading them into vessels.
For this purpose a locomotive provided with a steam arané is employed
to bring a train of loaded trucks along a railway formed on the quay at
which the vessel to be loaded Hes. When the train is brought up to the
proper position on the quay the locomotive is detached and moved along
a parallel line of rails, so as to be brought alongside of each of the trucks
in succession. Each of the trucks consists of an under frame on which
is laid the box for containing the coals or other goods, or in some cases
instead of one such box there may be two or more on the one under
frame.
The crane on the locomotive is preferably made to be worked without
that the mafanistan an the adminsian

page_text: steam from the locomotive boiler to the crane cylinder shall by a direct
pull draw up the chain of the crane. To this chain is attached a catch
hook, which when the locomotive has been brought alongside one of the
trucks is made to catch the box thereon, the crane being then worked
the box is tipped so as to deliver its contents on to a slope formed on the 5
side of the quay. This slope is formed like a hopper closed at bottom by
a slide or door. On board the vessel to be loaded is arranged a spout,
preferably made of sheet metal of semi-cylindrical form, and jointed so
that it can be directed towards any part of the hold of the vessel.
The coals or other goods discharged from the trucks into the hopper 1
of the quay are, when the slide or door of this hopper is opened delivered
along the spout into the hold of the vessel, and as one part of the hold.
becomes filled, the spout can be moved on its joints by means of a winch
so as to direct the delivery to another part.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a section; Fig. 2, a front view, and Fig. 3, a plan of
the quay with the arrangements of rails, slides, and spouts, suited for
loading coals or other goods from railway trucks into vessels according
to this Invention.
1
The trucks W, W, having been drawn on to the line of rails next the 2
face of the quay the locomotive L is run on to a line of parallel rails.
Each truck consists of an under carriage W on which is mounted the
box C on rounded supports, whereon it can be canted to either side..
There may be several boxes on each under carriage as indicated in
Fig. 2, where two boxes marked C and O³, are shewn on each truck, and 2
these boxes are made with their sides hinged to open out for the dis-
charge of their contents. The locomotive L is provided with a crane
consisting of a framing F supporting a pulley P over which is passed a
chain D. One end of this chain is attached to the rod of a piston which
works in a cylinder G placed nearly upright on the locomotive, and the 3
other end of the chain carries a hook E, which when the piston of G is
at the upper extreme of its stroke is inserted under the edge of the truck
box C. On steam from the locomotive boiler being admitted into the
cylinder G, the piston therein is forced downwards, and the chain D
being thus pulled the hook E is made to tilt the truck box O as shewn g
in Fig. 1, so as to discharge its contents by the opening on the lower
side. The crane framing F is so arranged that at receives the thrust

page_text: from the chain as nearly as possible in the line of the resultant of the
operating forces, the hook E acting on the truck box O in such a manner
that there is no tendency to shift it on its bearing blocks, but only to
tilt it as shown in Fig. 1.
On the quay wall are formed converging inclined shoots of which the
upper portion Q makes an angle of about 30°, and the lower portion T
makes an angle of about 45° with the horizon. These inclines are closed
at their lower mouths by sluices.V which can be raised by crabs, and to
these mouths are jointed spouts K of semi-cylindrical form which are
pivotted at % and can be raised or lowered by means of chains (which
may be worked by the sluice crabs) so as to suit the different heights at
which the vessel B to be charged may lie at the quay wall. At the ends
of the spouts K are hung short spouts M by which the coals or other
material can be directed to different parts of the vessel B.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign corespondents, I claim,-
First. The method substantially as herein described of discharging
coals or other goods from railway trucks, by tilting the boxes of the
trucks by means of a direct acting steam crane mounted on a locomotive,
resting on a set of rails parallel to those occupied by the trucks operated
on.
Second. The construction and arrangement substantially as herein
described of a quay with inclined shoots provided with sluices, and with
adjustable spouts for the purpose of loading coals or other goods into
on.
Second. The construction and arrangement substantially as herein
described of a quay with inclined shoots provided with sluices, and with
adjustable spouts for the purpose of loading coals or other goods into
vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Imray, have hereunto_
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.