Improvements in Freight Elevating and Transporting Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1889-Accepted, 14th Sept.,
1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Freight Elevating and Transporting Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM HENDERSON RUSSELL, of the City of Vancouver, in the Province of
British Columbia, in the Dominion of Canada, Carpenter, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FREIGHT ELEVATING AND TRANSPORTING
APPARATUS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to apparatus for elevating and transporting freight from the hold
of vessels and the like to the wharf, sheds, or other storage or receiving places, and
also for loading vessels by conveying goods from the storage place to the hold.
The object of my invention is the construction of a simple apparatus for lifting and
transporting freight consisting of comparatively light and regular packages, such as
tea-chests, by means of an elevator from the hold of a vessel or the like and
transporting the same to the wharf or other receiving place and vice versa without
intermediate handling.
My improved apparatus consists of an elevator and three or more lengths of
carriers, all hinged together end to end. The carriers consist each of two side
boards framed together and with battened framing at the sides to form a channel, at
the bottom of which runs an endless canvas apron over a number of small friction
rollers journaled in said sides and over a large roller, which may be provided with a
chain pulley for a pitch chain, at each end. The elevator is similarly constructed,
but is adapted to be placed upright, in a ship's hold, provided with a back frame, the
endless apron strengthened by leather straps and furnished with brackets or tables
secured upon it at intervals, for receiving and lifting packages. The elevator may be
constructed in sections to reach to any desired depth. The elevator and carriers
are hinged together to adapt them to different levels caused by tide and other
circumstances.
Fig. 1 is a plan or top view of my improved apparatus.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, partly in section, as shown in solid black.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the receiver on a larger scale and
Fig. 4 is a top view of the same, partly in section.
Wis the wharf, and V represents a vessel in dotted lines, V₁ being the hatchway.
CCC are carriers and E the elevator, the latter placed upright in the hatchway, and
the carriers extending therefrom to the desired point of discharge, the wharf end
being placed on suitable chairs or supports c. The carriers CC¹ consist of the sides S,
baving the battened frames S¹ to form guides, the driving roller R journaled at each
end, the small friction roller r, and the endless apron A running over the rollers R
The
and supported by the rollers r, and which may be provided with cross slats a.
carriers and elevator are connected by hinge joints h. In the joints of the carriers,
between the two rollers R, and without coming in contact with the latter, are placed.
intermediate rollers 7, journaled in arms secured to the sides S, to prevent the
packages from jamming between the rollers R. The rollers R are provided with
chain pulleys P and connected by pitch-chains P³, motion being given to one of them
by a shaft P or in some other manner. The elevator consists of similar sides S, with a
larger battened guide frame S" extending to the back, rollers R, small friction
rollers ", and an endless apron A¹ strengthened with straps.
To the apron A' are secured at intervals brackets B upon which a narrow board b
is secured, leaving the brackets to project beyond said board like fingers. The
brackets B and board 6 form tables B 6 upon which the packages T are placed to be

page_text: elevated. In order to afford room for the return or downward passage of the
tabies Bb between the top roller R of the elevator and the end roller R of the
adjoining carrier C¹, I place between the two a roller R¹ having deep and wide
grooves through which the projecting ends of the brackets B may pass, so that only
a free space equal to the width of the board 6 need be left between the top elevator
roller R and the extreme diameter of the roller R¹. To this grooved roller, which is
journaled conveniently at the end of the adjoining carriers C¹ and which may be
conveniently constructed of a shaft carrying a number of flat faced pulleys set a
distance apart to form the grooves ¹, a greater speed may be given than to the
rollers R, so as to rapidly forward the packages coming upon it over the top of the
elevator. A receiver for the carrier constructed on the principle just hereinbefore
described but further developed and adapted for longer arms of the brackets B and
for carrying heavier weights, is shown in figures 3 and 4. In the space r¹ close to
each side of each pulley R¹ is journaled a bracket d held up from below by a support d'
extending across the bottom of the carrier near the roller R. In each pair of these
brackets, in line with each roller or roller face, R' are journaled three (more or less)
small friction rollers, and over these and the larger face R'is run a strap or belt A",
forming an auxillary to the apron A. To afford means for tightening the endless
apron A¹, the lower roller R may be journaled in a bearing adjustable by a screw.
In the example illustrated in fig. 1 the manner of connecting the rollers and
· pulleys by pitch driving chains may be seen, but this may be varied at will or
according to the circumstances of the case.
In operation, a package T is placed upon the table Bb of the elevator E and is
raised to the top and turned over upon the roller R₁ or straps A" which pushes it on
the apron of the first carrier C. Upon this it travels to the end and is pushed upon
the next carrier and thus continues its journey until it is delivered at the end of the
last carrier and removed. The sides S' and Su form channels and act as guides
preventing the packages from slipping off; the rollers r may be placed near enough
together to prevent any package sagging the apron between two of them and thus
causing it to stick.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. In an apparatus for elevating and transporting freight comprising a series of
carriers and an elevator hinged together end wise to assume different elevations and
angles, said carriers and elevator consisting of channels the bottom of which consist
of traveling aprons running over a driving roller at each end and intermediate
friction rollers, said driving rollers connected for transmitting motion from one to
another and said elevator apron provided with brackets or tables to receive the
packages, substantially as set forth.
2. An apparatus for transporting freight comprising sides S and framing S¹
forming a channel, driving rollers R journaled at the ends and some of them provided
with pulleys P, friction rollers journaled at intervals between the driving rollers,
suspended rollers at the joint, endless apron A running over the driving rollers
and supported upon the friction rollers, the hinges h at the ends of said sides, the
rollers R,, brackets d, support d' and straps A", and chains P¹ upon the said
pulleys P for receiving and transmitting motion, substantially as set forth.
apparatus for elevating freight comprising sides S and frames S" forming
a channel, driving rollers R journaled at the ends and some of them having pulleys P,
friction rollers r journaled at intervals between the driving rollers, endless apron A¹
running over the driving rollers and supported upon the friction rollers, and tables B b
secured to said apron, substantially as set forth.
3. In an
4. An apparatus for elevating and transporting freight comprising hinged carriers C
consisting of sides S S', rollers R r and 11, apron A, and pulleys P, hinged carriers C³,

page_text: consisting of sides S, rollers R and r, apron A, pulleys P, and grooved roller R¹
carrying brackets & friction rollers and belts A", elevator E consisting of sides S S".
rollers R and r, apron A¹, tables B b, and a pulley upon one of said rollers R, and
the connecting chains P¹, substantially as set forth.
Dated this Seventh day of June A.D. 1889.
WILLIAM HENDERSON RUSSELL.
Per A. Harvey, his Attorney.