Improvements in Steam Shovels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1897- Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Steam Shovels.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to an improvement in steam shovels, whereby their
construction is simplified and their efficiency increased.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 represents in end elevation a steam shovel closed having the features of
my invention.
Figure 2 represents in vertical section and elevation said steam shovel wide open.
Figure 3 is a view in side elevation thereof.
The members A, A¹ of the shovel are connected with each other by the links a,
there being one on each side, which are pivoted at each end to the members, the pivots
being lettered a¹ in each instance. The members A, A' are also connected with a
block B by the arms or rods b, there being four of these rods, each lettered b, and
two of which extend from the outer corners of the member A to the block, and two
from the outer corners of the member A'. Each is pivoted at its lower end to the
member to which it is attached, and each is also pivoted at its upper end to the
block B. Each member has extending from each side at or near its top, inwardly,
an arm C, the ends of which extend by each other, (see Figure 1) and the outer
ends of each arm is preferably forked at c, Figure 3, and there is thus provided
means for the attachment to each of a sheave, one arm having the sheave C¹ and
the other the sheave C², and each sheave being secured to the forked end of its arm
by a pivot or stud extending through it and the ends of the fork. The block B has
an eye b¹ by which connection is made with the hoisting rope B¹. The block also
has ears 6 between which are the sheaves 63, 6 mounted upon a stud or supporting
shaft supported by said ears, the shaft extending through the same.
D is the opening and closing rope of the shovel. Its end is in the two parts d, d¹
and the part d extends downward about the sheave C¹, thence upward about the
sheave b, thence downward again to the point d² where it is attached to the end of
the arm C. The part d' extends downwards about the sheave C2, thence upward about
the sheave b, thence downward to the point d³ where it is attached to the arm C². The
relation which these ends of the opening and closing rope or chain bear to the ends
of the arms C, C¹ when the shovel is closed is represented in Figure 1, and the
relation which they bear to the said arms and the relation which the other parts of
the shovel bear to each other when wide open is shown in Figure 3.
The pivots a¹ extend across the top of the shovel from side to side and through
the rods C, and each shovel member is pivoted to the lower ends of the rods and to
the outer ends of the links a and when the opening and closing rope is slackened
the shovel by its own weight moves upon these pivots to the position represented in

page_text: Figure 2, and is then very wide open, this very large opening being obtained by the
peculiar way in which the two sections are connected.
The extensions of the arms C by each other and the manner of connecting their
ends with the block B provides a very simple, direct and powerful leverage by
which the two parts of the shovel are closed in loading and held closed by
transferring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The improved steam shovel herein described, the same comprising the members A, A¹,
the links pivoted at their outer ends to said members, the rods b connecting the
outer corners of the shovel with the block B, the arms C, one attached to each shovel
member, the ends of which extend across each other and carry sheaves, the block B
and its sheaves, the hoisting rope B₁ and the opening and closing rope D, the ends
of which extend about the sheaves on the block and at the ends of said arms as
specified, and are attached to said arms C, as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination in a steam shovel of the members A, A¹, the links a, the cross
rods pivoting the links to the ends of the members and extending across them
between the ends, the block B, the rods b, the arms C, one for each member, fastened
thereto and having said cross rods extending through it, sheaves at the ends of said
arms, sheaves carried by the block B and the hoisting rope D making engagement
with said sheaves and arms as specified.
3. The steam shovel and means for opening and closing the same herein
described.
Dated this 13th day of July 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.