IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-BRAKING, LOWERING, AND HOISTING APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-BRAKING, LOWERING, AND HOISTING APPARATUS."
-A communication from abroad by Walter Hart, of Philadelphia,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th January 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-BRAKING, LOWERING, AND HOISTING
APPARATUS,” a communication to me from abroad by Walter Hart, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus for preventing
accidents in raising and lowering boats and other objects by causing the

page_text: weight of the load to constantly and automatically apply a brake to
the draught rope or ropes through the medium of a lever or levers and
to thus arrest its own motion, the removal of the brake requiring the
constant attention of an operator, any inattention on the part of whom
can only result in the reapplying of the brake and the stopping of all
movement.
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine a brake lever
arranged to bear upon and stop the movement of a draught rope or
ropes with a lever or levers actuated by the said draught rope or ropes
and transmitting movement through a rock shaft, short lever arm, and
connecting link to the said brake lever. The brake lever is pivotted or
centred on a pedestal or support of its own provided with a recess to
receive the rope or ropes when acted upon by the brake lever, and with
guides and a separator for keeping the ropes separate when two ropes
are employed, as for example, in the case of boat lowering apparatus, in
which arrangement of apparatus two capstans of equal diameter geared
together are employed, one for each of the draught ropes. A foot lever
is so combined with the rock shaft and its appliances that when
depressed by the attendant it will remove or diminish the action of the
brake lever, but when not interferred with will allow the said brake lever
to act upon the rope or ropes.
According to a more simple arrangement the break lever itself may
carry a pulley, round which the draught rope passes in such a course as
to ensure the application of the break to another portion of the same
rope the moment it is subjected to any strain.
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 10th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of 30
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, 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 Henry Johnson, Her special license
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-
BRAKING, LOWERING, AND HOISTING APPARATUS," a communication to me
from abroad by Walter Hart, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should particularly
3 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 Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus for preventing
accidents in raising and lowering boats and other objects by causing the
weight of the load to constantly and automatically apply a brake to
the draft rope or ropes through the medium of a lever or levers and
to thus arrest its own motion, the removal of the brake requiring the
constant attention of an operator, any inattention on the part of whom
can only result in the reapplying of the brake and the stopping of all
movement.
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine a brake lever
arranged to bear upon and stop the movement of a draught rope or
ropes, with a lever or levers actuated by the said draught rope or ropes,
and transmitting movement through a rock shaft, short lever arm, and
connecting link to the said brake lever. The brake lover is pivotted or

page_text: centred on a pedestal or support of its own provided with a recess to
receive the rope or ropes when acted upon by the brake lever, and with
guides and a separator for keeping the ropes separate when two ropes
are employed, as for example, in the case of boat lowering apparatus,
in which arrangement of apparatus two capstans of equal diameter
geared together are employed, one for each of the draught ropes. A
foot lever is so combined with the rock shaft and its appliances, that
when depressed by the attendant it will remove or diminish the action
of the brake lever, but when not interfered with will allow the said
brake lever to act upon the rope or ropes.
According to a more simple arrangement the brake lever itself may
carry a pulley round which the draught rope passes in such a course as
to insure the application of the brake to another portion of the same rope
.the moment it is subjected to any strain.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of one form of the Invention where it
will be observed that the draft rope X passes around a pulley a on the
upper arm of a lever A, the lower curved arm of which is arranged to
brake or to force the draft rope against the base plate B, and to thus
arrest its movement, when the upper arm is caused to turn in the
direction of the arrow by the weight of the load suspended from the
end x of the said draft rope. By depressing an arm or treadle D the
operator can lift the brake and permit the movement of the the
rope,
rapidity of which movement is entirely under his control.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a duplex hoisting and lowering
apparatus fitted with the Invention; and Figure 3, a side sectional
elevation of the same.
To a base or platform B are secured a pedestal E and two standards
F, F, which together support a frame F¹, and in the said standards F
turns a rock shaft G having at its opposite ends levers A and A¹
provided at their extremities with antifriction rollers a, a, for the two
draft ropes X and X'. The said draft ropes are also passed around two
tapering capstans H and H' of equal diameter, which are mounted upon
and arranged to turn freely on the frame F', and are geared together, as
"

page_text: shown, so that their movements must be simultaneous and equal. From
the capstans the two draft ropes pass over the top of the pedestal E,
and between the same and a brake lever J having its fulcrum on the
said pedestal or on the frame at 6, and connected by a link K to an
arm L on the rock shaft G, so that whatever movements are imparted
to the levers A on the said rock shaft must be transmitted to the brake
lever. The pedestal has a recess d for the reception of the draft ropes
immediately beneath the operating end of the brake lever which has
transverse projections, as shown, and the said draft ropes are retained in
position and all possibility of their disengagement prevented partly by
the said brake lever and partly by the pedestal which is provided for
this purpose with guiding pulleys e, e, guides f, f, and a separator g.
The brake lever is provided with a handle by means of which it may
be pushed back by the operator for the purpose of releasing the draft
ropes. But for greater convenience it' is preferred to use a treadle D
secured to the rock shaft, by depressing which the same result may be
attained.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The load which may
be a boat to be lowered from a ship's side, or a platform, or other object
to be raised or lowered is suspended from the ends x, x, of the two draft
ropes X, X¹, while the operator places his foot upon the treadle D and
grasps the opposite ends of the said ropes. The weight of the load will
have a constant tendency to turn the levers A in the direction of the
arrows, and thus through the medium of the rock shaft and its
appliances to turn the brake lever J in the direction of its arrow and
thus force it down and positively arrest all movement of the draft ropes,
and this can only be counteracted by a constant pressure upon the
treadle D, which being entirely under the control of the operator
enables him to wholly or partially release the ropes from the brake
lever, and thus regulate as required the rapidity of movement of the
draft ropes.
The geared capstans besides acting in conjunction with the brake
lever to prevent too rapid or too sudden a movement of the draft ropes
are absolutely necessary when two ropes are employed, as they insure an
uniform and simultaneous movement of the same.
The apparatus may be attached to and move with the object to be
raised or lowered as readily as to a permanent base, the operation of the
several parts being in both cases precisely similar.

page_text: In some cases one of the levers A, and draft ropes, and one of the
capstans may be dispensed with without departing from my Invention.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of apparatus in which
the brake instead of acting directly upon the rope is applied to the
capstan or barrel on which the rope is wound. A represents any
suitable frame; B, the hoisting barrel; D, the draft wound upon
rope
and secured at one end to the said barrel; and E, the friction disc on
the latter, to which the brake strap F is applied. One end a of the
brake strap is secured to the frame A, and its opposite end to the long
arm of a lever G hung to the frame and provided at or near the
extremity of its short arm with a link b carrying a grooved pulley H
beneath which the draft rope is caused to pass.
In hoisting or lowering the weight suspended from the end x of the
draft rope will have a constant tendency to elevate the pulley H and
short arm of the lever, and to correspondingly lower the long arm of the
latter, thus applying the brake strap to the disc E and consequently
arresting the motion of the barrel and draught rope. This stoppage can
only be prevented by vibrating the lever by means of a treadle J
or otherwise, thus demanding the constant services of an attendant,
any inattention on the part of whom can only result in a re-applying of
the brake.
The operation is precisely the same in the case of a chain y which is
drawn from a suitable locker and simply passed over or around a pulley
having projections and recesses adapted to the shape of the links. In
the case of a chain however it is proposed to attach a stopper" d to
the lever, as indicated by dotted lines, so that when depressed the said
stopper shall be forced against the chain and thus arrest its motion.
"
It is preferred to use this stopper in connection with the braking
devices E, F, but it can be used independently of the latter.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation, and Figure 6 a sectional plan
view of a duplex hoisting and lowering apparatus constructed in
accordance with another arrangement of the Invention.
Two geared capstans H and H' are used as before described (in
Figure 2,) but the rock shaft G and braking devices connected therewith
are dispensed with and separate braking devices differing somewhat
from those already described are used for each rope X and X'. The

page_text: rope X passes beneath a sheave a on a link
secured to one arm of a
lever A which has its fulcrum at d on the under side of the frame F
of the apparatus, and to the opposite arm of the said lever is connected
a rod J which extends through and is guided by the standard E. The
tendency of the weighted end of the rope will be to elevate the outer
arm of the lever and to depress its inner arm, as indicated by the arrow
in Figure 5, and to thus draw down the hooked end e of the rod J upon
the portion of the rope which passes over the standard E, the rope being
thus tightly clamped and its motion arrested. A precisely similar
lever A¹ and hooked rod J¹ are used in connection with the rope X¹ (sec
Figure 6).
Each lever and braking rod is controlled by a cam lever D by
which the pressure upon the rope can be relieved to a greater or less
extent, as required, in a manner which will be readily understood with-
out explanation.
In Figure 5 the draft of the rope is upwards, but if it should be
downwards and tend therefore to depress the outer end of the lever and
elevate its inner end, as shown in Figure 7, the brake would have to be
somewhat modified, as shown in the latter Figure, by connecting the
rod J at its upper end to a short braking lever K which would in this
case act upon the rope. The cam lever D would also have to be placed
above instead of beneath the lever A, as shewn.
In the apparatus before described the capstans H and H¹ were.
geared together in order to insure their simultaneous movement in
lowering boats, &c., but the capstans may be positively turned by means
of this gearing during the operation of hoisting as will appear from the
following:-A pinion M on a short vertical spindlef gears into the cog
wheel at the base of the capstan H, and on the same spindle above the
pinion is a bevel wheel M¹ which gears into a pinion N on a spindle g,
turning in the standard E and provided at its opposite end with a bevel
wheel P into which gears a bevel pinion Q on a crank shaft R turning
in brackets h, h, of the standard and rendered longitudinally adjustable
therein, as shown in Figure 6, so that the pinion Q may be thrown in
or out of gear with the wheel P.
By turning the crank shaft R the capstans may be simultaneously
rotated in the direction of their respective arrows, Figure 6, thus
drawing in the ropes and hoisting the object or objects suspended from
the same.

page_text: In lowering the weight of the object will be sufficient to turn the
capstans, and in such a case the pinion on the crank shaft R is thrown
out of gear by moving the latter longitudinally in its bearings in the
direction of the arrow, Figure 6.
In hoisting it is necessary that there should be a continual tension
upon the portion of each rope between the capstan and brake, other-
wise the rope would become slack and slip upon the capstan. This
tension may be maintained by causing an attendant to haul continuously
upon the slack end of the rope, as in the duplex apparatus first
described, but it is preferred to attain the result positively by the
following mechanism, reference being had to Figures 5 and 6, and to the
detached plan view, Figure 8, front view, Figure 9, and enlarged view,
Figure 10, of the Drawing:-In brackets i, i, on the standard E turns a
spindle S provided at one end with a cog wheel j which gears into a
pinion k, (Figure 6,) on the driving shaft R, and on the said spindle
between the brackets and directly opposite the brakes and capstans is a
drum T over which the slack ends of the ropes are caused to pass.
This drum is caused by the gearing described to turn in the direction
of its arrow (Figure 5) during the operation of hoisting, and is provided
with gripping devices for seizing and drawing the ropes from beneath
the brakes and away from the capstans, the gearing being such, that
the speed of the periphery of the said drum shall be precisely the same
as that of the peripheries of the capstans.
Various gripping and releasing devices may be employed in con-
nection with the drum, but the arrangement of discs illustrated in
Figures 8 and 9, is preferred. The drum has four discs 1, 1, 1, P. The
discs 1, 1, are fast, but the discs A, P, have a sliding motion upon the
.drum. Each disc is acted on by a cam m, in passing which its
extreme upper portion is forced towards the disc and thus caused to
clamp the rope, as shown in Figure 9. The pressure against the rope is
only exerted at a point directly opposite the eccentric, and can be
relieved or increased, as required, by an adjustment of the said
eccentric. The eccentric is provided with antifriction rollers n, as shown
in Figure 10, so that it may not interfere with the rotation of the
adjustable disc.
Instead of a drum provided with four discs, each rope may have a
separate pulley with one fast and one moveable flange, or both flanges

page_text: may be loose and acted on by eccentrics so as to grip the rope between
them.
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 Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First. The construction and arrangement of a hoisting and lowering
apparatus in which the weight of the load is caused to stop the motion
of the draught rope or chain through the medium of a lever or levers,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illus-
trated by the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The combination of a brake lover J arranged to bear upon
and stop the movement of a draft rope or ropes with a lever or levers A
actuated by the said draft rope or ropes and transmitting movement
through a rock shaft G, arm L, and link K, to the said brake lever in a
hoisting and lowering apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 on the accom-
panying Drawings.
Third. The combination of the brake lever J with the pedestal E,
its recess d, guides f,f, and separator 9, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 on
the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The combination of the geared capstans H and H³ of equal
diameter with the two draft ropes X and X' of a hoisting and lowering
apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described
and illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 on the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. The combination with the capstan H or with the capstans H
and H' of the driving shaft R and gearing, whereby either or both of
the said capstans may be positively rotated by tho said shaft during the
operation of hoisting, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described and illustrated by Figures 4 and 5 on the accompanying
Drawings.
Sixth. The combination of the foot lever D with the rock shaft and
its appliances and with the brake lever J, substantially as and for the

page_text: purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 on
the accompanying Drawings.
Seventh. The combination upon a suitable frame of a rock shaft G,
levers A, A', arm L, link K, brake lever J, pedestal and guides E, and
geared capstans H, H', in a hoisting and lowering apparatus, substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by
Figures 2 and 3 on the accompanying Drawings.
Eighth. The combination of the lever A and brake rod J attached
thereto with the frame of the apparatus and its standard E, substantially
as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures
5 and 6 on the accompanying Drawings.
Ninth. The supplemental braking lever K hung to the standard E
and operated by the rod J, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by Figure 7 on the accompanying
Drawings.
Tenth. The combination of the cam lever D with the lever A and
braking appliance, substantially as and for the purpose hercin-before
described and illustrated by Figures 5 and 7 on the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and scal, the Ninth day of July
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
T
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