IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CRANES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE GENERATION OF STEAM.”
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Soames and John Campbell Evans, of the
"Morden Iron Works," East Greenwich, in the County of Kent,
Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CRANES, PARTS
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE GENERATION OF STEAM.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Soames and John
Campbell Evans at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 8th January 1858.
We, PETER SOAMES and JOHN CAMPBELL EVANS, of the "Morden Iron
Works," East Greenwich, in the County of Kent, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CRANES, PARTS OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE GENERATION OF STEAM," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to that class of steam cranes wherein the winding
drum or barrel is driven either direct or through the intervention of suitable
toothed or friction gearing from a steam cylinder attached to the framing or
platform of the crane or to the boiler.
These improvements consist in causing the boiler which supplys the steam
to the cylinder; and which is carried on the revolving platform of the crane
to serve as the crane pillar or post, the tension or tie rods from the head of

page_text: the jib being firmly secured to the top or other convenient portion of the
boiler. By this arrangement the ordinary pillar is dispensed with and the
size and weight of the crane materially reduced.
The boiler which we prefer to use, although any ordinary boiler may be
employed, consists of a vertical shell fitted internally with one, two, or more
hollow conical water spaces, arranged one above another, with their apices
upwards, and having each a passage or opening made through them to allow
the heat and flame of the furnace to play freely over the upper and under
sides of each water space.
Suitable passages are used for forming a communication between the
several water spaces (when more than one are used) and with the interior
of the boiler. The chimney is placed at the side of the boiler, and the fire
bars are disposed beneath the bottom water space, which thus forms a hollow
conical roof to the furnace.
By this peculiar construction of boiler a large heating surface is obtained,
whilst the inconveniences attendant upon the use of tubular boilers are
obviated.
This boiler, although described as being used in combination with a steam
crane, may also be employed separately with advantage in all cases where
vertical tubular boilers are applicable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Soames and John Campbell Evans in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th July 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
SOAMES and JOHN CAMPBELL EVANS, of the "Morden Iron Works," East
Greenwich, in the County of Kent, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Peter Soames and John Campbell Evans, Her special licence, that
we, the said Peter Soames and John Campbell Evans, our executors, admi:
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter .Soames and
John Campbell Evans, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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 STEAM CRANES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
TO THE GENERATION OF STEAM," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Peter Soames and John Campbell Evans, our executors or administra-
tors, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Peter Soames and John Campbell
Evans, do hereby declare the nature of our 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:
Our.said Invention relates to that class of steam cranes wherein the wind-
ing drum or barrel is driven either direct or through the intervention of
suitable toothed or friction gearing from a steam cylinder attached to the
framing or platform of the crane, or to the boiler thereof. These improve-
ments consist partly in making the boiler which supplies the steam to the
cylinder, and which may be carried on the revolving platform of the crane,
serve as the crane pillar or post, the tension or tie rods connected with the
head of the crane jib, being firmly secured at their opposite or lower ends to
the top or other convenient portion of the boiler. In some cases, however,
the platform may be dispensed with, and the boiler may be either fixed or
made to rotate with the crane; in the former arrangement the lower ends of
the tension rods may be secured to a ring revolving round the top or other
convenient portion of the boiler. By these arrangements the ordinary pillar
or post is dispensed with and the size and weight of the crane is materially
reduced.
;
Any ordinary boiler may be employed, but the boiler which we prefer to
use, and which we claim as part of our Invention, consists of a vertical shell
fitted internally with one, two, or more hollow conical water spaces arranged
one above another with their apices upwards, and having one or more passages
or openings made through them to allow the heat and flame of the furnace
to play freely over the upper and under sides of each water space. One or

page_text: more passages are used for forming a communication between the several
water spaces (when more than one are employed) and with the interior of the
boiler, so as to admit of the water circulating freely between the several
conical heating surfaces. The chimney may be placed at the side of the
boiler, and the fire bars are disposed beneath the bottom water space, which
latter forms a hollow conical roof to the furnace.
By this peculiar construction of boiler a large heating surface is obtained,
whilst the inconveniences attendant upon the use of tubular boilers are
obviated.
Figure 1, on the accompanying illustrative Sheet of Drawings, represents a
side elevation of the jib, tension rods, boiler, and revolving platform of a
steam crane constructed according to our present Invention, the boiler-serving
as the crane pillar or post; Figure 2 is a vertical section of our improved
form of boiler, shewing the internal arrangement of the hollow conical water.
space; and Figure 3 is a similar view of the boiler, shewing the application of
several such water spaces to one boiler. In Figure 1, A represents the
revolving platform of the crane which turns on a centre or pivot at B in the
base plate C, secured to the stone or other foundation of the crane. This
platform when employed carries the boiler D, which supplies the steam to the
engine for working the crane.
.
As the arrangement of engine and winding mechanism forms no part of
our present Invention, we have not considered it necessary to illustrate the
same in our Drawings, such arrangement being capable of being modified in
various ways.
And we also wish it to be understood, that we do not, confine or restrict
ourselves to any particular construction or arrangement of engine and winding
mechanism. The lower end of the jib E may be secured in the ordinary or
any other convenient manner to the platform, and its upper extremity is
supported by tension rods F, which may be connected in any suitable manner
thereto. The lower or opposite ends of these tension rods, in place of being
secured to an ordinary crane pillar or post, are secured to the top or to any
other convenient portion of the boiler D, which thus takes the place, and
performs the functions of a separate pillar or post.
:
We may here 'observe, that we do not confine or restrict ourselves to the
use of any particular form or arrangement of boiler, so long as such boiler be
made to serve as the crane pillar or post, but the boiler which we most prefer
to use, as affording considerable advantages over those at present in ordinary
use, and which forms a part of our Invention, is a vertical boiler fitted up

page_text: internally with one, two, or more hollow conical water spaces arranged sub-
stantially in the manner illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 of our Drawings. In.
these Figures, D is the outer shell of the boiler, and G, G, are a series of
conical-shaped plates, so arranged within the lower portion of the shell as to
leave intervening spaces between them, such spaces being alternately heating
spaces h, h, and water spaces w, w. These conical plates are placed with
their apices upwards, their lower edges or lips being rivetted or otherwise
secured to the boiler shell, as shewn in the Drawing. H, H, are the furnace
bars, the roof of the furnace being formed by the first or inner one of the.
series of conical plates. One or more passages or openings p, p', are made
through the heating spaces h, for the purpose of allowing the flame and
heated gases to play freely through the several heating spaces, as shewn by
the arrows, and finally to escape by the chimney I. These passages or open-
ings may be made in any convenient manner, either as single apertures, as
shewn in Figure 2, in which case the edges of the conical plates at the
apertures may be bent over, and rivetted to the adjoining plate as shewn at p,
or a wrought-iron or other mouthpiece may be interposed between the plates,
as shewn at p¹, but we do not confine ourselves to any particular mode of
forming these passages. If found desirable short tubes may be inserted
between the conical plates, as shewn at p, in Figure 3. K is a passage which
serves to form a communication between the main boiler water space and the
water spaces w, w, contained between the conical plates above referred to, so
that a constant and free circulation of the water and globules of steam will
be maintained. The fire-door is not shewn in our Drawings, but it may be
arranged in any convenient manner, so as to open into the interior of the
furnace. We propose to employ boilers of this description in all cases where
vertical boilers are applicable, but they will be found to be admirably adapted
to portable engines of all kinds, and to the working of steam cranes, winches,
and other machinery where strength of boiler combined with lightness and
compactness are requisite.
In conclusion we would observe, that although we have particularly
described and illustrated our said Invention, and the best modes of carrying
the same into effect, we do not limit ourselves to those precise arrangements,
as it will be obvious to the practical engineer that the same may be varied
considerably in the several details without departing from the principles or
main features of our Invention, which we consider to be,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of steam cranes substan-
tially as herein-before described.

page_text: Second, the system or mode of constructing and arranging steam cranes
whereby the boiler of the engine is made to serve as the pillar or post of the
crane, substantially in the manner herein-before set forth.
Third, the peculiar constructions and arrangements of steam boilers or
generators as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Campbell Evans, on behalf of
myself and the said Peter Soames, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
eight.
JOHN CAMPBELL EVANS. (L.S.)