Improvements in Cranes for Dredging or Excavating.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1899-Accepted, 27th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cranes for Dredging or Excavating.
I, HAROLD WILLIAM JOSHUA CHEFFINS, Engineer, of St. Edmonds, The Terrace,
Greenhithe, in the County of Kent, 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:
-
My improvement can be applied to any ordinary jib crane and is as described
hereunder.
Attached to the underside of the jib of the crane, and swinging on a pin or
hinge, I have a long arm, made in any suitable manner of wood, iron, or other
suitable material, and at the outer end of this arm I have attached another long
arm, working on a hinge or pin and thus forming an elbow joint. At the end of
the second arm is attached the bucket, which is of the ordinary steam navvy type,
fitted with teeth for breaking away the chalk, rock, or gravel, or whatever is being
dealt with, and having a movable bottom for emptying.
The first arm referred to is pivoted at any suitable distance, say about 10 feet,
from the top of the jib of crane. From the elbow formed by the junction of the
two arms, I lead a guy rope, or chain, over the head of crane, and to a drum, con-
nected to a crank shaft worked by a cylinder actuated by steam, or water, or in
any suitable way. The guy rope is continued down, and round a roller placed
at the foot of crane, or in any suitable position on the crane jib,, and again to
the elbow joint.
The object of this guy rope or chain is to enable the bucket to be pushed into,
or drawn away from, the face of the material being worked.
The bucket is hoisted to the top in the ordinary manner, except that the hoisting
chain pulley is about half way down, instead of being at the head, of the jib of
crane.
I also have a break, either hand or foot, for checking the guy rope or chain
and for putting tension on the apparatus when necessary.
Or instead of this method I make my improved crane as follows-At the top end
of the jib I have a fixed arm, sloping downwards at a suitable angle, made in
any suitable manner of wood, iron, or other material and of a suitable length,
and near the bottom end of this arm I have a stay or beam running back hori-
zontally to the jib of crane. At the end of the fixed arm I have a girder or balk
of timber, swung vertically, which carries the bucket at its bottom end. This
beam or girder runs against rollers at the back, whilst on the front I have a
rack, with a corresponding toothed wheel placed at the end of the first arm, a
chain wheel and endless chain being also attached, the chain running to the
bottom end of the jib and round a chain wheel worked by suitable gearing.
By this means the beam or girder which carries the bucket can be raised or lowered
as desired. Attached to the bucket there is a pulley block with a chain or rope
leading back to the jib, round a roller, and then to a. drum worked by steam or
water or in any suitable manner, to enable the bucket to be drawn up against the
face of the material being worked.

page_text: The great feature of my improved crane is, that whilst the crane itself can
remain on the surface, the material being excavated can be dug out from below
the surface, either perpendicularly, or at any desired angle, or to any desired
depth, thus doing away with the necessity of pontoons when dredging or excavating
in water, or of keeping the crane on a level with its work, as is now necessary,
when dealing with dry materials. Another special feature also, is that the bucket
or digger is drawn upwards and against the face of its work on the same side
as the crane, instead of on the side away from the crane.
The drawings annexed show side elevations of my improved crane, in position
for working, of both methods described above for carrying out my invention.
In Fig. 1, A is the crane jib, B the arm pivoted to the jib A, and C the second
arm pivoted to arm B, arm C carrying the bucket D. Attached to the bucket is
the chain or rope E this rope passing round a roller at B¹ on to a drum F' which
is worked by a crank shaft connected to a cylinder. A chain or rope G is attached
to the knuckle joint C and passes round the roller H on the top of the jib A and
then down on to a drum at the foot of crane. The chain or rope G¹ is also attached
to the knuckle joint C¹ and passes round a drum I on the crane, the crane standing
on the surface of the ground J so that the earth, chalk, or whatever it may be, is
drawn up to the surface, the bucket digging towards the crane instead of, as is
usually the case, away from it.
Fig. 2 shows the second method as described above of carrying out my invention.
At the top end of the jib A, I have a fixed arm B, sloping downwards at a suitable
angle, at the bottom end of this arm I have a stay or beam C, running back
horizontally and fixed to the jib A, thus holding the first arm B in position. At
the end of the arm B, I have a girder or balk of timber D, which works up against
the rollers E, E, these rollers being pivoted between two triangular shaped plates R
pivoted to the beam B, the girder or limber D passing in between the two tri-
angular plates R. On the front side of the girder or timber D, I have a rack I'
with a corresponding toothed wheel G, with a chain wheel H, and an endless
chain I, running round the chain wheel J. At the end of the girder or timber 1)
there is a bucket or digger K with teeth L. Attached to this bucket K there is
a pulley block M a chain or rope N attached to the jib A passing round the
pulley back round the roller O and then to the drum where the power is
given out. The crane is on the surface of the ground P and the digger or bucket
works up the side Q.
It must be understood that I do not confine myself exactly to the details herein
described and shown in the drawings, these can be modified if found desirable,
but as already stated the novelty of my invention lies in the arrangement of the
bucket pole, which is turned and works towards the crane, and the ability to
excavate to any depth below the surface whilst the crane stands on it.
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. The improved crane for dredging and excavating, substantially as described
and shown in drawings.
2. In a crane for dredging or excavating the method, substantially as described
and shown in drawings, of digging below the surface of the ground or water the
crane itself standing on the surface of the ground.
3. An improved crane in which the bucket or digger works below the level of
the bottom of the crane and towards the crane substantially as described and
shown in drawings.
4. In a crane for dredging or excavating the method of working the bucket or
digger by means of arms connected to the jib of the crane and controlling same
by means of ropes or chains substantially as described and shown in drawings.
5. In a crane for dredging or excavating, the use of a girder or timber for carry-
ing the bucket or digger, and the method of working and controlling this girder

page_text: or timber so that the bucket or digger is kept up to the face of its work at any
angle, and also the method of raising and lowering same substantially as described
and shown in drawings.