IMPROVE- MENTS IN HYDRAULIC HOISTING APPARATUS, INCLUDING AN IMPROVED FRICTION CLUTCH, AN IMPROVED SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CAGES, AND AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR OR BRAKE FOR REGULATING THE DESCENT OF THE CAGE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Timothy Stebins, Anthony Rosenfield, Henry
Mayers, and William Frederick Leon, of San Francisco, California,
in the United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HYDRAULIC HOISTING APPARATUS, INCLUDING AN IMPROVED
FRICTION CLUTCH, AN IMPROVED SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CAGES,
AND AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR OR BRAKE FOR REGULATING THE DESCENT OF
THE CAGE,"
Sealed the 25th July 1873, and dated the 10th June 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Timothy Stebins,
Anthony Rosenfield, Henry Mayers, and William Frederick Leon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition
and Declaration, on the 10th June 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, TIMOTHY
STEBINS, ANTHONY ROSENFIELD, HENRY MAYERS, and WILLIAM
FREDERICK LEON, of San Francisco, California, in the United States
of America, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HYDRAULIC HOISTING APPARATUS, INCLUDING AN IMPROVED FRICTION CLUTCH,
AN IMPROVED SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR CAGES, AND AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR
OR BRAKE FOR REGULATING THE DESCENT OF THE CAGE," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto us, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that we really believe ourselves to be the first and true
Inventors thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Timothy Stebins, Anthony
Rosenfield, Henry Mayers, and William Frederick Leon, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under our hands
and seals, fully describes the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to that class of hoisting apparatus in which the
pressure of water upon a piston in a cylinder is used for elevating a
cage from one level to another.
Our Invention relates, first, to a vertical arrangement of cylinders;
and secondly, to a horizontal arrangement, either of which can be
employed.
Our improvement in vertical cylinders consists of an arrangement
whereby the power of either one or two upright cylinders can be
employed for elevating the load according to the weight which it is
desired to lift. Heretofore when two cylinders have been used for this
purpose their arrangement has been such that the pressure in both
cylinders was applied in all cases whether the load was heavy or light,
whereas frequently, and in most cases, the power obtained from a single
cylinder is sufficient, thus causing a waste of water, which especially in
cities where water is paid for by the gallon is a heavy and unnecessary
expense.
Our improvement in horizontal cylinders consists in the employment
of a flexible piston rod for connecting the piston of the cylinder directly
with the cage or elevator platform, thus converting the piston rod into
a hoisting rope.
Our improved friction clutch consists of a radially slotted metal disk,
so arranged inside of a stationary box pulley that bars can be placed in
the slots with one end moving against the inside face of the rim of the

page_text: box. These bars are so constructed and applied that when the disk is
revolved in one direction they will move around with it; but when by
accident or otherwise the power is reversed, the bars will bind against the
rim of the box and serve as a clutch to hold the disk in place. As an
additional safety guard we also employ a novel gripping attachment
upon the cage which shall grasp or bind against the guiding timbers
between which the cage moves in case of accident only, such as the
breaking of the rope that raises and lowers the cage, so that the cage or
elevator platform will be prevented from falling.
Our governor or brake consists in the employment of two or more
shoes which rotate within a stationary rim. These shoes are so con-
nected with their axle that any increase of speed beyond the desired
point will cause the shoes to move outward against the rim with more or
less friction, and thus retard the speed of the shaft about which they
rotate, and regulate the descent of the cage.
A full and complete description of our improvements in elevators
as above recapitulated with reference to the accompanying Drawings is
8 shows a front view of our expansible pulley.
"
"
9 is a side view of the same.
"
"
10 is an enlarged view of the double inlet cock for water.
11 is a front view of the brake.
A, A, represent two upright cylinders which are secured upon the
same bed piece B at a short distance apart, or any number of such
cylinders can be used. Each of these cylinders has a piston C, and each
piston has a bar D extending upward from its center in the manner of a
piston rod. These bars have each a rib E extending its entire length
along the middle of one side, while the opposite side is formed into a

page_text: rack. A strong metal side piece F is secured to the outside upper end
of each of the cylinders A só as to project above the cylinders. A shaft
extends across above the cylinders back of the piston bars D and bears
in the side pieces F. A spool G is secured upon the shaft opposite the
rib E of each bar, in which the rib fits so that the spools form guides for
the bar. A shaft H passes across above the cylinders on the opposite
side of the bars D which also bears in the side pieces F. Opposite each
of the rack bars D a broad spur wheel I is secured to the shaft H so as
to engage with the teeth on the vertical bars, and between the two broad
wheels I a large spur wheel J is fixed to the shaft; thus when the rack
bars D are raised the wheels I and J are revolved by the engagement of
the rack. Below the wheel J a shaft K passes across parallel with the
shaft H and bears in the lower end of the side pieces F; this shaft has
at its middle a pinion L which engages with the wheel J, and at the
extremity of the shaft is a large driving pulley, around which the belt
or rope from the elevator platform or car passes. By this arrangement
the cylinders A, A, can be made quite short, so that they can be placed
in a cellar or other small compartment, as the speed of the driving pulley
can be multiplied at pleasure and thus obtain a large amount of elevation
for a short stroke of the piston bar. Either one or both of the rack bars
can be used to transmit the power to the gearing. The water which
lifts the pistons C and rack bars D is introduced into the cylinder below
the piston through branch pipes which are secured in the holes M in
the bed piece. These pipes are so arranged that the water can be turned
into either one or both cylinders as required. By this means the
ordinary work of the elevator can be accomplished by one of the
cylinders, and when an extra amount of power is required in order to
lift an unusual load both cylinders can be employed, thus providing an
elevator that will answer in any place, and do its work with great
economy of water.
When we employ a horizontal cylinder we are enabled to do away
with all racks, pinions, and gears for transmitting and changing the
direction of the power by the employment of a flexible piston rod N, as
shown at Fig. 7, which may be made of steel wire, or wire rope and steel
wire, or of wire rope entirely. This flexible piston rod will have one end
attached to the piston in the cylinder in the same manner that an
ordinary piston rod is attached, and will pass through a stuffing box in
the end of the cylinder, thence it can be carried around pullies in any

page_text: suitable direction up or down and have its opposite end secured to the
cage or platform. The water will be admitted into the cylinder through
a passage O³ so as to force the piston to the opposite end of the cylinder,
thus elevating the cage; and when the water is allowed to escape
from the cylinder the weight of the cage will cause it to descend
and carry the piston back to its first position. In some cases it may
be found convenient to make the piston rigid and connect its outer
end with a rope or other flexible connection, but in most cases this
arrangement would occupy too much space. By this arrangement
the operation is much simplified, and the loss of power by friction is
greatly reduced.
In connection with this horizontal cylinder we shall also use what
we call an expanding pulley represented at Figs. 8 and 9. This pulley
is fixed upon a shaft a² and is composed of a central hub ³ from which
arms c, c³, radiate; the outer extremities of these arms are enlarged
and grooved so as to provide a seat for the rope. Each of these arms
move in radial holes in the hub and are arranged to be moved inward or
outward from the center by a screw d and small bevel wheel
e applied to the inner extremity of cach arm, so that these bevel wheels
will stand in a circle about the shaft. An expanding rim can be used
upon this wheel. This rim is composed of sections of spring steel of
sufficient length to overlap three of the arms and thus provide a
continuous rim as shown at Fig. 8. The middle of each section is
secured upon the face of one arm, and its opposite ends extend to the
middle of the faces of the adjoining arms, so as to slide back and forth
as the arms are moved in and out. A pulley F³ is placed loosely
upon the shaft a beside the hub 6º and has one side formed into
a large bevel wheel which will engage with e, so that when the
pulley F is revolved the screws d² will be turned so as to expand or
contract the diameter of the large pulley according to the direction in
which the pulley F is rotated. The rope by which the cage or elevator
platform is raised and lowered has one end secured to this expansion
pulley and passes up over another pulley and down to the cage, to
which its opposite end is attached. An endless rope ³ passes around
the pulley F and another pulley h² above the highest point to which the
cage is raised, so that one side of the rope will pass through the cage.
The flexible piston rod passes around a fixed pulley on the shaft a²
independent of the expansion pulley and pulley Fª.

page_text: Now it will be seen that when the cage is down and it is desired to
ascend with a light load, the person in the cage can by drawing upon
the endless rope V rotate the pulley F2 so as to turn the bevel
wheels e³ and screws d³, and expand or enlarge the diameter of the wheel
b, c, which will then hoist the cage with a smaller quantity of water, as
the piston will only have to travel a portion of the length of the cylinder
in order to elevate the cage owing to the increased size of the pulley.
The water is admitted to and exhausted from the cylinder through
a three-way cock, shown at Fig. 10, which consists of a hollow conical
plug having two passages i¹, 2, through it at right angles to each
other and at a short distance apart. This plug fits in a triple pipe
connection, consisting of the single pipe & upon one side and the two
pipes o², p², upon the opposite side. The pipe & has an enlarged opening
next to the plug of sufficient capacity to connect with both passages i¹, i³,
while the pipes o², p³, upon the opposite side connect each with one of
the passages, thus a quarter revolution of this plug will close one
passage and open the other. A bent arm i extends outward and
upward from the main pipe 1, and the plug has its outer extremity
supported by a pivot screw &² which passes through the end of the
arm. This screw serves as a trunnion for supporting the end of the
plug and serves to tighten it in its set in case it should wear. This
plug will be operated by a single rope which leads to the inside of the
cage, so that by drawing upon the rope so as to turn the plug a quarter
revolution in one direction the water is admitted through one passage
into the cylinder, and by turning it a quarter revolution cither way
from this point the inlet passage is closed and the exhaust passage
opened so as to let the water discharge through the other passage.
Figs. 3 & 4 represent our improved friction clutch; P is a hollow
pulley or circular box having a rim on one side. The side of this
pulley is constructed with an interior circular ledge Q, somewhat
smaller than the diameter of the inside of tho pulley, thus leaving an
annular channel R between the rim of the ledge and inside of the rim
of the pulley. A circular disc S slips on over the shaft T so as to lie
against the face of the ledge Q inside of the pulley and is
to the shaft. This disk is provided with one or more radial slots U, U, 3
which extend from near its hub to the outer edge of the disk, as
shown. These slots are made wide enough to admit of bars V, V, to
lie in them. The outer ends of these bars are bent at right angles
keyed firmly

page_text: laterally, or otherwise formed so as to provide a side projection W,
which lies and moves in the channel R, while their opposite ends bear
against the metal at the opposite end of the slot. The object of thus
fitting the bars is to give a greater amount of surface against the rim
of the pulley for frictional purposes, while the bent ends fitting in the
channel R steady the bars in their movements.
The slots U, U, are so constructed that when the bars V lie flat
against one of their sides a radial line drawn from the center of the
disk to its periphery through the slots will pass directly through the
middle of the bars, and when in this position the disk can be moved
around in one direction by revolving the shaft T carrying the bars
with it. The slots are wider than the bars at their outer ends, and the
sides opposite the straight side are curved from the inner to the outer
ends of the slots, thus making them wider at the rim of the discs than
at the bottom or end nearest the center. The bottoms of the slots are
also made upon the curve of a circle drawn from the center of the
shaft, so that when it is attempted to revolve the shaft T backwards or
in the reverse direction to that above mentioned the bars will
immediately bind against the rim of the pulley P and lock the disk
and shaft in its position.
A cap may fitted over the open side of the pulley or circular box
so as to conceal and protect the movements.
Our safety cage attachment is represented at Fig. 5, in which X, X,
are the side timbers between which the elevator platform Y moves;
Z, Z are two lever arms pivoted at the points a to the platform or cage
frame Y, and having their ends bent at a right angle, as shown at
Fig. 6, so as to form lugs which move outside of the timbers X, X.
If preferred these bent ends may extend entirely around the timbers X,
or the levers may be duplicated so that there will be one set upon
cach side of the frame. The inner ends of the levers overlap each
other, and both pass through the link b. The hoisting rope is secured
to the upper end of the link b, and when the weight of the platform
is sustained by the rope the link which slides vertically will be drawn
close up to the cross timber d, thus raising the inner ends, so that the
lugs move freely and out of contact with the timbers X, X. A stout
spring e is secured to the cross timber d so that it acts directly upon
the overlapping ends of the levers Z, Z, to force them down instantly
if the rope breaks, and the lugs at the opposite ends of the levers will

page_text: thus be made to bind firmly against the timbers X, and thus arrest
the cage or platform and prevent it from falling. If preferred a
separate spring can be used for each lever, thus rendering their action
more positive, as if one lever should fail the other is still operative.
Our automatic brake or governor for regulating the descending
speed of the cage or platform is represented at Fig. 11; fis the shaft
from which the cage is suspended. This shaft has secured to it a hub g
having arms h. To the outer end of these arms other arms i, i, are
hinged. A shoe ; is secured to the outer extremity of the arms i, i,
so that they will rotate just within a rim K. This rim is secured to the
post or timber X', at only one point 7, and this point is directly above
the center of the hub g, so that the ring will depend from the point
and have the same center as the hub. The attachment is such that
the ring can be moved about as a center and thus give it an eccentric
position with reference to the center of the hub g when desired.
Suitable springs m are connected with the shoes ; or their hinged arms,
and these springs are so arranged as to be adjustable. By the tension.
of the springs the speed of the machine is determined, and when the
centrifugal force overcomes the springs the shoes are thrown out against
the inner face of the rim and thus the speed is checked. Directly
opposite the point at the lowest point of the ring are two lugs n, n,
a short distance apart, and which project downward from the ring.
Secured to the post X³ underneath these lugs is a plate p which is wider
than the post, and this plate has a projection q upon each side which
serves to limit the movement of the ring by forming a shoulder upon
each side of the lugs against which they strike when the ring is moved
to the eccentric position. A set screw passes horizontally through
each of the projections q, by which the amount of eccentricity or
throw of the ring can be still further regulated when desired. A
lever is pivoted to the post X' just below the lugs n, the long arm
of which extends outward from the post while a projection 3 above
the point of attachment passes between the two lugs, so that by
pressing downward upon the outer ends of the lever the ring is thrown
to the eccentric position so as to act as a brake, and by elevating it the
ring is returned to its proper position to allow the arms to revolve
freely and act as a governor by the centrifugal force. The hub g is
grooved around its outer edge. A cord 4 has one end secured to the
extremity of the lever t and passes up over the hub lying in the groove

page_text: and thence down upon the opposite side through an eye 5, and has a
weight 6 at its extremity. The long arm of the lever t should be
weighted so as to be slightly heavier than the weight 6, so that its
position when in a state of rest will be down and thus keep the ring in
its eccentric position. A cord 7 passes from the extremity of the
levert up over a pulley and thence to the cage or clevator platform by
which the brake will be relieved.
Now it will be seen that when it is desired to lower the cage a pull
upon the cord 7 will move the ring from its eccentric position and allow
the hub to be revolved freely inside of it by the descending weight,
with the slides serving to govern or regulate the speed of the car by
virtue of their outward force against the inner face of the ring; and
when it is desired to stop the cage at any point by shutting off the
discharge of water from the cylinders, the revolution of the hub is
stopped and a slightly reverse motion of the hub results. This reverse
motion draws the weight 6 upwards by the friction of the cord 4, and
the superior weight of the lever arm draws the ring to the eccentric
position so as to effectually lock the hub by the binding of the shoes
against the rim.
Having thus described our Invention, what we claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. The upright cylinders A, A, with their pistons C, each of said
pistons being provided with an upright rack bar D in combination with
the shaft H, with its spur wheels I and J, and the shaft K with its
pinion L and driving pulley, whereby we are enabled to employ the
pressure in either one or both cylinders for hoisting purposes,
substantially as and for the purpose above described.
Second. The upright rack bars D provided with the rib in com-
bination with the guide spools G, substantially as and for the purpose
above described.
Third. The horizontal cylinder A' with its piston C¹ in combination
with the flexible piston rod N or equivalent device, when constructed
to operate an elevator or hoist, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The outer shell or pulley P in combination with the radially
slotted disc S and brake bars V, substantially as and for the purpose
above described.

page_text: Fifth. The pulley P having one side provided with a ledge Q so as
to form an annular channel in combination with the brake bars V
having the projection W, substantially as and for the purpose above
described.
Sixth. The slots U having one straight and one curved side, and
a curved bottom, in combination with the brake bars V, substantially
as and for the purpose above described.
Seventh. The levers Z with their binding lugs, together with the
vertically sliding link 6 and the operating springs e, substantially as
and for the purpose above described.
Eighth. The expansion wheel consisting of the hub b with its radial
arms C³, screws d, and bevel wheels e³, arranged as described, in
combination with the pulley F with its bevel wheel g³, substantially as
and for the purpose above described.
Ninth. The improved three-way cock consisting of the hollow plug J
with its two passages i¹, &, arranged at right angles to each other and
supported by a pivot S in the end of the arm i, in combination with
the pipe, with its enlarged or double opening, and the two opposite
pipes o³, p, substantially as and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, wc, the said Timothy Stobins, Anthony
Rosenfield, Henry Mayers, and William Frederick Leon, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.