An Improved Grip for Cable Railways.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 21st June, 1887.
An Improved Grip for Cable Railways.
We, ROBERT STOCKTON BELISLE, and JOHN LUCAS, both of Philadelphia, in the
County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Gentlemen, 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 :-
Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in Grips for Cable
Railways, of which the following is a specification.
Our invention relates to certain novel features in the construction of gripping
devices and mechanism for operating the same, applicable to cable railways; and the
object of the invention is to provide a gripping device of simple construction, which
at the same time will be strong, durable, and held positively by friction to the cable,
so that when released the respective jaws of the gripping device will be entirely free
from the same, and, moreover, a device susceptible of being elevated a sufficient
distance above the cable to allow the gripman in charge of the car to readily pass over
cross-cables, thereby obviating the constant and rapid wearing out and many other
objectionable features attending the use of cable-grips as heretofore constructed; and,
furthermore, instead of having to replace a grip after one or more round trips with
another, as is now the common practice, we are enabled to use the same gripping
device for a considerable time, for the reason that the grip is not in frictional contact
with the cable, save when propelling the car, so that little or no wear is occasioned in
its use.
The novel features in our invention will be appreciated from the further description
thereof, more particularly with respect to its mode of operation in connection with the
cable, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein we have shown our
invention in a form which has been found practically efficient, and in which-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of so much of a car and an underground conduit as
will serve to illustrate the application of my improved grip and mechanism for
operating the same, with a cable held firmly thereto in the conduit, and the manner
of operating and regulating the grip from the car.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a cross-section of a car with our improved grip and mechanism for
operating the same applied thereto, and showing the guide-plates and the levers and
gripping-jaws in their respective positions both when in frictional contact with the
cable and when released therefrom. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of our improved
gripping device, and in Fig. 4 is shown in perspective the detached parts comprising
said gripping device.
Referring now to the drawings for a further description of our invention, A is an
under-ground metallic conduit, provided in the top thereof with a narrow channel or
slot, a, for the vertical plate to travel through, coupled to the gripping device by
means of toggle-levers or other suitable mechanism within the conduit A, to be
presently fully described.
B and B are two rails forming the track, suitably secured to a road-bed, d.
C represents so much of a car as will serve to illustrate the application of our
invention thereto for propelling the same over the rails B and B¹. To the front
platform, e, of the car C is rigidly secured a circular rack, c, and in the platform, in a
fine parallel with the rack e, is provided an oblong slot, c¹, for the reception of the
vertical operating-lever D, pivoted to the rack c or to the platform by means of a
bolt, c, and so arranged that a free backward and forward movement of the same may
be obtained within the oblong slot c¹. To this operating-lever D is attached a locking
device d', having a dog, d², which engages between the respective teeth of the rack c,
and arranged so that it may be readily released therefrom and the lever I moved into
any position desired.
A horizontal link or bar, E, is hinged to the operating-lever D beneath the
platforme of the car C by means of a bolt, e¹, and nut e2, and these parts D and E are
preferably so constructed and hinged together as to form a knee-joint. The other
extremity of this link E is provided with a sleeve, F, attached rigidly to a shaft, F¹,
held in bearings in the triangular-shaped plates H and H2, forming a bell-crank
lever H. These plates form bearings for a shaft, h, around which is fitted the
sleeve I¹ of the vertical plate I, having upon its depending opposite extremity a
V-shaped plunger, J.
Rigidly to the under side of the car-floor e, in any suitable manner, is secured two
stout metallic guide-plates, K and K', to which, by means of a stout bolt, h¹, and
nut 2, is fulcrumed the bell-crank lever H, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby affording
sufficient leverage to the vertical plate I and horizontal link E to allow the gripping
device to readily grip the cable A² by the backward movement of the operating-
lever D, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and, furthermore, to release the grip from
its frictional contact with the cable A2 by the forward movement of the operating
lever D, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2.
The vertical projecting plate I is provided with a sleeve, I¹, which is fitted to the
shaft h, held in bearings in the triangular-shaped plates H and H2, forming the
bell-crank lever H, and the opposite extremity of the plate I is provided with a
V-shaped plunger, J, which plays freely upward and downward between the upper
portions of the two sections M and M of the gripping device, as shown in Figs. 1
and 2. This gripping device consists of two sections M and M', which
may be
designated as "right" and "left" sections, each section being provided with a curved
jaw, m, eyes m', Fig. 4, and a horizontal projecting flanged top, m², forming a support
for the V-shaped plunger J. The two sections M and M are hinged together by
means of a stout bolt, m³, which passes through the eyes m¹ of the respective sections,
and the bolt is held to place therein by means of a nut or otherwise.
The sections M and M₁ being hinged together, the plunger-head J is placed in
position between them, and the toggle-levers N and N¹ secured, respectively, to the
plunger-head J by means of a stout bolt, j, passing entirely through the head and held
to place by means of a nut, j'. The opposite extremities of the toggle-levers N and N¹
are secured to the respective sides of the gripping device by means of bolts m³, or in
any other manner that may be found best for giving the greatest strength and ease of
movement. These toggle-levers N and N¹ open and close the sections M and M¹ of
the gripping device operating the curved jaws for embracing the cable A³, and also

page_text: regulate the extent of movement of the plunger upward and downward between the
right and left sections M and M¹ of the gripping device when the cable is released
therefrom.
While we have shown and described the best form of apparatus known to us at the
present time for advantageously accomplishing our object, yet, nevertheless, it is
manifestly obvious that the parts thereof may be varied or modified somewhat, and
hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise arrangement
hereinbefore set forth and shown in the drawings but crave the right to modify the
same in such manner as may be deemed best for better carrying out the invention,
without, however, departing from the real spirit thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. A gripping device consisting of two metallic sections suitably hinged together,
having jaws actuated by a plunger, with toggle-levers respectively carried by said
plunger and sections, and means for operating said grip, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
2. A gripping device for cable railways, consisting of two metallic sections suitably
hinged to each other and having curved jaws for encircling a cable, actuated by a
V-shaped plunger carried by a vertical plate, and with toggle-levers attached,
respectively, to said plunger and sections, and means, substantially such as described,
for operating said device, for the purposes set forth.
3. A gripping device for cable railways, consisting of two of two sections hinged
to each other and having curved jaws for gripping a cable, actuated by a V-shaped
plunger carried by a vertical plate, and to which plunger and sections are respectively
attached toggle-levers, said vertical plate being journaled to a bell-crank lever
fulcrumed in two guide-plates held rigidly to a car, and with levers for actuating
said gripping device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The combination, with a conduit, a cable, a gripping device, and a vertical plate
having a V-shaped plunger, and toggle-lovers secured, respectively, to said plunger
and gripping device, the opposite extremity of said plate having a sleeve carried upon
a shaft held in bearings in two triangular plates, of a bell-crank lever pivotally
supported in guide-plates, two depending guide-plates, and levers for operating said
gripping device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.