IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING PASSENGERS AND CARRIAGES OVER RIVERS, ESTUARIES, AND VALLEYS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Barclay Bruce, junior, of Westminster Chambers,
Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING PASSENGERS AND CARRIAGES
OVER RIVERS, ESTUARIES, AND VALLEYS."
Sealed the 9th May 1876, and dated the 4th February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Barclay Bruce at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th February 1876.
GEORGE BARCLAY BRUCE, junior, of Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in
the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRANS-
FERRING PASSENGERS AND CARRIAGES OVER RIVERS, ESTUARIES, AND VALLEYS."
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a means for crossing rivers and
estuaries without impeding navigation; but by this Invention broad valleys may
also be crossed at far less cost than by a bridge or viaduct. To this end I propose
to erect piers at a required distance apart in the river or estuary or valley to be
crossed, and on these piers 1 mount friction or other driving wheels, to which is
given rotary motion by means of stationary engines mounted on the piers. These
wheels are intended to receive upon them a travelling platform of a length equal,
say, to three times the distance between two piers. The platform may be con-
veniently constructed of plate-iron girders, braced to them in the usual or any
approved manner, and having a roadway at the top for the reception of the traffic.
When it is required to transport railway carriages, the roadway will be provided
with rails to receive the carriages. On the under side of the platform will be fitted
flanged rails to bear upon the driving wheels, and serve as guides for the traversing
platform.
Near the ends of the platform I may provide automatic gates for closing the ends
of the platform. These gates, when the travelling platform arrives at the end of
its traverse, may be readily opened through the action of the buffers (carried by
the platform) striking against fixed buffers or stops on the shore abutments.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Barclay Bruce in. the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th August 1876.
GEORGE BARCLAY BRUCE, junior, of Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in
the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRANS-
FERRING PASSENGERS AND CARRIAGES OVER RIVERS, ESTUARIES, AND VALLEYS."
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a means for crossing rivers and
estuaries without impeding navigation, but by this Invention broad valleys may
also be crossed at far less cost than by a bridge or viaduct. To this end I propose
to erect in the river or estuary or valley to be crossed, at equal distances apart, and
at any desired level, any given number of piers, and on these piers I mount friction
or other driving wheels, to which I give rotary motion by means of stationary
engines mounted on the piers or by hydraulic machinery, the pipes being laid along
the bottom of the river to the piers from the hydraulic engines or presses on shore:
These wheels are intended to receive upon them a travelling platform of a length
equal, say, to three times the distance, or nearly so, between two piers. This
platform may be conveniently constructed of plate-iron girders braced together in
the usual or any approved manner, and having a roadway at the top for the recep-
tion of the traffic.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings I have shown my Invention as applied
to the crossing of a river. Fig. I represents a half elevation of a roll bridge con-
structed according to my Invention, and Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view of the
same.
A, A, are three of a series of piers, which are destined to receive in turn the
platform B, B, which is moved from one shore to the other by friction or other
gearing, as will be presently explained. In a line with these piers the shore walls
are provided with a recess to receive the ends of the platform, and form a support
thereto when receiving or delivering its load.
Fig. 3, Sheet II., shows on an enlarged scale the roll bridge in transverse section.
In this view it will be seen that the platform B consists of a plate-iron cellular
girder, the vertical and horizontal plates of which are connected together by angle
iron.
For the foundation of the piers A, A, I prefer to use cylinders of cast iron C, C,
sunk into the bed of the river and filled with concrete, but solid masonry may be
used if desired. D is one of a series of transverse girders extending from one side
pier to the other, and further supported by intermediate cylinders C₁. These girders
serve to carry the bearings for the shafts of the propelling wheels E, E, which
sustain the weight of the platform and its load. The shaft of each set of wheels E
extends across from one side pier A to the opposite side pier, and at F, F, it is
cranked to receive the connecting rods of a pair of engines mounted on the piers.
On the under side of the platform longitudinal flanged rails b, b, are fitted imine-
diately below the longitudinal vertical plates of the girder to bear upon the driving
wheels, and serve as guides for the traversing platform.
The platform (see Fig. 1) is made of sufficient length to extend over nearly three
spans of the bridge, and it is furnished at its sides with a railing or suitable fence
to protect passengers from falling off the bridge.
The wheels E for working the roll bridge will for a width of. bridge such as that
indicated by the Drawing act efficiently as friction wheels, but in some cases I may
find it desirable to furnish the driving wheels with teeth, and to convert the flanged
longitudinal bars into rack bars.
From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that when rotary motion is
imparted by the steam or other engines on the piers to the wheels which for the
time being support the platform, a traverse motion will be given to the platform,
and it will be caused to move from pier to pier, and come into frictional contact with
a fresh set of driving wheels; these wheels being set in action as they are reached

page_text: by the platform, they will continue its forward motion, and thus by each set of
driving wheels in succession the platform will be advanced until the opposite shore
is reached.
For the protection of the traffic it will be desirable to provide at the bridge
approaches on the opposite shores a swinging barrier, which will be kept closed
while the platform is either in mid stream or lying against the opposite shore.
Near the ends of the platform I also propose to provide automatic gates, as
indicated at Fig. 2, for closing the ends of the platform. These gates, when the
travelling platform arrives at the end of its traverse, may be conveniently opened
through the action of buffers (carried by the platform) striking against fixed buffers
or stops on the shore abutments. Suitable mechanical arrangements for carrying
out this object may be readily designed by any competent mechanician.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Transferring Passengers and Carriages over Rivers, Estuaries, and Valleys," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the arrangement of
apparatus above described, which I ten my "roll bridge," whereby I am enabled
to transfer passengers and carriages over estuaries and rivers without impeding the
navigation thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Barclay Bruce, junior, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
G. BARCLAY BRUCE, J. (L.S.)