Improvements in Hoisting and Travelling Cable Crane, with Gravity Anchor for the Cable.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoisting and Travelling Cable Crane, with
Gravity Anchor for the Cable.
We, MARIA ANTOINETTE BROWN, of Watchung Avenue, City of Plainfield,
in the County of Union, and State of New Jersey, and WILLIAM FRANKLIN
BROTHERS, of No. 1151 Fulton Street, in the City of Brooklyn, County of Kings,
State of New York, U.S.A. Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for Improvements in Hoisting and Travelling Cable Crane with Gravity
Anchor for the Cable, to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to furnish an improved hoisting and
travelling carrier to travel upon a suspended cable, also to provide an anchorage
for one end of the cable where no rigid anchor or fastening can be obtained, also
to furnish a movable anchorage for one end of a cable having the opposite end
rigidly held, and also to take up the slack of the cable as the load approaches its
bearings.
The improvements in the carrier consist in the combination with driving wheels
resting upon the cable, of a truck frame supported by such wheels, a driving
pinion mounted upon said frame and connected with such driving wheels, a carrier
frame hung upon the journal of the said pinion, an electric motor mounted upon
such frame and connected by suitable gearing with the pinion, and electrical
connections for operating the motor.
By mounting the carrier frame upon the journal of the driving pinion, the frame
is suspended vertically when the truck frame is tipped by the inclination of the
cable at various points between its bearings.
A hoisting drum or drums, or equivalent mechanism, are sustained upon the
frame and connected with the motor by independent gearing, and friction wheels
are provided to gear the motor at pleasure with the driving wheels or with the
hoisting mechanism. A hoisting frame for the hoisting mechanism is preferably
pivoted below the carrier frame, and the load is suspended from below such
frame.
A hoister driving shaft is provided with a friction wheel, and means furnished
for oscillating the hoisting frame to press such wheel upon a wheel rotated
constantly by the electric motor. A seat or platform is attached to the carrier to
support an operator, and handles are provided for actuating the gearing of the
driving wheels to move the carrier frame upon the cable, and also for oscillating
the hoister frame to throw its friction wheel into gear with the motor when it is
desired to hoist a load.
Stationary brake shoes are provided upon the truck frame and carrier frame,.
and the friction gearing wheels are moved in contact therewith, when not in
operation, to arrest the movements. Reversing friction wheels are held movably
between other wheels of the gearing to reverse the motion of the carrier or the
hoisting gear at pleasure.
A spring drum is provided upon the carrier and electrically connected with the
motor, and a conducting cord electrically connected with the generator is wound
and unwound upon the spring drum as the carrier moves to and fro upon the cable.
The return current from the motor is carried through the driving wheels or a
trolley wheel, to the suspending cable. The driving wheels are provided with a
grooved india-rubber tire to grip the cable strongly, and wheels are provided to

page_text: press the cable opposite to the driving wheels, to grip the cable firmly. The
gravity anchor for the cable consists of a shear pole or poles supported at the
bottom and inclined at the top away from the fixed anchorage of the cable, the free
end of the cable being attached to the top of the pole or poles, and a weight being
hung from the top of the poles upon the outer side which develops a horizontal
strain upon the cable.
Such shear poles may be set in the water at life-saving stations upon the shore,
with their upper ends projected sufficiently above the water for a boat to be
transported by the cable beyond the surf. Where a boat is suspended from the
carrier, both the carrier and the boat may be provided with arms projected from
the same side, and connected by a cord, to prevent the boat from twisting or
turning upon the hoisting ropes.
The bottom of the pole or poles, which form part of the gravity anchor, may be
supported upon a car arranged to move around a fixed anchorage in the center of
a given space, and a reservoir may thus be excavated by erecting a suitable tower
in the center of the area, arranging a circular track at the margin of such area,
and providing a gravity anchor upon a car on such track. The suspending cable
is extended from the central tower to the top of the shear poles upon the car.
The poles are inclined outwardly from the central tower, and the tops of the
poles weighted to produce the required tension upon the cable. The tower is
braced by guy-ropes opposite to any point where the car may be set upon the
circular track. A carrier moved back and forth between the tower and the
movable anchorage may thus be operated over an entire circular area, and the earth
removed from such area, and building or paving materials moved into the same, by
the aid of such carrier.
A weight may be suspended from the cable between a fixed anchorage and the
nearest bearing or tower, to take up the slack of the cable as the carrier
approaches such bearing, and thus avoid an inconvenient increase in the grade of
the cable, and the necessity for exerting greater power to propel the carrier near.
such bearing.
Dated this 26th day of August 1895.
THOMAS S. CRANE,
10 Wall Street, New York City, N.Y., Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Hoisting and Travelling Cable Crane, with
Gravity Anchor for the Cable.
We WILLIAM FRANKLIN BROTHERS, of Brooklyn, County of Kings, State of
New York, Engineer, and MARIA ANTOINETTE BROWN of Plainfield, County of
Union, State of New Jersey, both in the United States of America, 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 annexed
statement:
The object of the present invention is to furnish an improved hoisting and
travelling carrier to travel upon a suspended cable, also to provide an anchorage
for one end of the cable where no rigid anchor or fastening can be obtained, also
to furnish a movable anchorage for one end of a cable having the opposite end
rigidly held, and also to take up the slack of the cable as the load approaches its
bearings.
The improvements in the carrier consist in the combination with driving wheels:
resting upon the cable, of a truck frame supported by such wheels, a driving pinion.
mounted upon said frame and connected with such driving wheels, a carrier frame

page_text: hung upon the journal of the said pinion, an electric motor mounted upon such
frame and connected by suitable gearing with the pinion, and electrical connections
for operating the motor.
By mounting the carrier frame upon the journal of the driving pinion, the frame
is suspended vertically when the truck frame is tipped by the inclination of the
cable at various points between its bearings.
A
A hoisting drum or drums, or equivalent mechanism, are sustained upon the
frame and connected with the motor by independent gearing, and friction wheels
are provided to gear the motor at pleasure with the driving wheels or with the
hoisting mechanism. A hoister frame for the hoisting mechanism is preferably
pivoted below the carrier frame, and the load is suspended below such frame.
hoister driving shaft is provided with a friction wheel, and means furnished for
oscillating the hoisting frame to press such wheel upon a wheel rotated constantly
by the electric motor. A seat or platform is attached to the carrier to support an
operator, and handles are provided for actuating the gearing of the driving wheels,
to move the carrier frame upon the cable, and also for oscillating the hoister
frame to throw its friction wheel into gear with the motor when it is desired to
hoist a load.
Stationary brake-shoes are provided upon the truck frame and carrier frame, and
the friction gearing wheels are moved in contact therewith, when not in operation,
to arrest the movements. Reversing friction wheels are held movably between
other wheels of the gearing, to reverse the motion of the carrier or the hoisting
gear at pleasure. A spring drum is provided upon the carrier and electrically
connected with the motor, and a conducting cord (electrically connected with the
generator) is wound and unwound upon the spring drum as the carrier moves to
and fro upon the cable. The return current from the motor is carried through the
driving wheels or a trolley wheel, to the suspending cable. The driving wheels
are provided with a grooved india-rubber tire to grip the cable strongly, and
wheels are provided to press the cable, opposite to the driving wheels, to grip the
cable firmly. The gravity anchor for the cable consists of a shear pole or poles
supported at the bottom and inclined at the top away from the fixed anchorage of
the cable, the free end of the cable being attached to the top of the pole or poles,
and a weight being hung from the top of the poles upon the outer side; which
develops a horizontal strain upon the cable.
These improvements will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing, in
which
Fig. 1 is an edge view of the carrier with one of the driving wheels shown
partly in section where batched; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is
an edge view, without dotted lines, and the seat fully shown;
Fig. 4 is a plan of the truck frame in section where hatched, cn line 4, 4, in
Fig. 2, with the driving wheels and carrier frame removed, showing the connection
of the driving pinion with the friction driving wheel, and the connections for
actuating the grip wheels;
Fig. 5 is a plan of the hoisting devices with the side bars of the carrier frame to
which they are pivoted, and the brake for the friction hoister wheel.
Figs. 6 and 7 show the carrier frame and a part of the hoisting apparatus
detached from the other parts, to exhibit its form more clearly; Fig. 6 being a
side view of the carrier frame with the central hoister frame K¹; and Fig. 7 is a
front view of the carrier frame with the central hoister frame K' and the lateral
hoister frames K, and the drum shaft fitted in the bearings of such frames.
Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive are drawn one fifth smaller than the prior figures.
Fig. 8 is a diagram representing in elevation a suspending cable anchored
adjacent to an ocean beach with a carrier and boat suspended therefrom. Fig. 9 is
plan of the same;
Fig. 10 is a side elevation partly in section where hatched of the cable crane
provided with a movable anchorage; and Fig. 11 is a plan of the same with portion
of a circular railway track.

page_text: The
The wheels
A designates the suspending cable, B the body of the driving wheels with india-
rubber tire C fitted in its periphery and grooved to embrace the cable, with cog
teeth D at each side of the tire. Fig. 1 clearly shows the channel formed between
the cog teeth to receive the grooved tire; which is sprung into the same.
rubber tire is detachable and may thus be renewed when worn out.
and axles B are fitted to bearings F¹ upon the truck frame F. The truck frame
is formed in the center with bearings E¹ for a tubular shaft e carrying a driving
pinion E which meshes with the teeth D. The frame F is formed at opposite
sides with projecting journals F surrounding the shaft e, and the carrier frame G
is hung upon such journals.
A spindle el is fitted loosely within the shaft e and attached thereto at one end
by squared shank and out . Near the outer end of the opposite journal Fa
vertically moving bearing is fitted to the spindle and a driving friction wheel H
is attached to the same outside the bearing. An eccentric shaft f' is provided to
move the bearing vertically, and a hand-lever f is attached to the shaft to press
the wheel H downward at pleasure. The bearing fis most clearly shown in Fig. 7.
Bearings Fare attached to the frame F, and eccentric spindles g are fitted to the
same with grip-pullies g¹ beneath the centers of the drivers B.
Cranks are attached to the spindles and connected by links g³, and a handle g
serves to oscillate the spindles and press the grip wheels upon the under side of the
cable to increase the friction grip of the drivers B when desired. The carrier
frame G supports an electric motor I having its armature shaft I provided at
the outer end with a friction wheel I to actuate the friction driving wheel H.
A stationary brake-shoe H' is fixed upon the frame F over the wheel H. The
wheel H when pressed downward against the wheel I, serves to rotate the drivers B
and move the carrier upon the cable A. When the wheel H is raised, by reversing
the movement of the lever, it is pressed against the brake-shoe and the drivers
are stopped and the carrier held stationary.
The hoister mechanism is supported in frames K and K¹ which are pivoted upon
a bolt K' extended from the flanges n and n¹ projecting from the bottom of the
carrier frame G. The hoister is shown with four drums K mounted upon two
drum shafts k. The outer frames K support the outer ends of the drum shafts and
the central frame K¹ is made of box form with parallel side plates having
bearings at its opposite ends for a worm spindle / carrying worms which mesh
เ
with worm wheels m¹ upon the drum shafts. The outer end of the shaft / is
provided with a hoister friction wheel J to operate with the armature friction
wheel I. The drums are provided with hoist ropes K³ wound in pairs, a hoisting
sheaves being placed in the bights of the ropes to support the load, as indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 1.
By using four drums and two hoister ropes, the load may be gripped at two
points. Any long object like a boat may be hoisted without twisting, as would
be the case if suspended from a single pulley.
An eccentric shaft n is journaled in the flanges n, n', and connected by links o¹
with the frame K.
The shaft is provided with a handle n³, and a seat or chair L is attached by
bracket w to the side of the carrier frame G to carry an operator within reach of
such handle and the levers and g. When the central hoister frame K' is
oscillated by the means provided, the outer frames K are oscillated therewith, as
they swing loosely upon the pivot bolt K and move with the drum shafts k.
A brake-shoe Jis projected from the frame G to the lower side of the friction
wheel J.
By moving the handle the entire hoister frame may be oscillated, and the
wheel J pressed against the armature wheel I to rotate the drums for hoisting, or,
when retracted from the armature wheel, it may be pressed against the brake-
shoc J', and the drums thus held from rotation and the load suspended at any desired
point.
A spring drum b is pivoted on top of the truck frame F, and a flexible electric

page_text: 5
ord is wound upon the drum and may have its farther end attached to any fixet
ource of electricity; the cord being wound and unwound from the drum as the
arrier moves in opposite directions upon the cable. The cord may be extended to
trolley wheel running upon a trolley wire, as shown at a in Fig. 10, in which
ase the spring drum serves to take up the slack of the electric cord in cases where
he trolley wire is not parallel with the cable; the spring tension preventing any
erks which are liable to strain the conductor if the slack in the same is suddenly
aken up. Brushes and 2 are shown diagramatically in Fig. 2 applied to the
commutator (which is also shown in Fig. 1), and an electrical connection is
hown extended from the brush to the bearing c supporting the drum b. The
bearing c would be insulated. The other brush is shown electrically connected
with a spring to adapted to press upon the cable A; the trolley wire thus furnishing
the direct conductor for the motor and the cable A the conductor for the return
current.
5
To reverse the movements of the drivers B, we provide an intermediate friction
wheel which may be pressed between the armature wheel I and the friction
wheel H. The axle of the wheel is held in links and guided by a slot in the
frame G. The links are connected to a screws having a rotary hand-nut ª within
reach of the operator, to crowd the wheel h between wheels H and I.
When pressed upon these wheels, the intermediate wheel transmits the motion of
the motor in a reverse direction to the drivers B. An intermediate wheel h¹ is
similarly arranged to operate with the wheels I and J to drive the hoisting drums
in a reverse direction.
The tension upon the cable anchorage is greatly diminished by making the cable
slack, which produces an increased inclination of the cable at its bearings.
The means for hinging the carrier frame to the truck frame F maintains the
connection of the motor wheel I with the drivers while permitting the carrier frame to
maintain a vertical position. A slack cable greatly increases the inclination near
the bearings as the load approaches the same, but the tension on the cable
diminishes as the load approaches the bearings. To take up the slack of the cable
and avoid an increased use of power as the load approaches the bearing, we strain
the cable by hanging a weight M upon the cable between a fixed anchorage R and
the nearest bearing S, as shown in Fig. 8, or by furnishing one end of the cable
with a gravity anchor consisting of inclined shears N with the cable A attached
thereto at an acute angle, and a weight P hung permanently upon the shears on
the side opposite to the cable, as shown in Fig. 8. Such shears may be used upon
the seashore for transporting a life-saving boat X (which is shown in dotted lines
over the shore S¹) over the surf Y, and safely launching the same; the boat being
beyond the surf, as shown in full
lowered from the carrier to the water when it
lines in the drawing.
The boat may be kept from swinging and twisting when lowered upon the waves,
by projecting guide arms i from the boat and from the carrier frame G, and
connecting such arms by a ropej carried over pullies and wound or unwound at the
same rate as the ropes K'.
The gravity anchor inay be made movable as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, by fixing
a bearing S' for one end of the cable in the center of the circular track T, and
mounting the shears N and weight P upon a platform car Q on the circular track.
Au engine and boiler V are shown on the car Q, to propel the car or to generate
electric current which would be led to the trolley wire a to drive the electric
0 carrier.
A track T and dirt car U are shown outside of the car Q, and the hoisting
ropes of the carrier are connected with a dumping bucket d. Guy-ropes W (shown
in part only) are extended from the bearing S¹ to points opposite any given
position of the car Q, and the guy-ropes would be changed so as to move the car
35 around the entire track T. All the circular area between the bearing S¹ and the
track T may be excavated, and the material removed by the bucket d, and the

page_text: embankment for the track T may be gradually extended in front of the car by
dumping the earth in a shute d¹ upon the latter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting
upon the cable, of a truck frame supported by the same, a driving pinion connected
with such wheels, and mounted upon said frame with shaft and journals at the ends,
a carrier frame hung upon such journals, an electric motor mounted upon such
carrier frame and connected by suitable gearing with the said pinion, and electrical
connections for operating the motor, substantially as herein set forth.
2. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting
upon the cable, of a frame supported by the same, a driving pinion mounted upon
said frame, an electric motor mounted upon such carrier frame with a friction wheel
upon its armature shaft and detachably connected to such driving pinion, a hoisting
frame pivoted below the carrier frame and sustaining hoisting mechanism provided
with a boister friction wheel, and means for oscillating the hoister frame to press
such wheel upon the armature friction wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels, resting
upon the cable, of a truck frame supported by the same, a driving pinion connected
with such wheels and mounted upon said frame with shaft and journals at the ends,
a carrier frame hung upon such journals, an electric motor mounted upon such
carrier frame with an armature friction wheel upon its armature shaft, a friction
wheel connected with the said pinion and movable to and from the armature wheel,
a hoister frame pivoted to the carrier frame and sustaining hoisting mechanism
provided with a hoister friction wheel, and means for oscillating the hoister frame
with its contained mechanism to and from the armature wheel, to impart motion to
the hoister friction wheel, substantially as herein set forth.
4. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting
upon the cable, of a frame supported by the same, a driving friction wheel H
-mounted upon said frame and connected with such driving wheels, an electric motor
upon such carrier frame with an armature friction wheel upon its armature shaft,
hoisting mechanism provided with a hoister friction wheel, means for pressing the
driving friction wheel H and the hoister friction wheel at pleasure toward the
armature wheel, and stationary brake-shoes upon the framing, upon the outer
sides of the driving friction wheel and hoister friction wheel, adapted to check the
same when they are retracted from the armature wheel, substantially as herein set
forth.
5. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting
upon the cable, of a frame supported by the same, a friction driving wheel mounted
upon said frame and connected with such driving wheels, an electric motor upon
such carrier frame with an armature friction wheel upon its armature shaft, means
for pressing the frictional driving wheel toward the armature wheel to rotate the
truck wheels in a given direction, and an intermediate friction wheel with means
for pressing it upon the armature wheel and upon the driving friction wheel to
reverse the motion of the driving wheels, as herein set forth.
6. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting
upon the cable, of a carrier frame supported by the same, an electric motor
mounted upon such carrier frame with gearing connected to the driving wheels,
and an electric return connection, as by the suspending cable, a spring drum mounted
upon the carrier frame in electrical connection with the motor, and an electric cord
or flexible conductor wound upon such spring drum, and provided with a trolley
wheel to run upon a trolley wire, substantially as herein set forth.
7. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with driving wheels resting.
upon the cable, and a carrier frame with electric motor mounted thereon, and

page_text: gearing connecting such motor with the driving wheels, of insulating tires upon the
driving wheels in contact with the cable, suitable electrical connections for supplying
a current to the motor, and means for electrically connecting the motor with the
suspending cable independently of the driving wheels, substantially as set forth.
8. In a carrier for cable cranes, the combination, with the carrier frame and an
electric motor sustained thereon with suitable electrical connections for operating
the same, of one or more driving wheels supported upon the cable and arranged to
sustain the weight of the carrier, and a grip pulley applied to the cable opposite
such driving wheel with means for pressing it upon the same, to increase the frictional
grip of such driving wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.
9. The combination, with a suspended cable, a carrier to support a load movably
upon the cable and means for propelling the carrier thereon, of a fixed anchor at
one end of the cable, and a gravity anchor at the opposite end of the cable,
consisting of inclined shear-poles braced toward one another and united at the top,
and a weight hung permanently from the shears upon the side opposite to the cable,
as and for the purpose set forth.
10. The combination, with a suspended cable, of a fixed support at one end of
the same, a track concentric with the fixed support, a car upon the track, inclined
shears attached to the outer end of the cable and supported upon the car, and a
weight attached to the shears upon the opposite side from the cable, the shears,
weight and car forming a gravity anchor movable about the fixed support, the
whole arranged and operated substantially as herein set forth.
11. The combination, with a cable having a movable carrier suspended thereon
for transporting a load, and having a fixed anchorage adjacent to one of its bearings,
of a weight suspended upon the cable between the bearing and anchorage to take up
the slack, and operating to reduce the inclination of the cable as the carrier
approaches the bearings, substantially as herein set forth.
27th March 1896
THOMAS SEXTON CRANE,
Agent for Applicants.