IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR WORKING CHAIN CABLES AND WIRE ROPES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Baxter, of Mansion House Buildings, in the City
of London, and of "The Homestead," Hornsey Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR WORKING
CHAIN CABLES AND WIRE ROPES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Baxter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th November 1880.
SAMUEL BAXTER, of Mansion House Buildings, in the City of London, and of
"The Homestead," Hornsey Lane, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS FOR WORKING CHAIN CABLES AND WIRE ROPES."
The first part of the Invention relates to means for working chain cables.
It has hitherto been customary in order to admit of letting go anchor, veering
out cable, and the purchasing or heaving up of the anchors, to work the cables
upon what are known as cable holders mounted upon horizontal spindles.
It has also been customary to mount cable holders upon vertical spindles, but
only for purchasing anchors; whereas for the purpose of letting go anchor, veering
out cable, and riding, the cable had to be dismounted from the cable holder and
taken round what are called "riding bitts," and checked and held abaft the bitts
by compressors or stoppers.
Now for simplifying and giving casier access to the working parts of the gear
for working chain cables, I also propose to mount cable holders upon vertical
shafts which are for strength and simplicity of gearing made cylindrical, and are
firmly secured in position, and a solid spindle is passed through and carries upon it
the required gearing for working the cable holder by either hand or steam, or by
both; by this means each cable would be around a cable holder, and would thus
avoid the necessity for dismounting the cable, as it would always be on its cable
holder for letting go anchor, veering, riding, and purchasing, and would be provided
with any of the well known systems of brakes for veering, and with stoppers for
riding securely.
The Invention relates, secondly, to means for working wire ropes or hawsers.

page_text: For this purpose I employ one or more wheels made with V grooves formed with
continuous waved projections on each side of the grooves, such projections being
formed in the metal or of wood.
These wheels are so arranged as to ensure the wire rope or hawser being passed
almost entirely around the main wheel, whereby a perfect grip is obtained of the
rope.
Upon one or more of these wheels I fit any of the well known arrangements of
brakes and pawls to enable the rotary motion thereof to be readily governed and
stopped, as may be required; these wheels may be fixed upon axes carried by
suitable base plate or plates to enable the same to be bolted firmly to a platform or
deck; or they may be made portable, and used in a similar manner to the well
known "Blake Stopper as now used with chain cables; these waved groove
wheels are also provided with means to enable the same to be rotated at will, and
they may be worked by hand, or by a steam engine, or by a steam winch, by means
of a "messenger" chain, or they may be attached to any ordinary capstan or
windlass, and they may be mounted on vertical, horizontal, or inclined axles.
"
I also employ in connection with such waved groove wheels a clearing guide to
ensure the proper delivery of the wire rope or hawser.
If desired, instead of employing wheels formed with waved V grooves, as above
described, such wheels may be formed with plain V grooves.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Baxter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th May 1881.
SAMUEL BAXTER, of Mansion House Buildings, in the City of London, and of
The Homestead, Hornsey Lane, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR WORKING CHAIN CABLES AND WIRE ROPES."
The first part of the Invention relates to means for working chain cables.
It has hitherto been customary in order to admit of letting go anchor, veering
out cable, and the purchasing or heaving up of the anchors, to work the cables
upon what are known as cable holders mounted upon horizontal spindles.
It has also been customary to mount cable holders upon vertical spindles, but
only for purchasing anchors, whereas for the purpose of letting go anchor, veering
out cable, and riding, the cable had to be dismounted from the cable holder and
taken round what are called "riding bitts," and checked and held abaft the "bitts"
by compressors or stoppers.
Now for simplifying and giving easier access to the working parts of the gear
for working chain cables I also propose to mount cable holders upon vertical shafts,
which are, for strength and simplicity of gearing, made cylindrical, and are firmly
secured in position, and a solid spindle is passed through and carries upon it the
required gearing for working the cable holder by either hand or steam, or by both;
by this means each cable would be around a cable holder, and would thus avoid
the necessity for dismounting the cable, as it would always be on its cable holder
for "letting go anchor," "veering," "riding," and "purchasing," and would be
provided with any of the well known systems of brakes for veering, and with
stoppers for riding securely.
The Invention relates, secondly, to means for working wire ropes or hawsers.
For this purpose I employ one or more wheels made with V grooves formed with
continuous waved projections on each side of the grooves, such projections being
formed in the metal or of wood.
These wheels are so arranged as to ensure the wire rope or hawser being passed
almost entirely around the main wheel, whereby a perfect grip is obtained of the
rope.
Upon one or more of these wheels I fit any of the well known arrangements of
brakes and pawls to enable the rotary motion thereof to be readily governed and
stopped, as may be required; these wheels may be fitted upon axles carried by
suitable base plate or plates to enable the same to be bolted firmly to a platform or
deck, or they may be made portable, and used in a similar manner to the well
known "Blake stopper," as now used with chain cables; these waved groove
wheels are also provided with means to enable the same to be rotated at will, and
they may be worked by hand, or by a steam engine, or by a steam winch, by
means of a "messenger" chain, or they may be attached to any ordinary capstan
or windlass, and they may be mounted on vertical, horizontal, or inclined axles.
I also employ in connection with such waved groove wheels a clearing guide to
ensure the proper delivery of the wire rope or hawser.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will procced aided by the accompanying Drawings
more fully to describe the same.

page_text: shafts b, b, which for strength and simplicity of gearing are made cylindrical, and
are firmly secured in position to the framing c, or it may be to the deck, and a solid
spindle dis passed through each cylindrical shaft b, and carries upon it the
requisite gearing for working the cable holder by either hand or steam, or by both.
The following arrangement is shown in the Drawings:-On the upper end of each
spindle & within the cylindrical portion a' of the cable holder a are so fitted as to
be compelled to revolve with the said spindle d a number of metal plates e, and
intermediate of such plates e are other plates f, which latter are so fitted as to be
compelled to rotate with the cable holder a; a screw d is formed on the upper end
of each spindle d, and a plate g formed with a nut gl is employed to put when
required any desired amount of pressure upon the plates e and f; by these means
motion can be transmitted from the spindle d to the cable holder a when the
plates cand fare pressed firmly together, and when such plates are relieved from
pressure the cable holder a is free to revolve independently of its driving spindle d,
whilst by varying the pressure put upon the plates e and f, any desired amount of
resistance may be opposed to the turning of the cable holder, independently of its
driving spindle d, as required when veering out a cable. I would here remark that
I do not claim the plates e, f, screw d, plate g, and nut g¹, as forming part of my
present Invention, as such parts are already well known and applied to windlasses,
and other apparatus for a similar purpose to that above described, nor do I confine
myself to the use of such parts for the purpose stated, as other means for applying
a frictional connection between the cable holder a and the driving spindle d may
be employed, so long as the cable holder can when required be caused to rotate with
or be set free of its driving spindle, and a regulated resistance be opposed when
required to its turning independently of its driving spindle.
On the lower end of each spindle d is fixed a worm wheel d, to which motion is
given by a worm or screw hi mounted upon the spindle or axis h, and capable of
being connected or disconnected therewith by a clutch h². Motion may be given
to this spindle or axis h by any suitable motive power, for instance, wire ropes or
chains driven by a steam engine may be passed around the messenger wheels ³,
and thereby give motion to the spindle or axis h. Or motion may be communicated
to such spindle or axis h by means of a capstan head j' fixed to the upper end of
an axis j, on the lower end of which is fixed a bevelled or crown wheel j², which
takes into and gives motion to bevelled pinions * mounted on the spindle or axis h,
and capable of being moved into and out of gear as may be required, by which
means either or both of the cable holders can be rotated by the capstan head j¹, or
both of them can be disconnected therefrom and be rotated by other means;
k, k, are "bollards" around which the cables are passed on their way to or from
the deck stoppers 7. Although I have represented the driving gear arranged in the
same framing as that which carries the cable holders, I would have it understood
that the cable holders and parts supporting the saine may be mounted on one deck,
and the spindles d for operating the same may be carried therefrom below deck,
where they may be rotated by any suitable means, whilst as shown in the Drawings
when using a capstan head for giving motion to the cable holders, such capstan
head may be mounted, as represented in the Drawing, on a deck above the cable
deck with its gearing above or under the cable deck.
By the above arrangement each cable would be around a cable holder, thereby
avoiding the necessity for dismounting the cable as it would always be on its cable
holder for letting go anchor, veering, riding, and purchasing.
Figure 3 is a side view; Figure 4 is an edge view, and Figure 5 is a cross section
of a wheel constructed according to the second part of my Invention for working
wire ropes or hawsers, and Figure 6 is an inner face view of one half or cheek
thereof.
Figure 7 is an elevation, and Figure 8 is a plan representing this part of my
Invention applied to a capstan
Figure 9 is an elevation, and Figure 10 is a plan also representing this part of
my Invention applied to a capstan, but showing modifications in the arrangemonts,

page_text: Figure 11 is an elevation, partly in section, and Figure 12 is a plan representing
this part of my Invention applied to what is known as a
"Blake stopper;"
Figure 13 is a plan of part of a windlass with my improved wheel for working
wire ropes applied thereto.
Figure 14 represents a method of communicating motion from one shaft to
another by means of a wire rope or hawser.
The mode in which I prefer to construct my improved wheel is represented at.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6; it consists of two cheeks m, m, formed with dovetailed
or undercut recesses to receive blocks m' of hard wood or metal, the surfaces of
which are so shaped as to produce a V shaped groove with continuous waved
projections on each side of the said groove. These two cheeks m, m, are kept at
the required distance apart by a boss m³, and the parts m, m, m2, are connected
together by screws m³, whilst the blocks m' are retained in position by screws m¹
as shown. I would here remark, that although I prefer to construct my improved
wheel as above described, I do not confine myself thereto, as other, modes of
construction may be adopted, so long as it is provided with a continuous waved
V shaped groove to receive and hold a wire rope or hawser.
These improved wheels are so arranged and combined with guide wheels as to
ensure the wire rope or hawser being passed almost entirely around the main
wheel, whereby a perfect grip is obtained of the rope or hawser.
In the arrangement shewn at Figures 7 and 8, the improved wheel m is shown
combined with two guide wheels or pulleys n, whereby the wire rope or hawser o
is ensured passing almost entirely around the wheel m, whilst the said wheel is
shown as forming part of or attached to a capstan p which may be rotated in the
usual manner by capstan bars. The said wheel m is also in these figures shown
provided with an annular toothed wheel m³ to enable the same to be rotated by a
toothed pinion 9, to which motion is given by bevelled wheels q', r', and rotating
shaft r, which latter is rotated by a steam engine or other suitable motive power.
The outer edge of the lower cheek of the wheel m is formed with a number of
recesses mo, with any one of which a pawls can be used when it is desired to
prevent the said wheel running back.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 9 and 10, instead of employing two
guide wheels or pulleys n mounted on separate axes as in the previous Figures,
only one axis n' is employed, on which is mounted a double grooved wheel n, to
and from which the wire rope or bawser will be passed as shown, whereby it is
caused to pass a greater distance around the wheel m than is the case with the
arrangement represented at Figures 7 and 8. At Figures 9 and 10 I have also
shown a clearing guide t applied to ensure the proper delivery of the wire rope or
hawser, and a friction strap or band u to enable any desired resistance to be
applied to the rotation of the wheel m or to stop the same entirely, I have also
shown the wheels m and n geared together to prevent any undue strain on the
wire rope or hawser.
At Figures 11 and 12 I have shown a wheel m and double grooved guide wheel
or pulley n, mounted on a portable base plate to enable the same to be used in a
similar manner to the well known "Blake stopper." In this last described
arrangement, I have shown applied to the wheel m a break apparatus of a similar
character to that shown and described with respect to Figures 1 and 2.
At Figure 13 I have represented the improved wheel for working wire ropes or
hawsers attached to a windlass.
In the arrangement represented at Figure 14, two wheels m are shown with an
endless wire rope passed around them; one of such wheels m is mounted on a fixed
axis, whilst the other is mounted on an axis fixed to a slide w mounted in guides
carried by a plate or frame a and operated by a screw y to enable the endless wire
rope o to obtain the requisite grip upon the wheels m. By these means a wire
rope is enabled to give motion from one wheel m to another without using the
guide wheels n.

page_text: I would here remark, that my improved wheel m may be mounted on either
vertical or horizontal or inclined axles for working wire ropes or hawsers, and may
be rotated in any suitable and convenient manner, and I would also remark 'that
the said wheel m may be applied to the arrangement of apparatus shown at
Figures 1 and 2.
It will be readily understood that although apparatus constructed according to
the second part of my Invention is designed especially for working wire ropes or
cables, hempen and other similar ropes may be worked upon the same.
I would also further remark that since filing my Provisional Specification I have
discovered that the arrangement of wheels described in the last paragraph thereof
does not possess such an amount of novelty and utility as to render it advisable
to lay claim thereto, and for this reason I desire to and I do hereby disclaim such
arrangement.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode in which I
carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is, first,
mounting a cable holder upon a fixed vertical cylindrical shaft or axis through
which the driving spindle is passed and to which motion is given, all substantially
as herein shown and described.
Secondly. I claim the improved wheel for working wire ropes or hawsers,
substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Baxter, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of May, in year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
SAMUEL BAXTER.
(L.S.)