IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES OR LIFTING AND LOWERING APPARATUS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Duncan Cameron, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRANES OR LIFTING AND LOWERING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 19th September 1856, and dated the 16th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Duncan Cameron at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th July 1856.
I, DUNCAN CAMERON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CRANES OR LIFTING AND LOWERING APPARATUS," to be as follows, that
is to say:
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of cranes or
lifting and lowering apparatus of the moveable jib or derrick class, in such
manner that they may be rendered much safer in working than has hitherto
been the case. In common cranes of this class there are two hoisting or
winding barrels, one a plain cylinder for hoisting the body to be raised, and
the other a conical barrel for raising or lowering the shifting jib or derrick.
It is to prevent accidents from the failure of the parts .connected with the
jib that the present contrivance has been resorted to. In the improved

page_text: arrangement, the train of gearing by which motion is communicated from
the winch handle to the hoisting barrel is entirely on one side of the crane
checks, whilst on the other side there is another train which is capable of
being put in or out of gear with the hoisting train by an adjustable spur
pinion. This adjustable pinion is set upon a fixed key or feather on a
transverse shaft, which projects beyond both cheeks, and it can be so set
as to be in or out of gear with a wheel of the hoisting train. The opposite
end of this adjustable pinion shaft on the jib bearing side carries a bevil
wheel in gear with a bevil pinion fast on a short vertical or inclined shaft,
the upper end of this latter shaft having upon it a worm or endless screw
With
in gear with a worm wheel fast on the spindle of the jib cone.
this arrangement, when the adjustable spur pinion on the cross shaft is
out of gear with the hoisting train, the latter train alone is operated on
turning the winch, and when the pinion is put into gear with the hoisting
train, both the jib and the hoisting barrel actions are worked in concert; and
in all circumstances of adjustment or working, the jib is always safe, inasmuch
as it can never fall, because the worm wheel action will never run down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Duncan Cameron in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DUNCAN
CAMERON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Duncan Cameron, Her special license that I, the said Duncan Cameron,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Duncan
Cameron, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRANES

page_text: OR LIFTING AND LOWERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Duncan Cameron, by an instrument in writing under my band
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Duncan Cameron, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of cranes or
lifting and lowering apparatus of the moveable jib or derrick class, in such
manner that they may be rendered much safer in working than has hitherto been
the case. In common cranes of this class there-are-two hoisting or winding--
barrels, one a plain cylinder for hoisting the body to be raised, and the other a
conical barrel for raising or lowering the shifting jib or derrick. It is to
prevent accidents from the failure of the parts connected with the jib suspension
In the improved arrange-
that the present contrivance has been resorted to.
ment, the train of gearing by which motion is communicated from the winch
handle to the hoisting barrel is entirely on one side of the crane cheeks, whilst
on the other side there is another train which is capable of being put in or out
of gear with the hoisting train by an adjustable spur pinion. This arljustable
pinion is set upon a fixed key or feather on a transverse shaft, which projects
beyond both cheeks, and it can be so set as to be in or out of gear with a
wheel of the hoisting train. The opposite end of this adjustable pinion shaft
on the jib gearing side carries a bevil wheel in gear with a bevil pinion fast
on a short vertical or inclined shaft, the upper end of this latter shaft having
it a worm or endless screw in gear with a worm wheel fast on the spindle
of the jib cone. With this arrangement, when the adjustable spur pinion on
the cross shaft is out of gear with the hoisting train, the latter train alone is
put into gear with the
operated on turning the winch, and when the pinion is
hoisting train, both the jib and the hoisting barrel actions are worked in
concert; and in all circumstances of adjustment or working, the jib is always
safe, inasmuch as it can never fall, because the worm wheel action will never
run down.
upon
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
bereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, a Sheet of explanatory

page_text: Drawings illustrative of one mode of carrying the Invention into practical
effect.
Figure 1 on this Sheet of Drawings is a complete longitudinal side elevation
of a shifting jib or derrick crane, such as is generally used for quarry purposes,
and for building works, as fitted up according to my improvements; Figure 2
is an enlarged front view in detail of the duplex gearing employed for effecting
the two operations of raising and lowering loads, and giving a greater or less
extent of sweep to the shifting jib or derrick; Figure 3 is a side elevation of
the same parts, taken at right angles to Figure 2, and corresponding thereto.
In this arrangement of crane the main post A is composed of two parallel
timber beams retained at their lower ends in a rotatory bracket casting B,
capable of turning upon the fixed vertical stud centre pin C set upon a stone
foundation in the ground. The two upper ends of these beams are similarly
embraced by an overhead bracket carrying a centre pin working in an eye or
collar bearing in the upper end of the inclined strut or back retaining post D,
the lower end of which is firmly fastened to the earth to form a tensional
support for the columnar beams. The derrick or moveable jib beam E has
its lower end entered into a cap F, which is jointed to a bracket piece
attached near the base of the main columnar beams. The upper end of this
jib is capped with a casting, carrying the guide or supporting pulley of the
actual hoisting chain G, and it also has upon it an eye H for the attachment
of the immoveable end of that chain, and another eye J for the attachment of
the fixed end of the moveable derrick chain K. The latter chain being always
taut, forms a convenient support for a guide pulley L for the main hoisting
chain, which is occasionally slack or loose. Both chains pass over overhead
guide or supporting pulleys M carried in bracket bearings near the upper end
of the main columnar beams, and they thence descend between the two
parallel beams to their respective barrels in the duplex hoisting apparatus
beneath. The actual hoisting chain G is worked by the winch shaft N, carrying
handles O, one at each end. This shaft bas also upon it a spur pinion P,
capable of gearing either with the large spur wheel Q, as represented in my
Drawings, or with the smaller spur wheel R. To accomplish this change,
a hinged retaining link S is carried by the framing, the lower open cɲe end
of this link being capable of fitting to either of the spaces comprehended
between three collars formed upon the winch shaft N, this shaft being other-
wise capable of sliding longitudinally, its end bearings in the gearing frame T
bolted to the main beams. The large spur wheel Q is fast upon the end of
the hoisting barrel U, which is a plain cylinder. The connection shown in

page_text: the Drawing affords the quickest hoisting movement, but if increased hoisting
power at a reduced rate is required, this is effected by the transference of the
winch shaft pinion P to the smaller spur wheel R, which latter wheel is fast
upon the end of a shaft carrying a small spur pinion in gear with the main
spur wheel Q.
The raising and lowering action of the moveable jib or derrick is effected
through the medium of the additional shaft V working in beari:, gs in the same
frame as the other gearing, and having at one end an adjustable spur pinion W
set on a fixed feather on the shaft, so as to be capable of being put into or out
of gear with the large spur wheel Q, and thus be driven or not by the hoisting
train, as may be necessary. The opposite end of this shaft carries a bevil
wheel X in gear with a bevil pinion Y fast on a short inclined worm spindle
Z, the lower end of which rests in a footstep bearing on the upper side of the
collar bearing of the shaft V, whilst the upper end is supported in a collar
bearing a on the upper part of the gearing frame. The inclined spindle Z
has at its upper end a worm or endless screw b gearing with a worm wheel c
fast on the projecting end of the shaft of the conical winding barrel d of the
moveable jib. In this way the two actions for the main hoisting and the
raising and lowering of the jib are combined to work in concert. As the weight
is raised, the jib is elevated and brought in also, and whenever the proper
height of the jib has been attained, the shift of the spur pinion W out of gear
with the large spur wheel, stops the jib action, and retains the load at the
desired level. Various arrangements may be adopted for connecting and
disconnecting the worm wheel train of the jib gearing with the hoisting
gearing. For example, instead of shifting the pinion W, an engaging and
disengaging clutch may be used. With this arrangement of a worm wheel
movement it is obvious that the jib can never come down improperly, because
whether its gearing is connected or not with the hoisting train, the strain on
the jib cannot turn the worm b.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the application and use of worm or endless screw gearing for working

page_text: the moveable or shifting derricks or jibs of cranes or lifting and lowering
apparatus, for the prevention of accidents, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of preventing the accidental falling of jibs of
cranes or lifting and lowering apparatus, by means of worm wheel gearing or
connections, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Duncan Cameron, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, Oue thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
DUNCAN CAMERON. (L.s.)