Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Loading and Unloading Cargo.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Loading and
Unloading Cargo.
We, DONALD LEVACK, Officer Mercantile Marine; of 57 Dunbar Road, Upton
Lane, Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, ALEXANDER WALKER, Marine
Engineer, of 16 Walbutton Road, Brockley Rise, Brockley, in the County of
Kent, and VICTOR JONES, Officer Marine Service, of Durham House, Wandsworth,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus by which cargo can be loaded into or
unloaded from vessels; the apparatus might be used for quays, wharves and other
places, but is particularly suitable for use on vessels and especially steamships,
many of which have no masts suitably placed for use for operating upon the
cargo through the hatches. In designing this apparatus we have endeavoured to
make it simple and easily erected and readily stowed when done with.
We employ at the side of the vessel a pair of davits of ordinary or special
construction which may be stayed from the deck in any convenient manner; the
ends of the davits may be connected together by a suitable rod or bar. In con-
nection with the hatch we have another erection preferably in the form of an arch
composed of a pair of davits erected fore and aft one at each end of the hatchway
and connected together by any suitable pin or joint; in some cases a simple arch
may be employed. We prefer to make these davits adapted to turn or rotate in
their sockets and also to hinge or joint them so that they may be folded down in
any required manner. Any suitable tie rods or ropes, stays or the like may be
used to strengthen or secure any portion of the apparatus.
Connecting the davits at the side of the vessel and the davits or arch at the
centre is a wire or other rope cable chain or the like forming a span to connect the
two and adapted to serve as a gantry upon which a suitable block or pulley can
travel as required, the span slanting downwards towards the side of the vessel
though it may be adjustable so as to slant in the opposite direction if required, as
when loading cargo into the vessel. The span may be continued from the support
at the centre of the vessel to the deck or opposite side and there made fast.
Upon this span runs a block and suitable attachments through which passes the
"cord, chain or the like to which the cargo is suspended, the operation beingias
follows:-
Suppose the cargo is to be raised out of the vessel the straps or other attachment
devices are connected with the portion of cargo to be raised and elevated by the
winch in the usual manner until at the required height the chain or equivalent is
automatically locked so that it cannot fall down again; after this the winch may
be released and the block which now carries the cargo will by its weight run down
is
the span to the davits or frame at the edge of the vessel, when the cargo
automatically released from the pulley and it then descends carrying its chain or
Orope with it into the lighter at the vessel's side, or wharf.
The winch is then re-started and winds up the chain until it engages the block
which is thus drawn up the span to its former position over the hatch where it
automatically locks and upon releasing the winch or running it in the reverse
direction the chain will descend into the hold ready for another load.

page_text: A second set of davits or frames and span may be connected with the other side
of the vessel so as to work both sides of the vessel from one hatch and it will be
understood that more than one span may be employed with one set of the apparatus
according to requirement or design of the apparatus.
The whole of the parts above described may be made removable and the davits
may be employed for carrying or supporting boats in the usual manner but it is
desirable that the central arch whether constructed of two separate davits or not
should be removable so as to be out of the way when not required for use, the
previously described winches and swivelling devices being adapted to accomplish or
facilitate this. However, these and the other parts may be bodily removed from
their places if desired when not required for use.
The bar previously described for connecting the davit heads at the side of the
vessel may be so arranged that the davits can either hang outwards over the side
of the vessel or can be turned towards each other when it is not desired that they
should extend outwards.
Dated this 10th day of April 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Loading and
Unloading Cargo.
We, DONALD LEVACK, Officer. Mercantile Marine, of 57 Dunbar Road, Upton
Lane, Forest Gate in the County of Essex, ALEXANDER WALKER, Marine
Engineer, of 16 Walbutton Road, Brockley Rise, Brockley, in the County of Kent,
and VICTOR JONES, Officer Marine Service, of Durham House, Wandsworth, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
nanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to apparatus by which cargo can be loaded into or
unloaded from vessels; the apparatus might be used for quays, wharves, and other
places, but is particularly suitable for use on vessels and especially steamships,
inany of which have no masts suitably placed for use for operating upon the
cargo through the hatches. In designing this apparatus we have endeavoured to
make it simple and easily erected and readily stowed when done with.
The accompanying drawing is a perspective view illustrating apparatus con-
structed according to our invention applied to a ship and in use for discharging or
loading cargo.
A A' are davits stepped at the side of the vessel preferably in such a manner
that they can be readily removed if desired. Or they may be used as boat davits,
when not required for the purposes of this invention.
B B are bars which when the davits are employed for cargo purposes are used
to connect the top ends of each pair of davits as shown.
C is the hatchway, above which, in the fore-and-aft line of the ship is an arch
composed of a pair of davits D, pin-connected at D' to each other, and stepped. in
sockets E fixed to the deck. The davits D are adapted to rotate in the sockets E
and are jointed or hinged at D³, so that they may be folded when not required for
use they can also if desired be taken out of the sockets and stowed; to prevent
the davits D from folding and to strengthen them a sliding collar may be employed
upon them to encircle the hinges thereof in a manner well understood. Fare
stays and struts by which the several davits are stayed and strengthened.. A' are

page_text: the davit guys by which they can be adjusted. Any other suitable arrangement or
stays and struts may be employed for the davits A A' and D as may be desired.
G is a wire or other rope, cable, chain or the like made fast at its ends and led
through leads D' and B2 to form a span across the space between the arch and the
bar Bat one side of the ship. This wire or the like which in the example
illustrated slants downward towards the side of the vessel constitutes a track upon
which a traveller H can run as required.
Gis a similar track and H' a similar traveller at the opposite side of the deck;
although only one track may be used if desired.
II' are winches. J J₁ are hoisting-ropes or the like led respectively from the
winches II' to the travellers H H1 through the blocks D*.
Automatic or hand-operated locking-devices of any suitable character are'
provided upon the travellers H H¹ to cause them under certain conditions to travel
with the ropes J J and under other conditions to hold the travellers stationary
upon the spans G G¹.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows ;-
Suppose the cargo is to be raised out of the vessel the straps or other attachment.
devices are connected with the portion of cargo to be raised which is then elevated
by one of the winches in the usual manner until at the required height the chain
or equivalent is automatically locked so that it cannot fall down again; after this
the winch may be released and the traveller which now carries .the cargo will by
its weight run down the span to the davits or frame at the edge of the vessel, when
the cargo is automatically released from the pulley and it then descends carrying
its chain or rope with it into the lighter at the vessel's side, or wharf.
The winch is then re-started and winds up the chain until it engages the
traveller which has meanwhile been kept stationary and is thus drawn up the span
to its former position over the hatch where it automatically locks and upon releasing
the winch or running it in the reverse direction the chain will descend into the
hold ready for another load.
More than one track G can be employed between the central arch and suitable
points at the side of the vessel: if desired the tracks can be arranged to slant down
from the side of the ship to the centre instead of slanting. Any suitable means
may be employed for adjusting the slant of these tracks.
The whole apparatus is so constructed and arranged that it is particularly well
adapted for use on shipboard and so that it can be very easily and rapidly erected,
operated and taken down and stowed.
Instead of erecting the apparatus on shipboard the arch or its equivalent may
be placed on land at a warehouse, for example, and the davits erected at the
water's edge as on the banks of a canal or created at the edge of a railway plat-
form with the track for the traveller stretched between the two places.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. In apparatus for loading and unloading cargo or the like the combination with
davits such as A of a support such as the arch constituted by the davits D, a
span such as G and a traveller such as H thereon substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus such as is claimed in Claim 1 the combination with hinged or
removable davits D forming an arch of davits such as A substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus such as is claimed in Claim 1 the combination with hinged or
removable davits D forming an arch of davits such as A at one side of the arch
and davits such as A' at the opposite side of the arch substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting a complete apparatus
for loading and unloading cargo or the like consisting of a removable arch over a

page_text: hatch connected davits at the side of the vessel or otherwise at one side of the
arch a span upon which the traveller runs, and supporting rods ropes and the like
substantially as described:
Dated this 11th day of February 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
. Agents for the Applicants..