IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WAGONS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES PROAL FOR TRANSPORTING COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Connell, of the Town and County of
Kingston-upon-Hull, Oil Foots Refiner, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WAGONS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Connell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th January 1875.
I, ANDREW CONNELL, of the Town and County of Kingston-upon-
3 Hull, Oil Foots Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WAGONS AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES FOR TRANSPORTING COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of wagons intended for
the conveyance of coals and minerals, and has special reference to

page_text: My improvements consist in forming the wagons with hinged or
moveable bottoms opening from the centre, the upper part or box portion
of such wagons being fitted on to and readily removeable from the 5
lower or wheel-carrying portion of the frame.
When these wagons are filled with coal or minerals and run into the
position for unloading into vessels on a lower level than the line of rails
on which the wagons are running, the upper portion of the wagon is
attached to a framework extending above the portion of the railway or 1
tramway from which the unloading is to take place, whilst the lower or
wheel-carrying portion of the wagon is upon a movable platform, which
is caused to descend at the time the unloading is to take place; the act
of descending will thus cause the hinged bottom of the wagon to open
to any required distance and allow the contents of the wagon to fall into 1
the vessel or the apparatus placed for conducting such contents to the
vessel. This operation having been effected, the moveable platform
is caused to risc, and thus replaces the wagon in its normal position.
When these wagons are to be used for transhipping coal or minerals
from rail or tramways to vessels on the same or about the same level,
by means of a crane, two strong bars of iron are passed through the
framework of and immediately under and attached to the central portion
of each of the moveable doors above described. An apparatus is
attached to the crane by which chains may be hooked or fastened to the
four ends of these bars, the upper portion is then elevated by the cranc
and so detached from the lower or running portion of the wagon, the
wagon being then swung round into the position required for loading
into the vessel. Additional chains pendant from the jib of the crane
are fastened to the upper portion of the box, and the chains firstly
described being separately lowered whilst the second set of chains hold
the wagon in position, the moveable doors are caused to open and the
contents will fall into the vessel in the position required.
Metal plates may be attached to the moveable bottoms of the vessel
to prevent the coal or minerals falling through the sides instead
of the centre aperture in the act of unloading when this is required.

page_text: Boxes similar to the box portions of the wagons may also be used
for shipping minerals separately in cases where the coals or minerals
are to be transhipped from lighters, so as to avoid the necessity of the
adoption of manual labor in removing the coal or minerals from the
lighters to the wharf, steamer, or other intended destination of the coal
or minerals.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Andrew Connell in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 26th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
CONNELL, of the Town and County of Kingston-upon-Hull, Oil Foots
Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Andrew Connell, Her special license
that I, the said Andrew Connell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Andrew Connell, 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WAGONS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES FOR TRANSPORTING
COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I; the said Andrew Connell, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my hand 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent

page_text: portion is then clevated by the crane and so detached from the lower or
running portion of the wagon, the box portion of the wagon being then
swung round into the position required for loading into the vessel.
Additional adjustable chains pendent from the jib of the crane are
fastened to the upper portion of the box, and the chains firstly described
being separately lowered whilst the second set of chains hold the wagon
in position, the moveable doors are caused to open and the contents will
fall into the vessel in the position required.
This arrangement may also be employed in substitution for the
moveable platforms for transhipping to a lower level; or in lieu of
swinging round the box portion of the wagon, such box portion may be
raised a short distance by means of the crane until it is clear of the
frame or running portion, which may then be run along the rails away
from the box portion so as to admit of the descent of the latter to a lower
level for the discharge of the contents by the slackening of the chains
securing the doors, or of the doors being immediately opened by the
slackening of such chains when it is not required to lower the
wagon.
Metal plates may be attached to the moveable bottoms of the box to
prevent the coal or minerals from falling through the side instead of
the centre aperture in the act of unloading when this is required.
Boxes similar to the box portions of the wagons may also be used
for shipping minerals separately in cases where the coals or minerals
are to be transhipped from lighters, so as to obviate the necessity for
employing manual labour in removing the coal or minerals from the
lighters to the wharf, steamer, or other intended destination of the coal
or minerals.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed two Sheets of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
all the Figures.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, of my Drawings represents a longitudinal section
of the upper or box portion of a wagon constructed according to one
mode of carrying out my Invention, and shewing the doors forming the
bottom in their open position,

page_text: portion and lower or running portion.
Figure 4 is an under plan of the central part of the latter shewing
additional doors provided in the main doors forming the bottom of the
wagon.
A is the box portion of the wagon, the bottom of which is composed
of doors B, B, which may be made in two or more parts, and either
hinged from the ends of the wagon, as shewn at a, a, in my Drawings,
or from the sides if required; C is the lower or running portion which
is formed separate from the box portion A to which it is fitted in such
a manner as to enable the two portions to be detached the one from the
other by any of the means herein-before described. The doors B, B,
are provided with eye bolts D, D, or similar devices having attached
thereto the lower extremity of chains E, E, which are connected at their
upper end either directly by means of chains F, F, to the jib of a crane
or other hoisting gear not shewn in my Drawings, or through the inter-
vention of horizontal beams G, G, and chains G¹, G¹, to such chains F, F,
and thence to the crane jib or hoisting gear, as before mentioned ;
H, H, represent small bottom doors formed in the main doors B, B,
to which they are hinged at b, b.
The doors H, H, which are intended for use at roadside stations or at
any other required place where appliances such, for example, as cranes,
hydraulic lifts, and the like, capable of separating the box portion A
from the lower or running portion C cannot be obtained, are secured
during the transit by means of bars c, c, hinged at d, d, to the under
frame or running portion C, which bars are themselves maintained in
position by levers e, e, having their fulcra in the under frame at f, f,
respectively. When the levers e, e, are in their normal position the
upper end of each of them overlaps the end of one of the bars c, c, in
which position it is retained by means of a sliding pin or bolt g, but the
withdrawal of the pins or bolts g, g, leaves the levers free to be moved
by handles h, h, with which they are respectively provided in order to
release the bars c, c, which then fall into a pendent position and liberate
the doors H, H.

page_text: When the contents of the wagon are to be discharged by the
separation of the box portion A from the lower or running portion C
the doors H, H, are secured to the main doors B, B, so as to open
bodily therewith by means of bars I, I, (shewn in red lines in Figure 4)
which are capable of sliding in recesses formed in the metal framework of
the doors B, B, or through staples or otherwise. The sliding bars I, I, are
moved under the doors H, H, before the box portion is lifted by the crane
or other hoisting gear, and reversed before the pin or bolt g is with-
drawn in order to uncouple the apparatus for opening the doors H, H.
The doors B, B, when in their closed position may be caused to bear
either inside against angle irons K, K, as shewn in my Drawings, or
against the bottom of the box portion A level with the outside; L, L, arc
bars attached to the side of the box portion A for receiving the lower
extremities of the suspension chains M, M, so as to maintain the box
portion at any required height. These chains may be made fixtures
to a crane or its substitute, or adjustable by pulley blocks or their
equivalents, so that when the box portion A with its contents is over the
place where the material is to be deposited the suspension chains M, M,
are lowered to the required depth and then secured or made fast, and the
crane chains F or their equivalents are slackened, the large doors B, B,
consequently fall down and discharge the contents of the box portion A.
Side doors N, N, are employed as in ordinary wagons, such doors being
hinged to the bottom frame of angle iron ○ which is secured firmly to
the bottom of the box portion A by bolts or otherwise. End doors may
also be provided if found desirable. P, P, are bars or holders fixed on
the lower or running portion of the wagon C so as to maintain the box
portion A steadily in its place; other suitable means may, however, be
employed for the same purpose, either in substitution for or in addition_
to the bars or holders P, P; Q, Q, are staples secured to the box
portion A, and each provided with a link R which is passed over a
stud S carried by the lower or running portion C in order to enable tho
two portions to be lifted together bodily from one line of rails to another
or otherwise as required.
Among the advantages of my Invention the following may be
anumerated.

page_text: fitted separably to the upper or box portion, all arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purposes hercin-before described and
as illustrated by my Drawings.
Second. The application and use of boxes having hinged bottoms,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Connell, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of
July One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.