IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN of London, Merchant, for the Invention of ELEVATORS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Power, of Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN
of London, Merchant, for the Invention of
ELEVATORS." A communication from abroad by William Stoll, of Brooklyn,
in the State of New York, United States of America.
aled the 30th March 1880, and dated the 25th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Power at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th October 1879.
EDWARD POWER, of Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of London, Merchant.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN ELEVATORS." [A communication from abroad by William
Stoll, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements on the grain elevator for which Letters
Patent were obtained by William Henry Power, dated January 31st, 1878, No. 414,
as a communication from the inventor of the present improvements, the object
being to simplify the construction of the apparatus, and to increase its facilities for
working under varying circumstances.
Instead of employing bands and pullies, as in the first arrangement, for trans-
mitting the driving power from the engine shaft to various moving parts of the
mechanism a vertical shaft is employed, which stands up from a foot bearing near
the base plate of the engine, and extends up to the highest pulley that is required
The vertical shaft receives motion from the engine through bevil
to be driven.
gear, and it transmits notion to the driving mechanism on the swinging frame
from which the elevating trunk is suspended by means of a pair of bevil wheels,
one of which is connected by a feather to the vertical shaft, and is mounted in the
sliding carriage to which the swinging frame is hinged, and is therefore free to
slide up and down with the carriage and maintain its connection with the bevil
wheel on the swinging frame.
The motion for actuating the windlass by which the sliding carriage is raised
and lowered is also taken from the vertical shaft. Through bevil gears this shaft
also serves to drive at various heights the elevators which raise the grain to the
cleaning apparatus (or to shutes designed to discharge it into suitable receptacles),
and the fan or fans and screens of the winnowing machinery.

page_text: The sliding carriage instead of moving as heretofore in vertical grooves, I now
fit with checks provided by preference with antifriction rollers for embracing the
vertical guides of the apparatus.
In place of using a sliding carriage for carrying the swinging frame, which
regulates the dip of the elevating trunk into the hold of the vessel to be unladen,
the swinging frame may be mounted on a moving fulcrum. This arrangement
will allow of the dip of the elevating trunk being varied, and also of its being
advanced or drawn back to suit the varying distances intended to be reached.
In order to permit of the removal of the grain through a contracted hatchway,
it is proposed to substitute for the elevator trunk containing an endless chain of
buckets a tube fitted with a vertical archimedean screw, the rotation of which will
cause the grain to travel upwards and flow out of the top of the tube.
To provide for different depths of hold the shaft of the screw and the enclosing
tube may be made in sections, portions of which may be removed to shorten the
dip of the elevator.
As an improvement upon the form of elevator bucket at present in use the
segment shaped bottom instead of retaining that shape throughout its cross
section passes from the segmental form at about the middle of its depth to the flat
or tangential at its front edge, thus forming a lip which will facilitate the delivery
of the corn.
The further to improve its action the bucket is attached by its upper part only
to the endless band which carries it, thus leaving it free to swing when passing
round the tension pulleys.
In order to prevent the dust in the corn from flying about when it is delivered
from the hold of the vessel into the hopper of the weighing machine suction pipes
in connection with a fan or exhaust are provided, which pipes will carry away the
dust as it arises, and prevent the attendants from being injuriously affected thereby.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Power in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th April
1880.
EDWARD POWER, of Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of London, Merchant..
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN ELEVATORS." A communication from abroad by William
Stoll, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements on the grain elevator for which Letters
Patent were obtained by William Henry Power, dated January Thirty first, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy eight, No. 414, as a communication from the
Inventor of the present improvements, the object being to simplify and reduce the
cost of construction of the apparatus, and to increase its facilities for working
under varying circumstances.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn so much of a "Stoll" grain
elevator as will serve to explain the nature of the several improvements for which
the present Letters Patent were obtained.
Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one form of the improved grain elevator
mounted on the deck of a barge, which is shewn in cross section; Fig. 2 is a side
view of the sliding carriage to which the swinging frame or jib is hinged, and
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.
A, A, is a tower composed of suitable framing standing up from the deck of the
barge.
This tower is divided up by a convenient number of floors B, B, from the lower-
most of which rises a pair of guides C, C. These guides extend to near the top of
the tower, and are intended to receive the carriage D to which the swinging frame
or jib E is hinged.
Pendent from the free end of this frame E is an endless chain of buckets enclosed
within pendent tubes E, and constituting the elevating trunk by means of which
the grain is to be removed from the hold of an adjacent vessel. G is the shaft of
the engine employed for actuating the various parts of the elevator, and situate for
convenience in the hold of the barge.
Instead of employing bands and pullies, as in the former patented arrangement,
for transmitting the driving power from the engine shaft G to various moving parts
of the mechanism a vertical shaft H is now used for transmitting motion directly
to certain parts of the mechanism. This shaft (see Fig. 1) stands up from a foot
bearing near the base plate of the engine, and extends up to the highest pulley
that is required to be driven. The vertical shaft H receives motion from the
engine through bevil gears I, and it transmits motion to the driving mechanism on
the swinging frame, from which the elevating trunk is suspended by means of a
pair of bevil wheels K, K¹, mounted in the sliding carriage D. The wheel K is
connected by a feather to the vertical shaft H, and is therefore free to slide up and
down with the carriage and maintain its connection with the wheel K' while
receiving rotary motion from the shaft H. The wheel K is keyed to a short cross
shaft K2, which turns in bearings in the sliding carriage D, and this shaft serves
as the fulcrum for the swinging frame E to turn on.
an
Keyed to one end of the cross shaft K2 is a band pulley K³, from which
endless band passes to a band pulley K4 mounted on the bucket wheel shaft at the
free end of the swinging frame, and by this means the rotary notion of the shaft H
is transmitted to the band of elevator buckets.
L is a bevil wheel near the top end of the shaft H for driving the elevator,
which raises the grain to the cleaning apparatus or to shutes designed to discharge
it into suitable receptacles.

page_text: By transmitting motion from the driving shaft G through the vertical shaft H
to the parts in connection therewith, the long driving bands heretofore employed
are rendered unnecessary, and a material economy is thereby effected. A further
economy in the construction of the apparatus is effected by the use of a novel
will now explain.
arrangement of sliding carriage, the peculiarities of which
The sliding carriage D, instead of moving as heretofore in vertical grooves, is
now fitted (see Figures 2 and 3) with cheeks d provided, by preference, with anti-
friction rollers d for embracing the vertical guides C.
As the means for raising and lowering the carriage D, and also for swinging the
frame or jib E, differs in no respect from that described in the before mentioned
Patent, it has been thought unnecessary to add it to the Drawings.
In place of using a sliding carriage for carrying the swinging frame which
regulates the dip of the elevating trunk into the hold of the vessel to be unladen,
the swinging frame may be mounted on a moving fulcrum. This arrangement is
illustrated in Sheet II., of the Drawings, where Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of
a "Stoll" elevator embodying this modification, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of
the same.
In these Figures it will be seen that the vertical guides C of the above described
arrangement are absent, their use not being required when the radius frame to be
presently described is employed as a substitute for the sliding carriage.
M is a fixed frame carried by the lowermost floor B of the tower A, and fitted
This shaft forms the
with bearings to receive a horizontal driving shaft N..
fulcrum for a rocking radius frame O, the inclined position of which is determined
by a tension rope 0' led over guide pulleys 02, and thence down to the windlass,
not shewn in the Drawing.
Mounted in the free end of the radius frame is a transverse driving shaft P,
which forms the fulcrum for the swinging frame or jib E of the first described
arrangement. The rotary motion for the driving gear of this sliding frame is
derived from the shaft N through the pulley N' and driving band N actuating the
pulley P, which is keyed onto the shaft P. The end of this shaft P carries a band
pulley as in the first described arrangement, from which rotary motion is trans-
mitted to the bucket wheel shaft.
This arrangement, it will be readily seen, will allow of the dip of the elevating
trunk being varied, and also of its being advanced or drawn back to suit the
varying distances intended to be reached, while at the same time the transmission
of the driving power to the bucket wheel will be uninterrupted.
As an improvement upon the forin of elevator bucket at present in use, I propose
to employ the construction of bucket shewn in Sheet I. at Figures 4 and 5, where
Fig 4 is a front view of a portion of an endless band of buckets, and Fig. 5 is a
transverse section of the same.
In these Figures it will be seen that the segment shaped bottom instead of
retaining that shape throughout the whole of its cross section passes at about the
middle of its depth from the segmental form at 1 to the flat or tangential, which
extends its front edge, as at 2, thus forming a lip which will facilitate the delivery
of the corn. The further to improve its action the bucket is attached by its upper
part only, as at 3, 3, to the endless band which carries it, thus leaving it free to
swing when passing round the tension pulleys.
In order to prevent the dust in the corn from flying about when it is delivered
from the hold of the vessel into the hoppers of the weighing machines, an arrange-
ment is provided; as shewn in Sheet II., for collecting the dust and discharging it
over the side of the barge into the water.
In Figures 1 and 2, Q.are the hoppers of the weighing machines, which hoppers
are connected with the exhaust fan R of the screens by means of suction pipes S
When the fan draws the dust delivered
as shewn best in the detached view, Fig. 3.
from the wheat into the exhaust, chamber T, it will also draw the dust from the

page_text: hoppers through the suction pipes S, and discharge it out of the trunk U into the
water, thereby preventing the attendants from being injuriously affected thereby.
The connection of the fan case with the exhaust chamber chamber may be
closed by a hinged shuster V when the screens are not in action.
Instead of connecting the hoppers with the exhaust fan box of the screening
apparatus, the suction pipes S may be connected with a "Roots" blower, as shewn
in the diagramn Fig. 6, Sheet I.
i
The hoppers Q are fitted with covers to confine the dust, and openings are made
in these covers to admit the central pipe from fixed feed hoppers, and to admit
also the ends of the suction pipes S in such manner as not to interfere with the
vertical movements of the hoppers Q during the weighing operation.
Air is also freely admitted through the covers to provide a current for carrying
off the dust through the suction pipes S.
The Drawings shew hoppers of large capacity capable of holding some eighty,
but where the custom of the port is to weigh the grain in smaller quantities the
capacity of the hoppers will be proportionately reduced, their ventilation will how-
ever be provided for in the manner above explained.
In order to permit of the removal of the grain through a contracted hatchway
it is proposed to substitute for the elevator trunk containing an endless chain of
buckets (as explained with reference to Sheets I. and II.) a tube fitted with a
vertical archimedean screw, the rotation of which will cause the grain to travel
upwards and flow out of the top of the tube.
This head of the Invention is illustrated in Sheet III. of the Drawings, where
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the grain elevator; A is the tube of the elevator
pendent from the free end of a swinging fraine or jib; B, the transverse shaft of
which supports the tube, and allows it to swing freely, so that it may maintain its
verticality whatever angle of inclination may be given to the jib B. The bottom
of the tube A carries a step bearing in which the spindle of an archimedean screw D
is mounted. At the upper end of this screw a second bearing is provided for the
spindle. The sides of the tube A near the step bearing have openings to admit the
grain to the screw, and to the upper end of the screw spindle is keyed a mitre
wheel which gears into and is driven by a similar wheel keyed on the cross shaft C.
This cross shaft constitutes a pivot support for a bonnet E which serves to close the
top of the tube A, that tube being suitably shaped at its upper end to fit within the
bonnet, and form therewith a closed chamber similar to that employed in connection
with the bucket-elevator described in the above mentioned Patent. This chamber
is formed with a neck that connects with a tube or tubes F for leading off the
grain in any required direction.
In Fig. 2, this tube is represented as fitted with an archimedean screw D¹ for
carrying off the grain as it is delivered from the elevator, the direction of its
traverse being of course controlled by the adjustment of the tube F.
To provide for different depths of hold the spindle of the screw and the enclosing
tube A may be made in sections, as shewn in Fig. 1, portions of which may be
removed to shorten the dip of the elevator or replaced by longer lengths to increase
its dip, and thereby to adapt it to varying circumstances.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention for " Improvements in Grain
Elevators," as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. The means above described, with reference to Sheet I. of the Drawings, for
simplifying and reducing the cost of construction of grain elevators.
Secondly. The arrangement of radius frame, as described with reference to
Sheet II, of the Drawings, for carrying the swinging frame or jib.
Thirdly. The elevator buckets, constructed and applied as described with
reference to Figures 4 and 5, Sheet I., of the Drawings.

page_text: Fourthly. The arrangement above described for protecting the attendants from
the injurious effects of dust raised in the act of weighing the grain.
Lastly. The application to the swinging arm or jib of the elevator trunk and its
fittings, as
, as described with reference to Sheet III. of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said. Edward Power, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty:
EDWARD POWER. (L.S.)