IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH LADDERS OR STEPS.
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN CAMPBELL of N° 30 Neptune Road Wallsend Newcastle upon Tyno
Joiner do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
CONNECTED WITH LADDERS OR STEPS.".and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention has for its object Improvements in the construction of ladders or
steps intended more particularly for communication with moving bodies such as
Ships piers and the like the heads or steps proper of which ladders always maintain
a horizontal or approximately horizontal position notwithstanding alterations in
the angle of the ladder caused by the varying positions of the moving body with
which the ladders or steps are used or otherwise.
According to my Invention each side or string of the ladder is divided into two
parts and each tread or step proper is connected at both its ends to the sides or
strings of the ladder by being hinged or centred to each divided half of the ladders
sides or strings. Each divided half of the ladder strings is hinged to a fixed part
at or near the top thereof in any suitable position-By this means when the angle
of the ladder changes owing to the movement of the body with which it is used or
otherwise the said divided ladder strings as they move, cause the treads or steps
proper to move on their centres and keep their proper horizontal or nearly
horizontal position.
t.
In order to increase the strength and stability of the ladder I connect the front
and back parts of the divided strings or sides of the ladder at suitable intervals by
metal links through which bolts are passed, which bolts may form the hinge pins
upon which the treads or steps proper turn The hand rail is caused to follow the
movements of the ladder by hinging its uprights to the front or back halves of the
divided strings of the ladder or to a link connecting the front and back strings,
the top portion of the hand rail being hinged to a suitable fixed part.
By providing an additional fixed centre these ladders may be used in different
directions from the platform not only from the deck of the ship or pier to the water
but it may be used as a Gangway from the ship to the pier,

page_text: By detaching the bolts from the fixed centres the ladder may be at once
removed.
The platform or fixed part may be connected to the main rail or other part of
the Ship or to a pier by means of an eye and bolt, the platform being supported by
a strut or struts hinged and resting at their lower ends in a groove or slot so that
the whole may be readily removed from the deck of the Ship without the necessity
for getting over the side of the Ship.
By attaching a rope or chain to the ladder and passing it over a drum carried by
the davits an extra purchase is obtained and the ladders can be lifted and lowered
with much greater ease than at present.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side sectional elevation of a ladder
constructed according to my Invention Figure 2 is a front elevation of a portion
of the same and Figure 3 a detail shewing a mode of connecting the ladder to a
Ships side, A represents a fixed platform or stationary part which may be the
landing stage of a pier or top of gangway connected to a Ship or other place to
which it may be desired to attach the ladder-This platform may be attached to
the side or main rail B of the Ship (as shewn in Figure 3) by means of an eye C
binged to the platform A, the platform being further supported by a strut or
struts D the upper end of which strut is hinged to the platform and its lower end
to a block E fitted to slide in a guide F connected to the side of the Ship By
connecting the platform to the ship in the manner described the ladder may be
connected to and disconnected from the ship without the necessity of getting over
the side of the ship for the purpose.
The sides or strings G of the ladder are hinged to the platform A, each of the
strings being divided longitudinally into two parts g g¹ each part being separately
hinged to the platform as shewn at h h¹ but connected together by links H at
suitable intervals along the ladder, through which links on one side of the ladder
bolts are passed and extend across the ladder and through corresponding links
on the opposite side thereof. These bolts may serve as hinge pins for the treads or
steps of the ladder to turn upon as shewn-The treads I of the ladder are hinged
at their ends to both of the parts g g¹ of the strings G G₁ as shewn at i¹ so that
when the ladder is in a vertical position as shewn by the-dotted lines K the treads
or steps are horizontal and at right angles to the strings G and by reason of the
mode of hinging the treads to the strings the said treads will maintain their
horizontal position whatever angle the ladder may be caused to assume by
alterations in the tide or from any other cause. The ladder may be raised into a
horizontal position as shewn by the dotted lines at L in figure 1 the treads or
steps in that case being still horizontal and edge to edge thereby forming a level
gangway. A hand rail M is connected to the front divisions g of either or both
the strings G G₁ by stanchions N which are hinged at their upper and lower ends
respectively to the hand rail and the division g. The upper end of the hand rail
is hinged at m to the rail A¹ of the platform A, so that whatever position the
ladder may assume the hand rail will always remain parallel to the strings G. By
connecting the divisions g g' of the strings by the links H and connecting the said
links on one side of the ladder to those on the opposite side by means of the
bolts H passing across the ladder great strength and rigidity are obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First Ladders or steps having divided sides or strings hinged to a platform or
other fixture and connected together by links and bolts the treads or steps proper
of the ladder being hinged to the several divisions of the sides or strings sub-
stantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by my
drawings.

page_text: Second-Connecting the hand rail to one of the divided sides or strings of the
ladder by means of stanchions substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by my drawings.
Third-The mode of connecting to the side of a ship or the like the platform
or fixture to which the ladder is hinged substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 of my drawings.
GALL 1
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