IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING MACHINERY AND APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR THE STOWAGE AND DISCHARGE OF SUBSTANCES DREDGED UP THE SAID APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES BEING APPLICABLE TO LIGHTERS, BARGES, OR VESSELS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Henry Michell, of 21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for
the Invention of" IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING MACHINERY AND APPARATUS OR
APPLIANCES FOR THE STOWAGE AND DISCHARGE OF SUBSTANCES DREDGED UP
THE SAID APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES BEING APPLICABLE TO LIGHTERS, BARGES, OR
VESSELS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES,"
Sealed the 8th October 1867, and dated the 7th August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard. Henry Michell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th August 1867.
I, RICHARD HENRY MICHELL, of 21, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, West-
minster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGING MACHINERY AND APPARA.
TUS OR APPLIANCES FOR THE STOWAGE AND DISCHARGE OF SUBSTANCES DREDGED UF,
THE SAID APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES BEING APPLICABLE TO LIGHTERS, BARGES, OR
VESSELS USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES,"-to-be-as-follows:-
I make the upper tumbler or roller, over which the buckets pass, and by
chich the bucket chain is driven, capable of being raised or lowered so that

page_text: dredging may be effected in deeper water and higher barges may be loaded
than without such an arrangement. Also, I make the upper tumbler with the
ladder frame capable of being lowered to the deck when the vessel is going to
sea, so that top weight may be done away with. I attain these objects by
employing a chain instead of toothed gearing andshafting to communicate the
power from a suitable block on a shaft connected with the engine to the shaft
of the tumbler. The guides in which the upper tumbler rise and fall may be
made to describe the arc of a circle which has the distance from the centre of
the lower block to the centre of the upper tumbler shaft for its radius. By
means of this arrangement the tumbler with the ladder and buckets can be
raised or lowered without interfering with the length of the chain; also the
guides may be made perpendicular, in which case the tumbler can be lowered by
shortening the chain and raised by lengthening it. The shoot of the dredging
machine may be attached to the apparatus for raising and lowering the upper
tumbler, so that either a high-sided vessel or low-sided barge, flat, or raft may
be conveniently filled. I insert into the links of the bucket chain and the
driving chain, if desired, loose steel bushings having upon them a stop for the
purpose of preventing them from turning round; and when a bushing is worn
out a new one may be put in, a remedy being thus provided for the wear of
the link. I make the lower tumbler without side guides or flanges to run
loose on the pin, and I fix the pin immoveably into the lower end of the
ladder instead of fixing it into the tumbler and allowing it to revolve in the
bearings in the ladder, as practiced at present. A long bearing is thus given
to the lower tumbler and rigidity is secured to the ladder frame. To prevent
risk of the buckets coming off the tumbler, I bolt fixed guide flanges to the
ladder frame. In the interior of the barges or vessels above named, or on
the surface of such flats or rafts,(whether for receiving dredged up substances
from the dredger or otherwise), in order to provide for the stowage and
discharge of such substances, I use the appliances of moveable chambers or
cells filling the whole or any given portion of the interior space in such barges
or vessels or surface of such flats or rafts; these chambers or cells. I leave
open at the top for facilitating the stowage, filling, or loading of the barge or
vessel, and for unloading or discharging. I provide these chambers or cells
with eyes, hooks, or other means, by which each may from time to time be
connected with a chain or rope, so that such chambers or cells may be hoisted
out from the vessel and discharged bytipping over the same, forwhich purpose
I have a hook, eye, or other appliance at the bottom or under the centre of
gravity of each chamber or cell, whereby a discharging chain or rope may be

page_text: connected with the same; or other arrangements may be used for tipping or
emptying, discharging, or unloading the barge or vessel as may be desired, and
the chamber or cell may then be replaced in its proper position in the barge
or vessel for further use. These chambers or cells should be constructed so as
to be capable of fitting closely together without leaving any interstitial spaces,
as otherwise the working of these arrangements will be imperfect. Dredgers
and the barges or vessels above named may be propelled by three screws.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Henry Michell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HENRY MICHELL, of 21, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Henry Michell, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Henry Michell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Richard Henry Michell, my executors, administrators, and 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 DREDGING MACHINERY AND APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR THE
STOWAGE AND DISCHARGE OF SUBSTANCES DREDGED UP, THE SAID APPARATUS OR
APPLIANCES BEING APPLICABLE TO LIGHTERS BARGES, OR VESSELS USED FOR OTHER
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Henry Michell, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner.
he same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next aud immediately after
he date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: "NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Henry Michell, 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:-
:. This Invention consists in and comprises the following arrangements:-I
inake the upper tumbler or roller over which the buckets pass, and by which
the bucket chain is driven, capable of being raised or lowered so that dredging
may be effected in deeper water, and higher barges may be loaded than
without such an arrangement... Also I make the upper tumbler with the
ladder frame capable of being lowered to the deck when the vessel is going to
sea so that top weight may be done away with. I attain these objects by
employing a chain instead of toothed gearing and shafting to communicate the
power from a suitable block on a shaft connected with the engine to the shaft
of the tumbler. The guides in which the upper tumbler rises and falls may
bé made to describe the arc of a circle which has the distance from the centre
of the lower block to the centre of the upper tumbler shaft for its radius. By
means of this arrangement the tumbler with the ladder and buckets can be
raised or lowered without interfering with the length of the chain; also the
guides may be made perpendicular, in which case the tumbler can be lowered
by shortening the chain and raised by lengthening it. The shoot of the
dredging machine may be attached to the apparatus for raising and lowering
the upper tumbler so that either a high-sided vessel or low-sided barge, flat, or
raft may be conveniently filled. "I insert into the links of the bucket chain and
the driving chain (if desired) loose steel bushings having upon them a stop
for the purpose of preventing them from turning round, or it may be used
without a stop if desired; and when a bushing is worn out a new one may be
put in, a remedy being thus provided for the wear of the link. I make the
lower tumbler without side gi
guides or flanges to run loose on the pin, and I fix
the pin immovably into the lower end of the ladder instead of fixing it into
the tumbler and allowing it to revolve on the bearings in the ladder, as
practised at present. A long bearing is thus given to the lower tumbler, and
rigidity is secured for the ladder frame. To prevent risk of the buckets
coming off the tumbler, I bolt fixed guide flanges to the ladder frame. In
the interior of the barges or vessels above-named, or on the surface of such
flats or rafts (whether for receiving dredged-up substances from the dredge
or otherwise) in order to provide for the stowage and discharge of such sub
stances, I use the appliances of moveable chambers or cells filling the whole
or any given portion of the interior space in such barges or vessels or surfaces

page_text: of such flats or rafts. These chambers or cells leave open at the top for
facilitating the stowage, filling, or loading of the barge or vessel; and for
unloading or discharging I provide these chambers or cells with eyes, hooks,
or other means, by which each may from time to time be connected with a
chain or rope, so that such chambers or cells may be hoisted out from the
vessel and discharged by tipping over the same, for which purpose I have a
hook, eye, or other appliance at the bottom or under the centre of gravity of
each chamber or cell, whereby a discharging chain or rope.may be connected
with the same; or other arrangements may be used for tipping or emptying,
discharging or unloading the barge or vessel, as may be desired, and the
chamber or cell may thus be replaced in its proper position in the barge or
vessel for further use. These chambers or cells should be constructed so as
to be capable of fitting closely together without leaving any interstitial spaces,
as otherwise the working of these arrangements will be imperfect. Dredgers
and the barges or vessels above-named may be propelled by three screw pro-
pellers which may be found in some respects very desirable.
Having thus described the nature or particular features which serve to
distinguish this Invention, I now proceed to describe the same in regard to
the practical details as I recommend the same for adoption and use, which I
shall do by reference to the accompanying Drawings, as hereafter followeth,
premising that this Drawing and the description thereof are illustrative
only, as I claim the liberty of varying such details whenever and wherever
that can be done without departing from the nature and character of the
Invention herein-before described; and I do not claim the constituent parts
per se, as hercin set forth as forming any part of my said Invention, except
when used and combined as above stated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In the said Drawing, A is the centre of driving shaft and block; B, the
centre of the upper tumbler shaft. Fig. 1 representing the guides if made to
describe a circle with radius A, B; Fig. 2 shewing guides if made per-
pendicular; Fige. 3 and 4, side and end elevations of the slide C, forming the
bearing for the upper tumbler shaft with dead eye attached to carry the ladder
frame; D, the tumbler; these slides may be moved up and down in the guides
by blocks, screws, or hydraulic power. Figs. 5 and 6, side and end elevations
of the bottom tumbler E, revolving in the shaft-H, which is fastened in the
ladder frame G, to which the guide flanges F are also bolted; Fig. 7, end of:
link with the steel bush 1, which may be used with or without the stop as
a

page_text: shewn; Figs. 8 and 9, plan and elevation of the cellular barge; Fig. 9 also
shewing two cells or chambers whilst being lifted out of the barge.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Henry Michell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
JENKIN WILLIAMS,
No. 1, Trinity Street,
Cardiff.
RD. HENRY MICHELL. (L.s.)