Improvements in Apparatus for Loading Coal or other Materials into Ships or Vessels.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Loading Coal or other Materials into
Ships or Vessels.
I, WILLIAM SHAPTON of 8 Great George Street in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I employ a movable crane with, luffing jib capable of being traversed to and fro
along rails parallel with the edge of a dock or quay,
At suitable distances apart along the quay are turntables on a line of rails preferably
parallel with the rails on which the crane travels.
By any of the turntables wagons can be turned into a position at an angle to the
rails and run on to a cradle which can be taken by the crane and swung and luffed
to bring it over the hatchway of a ship.
At each turntable is an oblong rectangular shallow recess in the ground with
ramps at the corners forming seats for an ordinary wagon lifting cradle to rest in at
the time when a wagon
to be run on to such cradle from the turntable. The turn-
tables with the cradle seats are at such a distance apart one from another that the
crane with luffing-jib will always be able to reach one of the cradle seats no matter
in what position the crane may require to be moved to along its supporting rails to
bring it into position to deliver the wagon loads of coal or other mineral into the
hatchway of a vessel.
The full wagons would be moved in one direction along the lines of rail leading to
the turntables and when emptied and again put by the turntable on to the lines of
rail they would be passed along in the same direction and conveyed away.
Instead of the wagons being brought to the turntables by a line of rails parallel
with the edge of the quay they may be brought to them by separate lines of rail at
an angle to the edge of the quay-or a traverser might be used for bringing the wagons
from the ends of lines of rail to the cradle seats.
Dated this 7th day of January 1889.
CART MAEL & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Loading Coal or other Materials into
Ships or Vessels.
1, WILLIAM SHAPTON of 8 Great George Street in the City of Westminster Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
I employ a movable crane with luffing jib capable of being traversed to and fro
along rails parallel with the edge of a dock or quay.
At suitable distances apart along the quay are turntables on a line of rails preferably
parallel with the rails on which the crane travels.
By any of the turntables wagons can be turned into a position at an angle to the
rails and run on to a cradle which can be taken by the crane and swung and luffed
to bring it over the hatchway of a ship.
ramps
At each turntable is an oblong rectangular shallow recess in the ground with
at the corners forming seats for an ordinary wagon lifting cradle to rest in
at the time when a wagon is to be run on to such cradle from the turntable.
The turntables with the cradle seats are at such a distance apart from one another
that the crane with luffing jib will always be able to reach one of the cradle seats

page_text: no matter in what position the crane may require to be moved to along its supporting
rails to bring it into position to deliver the wagon loads of coal or other mineral into
the hatchway of a vessel.
The full wagons would be moved in one direction along the lines of rail leading
to the turntables and when emptied and again put by the turntable on to the
lines of rail they would be passed along in the same direction and conveyed away.
Instead of the wagons being brought to the turntables by a line of rails parallel
with the edge of the quay they may be brought to them by separate lines of rail at
an angle to the edge of the quay.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is an elevation showing the luffing crane and the cradle and loaded
wagon suspended from it.
The quay wall and a ship loading along side are
represented in section.
Figure 2 is a plan. In these figures the line a shows the edge of the quay.
b is the ship along side. c is the lufting crane and d d are rails along which the
luffing crane can travel to the position most suitable, for reaching the ships
hatchway.
m is the
eee are the sunken seats for the cradle; they receive the cradle in the usual
manner. is the railway which brings the wagons to the cradle seats and conveys
them away. hhh are the turn tables along the railway g. one to serve each cradle
seat. i is the cradle. is a railway wagon. is the hoisting tackle.
tipping tackle and n is the luffing tackle. By the arrangement above described
whatever the position of the ships hatchway the crane can be so placed that a wagon
can be brought down by the railway g. run on to a cradle in a cradle seat, lifted,
tipped and then replaced in the cradle scat and passed back to the railway and all
without movement of the crane on its rails d after it has been brought to a suitable
position for work.
Figure 3 is a plan and shows a modification in which the turn tables are dispensed
with and the wagons are brought to the cradle in one or other of the cradle seats by
lines of rail at an angle to the edge of the quay. These lines may as the drawing
indicates all joint up into one main line which brings down the loaded wagons
and conveys the emptios away.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of apparatus substantially as described consisting of a crane
with luffing jib moveable along rails parallel to the quay wall; a wagon lifting cradle;
a series of cradle seats at such distances apart that the crane can lift the cradle with
a wagon upon it from one of them and discharge the wagon into the hatchway of a
ship whatever the position of the ship along the quay wall and a railway and turn
tables for conveying the wagons to and from the cradles as herein set forth.
2. The combination of apparatus set forth in the preceding claim but substituting
for the turn tables railways at an angle to the quay wall to convey the wagons to
and from the cradle seats.
Dated this 4th day of October 1889