IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKIPS FOR RAISING BALLAST, CORN, COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER MATTERS IN BULK
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Murray, of Loman Street, in the
Borough of Southwark, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKIPS FOR RAISING BALLAST, CORN, COAL, MINERALS,
AND OTHER MATTERS IN BULK."
Sealed the 20th March 1866, and dated the 16th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Murray
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th October 1865.
I, CHARLES HENRY MURRAY, of Loman Street, in the Borough of Southwark,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKIPS FOR RAISING BALLAST, CORN, COAL, MINERALS,
AND OTHER MATTERS IN BULK," to be as follows:-
Coals, minerals, and earthy matters are raised from mines, wells, or deep
excavations in boxes or vessels called "skips," from which the material when
raised is delivered into waggons or other suitable receptacles either by tipping
the "skip" or unfastening a door or doors so as to allow the contents to drop
.out.
The object of my Invention is to construct and arrange the skip in such a
manner that the delivery of the contents of the skip will be self-acting, so as
not to require the attention of the attendants to unfasten and fasten the doors

page_text: .
of the skip. To this end the bottom of the skip is made to consist of two
doors or flaps, which are hinged or jointed to the sides of the skip, their
opposite sides being connected by means of links, rods, or chains to the lower
end of two vertical arms, which depend from a cross head or transverse bar,
whereby the skip is lifted by means of a chain or rope. The two vertical
arms pass through guides attached to the sides of the skip and are capable of
motion up and down in these guides. It will be evident therefore that when
the skip is lifted up and its whole weight is supported by the cross bar above,
the doors or flaps which form the bottoni will be kept closed and cannot
possibly be opened, but immediately that the skip is lowered and made to touch
the ground, so as to slacken the lifting chain or rope and take the weight off
the cross bar, the flaps or doors will be free to fall back, as they will no longer
be held up by the hauling or lifting chain. If therefore the skip be lowered
on to a hopper or other hollow or open receptacle which will not support the
doors or flaps from beneath these latter will drop and allow the contents of
When the
the skip to fall through the bottom into the receptacle beneath.
contents have been discharged, and the lifting chain is made taut, as will be
the case when the skip is lifted, the doors or flaps of the bottom will close and
be kept closed by the weight of the skip itself.
As a modification of the arrangement above described the cross bar may be
securely and permanently fixed or bolted to the skip, and the lifting chain may
be hooked on to the eye of a vertical sliding rod which passes through a
central guide in the cross bar. The moveable doors or flaps which form the
bottom of the skip, as in the former instance, will be hinged or jointed to the
sides of the skip, and will be connected by means of rods, links, or chains, to
the lower end of the vertical sliding rod, whereby the skip is lifted. The
moveable doors or flaps act precisely the same as in the former instance, and
the skip is discharged and reclosed in the manner already described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Henry Murray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY MURRAY, of Loman Street, in the Borough of Southwark, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Henry Murray, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles Henry Murray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Henry Murray, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SKIPS FOR RAISING
BALLAST, CORN, COAL, MINERALS, AND OTHER MATTERS IN BULK," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Henry Murray, my ex-
ecutors 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 the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Henry Murray, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Coals, minerals, and earthy matters are raised from mines, wells, or deep
excavations in boxes or vessels called "skips," from which the material when
raised is delivered into waggons or other suitable receptacles either by tipping
the "skip" or unfastening a door or doors attached to the bottom so as to allow
the contents.to drop out of the skip.
I
The object of my Invention is to construct and arrange the skip in such a
manner that the delivery of the contents of the skip will be self-acting, so, as
not to require the attention of the attendants to unfasten and fasten the doors
of the skip. To this end the bottom of the skip is made to consist of two
doors or flaps, which are hinged or jointed to the sides of the skip, their
opposite sides being connected by means of links, rods, or chains to the lower
end of a vertical arm or arms, whereby the skip is lifted by means of a chain
or rope. The vertical arms .may either pass through guides attached to the
sides of the skip, or, if a single vertical arm is employed, it may pass through
a central guide adapted to a transverse bar. The vertical arm or arms is or
are capable of motion up and down in these guides, so that when the ski
the skip is

page_text: ..
lifted up by the chain, and its whole weight is supported by the vertical arm
or arms, the doors or flaps which form the bottom will be kept closed and
cannot possibly be opened, but immediately that the skip is lowered and made
to touch the ground, so as to slacken the lifting chain or rope, and take the
weight off the vertical arms, the flaps or doors will be free to fall back, as
they will no longer be held up by the hauling or lifting chain. If therefore the
skip be lowered on to a hopper or other hollow or open receptacle, which will
not support the doors or flaps from beneath, the lifting chain will become slack,
and the flaps will drop and allow the contents of the skip to fall through the
bottom into the receptacle beneath. When the contents have been discharged,
and the lifting chain is made taut, as will be the case when the skip is lifted,
the doors or flaps of the bottom will be drawn up and closed, and will be kept
so by the weight of the skip itself.
As a modification of the arrangement above described the cross bar may be
securely and permanently fixed or bolted to the skip, and the lifting chain
may be hooked on to the eye of a vertical sliding rod which passes through a
central guide in the cross bar. The moveable doors or flaps which form the
bottom of the skip as in the former instance may either be hinged or jointed
to the sides of the skip, or to a transverse bar which extends across the bottom.
The doors or flaps will be connected by means of rods, links, or chains to the
lower end of the vertical sliding rod or rods, whereby the skip is lifted. The
moveable doors or flaps act precisely the same as in the former instance, and
the skip is discharged and reclosed in the manner already described.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn two different arrangements of
apparatus in plan and section.
Fig. 1 is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a vertical section of one arrangement in
which a square skip is used, the sides, a, a, being, however, rather inclined
inwards in order to facilitate the delivery of the contents; b, b, are the
doors or flaps which form the bottom. They are hinged to the sides a, a,
and are held up in their horizontal position by means of the links c, c, which
are connected by their upper ends to the cross pin or bar d at the lower end
of the vertical rod e, which moves up and down in the central socket or
guide attached to the transverse bar g, which extends from side to side of
the skip. At the upper end of the vertical rod e is an eye e¹, into which the
lifting chain is hooked as shown in the Drawing; Fig. 3 is a plan view, and
Fig. 4 a section of a modification of the above. In this instance the skip
is made of a cylindrical form, and the moveable doors or flaps b, b, are hinged
to a transverse bar b', which extends across the bottom of the skip. The doors
or flaps are connected by links c, c, to the pins d' at the lower ends of the
a

page_text: vertical arms e, which in this instance form part of the transverse bar e¹ on to
an eye, in which the lifting chain is hooked-as in the former instance.
It will now be understood that if the skip is lowered into the hopper h, as
shewn in the Drawing, it will be supported thereby, and when the lifting
chain is slackened the vertical arms e and iron cross head e¹ will fall and
allow the doors or flaps 6 to drop into the position shown by dots in the Figure,
and the contents of the skip will then fall into the hopper h. Precisely the
same thing occurs with the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2 when the
weight of the skip is taken off the lifting chains. When the chain is pulled
taut again the doors or flaps b, b, will close, and in order to prevent them from
undue strain upwards the joint or knuckle of the links at d, Figures 1 and 2,
will come against the under side of the socket f, which will thereby act as
a stop.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Skips for Raising Ballast, Corn, Coal, Minerals, and other Matters in
Bulk," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, adapting
the doors or flaps (which form the bottom of the skip) in such a manner to
the sides or lower part that they will be kept closed when the lifting chain is
held taut, but will fall down and open and discharge the contents of the
skip when the latter is no longer supported by the lifting chain as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry Murray, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
CHARLES HENRY MURRAY. (L.S.)