Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Elevating and Trans- porting Grain, Salt, Small Coal, or other Granular Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1899--Accepted, 26th Aug., 1899
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Elevating and Trans-
porting Grain, Salt, Small Coal, or other Granular Materials.
I, FREDERIC WINBOLT STAVELEY, Chairman of the United Grain Elevators,
Limited, of 53, Talbot Street, Bootle, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for transferring
grain, salt, small coal and other granular materials from the hold of a ship or
other situation to an elevated hopper where it is discharged by spouts to a bin
for storage or to the hold of another ship or elsewhere, as required by the parti-
cular circumstances of the case. In maritime vessels in which the hold is divided
up into a number of compartments, especially those which have twin screws,
and in which consequently the hold is divided into three compartments by the
tunnels of the propeller shafts, it has been found a long process to discharge
the grain or other material from the respective holds, as by the apparatus at
present in use it is impossible to discharge more than one compartment, or at
most two at the same time.
Now my present invention has for its object to discharge all the compartments
in the hold of a ship or other situation simultaneously, thus effecting a great
saving in time and labour and avoiding the defect alluded to.
This I effect in the case of discharging grain from ships by providing three
elevator legs, placed side by side so as to constitute one apparatus, but so
arranged that they can be placed at such an angle that they will reach into,
and elevate grain from the respective compartments, thus enabling me to dis-
charge from all parts of the vessel simultaneously. In some cases 1 may even
use four or more legs, where three will not answer the purpose. Furthermore
I arrange the driving gear for the elevator buckets in such a manner that the
additional elevator legs beyond the first pair may be disconnected, when
required.
To go more into detail the plan I prefer for arranging the improved apparatus
is as follows:-
I provide three elevator legs placed side by side and coupled together so that
they will not accidentally come apart. In combination with cach, I provide an
auxiliary elevator leg adapted to be lowered, and to dip into the grain that is
required to be elevated. Each auxiliary leg is arranged in such a manner that
it will be capable of moving or sliding out of the main legs in proportion as the
hold is emptied of its contents, winches being provided to raise and lower the
legs. They are also pivotted to the main legs by a sliding pivot, so that when
extended they can be adjusted to any angle required to elevate the grain from
the respective holds or compartments of the ship. Strong belts or chains, carry-
ing buckets, travel from drums in the box or frame at top of the apparatus to
drums at the lower end of the main legs, then pass upwards to drums located at

page_text: top and at one side of the auxiliary legs, then downwards to drums at bottom of
said elevator legs where they scoop up the grain in the hold, and so upwards
again to the drums at the top of the apparatus where the buckets tip over and
discharge into a hopper or spout which directs the grain into bins or elsewhere.
The grain lifted by each elevator is delivered into one delivery spout, or into
separate ones as required, and the arrangement of elevator chains and drums is
such, that the auxiliary legs can be lowered or raised without affecting the
elevators or requiring any re-adjustment thereof. Two of the drums in the box
or frame at top are driven by gearing from a driving shaft, and the other is
geared to the same shaft by a driving chain so that all three elevators are
worked simultaneously, or if only two are required, then by disconnecting the
chain the other two can be worked independently.
In use the apparatus is first suspended over the hatchway of the vessel and
the elevator legs then lowered into the hold by the winches, and they are placed
at such an angle that they will reach into the respective compartments or two
may be placed at an angle to reach to the respective compartments, and the
third remain practically vertical. The elevator buckets being set in motion,
the grain is elevated thereby, a torrent of grain being poured into the spout and
delivered. When the apparatus requires cleaning the three main legs can be
uncoupled and separated from one another.
Dated this 20th day of Ad 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Elevating and Trans-
porting Grain, Salt, Small Coal, or other Granular Materials.
I, FREDERIC WINBOLT STAVELEY, Chairman of the United Grain Elevators,
Limited, of 53, Talbot Street, Bootle, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of apparatus
such as set forth in Patents Nos. 3429 of 1876, 3506 of 1879 and 1122 of 1880
for transferring grain, salt, small coal and other granular materials from the hol
of a ship or other situation to an elevated hopper where it is discharged by
spouts to a bin for storage or to the hold of another ship or elsewhere, as required
by the particular circumstances of the case. In maritime vessels in which the
hold is divided up into a number of compartments, especially those which have
twin screws, and in which consequently the hold is divided into three compart-
ments by the tunnels of the propeller shafts, it has been found a long process
to discharge the grain or other material from the respective holds, as by the
apparatus at present in use it is impossible to discharge more than one compart-
ment, or at most two at the same time.
Now my present invention has for its object to discharge all the compartments
in the hold of a ship or other situation simultaneously, thus effecting a great
saving in time and labour and avoiding the defect alluded to.
This I effect in the case of discharging grain from ships by providing three
elevator legs, placed side by side so as to constitute one apparatus, but so
arranged that they can be placed at such an angle that they will reach into,

page_text: and elevate grain from the respective compartments, thus enabling me to dis-
charge from all parts of the vessel simultaneously. In some cases I may even
use four or more legs, where three will not answer the purpose. Furthermore
1 arrange the driving gear for the elevator buckets in such a manner that the
additional elevator legs beyond the first pair may be disconnected, when
required.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 shows an elevation of my apparatus,
Figure 2 a detail view of the driving arrangement for the respective elevators,
and
Fig. 3 an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the apparatus.
Referring to these figures, I provide three elevator legs or trunks A, B & C
placed side by side and fastened together so that they will not accidentally
come apart. In combination with each I provide an elevator leg A B & O
adapted to be lowered and to dip into, the grain that is required to be elevated
in the respective compartments a band c. Each leg A, B and C is arranged
in such a manner that it will be capable of moving or sliding within the trunks A,
B and C in proportion as the hold is emptied of its contents, winches ¹ being
provided to raise and lower the legs by chains attached thereto. They are
also pivotted to the trunks by pivots c¹ sliding in slots ², so that when extended
they can be adjusted to any angle required to elevate grain from the respective
holds or compartments of the ship. Strong belts or chains A³ carrying buckets
travel from drums 12 in the trunks at top of the apparatus to drums at the
lower end of the trunks, then pass upwards to drums A located at top and at
one side of the legs, then downwards to drums 62 at bottom of said legs where
they scoop up the grain in the hold, and so upwards again to the drums B2 at
the top of the apparatus where the buckets tip over and discharge into a hopper
or spout not shown which directs the grain into bins or elsewhere. The grain
elevated by each elevator is delivered into one delivery spout or into separate
ones as required, and by this arrangement of elevator chains and drums the
elevator legs can be lowered or raised without affecting the elevators or requiring
any readjustment thereof. Two of the drums at top of the apparatus are driven
by gear wheels D E F G from a driving shaft H and the other is geared to the
same shaft H but on opposite side by a driving chain I and sprocket wheels J,
all three elevators are worked simultaneously. If only two are required, then
by disconnecting the chain I the other two can be worked independently, or by
removing the pinion I one only is put in operation. K is the driving chain
by which power is conveyed to the shaft H from the engine. The other refer-
ence letters are as follows-L are the tunnels of the propeller shafts, M the
decks of the vessel, N cross bars resting on these decks, O claws adjustable in
the grooves P and secured by bolts and adapted to support the apparatus on
the cross bars, and Q adjustment for the bottom drums.
In use, the apparatus is first suspended over the hatchway of the vessel and
the elevator legs then lowered into the hold by the winches, and they are fixed
at such an angle that they will reach into the respective compartments, or two
may be placed at an angle to reach to the respective compartments and the
third remain practically vertical. The elevator buckets being set in motion, the
grain is elevated thereby, a torrent of grain being poured into the spout and
delivered.
When the apparatus requires cleaning or repairing, the three trunks can be
uncoupled and separated from one another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In apparatus for elevating and transporting grain and other granular

page_text: materials of that kind in which an elevator is adapted to dip down into the
hold of a vessel or other situation and elevate the grain by means of travelling
buckets, the improvement in such apparatus which consists in providing three
or more elevator legs placed side by side so as to constitute one apparatus but
so arranged that they can be placed at such an angle that they will reach into,
and elevate grain from different compartments, substantially as described,
whereby I am able to elevate and discharge from all parts of a vessel simul-
taneously.
2. In apparatus for elevating and transporting grain or other granular material
from the hold of a vessel or other situation, forming such apparatus with three
or more elevator trunks placed side by side and fastened together so that they
will not accidentally come apart, each trunk being provided with an elevator
leg so arranged that it can be lowered and dip into the material that is required
to be elevated, and placed at an angle relatively to the trunk, whereby all the
compartments in the hold or other situation can be discharged simultaneously,
thus effecting a great saving in time and labour, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus of the kind set forth, arranging the driving gear for the
elevator buckets in such a manner that the additional elevator legs beyond the
first set may be disconnected when required, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of May 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, & London.