IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Robert Kinipple, Civil Engineer, three, Westminster
Chambers, London, and of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DREDGERS."
Scaled the 23rd June 1876, and dated 24th February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Robert Kinipple at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th February 1876.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE, Civil Engineer, three, Westminster Chambers,
London, and of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain. « IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DREDGERS."
This Invention relates to improvements in dredging machinery.
D
In carrying out these improvements I construct a circular vessel to carry one,
two, or more bucket ladders. These ladders are so placed on the margin or
periphery of the vessel that they are free to revolve for an entire circle, and thus not
only may a large area of ground be dredged beyond the sides of the vessel when the
vessel is stationary, but the hopper or hoppers may be discharged of the dredged
materials after the manner of an ordinary steam hopper barge, or emptied by the
same bucket ladders and deposited into hopper barges or wagons, or further ejected
by water power or otherwise into banks or on to quays.
In the centre of the vessel I form an aperture through which a screw pile or
cylinder is free to rise or fall, or to be screwed down into the bed of the sea, river,
or other waterway, and this pile when so screwed down serves as a centre post or
pile or cylinder, around which the dredger with its radial bucket ladders is free to
revolve. To aid the descent of the pile or cylinder water is or may be used for.
adding weight, and in raising the pile or cylinder the water is or may be either
pumped or allowed to flow out.
For the purpose of securing the vessel in position or revolving the vessel I use
legs or spurs, the upper ends of which are attached to the sides of the vessel, and
the lower ends are free to be lowered to the bottom of the sea, bed of a river, or
other waterway. To their lower ends I fix revolving anchor flukes, which flukes
are revolved or driven by endless chains, screws, or by the mechanical equivalent
thereof, or a screw blade at the end of an inclined shaft may be used.

page_text: The revolving of the vessel may also be aided by the use of the radial bucket
ladders and twin-screw or equivalent propellers.
To dredge with the radial bucket ladders when the hull of the dredger is
aground I place the bucket ladders together with the framing and machinery on to
rollers, and the whole is made to travel or revolve on the deck, gunwale, or upper
part of the dredger around a common centre.
The vessel may be of other forms, such as elliptical or oblong.
This Invention enables dredging operations to be proceeded with whether a
dredger is afloat or aground without the aid of anchors, bow, side, and stern chains,
and the hoppers of the dredger to be emptied of dredged material by the same
radial bucket ladders as are used for dredging purposes.
In lieu of rotating the dredger by the means described, this may be effected by
hauling chains, and in place of rotating the dredger upon its centre it may be
rotated eccentrically.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Walter Robert Kinipple in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd August 1876.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE, Civil Engineer, 3, Westminster Chambers, London,
and of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DREDGERS."
My said Invention relates to improvements in dredging machinery.
In carrying out these improvements I construct a circular vessel containing one
or more hoppers, and carrying one, two, or more bucket ladders, which are so placed
on the margin or periphery of the hull that they are capable of being moved round
through an entire circle, and also through a quadrant, semicircle, or other arc
tangential to their circle of rotation. Thus may not only a large area of ground be
dredged beyond the sides of the vessel when the vessel is stationary, but by
swinging in the bucket ladders the hopper may be emptied of the dredged materials,
these being either deposited into hopper barges, punts, or wagons, or into banks or
on quays, jetties, wharves, or other situations; or instead of this arrangement of
discharging, the hopper or hoppers may be emptied of the dredged materials after
the manner of an ordinary steam hopper barge.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to the
annexed Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a side elevation, and
Figure 2 a plan of the improved hopper dredger constructed in accordance with my
said Invention, whilst the Figure on Sheet 2 of the Drawings is partly an elevation
at right angles to Figure 1, Sheet 1, and partly a transverse section of the dredger
"on the line a, b, Figure 2, Sheet 1.
As shewn by these Figures the vessel consists of a circular hull A, in the centre
whereof an aperture or channel is inade, through which a screw pile B passes
downwards. The said pile is capable of being raised and lowered by means of a
chain a, one end of which is secured to the upper extremity of the pile, its opposite
extremity being attached to the drum of a winding apparatus. Between the pile B
and the winding apparatus the chain passes over a pulley b, Sheet 2. Above the
deck of the dredger the pile B passes through a column or sleeve C, by which, and
also by rollers d, Sheet 2, it is guided in ascending and descending into and out
through the bottom of the dredger. When dredging, the pile B is lowered to the

page_text: bottom of the sea, river, or other waterway, and rotated so as to be screwed there-
into by the worm wheel D placed on the upper end of the sleeve C, and connected
to the pile by the slip feathers or keys e, Figure 2, Sheet 1. The wheel D is geared
with a tangent screw f, formed on or fixed to a horizontal shaft g, whereon is also
secured a pulley h, round which an endless chain or band communicating with the
crank shaft of the main engine or with another prime mover situated on the deck
of the dredger passes. The pile B when so screwed down serves as a centre post or
pile or cylinder, around which the dredger with its radial bucket ladders is free to
revolve. To aid the descent of the pile or cylinder water is or may be admitted to
its interior for adding weight, which water in again raising the pile is pumped or
allowed to flow out.
For the purpose of further securing the vessel in position and of rotating it
around the pile B legs or mooring posts F are provided, these at their upper ends
being attached to the hull A, whilst at their lower ends (which are free to be let
down to the bottom of the sea, bed of a river, or other waterway) they are furnished
with anchoring flukes G, which are driven or rotated by endless chains passed
round pulleys on the axes thereof, and also round pulleys carried on shafts m at
the upper ends of the legs or posts F, as shewn at Figuro 2, Sheet 1. Spur wheels
are also fixed on the shafts m, which gear with pinions actuated so as to rotate the
anchoring flukes G either by hand or power.
The revolving of the vessel may be aided by the twin-screw propellers I shewn on
the Drawings or by equivalent propellers, and also by the radial bucket ladders
herein-after more particularly referred to.
To raise and lower the posts or legs F chains n operated by hand or by steam or
other winches or by other equivalent mechanism are employed. The girders L
carrying the bucket chairs and tumblers are mounted upon framings M, which
project at right angles from the extremities of another framing N extending across
the hull of the dredger. The framing N is carried on rollers O which run on rails
P extending round the hull A, and also on rollers q, wbich run round the palm or
flanch at the base of the column or sleeve C, as seen on Sheet 2 of the Drawings.
On the framing N vertical shafts R are carried, which shafts are at their lower ends
geared with the main engines or prime movers S, these being either inverted
cylinder compound engines, as seen at Sheet 2, or engines of other convenient types.
At their upper ends the shafts R are geared with horizontal shafts T, which at their
outer extremities are also geared with bevil or V wheels T¹ carried on shafts or
studs in the upper parts of the framings M. Bevil pinions situate on horizontal
shafts & are also geared with the wheels T¹, and on each of the shafts sa spur
pinion t is fixed, which by gearing with a corresponding spur pinion on the axis
of the tumbler U communicates rotatory motion to the chains carrying the buckets.
On the framings M. shoots V are also carried, by which the dredged material raised
by the buckets is directed into the hopper W of the vessel, parts of the bottom of
the said hopper being so constructed as to constitute a series of doors opening
outwards (after the manner of a steam hopper barge) to discharge the dredgings
when the vessel has been moved or propelled to the situation whereat such
discharge is to take place. To counterbalance the weight of the girders L and of
the buckets movable weights are placed on the platforms of the frainings N, as seen
at X, Sheet 1, of the Drawings.
The framing N supporting both bucket ladders is capable of, being moved in a
circular path around the hull of the dredger, the column C acting as a centre post.
This motion is effected by fixing a spur wheel 1 on the lower part of the said frame,
and gearing it with corresponding spur pinions 2 carried on the vertical shafts R,
as seen on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, or the said motion of the frame may be
effected by other equivalent means. The frames M to which the girders I. carrying
the bucket ladders are immediately attached are also capable of moving radially
around their bearings in the frame N in order to adjust the buckets into position
for dredging in a circular path at a greater or less distance from the hull A, and to

page_text: bring the lower extremity of girder L carrying the said buckets to a position
within the hopper W when desired. This curvilinear motion of the frames M
independent of the framing N is effected by shafting laid along the bottom of the
framing N to bevilled gearing fixed to a small vertical shaft, which carries a pinion
working into a spur wheel fixed to the under side of the foot of the framing M, or
by other equivalent means.
The apparatus herein-before described enables dredging operations to be con-
ducted over a large area, independently of whether the hull A is afloat or aground,
and without the aid of the anchors and bow and stern chains hitherto employed.
In preparing to dredge the pile B is lowered and screwed into the bottom of the sca
or other waterway, and the mooring posts or legs F are also lowered so as to anchor
the hull A. The radial bucket ladders being next lowered to the position whereat
the dredging is to be performed, the frame N carrying the said radial ladders is set
in motion around the pillar C, and the bucket chains being also rotated by the
gearing herein-before described, they are caused to raise the materials dredged and
deposit them in the shoots V, by which the said materials are directed into the
circular hopper W.
Another method of working which may be employed whilst the hull of the
dredger is afloat, consists in ungearing the wheels 1 and 2, Sheet 2, and rendering
the framing N rigid on the hull A, which is rotated round the pile B by means of
the anchoring flukes G, assisted or not by the propellers herein-before referred to.
The materials dredged under either of these modes of working are ejected from
the hopper W by opening the doors in the bottom thereof, as herein-before set-
forth; but instead of this arrangement they may be ejected into hopper barges,
punts, or wagons, by turning or swinging the lower ends of the radial bucket
ladders into the hopper W; or further, the said materials may be ejected by water
power or otherwise into banks or on to quays, wharves, jetties, or other situations.
In lieu of forming the hull of the dredger circular in plan, as seen on Sheet 1 of
the Drawings, it may be made elliptical or oblong, or approximately of the form
hitherto used for dredgers, or of any other suitable form, and instead of rotating the
dredger hull and the framing N by the means herein-before described such rotation
may be effected by hauling chains.
The pile B instead of passing through the centre of the hull A may so pass there-
through as to cause the hull and framing N to rotate eccentrically, and instead of
employing endless chains of dredging buckets as herein-before described, single and
larger buckets may be used at the positions of the endless chains.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The improved dredging apparatus consisting of a circular, elliptical, oblong,
or other shaped vessel or hull, formed with a hopper and carrying a framing N
which moves in a circular path, and whereon is supported one, two, or more bucket
ladders or single buckets capable of moving radially, so as to dredge both whilst
the vessel is afloat and aground, and at a greater or less distance from the hull,
substantially as herein-before described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. Discharging the hoppers of dredgers by means of the same bucket ladders
or single buckets, such as are employed in dredging and raising the dredged
material, the said ladders or single buckets being operated for these purposes,
substantially as herein-before described with reference to the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Third. The employment in dredgers of a vertically moving pile or cylinder B,
which, when the dredger is in operation, is screwed into the bottom of the sea, river,
or other waterway, substantially as and for the purpose set forth,

page_text: Fourth. Providing dredgers with mooring posts or legs F, furnished with flukes
Gat their lower ends, as and for the purpose herein-before described with reference
to the Drawings, and whereby the use of separate anchors and of the bow and stern
hauling ropes or chains is obviated in connexion with the dredger.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Robert Kinipple, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE. (L.S.)