Barges, Ships, and Navigable Vessels.
Year: 1884

page_text: Barges, Ships, and Navigable Vessels.
.
We DANIEL ARTHUR.QUIGGIN of 44 Chapel Street Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Consulting Engineer and ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN of 17 Elgin Street
Birkenhend in the County of Chester Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for "IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING
LIGHTERS BARGES, SHIPS AND NAVIGABLE VESSELS," to be as follows:-
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The main objects are to provide means whereby apparatus consisting essentially
of a crane hoist derrick or like appliance and camel may be of sufficient length
occupy comparatively small room laterally and yet have the required stability
when used for loading and unloading ships or vessels.
The apparatus is to be used chiefly for transferring cargo between barges or
lighters and steamers or other navigable vessels and it is desirable that the extreme
breadth of the apparatus should not exceed say twenty six feet so as to admit.of
its lying between a ship or vessel and the wharf or quay without interfering with
the use of ordinary gangways, or occupying too much space in crowded docks.
In carrying our invention into practice we combine a crane hoist derrick or like
appliance of usual or desired construction with a camel consisting of a carrying
platform supported by narrow deep pontoons connected together at such a distance
apart above and below the water line by means of beams girders or tie rods
rivetted bolted or otherwise secured thereto as will allow of the lighter barge or
vessel to be loaded or unloaded being propelled between the said pontoons beneath
the crane or hoist. The size and number of pontoons and the weight and position
of the crane or hoisting appliance are so adjusted that the whole structure will be
possessed of sufficient stability to float with the unloaded crane in safety. To
ensure that the structure shall have the requisite stability when the crane or hoist
is in use means are adopted to give the structure a bearing on the barge or lighter
which is situated between the pontoons, so that the whole combined stability of
the barge and the structure become available for resisting the canting force
produced by the weight slung from the crane.
A rail (such as ordinary railway metal, bulb beam or beam of other suitable
section) runs along the deck of barge at each side of the latter, close to the
gunwale. These two rails run nearly the whole length of barge and form the

page_text: surfaces upon which the camel bears when partly supported by barge as before
mentioned.
Upon the pontoons of the floating structure or camel four or more wheels are so
placed that when the barge is floated between the said pontoons the wheels will
come fairly over the rails above mentioned.
The barge or lighter (light or loaded) being floated into position the wheels are
brought down into contact with the rails, and this may be effected either by lowering
the whole structure by the admission of a sufficient quantity of water ballast into
suitable watertight compartments in the pontoons, or else by suitable steam or
manual gear attached to the wheels, by which the said wheels are simultaneously
and equally lowered a sufficient distance. In either way a determinate portion of
the whole weight of camel and crane may be thus transferred to the barge through
the agency of the wheels resting on the rails fixed to deck of the barge and thus
the whole stability of the barge may be made available while the crane is at work.
When it is desired to remove the barge or lighter from between the pontoons,
either the whole camel will be floated off by pumping out the water where water
ballast is used or else the wheels will be raised by the gear already mentioned.
The rails are not necessarily attached to the deck of the barge but may in
certain cases be more conveniently attached to some other portion of the barge, for
example the coaming of hatch.
It will be understood that neither rails nor wheels are essential to the invention.
The wheels may run directly on some portion of the barge as the dock or on the
fender for example and instead of wheels, simple blocks or shoes might be adopted.
In some cases stability may be derived by attaching the camel to the steamer or
ship being loaded by means of canting chains.
As the loading or unloading of the barge or lighter goes on either steam or
manual power is used for drawing the barge through the space under crane so as
to enable the latter to reach every part of hold of the barge or lighter.
Dated the twenty sixth day of January 1885

page_text: Improved Floating Apparatus for Loading and Unloading Lighters, .
Barges, Ships, and Navigable Vessels.
WO DANIEL ARTHUR QUIGGIN of 44 Chapel Street Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Consulting Engineer and ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN of 17 Elgin Street
Birkenhead in the County of Chester Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING
LIGHTERS BARGES SHIPS AND NAVIGABLE VESSELS and in what manner the saine is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
The main objects are to provide incans whereby apparatus consisting essentially
of a crane hoist derrick or like appliance and camel inay be of suflicient length
occupy comparatively small room laterally and yet have the required stability
when used for loading and unloading ships or vessels.
The apparatus is to be used chiefly for transferring cargo between barges or
lighters and steamers or other navigable vessols and it is desirable that tho
extreme breadth of the apparatus should not exceed say twenty six feet so as to
admit of its lying between a ship or vessel and the wharf and quay without
interfering with the use of ordinary gangways or occupying too much spaco in
crowded docks.
In carrying our invention into practice we combine a crane hoist derrick or
like appliance of usual or desired construction with a camel consisting of a carrying
platform supported by narrow deep pontoons connected together at such a distanco
apart above and below the water line by means of beams girders or tie rods
rivetted bolted or otherwise secured thereto as will allow of the lighter barge or
vessel to be loaded or unloaded being propelled between the said pontoons beneath
the crane or hoist―The size and number of pontoons and the weight and position
of the crane or hoisting appliance are so adjusted that the whole structure will be
possessed of sufficient stability to float with the unloaded crane in safety-To
ensure that the structure shall have the requisite stability when the crane or hoist
is in use means are adopted to give the structure a bearing on the barge or lighter
which is situated between the pontoons so that the whole combined stability of
the barge and the structure become available for resisting the canting forco
produced by the weight slung from the crane.
•
A rail (such as ordinary railway metal) bulb-beam or beam of other suitable
section runs along the deck of barge at each side of the latter, close to the
gunwale. These two rails run nearly the whole length of barge and form the
surfaces upon which the camel bears when partly supported by barge as before
mentioned.
Upon the pontoons of the floating structure or camel four or more wheels are so
placed that when the barge is floated between the said pontoons the wheels will
come fairly over the rails above mentioned.
The barge or lighter (light or loaded) being floated into position the wheels are
brought down into contact with the rails and this may be effected either by
lowering the whole structure by the admission of a sufficient quantity of water
6
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•

page_text: Fig. A is an elevation-Fig. B a plan, Fig. C an end elevation and Fig. Da
transverse section of apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention, in
Fig. C the barge or lighter is shown loaded and in Fig. D nearly empty.
The camel consists of two deep and narrow pontoons I joined by suitable
connections above and below water. The pontoons are built of plates and angles
in the usual way, and are each by preference divided into three water-tight
compartments by transverse water-tight bulkheads.
The above water connections between the pontoons consist of four or more lattice
beams 2 plated or covered with timber on top so as to form a deck, as shown in
all the figures.
In order to stiffen this deck and to prevent these beams from racking, fore and
aft beams 22, run underdeck and the diagonal bracing 23 is also provided.
The under water connections consist of H or other suitable beams 24 stiffened
by knees 4.
As shown in sheet 2; these connections leave sufficient room for a loaded or light
barge or lighter to be propelled through the space between the Pontoons and
beneath the deck-In the centre of the deck before mentioned is placed a suitable
crane, derrick or hoist 3.
The displacement and arrangement of the Pontoons is such that the camel will
float with safety as long as the crane is unloaded or is only lifting a moderate load.
When it is desired to lift a heavy load, it is necessary to give the camel sufficient
stability both laterally and fore and aft.
With this object we place rails 5 upon the deck of barge or lighter close to
gunwale These rails run the whole length of the Cargo space of the barge or
lighter.
Four wheels Gare attached to the camel in such positions that they come fairly
over the rails 5, when the barge is floated between the Pontoons.
These four wheels are connected by suitable gear so that they can be simul-
taneously and equally raised or lowered a sufficient distance by means of the four
vertical screws 7. The wheels on opposite sides of the camel are united in pairs by
the cross beams 8 of I or other suitable section-The wheels are attached to the

page_text: beams 8 by brackets 9-The brackets 9 also carry the nuts 10 which gear with
the screws 7 and are guided in a vertical direction by the bars 11.
The Gear for operating the wheels consists of a vertical shaft 12 driven from the
crane through connections by which it may be put into or out of gear with the
crane at pleasure-The said shaft 12 drives the horizontal shaft 13 through bevel
Gear Upon the said shaft 13 ride loosely two bevel wheels 14 and 20 between
which is the double cone friction clutch 15-By means of the said clutch either of
the wheels 14 or 20 may be coupled to the shaft 13 at pleasure-The wheel 14
drives the shafts 16 which in their turn drive the shafts 17-The shafts 17 drive
the screws 7 by the worm whecks 11 koyed to the said screws-18 are two
capstans, to be used either in hauling the camel about, or for hauling the barge or
lighter which is being loaded underneath the crane-These capstans are driven by
the bevel wheel 20 before mentioned, shafts 19 and worm wheels 25 on the
capstan Spindles-The hand gear for operating the friction clutch 15 is not shown,
but it is so arranged as to be within convenient reach of the crane man while
standing on the Crane platform.
Obviously necessary fittings, such as mooring bits, fair leads and handrails are
not shown.
The method of using the apparatus is as follows; assuming that it is desired to
transfer cargo from a barge to a large Vessel-The camel being placed alongside
the large Vessel in a convenient position, is moored there, and the loaded barge is
passed underneath the deck of the camel, the wheels 6 being raised for this
purpose The barge being in position, the crane man brings the vertical shaft 12
into gear with the Crane, and by aid of clutch 15 brings the scrows 7 into Gear
with shaft 13 and he thus is enabled to apply the motive power of the steam crane
to screw down the four wheels 6-He thus raises the camel a short distance out of
the water and so transfers a portion of its weight to the barge-In this way the
stability of the barge, in addition to that of the camel is brought into operation
to resist the canting force produced when any considerable load is lifted by the
crane.
To enable the brackets 9 to be lowered sufficiently recesses 26 are made in the
pontoons.
จ
As the barge lightens, the crane man will raise the wheels at intervals, so as to
maintain the camel approximately at a uniform floating level.
The brackets 9 are provided with rail clips 21 which will not be used generally
and will usually be kept open and clear of the rails, but when it is desired to lift
a greater weight than usual at an extreme reach, the clips are brought together so
as to grasp the rail, but not so tightly as to prevent the barge from being hauled
underneath the crane. When it is desired to move the camel any distance this
may be conveniently accomplished by placing the camel over a bargo and tightly
screwing up the rail-clips, so that the camel and barge may form practically one
structure.
At intervals as the unloading proceeds, the crane man hauls the barge along
under the crane so as to enable the latter to reach every part of the hold. With
this object a rope is led from each of the capstans 18 to mooring bitts at the
forward and after ends of the barge.
As soon as the barge is unloaded the crane man raises the wheels 6 so that the
camel floats clear of barge and rails which may be removed to make room for a
loaded barge.
It will be seen that apparatus under our invention is susceptible of many
modifications for instance. The steam jib crane figured may take the form of a
derrick or hoist of any desirable form, to suit any particular class of work, or an
elevator consisting of buckets on an endless chain might be used. The apparatus
would then be very suitable for transhipping or unloading bulk cargoes (grain
salt &c) from barges or lighters..
More than one crane might be placed on the deck of the camel if desired.

page_text: The wheels may be so attached to the beams 8 that they may be shifted to
different positions on the beams, to suit barges of different breadths.
In order to increase the length of the camel without increasing the displacement of
the pontoons, each of the pontoons 1 may be divided into two and may be separated
in a fore and aft direction, the two portions being united by a strong fore and aft
box girder. In this way, the crane would be carried on four pontoons instead of
two, but the construction would otherwise be similar to that already described.
In order to bring the wheels G down into contact with the rails 5 water ballast
may be used instead of screw gear. In this case, the wheels would be permanently
attached to the pontoons sufficiently high to permit a light barge or lighter to be
floated under-When it was desired to bring the wheels down into the rails of a
loaded barge a sufficient quantity of water ballast would be admitted to one or
more compartments in each pontoon, so as to sink the camel the required distance.
The process of unloading being completed it would be necessary to pump the
pontoons dry, when the camel would again float clear of barge. It would be
necessary to fit a steam pump or pulsometer on board the camel, and the necessary
steam would be supplied from the boiler of the Steam crane or derrick. It would
also be necessary under this plan to give the Pontoons a higher free board than that
shown in the drawings so that they would not be totally immersed when floating
at their lowest level.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
First. For loading and unloading lighters barges ships and navigable vessels,
floating apparatus substantially as herein is set forth.
Second. For loading and unloading lighters barges ships and navigable vessels,
floating apparatus consisting of pontoons, connecting agents, carrying frame or
deck, and crane derrick or hoist combined substantially as set forth.
Third. In combination with apparatus under our invention steadying wheels and
rails or their equivalents substantially as set forth.
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