IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIAL FROM VESSELS AND FOR WEIGHING THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City
of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIAL FROM
VESSELS AND FOR WEIGHING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by
George Milson, of Buffalo, New York, in the United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Clayton Mewburn at th
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th November 1876.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING
GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIAL FROM VESSELS AND FOR WEIGHING THE SAME."
A com-
munication from abroad by George Milsom, of Buffalo, New York, in the United
States of America.
The object of this Invention is to do away to a certain extent with the use of
costly land elevators and shovellers, and also with the weighing now done in
several and expensive operations, and to effect the shovelling, elevating, and
weighing all on board the cargo-carrying vessel; and the Invention consists in
discharging the grain, &c., from a vessel's hold, compartments, or decks, by its own
elevator or elevators (made telescopic), and at the same time to shoot or deliver it
into a weigh hopper on board where it is accurately weighted; thence delivered
into a barge or canal boat alongside or into any vessel or lighter, or on to a wharf,
all accomplished in one operation or in consecutive operations.
The Invention further consists in combining with these a shovelling apparatus
in the vessel to automatically feed the elevators. The elevators can also act as
pumps to relieve the vessel when leaking; also to lighten the cargo if the vessel
should get aground. All this will be done on the vessel and by simple appliances
herein-after fully described, thereby saving greatly in the expense of hands,
shovellers, and other extra labor as well as great expense in elevating and discharging.
cargo, as is now the case. It also consists in providing friction drums, which
operate the shovels with U shaped heads or clutches, as herein-after described.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings Figure is a cross section through the vessel
showing the elevator made in sections to move down or up telescopically the drums
for the shovels and the weighing hopper on board; Figure 2 is a side sectional
elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is an end view of the clutch showing the
concentric or converging rings thereon.
A is the vessel; B, the main or lower deck, and C the hurricane or upper deck;
D, D', represent an elevator leg case made in two or more sections, so that one
section will slide over the other or "telescope" down into a small space in the
vessel to be out of the way when not in use. The lower section is secured per-
manently to the vessel in the lower hold, while the other sections only are movable.
Inside this leg case is the usual belt a to which the buckets b, b, are attached, and
having the usual pulleys c, c, at the upper and lower ends operated by a belt d, d¹.
When the leg is lowered down the belt and buckets a, b, fold down into the hollow
case, and are thus out of the way, and when the leg is again raised they rise with
it and resume their proper position; suitable devices are used for raising and
lowering the leg. At the head of the leg D' is a swivel spout F to which a movable
spout G is attached, through which the grain, &c. may be shot or delivered directly
into barges or canal boats or into weigh hoppers H, H', and from thence into canal
boats I through a spout e which will also be supplied with a swivel f. The
hoppers H, I, are mounted on wheels running on rails or tracks placed across the
upper deck, so that they may be moved from one side to the other to load boats
from either side of the vessel. The frame g, g, of the hoppers is also made in two
or more sections, so that it may be telescoped down into a small space when not in
use, or the hoppers may be put on shore and kept till required. J, J, represent the
grain shovels, and which are used in connection with this apparatus by means of
ropes working on the drums. I use a series of eye bolts so as to work the shovels
higher or lower as the grain is lifted out.
The ropes attached to the shovels work on peculiar drums K, K', on a loose shaft h
having the head formed into a series of U shaped converging friction rings (see
Figure 3), which when forced together by the levers move the shovels in one
direction, and when disconnected by the levers (or any suitable automatic device)
the heads come apart, and the drums run loose on the shaft and the shovels move
back to their original position. By throwing these drums in and out this automatic
working of the shovels is accomplished. These drums can be stationary or placed
in any part of a vessel, on the sides or overhead, so that when not in use they will
be out of the way.
One advantage of having these shovelling devices on board is that the vessel can
be readily unloaded or cargo can be changed from one hold to another. The
elevators will aid this also in loading gradually and putting the cargo where wanted,
always keeping the vessel on an even keel.
The advantage of the series of friction rings on the drum heads is that they
concentrate the force to the centre of the shaft and make the drums very sensitive,
so that they can be handled with that entire exactness that the shovels require.
The clevator being made "telescopic" occupies but little room on deck or space
through the compartments, and the gearing by which the elevators are run is
simple, not expensive, or in the way of freight, &c. The elevation is also found
very useful as a pump to relieve the hold or compartiments from water, being of
such a nature that it cannot choke, and at the same time will throw out a large
quantity of water. This is important in grain vessels as the wet grain swells, gets
into, and "chokes" the ordinary pumps. The use of these elevators on vessels is
intended to do away in a measure with the onerous charges and tariffs for land
and floating elevators, and will permit of the use of the crew or vessel's hands to
unload the cargo or transfer it to a wharf or vessels alongside without outside aid.
By combining a weigh hopper with the elevators, as before described the question of
"shortage" or short delivery will be avoided.
Another advantage of having the weigh hopper on board a vessel is that the
grain can all be shot on the vessel into bags or sacks, and by that way delivered

page_text: if desired, saving greatly in labor and expense. This saves elevating into a store
house and then putting it into bags, making several operations, all of which cost
time and money.
The upper part of the elevator can be hinged so as to lie down
lighter, but if a seagoing vessel the telescopic arrangement is
on the deck, if a
preferred.
I do not claim broadly as part of this Invention the employment of a grain
elevator on a vessel, as there are what are called "floating elevators" which transfer
out of one vessel on one side to a vessel or barge on the other side, but the stationary
elevator or elevators on board a grain or other cargo-carrying vessel and made
"telescopic" to be out of the way except when in use is a novelty. By these
devices on board a loaded vessel can come into harbor, elevate, weigh, and discharge
her own cargo without outside help or cost and in a short space of time, thereby
effecting an immense saving in a season's work, besides accomplishing everything
desired through her own appliances.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
First. The combination in a steam or sailing vessel of the shovels J, J, arranged
to operate with the drums K, K¹, as herein-before described.
Second. The drums K, K¹, working on a loose shaft h, and their heads and clutches
formed into a series of "U" shaped friction rings, as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
Third. The combination with a cargo-carrying vessel of the stationary elevator
or elevators constructed to move down and up telescopically, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourth. In a grain-carrying vessel and in combination therewith, the telescopic
elevators and the portable telescopic weighing hoppers and spouts, all to be used
and operated in combination, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton Mewburn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
J. C. MEWBURN. (L.S.)