IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Longsdon, of Queen Victoria Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING
GAS RETORTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Longsdon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1879.
ALFRED LONGSDON, of Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
I employ a carriage with wheels running on rails along the retort bench. On
this carriage there are arranged rails which can be set according to the vertical
height of the retorts, and on which a small traveller or travelling frame can run in
the direction of the longitudinal axes of the retorts. This travelling frame, as well
as the whole carriage or apparatus, may be worked backwards and forwards by
hand or power.
The vertically adjustable carriage beams carry the rails for the traveller, which
has four wheels, of which two upper ones on a spindle run on the top of the rails,
and two lower ones on a spindle run against the bottom of the said rails. The
upper wheel spindle runs in bracket bearings on the frame of the traveller, and the
lower spindle runs in two bars suspended from levers on a weigh shaft, which also
carries a lever, by the turning of which the lower wheel axle with its wheels can be
raised or lowered. The frame of the traveller also carries a draw bar, which at its
outer end carries a pendant jointed flap. The form of this flap corresponds with
the sectional form of the lower part of the retort.
The draw bar carries below near the traveller the fulcrum for a one armed
weighted lever, to which is jointed a rod connected to the lever on the aforesaid
weigh shaft. When the weighted lever is in the position towards the right, the
lever and therewith the spindle of the lower traveller wheels are raised, but when
the weighted lever is in the opposite position the lower traveller wheels are lowered.
The first position answers to the running in of the draw bar into the retort, the
latter position for the running out of the same; hence in the former case the traveller

page_text: is carried by the four wheels, in the latter case only by the upper wheels, while in
that case the outer end of the draw bar, with its flap, drags on the bottom of the
retort until run out. There is a rod in or on the draw bar for turning the flap;
this rod is by a short link jointed to the flap, and by pushing it the flap is turned
up or down. This rod is also jointed to the aforesaid weighted lever. To hold the
flap in the vertical down position the weighted lever carries a pawl lever turning
on the fulcrum, and abutting with its end against a tooth on the draw bar.
the weighted lever is turned the other way the pawl lever is free of the pawl tooth,
so that the rod can then work freely on the draw bar. The latter may be tubular,
U shaped, or other form, and has on each side a side flange; these may be made in
one with the draw bar. For less caking cokes several flaps may be used on the
draw bar, and all these are then moved from one rod by links.
When

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Longsdon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
December 1879.
Alfred LongsDON, of Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London.
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
"IMPROVE
I employ a carriage with wheels running on rails along the retort bench. On
this carriage there are arranged rails, which can be set according to the vertical
height of the retorts. and on which a small traveller or travelling frame can run in
the direction of the longitudinal axos of the retorts. This travelling framo, as well
as the whole carriage or apparatus, may be worked backwards and forwards by
hand or power.
Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying Drawings shew the traveller in its different
positions, viz., Figures 1 and 4 when out of the retort and Figures 2 and 3 when
run into it.
The vertically adjustable carriago beams E and G carry the rails A, A, for the
traveller B, which has four wheels, of which two upper ones on a spindle a run on
the top of the rails A, and two lower ones on a spindle 6 run against the bottom
of the said rails; the upper wheel spindle a runs in bracket bearings on the framer
of the traveller, and the lower spindle 6 runs in two bars or links, Figure 1, sus-
pended from lovers p, q, on a weighshaft p', which also carries a lever o, p, by the
turning of which the lower wheel axle b, with its wheels, can be raised or lowered.
The framer of the traveller also carries a draw bar c, which at its outer end d
carries a pendant jointed flap e. The form of this flap corresponds with the sectional
form of the lower part of the retort, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.
The draw bar c carries below near the traveller the fulcrum k for a one armed
weighted lever i, k, to which is jointed at a rod l, o, connected to the lever o, p,
on the aforesaid weighshaft p¹. When the weighted lever i, k, is in the prsition
shown in Figures 1 and 2, that is, towards the right, the lever p, q, and therewith
the spindle 6 of the lower traveller wheels are raised; but when the weighted
lever i, k, is in the opposite position, shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lower traveller
wheels are lowered. The first position answers to the running in of the draw bar
into the retort, the latter position for the running out of the same; hence in the
former case the traveller is carried by the four wheels, in the latter case only by
the upper wheels, while in that case the outer end of the draw bar c, with its flap e,
drags on the bottom of the retort until run out into the position shown in Figure 4.
There is a rod t in or on the draw bar for turning the flap e; this rod t is by a short
link g, h, jointed to the flap e, and by pushing it the flap is turned up or down into
positions shown in Figures 1 and 2, or in Figures 3 and 4. This rod is also at
jointed to the aforesaid weighted lever i, k. To hold the flap in the vertical down
position the weighted lever carries a pawl lever n, m, u, turning on the fulcrum m,
and abutting with its end u against a tooth s on the draw bar c.
When the
weighted lever i, k, is turned the other way the pawl lever is free of the pawl
tooth, so that the rod t can then work freely on the draw bar c.
The latter may
be tubular, Ushaped, or other form, and has on each side a side flange f, as shown
in Figures 6 to 8, and in plan these may be made in one with the draw bar. For
less caking cokes several flaps e may be used on the draw bar c, and all these are
then moved from one rod t by links g, h, as shewn in Figure 9.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The traveller B, in the position shown
in Figure 1, runs the flap e into the retort, and as the wheels on the spindle b are
raised the apparatus passes without offering any resistance over the coke layer and
near the inner top of the retort until it comes into the position shewn in Figure 2.
While the apparatus changes from this position to that shown in Figure 3 the flap e
changes position from horizontal to vertical, and at the same time the traveller B

page_text: loses its support on the wheels of the spindle b. The turning over of the lever i, k,
for effecting these two operations is done automatically by means of the stop bar H,
which rests in a bracket C in two parts fastened to the framing G of the carriage,
and which pushes the lever i, k, over to the left. The bracket C has several
notches F, F, so that the stop bar H can be shifted in position, according to the
distance travelled by the traveller B into the retort, as desired, and according to
the length of retort.
When the lover i, k, is thus pushed over the flap e is thereby turned down, and
the pawl n, m, u, pushed behind the tooth s, whereby the flap e is held in its vertical
turned down position, the spindle b is simultaneously lowered, and the flap e therefor
rests with half the weight of the apparatus on the bottom of the retort, so that it,
when the apparatus is pulled back out of the retort, pulls the coke charge out with
it, the flanges f, f, on the draw bar covering the top of the coke, and preventing the
coke from sliding off over the flap e.
The traveller B now assumes the position shown in Figure 1. The bracket D
on the front frame E of the carriage now with its face I comes against the pawl
lever n, m, u, and then against the lever i, ; thus the pawl end u will lift away
from the nose s, and the lever i, le, be thrown over to the right; but thereby will
the rod t be pushed forward, and the flap e be pulled into the horizontal position
by means of the link g, h.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention I declare
that I claim,-
Firstly. The inverted scoop or draw bar covering the top of the coke, and
provided with one or more flaps, which can be turned down into the vertical
position or thereabout, and which insert themselves into the coke when turned
down by the simultaneous forward movement of their upper part, substantially as
set forth.
Secondly. The inverted scoop or draw bar, as claimed, and having an up and
down motion, substantially as described.
Thirdly. The combination of parts for imparting the required movements to
the scoop or draw bar and its flap or flaps, substantially as described, and as
shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Longsdon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
ATLDED TONGSDONT
Lo