IMPROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM FERRY TRAFFIC AND OF LOADING AND DISCHARGING VESSELS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Bruco Bell, of Glasgow, Civil Engineer, and Peter
Lindsay Henderson, of 14, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Engineer
and Ship Owner, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM
FERRY TRAFFIC AND OF LOADING AND DISCHARGING VESSELS,"
Sealed the 19th December 1879, and dated the 23rd June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Bruce Bell and
Peter Lindsay Henderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 23rd June 1879.
ROBERT BRUCE BELL, of Glasgow, Civil Engineer, and PETER LINDSAY HENDERSON,
of 14, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Engineer and Ship Owner. "IM-
PROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM FERRY TRAFFIC AND OF LOADING AND DIS-
CHARGING VESSELS."
This Invention is for the purpose of working ferry traffic or discharging milway
trucks, carts, animals, goods, or passengers from vessels upon wharves or quays,
by bringing the surface of the discharging deck or decks of the vessel up to or
near the level of the quays or wharves.
The Invention consists of a movable cradle or platform set in a bed or seat pre-
pared for it in the bottom of the river or dock, or alongside a wharf, or in a recess
made in the wharf or other suitable situation; this cradle may be suspended_upun
one or more perpendicular hydraulic rams working in an upright cylinder or
cylinders sunk down into the bed of the river or dock, connected by pipes to pumps,
or accumulators, or a pressure of water by gravitation, which water or pressure of
water can be pumped or discharged into them, and the hydraulic rams raised with
the cradle to any convenient height above the bed of the river.
The boat or vessel which is to be loaded or discharged is floated over the top of
the cradle, and set in position alongside or end on to the wharf or quay, or into
the recess in which the cradle may be set, the cylinders are then opened to the
action of the pumps or accumulators, or gravitation water pressure, and the rams
raised in the cylinders, raising along with them the cradle and vessel set upon it.
until the deck is raised flush with the level of the quay or wharf upon which the
cargo, passengers, goods, animals, carts, or vehicles, or railway carriages or trucks
can be loaded in a level plane, and a return cargo taken in and again lowered.

page_text: The inventors do not claim the hydraulic apparatus, the cradle, or the lifting of
the ship or vessel by those means, but claim the adaptation of these means to the
purpose of lifting the changing levels of a vessel from the sea or river, dock, canal,
or basin, up to the level of the wharf or quay upon which they are discharged, so
that cargo, railway trucks, carts, animals, or passengers can be taken off upon a
lovel plane.
The Invention is not necessarily restricted to a direct hydraulic lift from below,
but may be effected by a direct hydraulic lift from above, or by screws driven by
machinery from above, or by steam or manual purchase or any other known means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Bruce Bell and Peter Lindsay Henderson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd December 1879.
ES
ROBERT BRUCE BELL, of Glasgow, Civil Engineer, and PETER LINDSAY HENDERSON,
of 14, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Engineer and Ship Owner. IM-
PROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM-FERRY TRAFFIC AND OF LOADING AND DIS-
CHARGING VESSELS."
This Invention consists in constructing apparatus on shore or in the bed of a
navigable water by which the surface of the deck of a vessel with its cargo on
deck can be raised up to the level of the surface, or to any required level of a quay
or other landing place, by lifting either the vessel itself or a movable deck or
platform set upon the vessel, the lifting process being effected by means of apparatus
constructed and set upon shore, or in the bed of a navigable water, or upon a
travelling cradle moving upon an inclined plane, the arrangement being such that
the vessel itself, or the movable deck or platform with cargo upon it; shall be
lifted out of, or partly out of, the water, and remain fixed on a level with the
surface of the quay, wharf, or other landing place during the process of loading and
discharging passengers, carts, horses, carriages, live stock, goods, or other cargo, and
railway trucks, waggons, or other railway rolling stock.
The landing place may be on the sea coast, or on a river, dock, harbour, or canal,
or any other navigable water.
Three systems by which this object can be effected are shewn and described, and
the lifting power in each case may be steam or water, or any other available power
acting by means of hydraulic rams or screws driven by gearing, or by adjustable
counter balance weights with chains working over sheaves, or by any other
suitable lifting appliance.
The inventors do not bind themselves to any particular mode of lifting the
cradle and vessel or platform as after described, but show several practical modes
by which this can be effected.
The Invention is not limited to these three systems, for any of the modes of
lifting described for the purpose set forth, nor to any special mode of lifting for
the said purpose.

page_text: The claim under the first two systems is for the Invention of elevating by means
of apparatus set upon the shore, the deck of a vessel, or a platform fitted upon the
deck or upon the vessel itself, into a position so as to be able to discharge or take
in cargo with the surface of the deck level with any quay or landing place, which
will be accomplished by raising the vessel itself, or its deck alone, or a platform
fitted upon it (along with the cargo and passengers) completely free from the ship.
The deck or platform with the cargo being raised to the surface of the quay or to
any required level, and retained there in a fixed and secure position, free from the
effects of any motion in the water below, or from the difference of level caused by
the rise and fall of tide, or from the oscillations caused by the waves of passing
steamers.
The claim under the third system is the same, but this will be accomplished by
means of a cradle specially adapted for the purpose, moving in an inclined plane.
A recess will be formed on the cradle into which a vessel furnished with a move-
able deck or platform will be set, the cradle will be fitted with a suitable lifting
apparatus which will lift the deck completely off the vessel and retain it upon the
cradle, after which the vessel may be removed, and the cradle with the moveable deck
and cargo moved up; to the top of the incline and the cargo discharged on the level.
The inventors are aware that a method has been devised for elevating a platform
on board a vessel by hydraulic or other power erected upon and acting within the
vessel itself, and in which the platform and apparatus remain upon the vessel, and
cargo can be discharged from the vessel afloat, but they wish it to be understood
that they make no claim to this.
The three different systems which the inventors propose are:-First. Elevating
the vessel bodily upon a moveable cradle or platform set in some convenient
situation in the bed of a river or harbour, or other navigable water alongside of a
wharf or quay, or between two wharfs or quays, or in a recess formed for it with
hydraulic or other apparatus set underneath, or in the sides or on top of the quay,
by means of which the deck of the vessel will be raised to the level of the surface
of the quay or other landing place. Among the many modes which might
be adopted for elevating the vessel under this system the following may be
instanced:-
By hydraulic rams or pistons set upright alongside the cradle, having crossheads
and connecting rods attached to the cradle, assisted by counter balances as in
plan 1, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, of the annexed Drawings.
By hydraulic rams with cylinders sunk into the water bed shoving up the
cradle bodily from below as in plan 2, Figure 5.
By bydraulic rams or pistons in cylinders set on top of quay or landing place at
each side of cradle connected to it by crossheads and connecting rods as in plan 2,
Figure 6.
By vertical screws with cross heads acting in the same manner as in the case of
the hydraulic arrangementa as in plan 2, Figure 7; secondly, under the same
arrangements as to quays or landing places.
By raising the deck of the vessel which is to be made movable, or a movable
platform set upon the deck, capable of being lifted completely off the vessel with
the cargo upon it by a cross head catching the platform underneath. Amongst the
many modes of lifting this crosshead and deck or platform may be instanced the
following:-
By hydraulic rams or pistons working from cylinders set in the quay on each
side alongside the vessel, assisted by counter balances and attached by side rods to
a crosshead which bears on the underside of the movable deck or platform as in
plan 3, Figures 8 and 9.
By hydraulic rams working in cylinders set in the bed of the river, assisted by
counter balances and attached to the crossheads bearing on the underside of the
movable deck as in plan 3, Figure 10.
By screws set in quays on each side worked by gear and bearing on the cross-
head under movable deck as in plan 3, Figure 11,

page_text: By the cross head or underside of movable deck being attached to adjustable
counter balances with chains over sheaves as in plan 3, Figure 12.
Thirdly. In this case the lifting arrangements are set in a cradle which will
have wheels or rollers moving on an inclined railway luid in the bed of a river or
other navigable water. The cradle can either be hauled up by apparatus set upon
the incline or by machinery fixed in the vessel itself. This cradle will have a butt
at fore end with a platform and rails on top which will be level, and when drawn
up to head of slipway and butted against the landing wharf the platform and rails
will become level with the surface of the landing place. The cradle will be made
so as to form a recess having a level bottom, into which when the cradle is lowerod
into the deep water a vessel can be set and kept afloat. Four or more hydraulic
rains or screws or other suitable lifting apparatus will be set along each side of the
recess, having on top crossheads similar to those already described, and the vessel
will be constructed with a movable disk or platform as before described. When
the vessel is placed in the recess the rams or screws will raise the cross head and
lift the platform free of the vessel, which can then be withdrawn, and the cradle
moved up to the head of the incline and butted against the landing wharf, and the
cargo and passengers discharged on the level. The plans shew two modes of
effecting the elevation of the movable deck, one by the use of hydraulics, and
the other by a fixed cross head underneath the movable deck, the lifting power
being obtained in this case by hauling the cradle up the incline until the deck is
stranded on the cross heads, and by hauling up the cradle still further the deck
will be lifted completely off the vessel, which will then be removed from the recess,
and the cradle with the deck and cargo moved up to top of incline and discharged.
Plan 4, Figures 13, 14, 15, shew views of this system.
In place of lifting the deck the vessel itself may be grounded and adjusted upon
the cradle, so that the deck shall be level with the butt at fore end and the entire
vessel hauled up to the head of the incline and the cargo discharged on the landing
place on the level

page_text: Figure 12, shows end view with int formed or adjustable counter balance
weights.
In Figure 10 the dotted lines shew the movable platform on board the ship
before being lifted.
THIRD SYSTEM.
Plan 4, Figure 13, shows incline X with cradle at lower end of incline and vessel
in position in recess, the movable platform being lifted by hydraulics.
Figure 14 shews the cross section of cradle with ship in same position as
last.
Figure 15 shews cradle relieved from ship and hauled up to top of incline with
movable deck level with the wharf ready to discharge.
In this view the hydraulics are dispensed with, and cross heads shewn, upon
which the movable deck has been stranded and lifted free from the vessel
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Bruce Bell and Peter Lindsay
Henderson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
ROBERT BRUCE BELL.
(LS)