Year: 1895

page_text: I, WILLIAM LUKES NELSON, of Rockwood, in the County of Roane, and State
of Tennessee, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in devices for attaching ropes or cables
to cars.
The object of my invention is to construct a combined clevis and rope placer for
use in connection with flat cars by which the rope or cable may be quickly and
easily connected with and removed from the cars and which, in the return of the
empty car for another load, shall serve as a placer for laying the cord or cable
properly in place upon the guiding pulleys, and to this end my invention consists
in certain features and details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter
specifically described, and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end of a flat car with my improved clevis
and rope placer attached thereto, showing also a portion of a road bed and the
manner of disposing the guiding pulleys.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of my improved clevis and rope placer.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same showing also a portion of the end sill of
a car.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the device.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures of the
drawings.
Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of a car; 2; the end sills thereof,
4 indicates
and 3-3 the jaws of the hitching or coupling plate secured to said sill
my improved clevis and rope placer combined the same consisting of an upright
main or body portion 5, which is provided with a series of horizontally extending
arms or jaws 6, 7, and 8 at right angles thereto, and when the device is in position
The
and attached to the car, project inwardly toward the end sill of the car.
arms 6, 7, and 8 stride and embrace the jaws 3-3 of the hitching or coupling
plate on the car sill and a pin 9 passing through perforations in the arms 6, 7,
and 8, and also through perforations in the jaws 3-3 couples the parts together.
10 represents a yoke or double stop made preferably from wrought iron. This
yoke is secured between the arms or jaws 6 and 7 of the clevis by means of one or
more set screws 11 screwing into and through the jaw 6, and against or into
depressions in the upper face of the yoke piece 10. The outer ends of the
yoke piece are curved downwardly and slightly inwardly and are adapted to

page_text: engage and rest against the end sill 2 of the car, the purpose thereof being to
prevent the clevis and rope placer from turning and to hold the same securely
in place.
At the lower end of the main or body portion 5 the same is reduced in width for
the reception of a pivoted loop or eye 12 to which the usual rope or cable 13 is
connected. The main or body portion 5 extends downwardly to a point in close
proximity to the road bed whereby in the return of the car for another load, the
rope 13 is placed in proper position with relation to the pulleys 14 which guide and
support said rope in the usual manner.
By means of the construction above described a strong, simple and durable
device is produced which is especially valuable on roads which are sinuous and
have many curves, as it effects a great saving in rope extending the life thereof
four-fold as compared with the arrangement in which simply an ordinary clevis is
employed, a fact that has been demonstrated by actual test.
Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be
secured by Letters Patent is :
1. A combined clevis and rope placer for cars, consisting of a vertical down-
wardly extending main or body portion 5, an eye or loop swiveled to the lower
end thereof for receiving the rope or cable, a series of horizontally extending arms
for engaging the jaws on the hitching or coupling plate on the car, and an
outwardly and downwardly projecting adjustable yoke or stop for preventing
said device from turning, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. A rope placer for cars comprising a main or body portion adapted to receive
the hauling rope, inwardly-projecting arms thereon provided with vertically aligned
perforations for the reception of a pin for coupling said device to the hitching or
coupling plate on the car, a yoke interposed between said arms inside of said
coupling pin and means for fastening said yoke in place between the inwardly-
projecting arms, substantially as specified.
Dated this 29th day of July 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.