AN IMPROVED METHOD AND MEANS FOR LOADING AND DISCHARGING BARGES OR VESSELS
Year: 1884

page_text: I ROBERT STONE of 23, Leadenhall Street in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for AN IMPROVED METHOD AND
MEANS FOR LOADING AND DISCHARGING BARGES OR VESSELS, to be as follows:-
:-
The object of my invention is to afford greater facilities for loading and
unloading barges and other vessels.
I lay iron rails on the floor of such vessels, to a gauge suitable for the wheels of
the trucks herein after mentioned. In some cases I place moveable beams across
the vessel, about midway between the floor and the deck or gunwale; these beams
are fitted with similar rails to those above mentioned; or the beams themselves
may be formed of single or double rails, and, in some cases may be made to run on
longitudinal rails fitted to the sides of the vessel. If the vessel is deep, more than
two tiers of rails may be thus laid, one above the other.
The trucks or wagons or corves which are placed upon the above mentioned
rails, may be each loaded with the necessary amount of goods; lowered into the
hold by a crane, or other suitable appliance, until the barge has received its cargo ;
and, when it has been navigated to its destination, each truck is raised from the
hold by similar means, and is usually placed upon a rail or tramway for conveyance
in the ordinary way.
The trucks are placed in the hold as closely and compactly as possible in order
to economise space and tonnage, and the wheels are, by preference, flanged wheels
for running on tramways, but I do not confine myself to such wheels.
The loading may be effected either while the trucks are in the barge or.
previously to their being placed therein, and the same remark applies to the
unloading of the same.
The trucks are usually those fitted with moveable bottoms.
My invention is also specially applicable in cases where specified amounts or
weights of material are required, to save measuring or weighing.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I ROBERT STONE of 101 (formerly of 23) Leadenhall Street in the City of
London, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for AN
IMPROVED METHOD AND MEANS FOR LOADING AND DISCHARGING BARGES OR
VESSELS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to afford greater facilities for loading and
unloading barges and other vessels.
I lay iron rails on the floor of such vessels to a guage suitable for the wheels of
the trucks hereinafter mentioned. In some cases I place moveable beams across
the vessel, about midway between the floor and the deck or gunwale :-these beams
are fitted with similar rails to those above mentioned; or the beams themselves
may be formed of single or double rails, and, in some cases may be made to run on
longitudinal rails fitted to the sides of the vessel. If the vessel is deep, more than
two tiers of rails may be thus laid one above the other.
The trucks or wagons or corves which are placed upon the above mentioned
rails, may be each loaded with the necessary amount of goods, and lowered into
the hold by a crane or other suitable appliance, until the barge has received its
cargo; and when it has been navigated to its destination, each truck is raised from
the hold by similar means, and is usually placed upon a rail or tramway for
conveyance in the ordinary way.
The trucks are placed in the hold as closely, and compactly as possible in order
to economise space and tonnage, and the wheels are, by preference, flanged wheels
for running on tramways, but I do not confine myself to such wheels.
The loading may be effected either while the trucks are in the barge or
previously to their being placed therein, and the same remark applies to the
unloading of the same.
The trucks are usually those fitted with moveable bottoms.
My invention is also specially applicable in cases where specified amounts or
weights of material are required to save unloading or weighing.
The trucks or wagons may be made in one piece without false bottoms and run
on a table that will hold the truck or wagon and so adjusted that it can be turned
over by any proper appliance and emptied of its contents from the mouth :-in
some instances I have the ends of the barges or vessels open and run the trucks
or wagons in or out on rails that will be prepared to rise or fall to meet the high
or low state of the water.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improved method and means for loading and discharging barges or vessels
substantially as herein before described.