AN IMPROVED CRANE
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph George, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris,
in the Empire of France, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CRANE."
Sealed the 3rd April 1857, and dated the 18th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph George at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
October 1856.
I, JOSEPH GEORGE, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of
France, and of 4, South, Street, Finsbury, London, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CRANE,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in an improved construction of moveable crane, in
which the weight to be lifted is counterbalanced. The crane post, which is
supported in a vertical position on the centre of a travelling platform by four
or more diagonal iron stays, works on a pivot, so as to be able to turn it in any
position. The platform is provided with wheels for travelling on a road, tram-
way, or railroad. To the crane post is firmly fixed the jib, which extends beyond
the post to partly support by means of a strong stay a-horizontal traversing
frame or way, upon which traverses a truck or carriage with wheels formed
with flanges. Upon this truck is placed a weight of any kind, and is made
to traverse the frame, to counterbalance the body to be lifted, by means of a

page_text: chain fixed at each end to the truck, which chain passes round suitable pullies,
and over a barrel furnished with a winch handle for the purpose of placing
the counterweight at the required distance. This truck or carriage may be
provided with an index, to indicate on the traversing frame the amount of
weight raised by the crane. The jib and traversing frame is strengthened and
supported by suitable stays or tension frames; two of the latter are fixed to
the post to support a raised platform for the men to stand on. This platform
is extended by a part furnished with a hinge. The crane is worked by two
levers fixed to an axis on which is a barrel; round this barrel winds the chain,
passing over pullies to the jib pulley; at the end of the chain are suitable
hooks to suspend the goods to be lifted. To one end of the axis of the barrel
is fixed a ratchet wheel provided with suitable pawls; at the opposite end is a
break or stop, put in action by a lever. To obtain more power, an axis
with two lever pinious adjusted above and two ratch wheels are fixed on the
main barrel shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph George in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
GEORGE, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, and of
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph George, Her special license that I, the said Joseph George, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
George, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CRANE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph George, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph George, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :--
This Invention consists in an improved construction of moveable crane, in
which the body to be raised is counterbalanced and its weight ascertained.
The crane post, which is supported in a vertical position on the centre of a
travelling platform by four or more diagonal iron stays, works on a pivot, so as
to turn in any position. The platform may be provided with wheels for
travelling on a road, tramway, or railroad. To the crane post is firmly fixed
the jib, which extends beyond the post to partly support, by means of a strong
stay, an inclined traversing frame or way, upon which traverses a truck or
carriage with wheels formed with flanges. Upon this truck is placed a weight
of any kind, and is made to traverse the frame, to counterbalance the body to
be raised, by means of a chain fixed at each end to the truck, which chain
passes round suitable pullies, and over a barrel furnished with a winch handle
for the purpose of placing the counterweight at the required distance. The
truck or carriage is provided with an index, to indicate on a graduated scale
on the traversing frame the amount of weight raised by the crane. The jib
and traversing frame are strengthened and supported by suitable stays. Two
of these stays are fixed to the crane post to support a raised platform for the
men to stand upon; this platform is extended by a part furnished with a
binge. The crane is worked by means of two levers on an axis provided with
suitable gearing. On another axis is fixed a barrel around which winds the
chain passing to the jib pulley; at the end of the chain are suitable hooks
to suspend the goods to be lifted. To the axis of the barrel are fixed ratchet
wheels provided with suitable pawls, and to the lower axis is fixed a break, put
in action by a lever.
In order that the Invention may be better understood I will now refer to
the annexed Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the
improved counterbalancing weighing crane, and Figure 2 is a plan of the
same. The crane post A is fixed in the centre of the travelling platform or
sole plate B, provided with wheels C for travelling on the road, which wheels
may be suitably flanged for a railroad. The crane post A is supported ver-
tically by four stays D, bolted to the platform at their lower part, and at the
top to the iron collar E; the upper part of the crane post works on a pivot.

page_text: To this post is firmly fixed by bolts or other means the jib F, formed of two
girder-shaped iron pieces, and which extend to the strengthening stay G to
support the traversing frame II which is of a suitable length. Upon this
frame traverses a truck or carriage I for carrying and forming the counter-
weight. This carriage is furnished with flanged wheels, and with an index J,
for indicating on a scale K the amount of the weight counterbalanced. The
carriage I on the frame is provided with a chain L, fixed at each end, and
thence passing over the antifriction pulleys M and roller or barrel N. On
the axis of the barrel is a spur wheel O, gearing with a pinion P, to the axis
of which is fitted a winch handle Q. The carriage or truck is drawn back-
ward or forward upon the frame H by turning the winch handle. The jib
and traversing frame are strengthened and supported by suitable stays R,
constructed of iron, of the form of an I or girder. Two of the latter S, T,
support a raised platform U for the men to stand upon; this platform, is
extended by a part U¹ furnished with a hinge.
The crane is worked by means of two levers V, W, working loosely on an
axis X; each lever is provided with a pawl X', which takes into a ratchet
wheel X fixed to the shaft, and by this operation puts in motion two toothed
pinions Y on the same shaft and gearing with a large spur wheel Z, keyed
or otherwise fitted to the barrel shaft a. On this shaft the barrel a" is placed,
upon which is wound the chain b, and passes over the jib pulley c, to be attached
by hooks to the body d to be raised. To the axis of the barrel are fixed the
two ratchet wheels e, each furnished with a pawl f, kept in contact with the
wheel by the weight g attached to the bandle h of the pawl by a cord i
passing over a pulley J. The pawl is taken out of gear when necessary
by the handle K. The crane is furnished with a break on the axis X,
which is actuated when required by the lever M fixed to the band n.
By this crane the weight of the body raised may be ascertained. For this
purpose a needle indicator o suspended loosely on the pivot p, is fitted to the
upper pivotting part of the crane post; the lower part 2 of the needle being
heavier than the upper part, it will always keep the perpendicular position
whatever be the inclination of the traversing frame. Zero is marked upon
the scale K opposite the point r of the needle o when the crane is in equi-
librium without any weight being attached to the chain; the carriage I (of a
determined weight) being at its required place to produce equilibrium, another
zero is marked on the scale K opposite the needle J at the equilibrium point.
To ascertain the weight of a body (which must necessarily cause the crane to
incline forward and occasion the first zero to deviate from a vertical position)
it is only necessary to draw back the carriage I until the equilibrium is re-

page_text: established, that is, until the first zero returns to the point of the needle o, and
the weight of the body is read off on the scale opposite the needle J.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the mode of constructing a moveable crane by which the body to be raised
is counterbalanced and its weight accurately ascertained, as herein-before
described, and represented in the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph George, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOSEPH GEORGE. (L.S.)