IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN AND OTHER ELEVATORS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Eliot Duckham and George Raymond
Birt, both of Millwall, in the County of Middlesex, for the In-
Tontion of "Terima
Anton
TAMATIE ??
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Eliot Duckham
and George Raymond Birt at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th April 1873.
We, FREDERIC ELIOT DUCKHAM and GEORGE RAYMOND BIRT,
both of Millwall, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN AND OTHER
ELEVATORS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a simple and effective apparatus, more
especially applicable for discharging ship's cargoes of grain, but also
useful in stores or warehouses generally. It consists of a chain of
elevators which may either be buckets, baskets, cages, or platforms,
according to the nature or condition of the goods to be raised, but
differing from ordinary bucket elevators inasmuch as the chain passes
over but one drum instead of two, and the frame or ladder in which the
lower drum has hitherto been usually mounted is dispensed with. The

page_text: apparatus is therefore greatly simplified. The chain of elevators hangs
vertically from a skeleton drum, in passing over which the elevators
discharge the goods through the drum into a shoot placed directly
beneath. For this purpose the elevators are fixed on the chain with the
side next thereto at such an inclination that when each elevator arrives
directly over the axis of the drum the contents will be discharged. As
the bulk of goods decreases the chain is lengthened by inserting
additional links and elevators.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederic Eliot Duckham and George Raymond:
Birt in the Great Seal Patent Offiec on the 8th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERIC
ELIOT DUCKHAM and GEORGE RAYMOND BIRT, both of Milwall, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her:
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Frederic Eliot Duckham and George
Raymond Birt, Her special licence that we, the said Frederic Eliot
Duckham and George Raymond Birt, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederic Eliot Duckham
and George Raymond Birt, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAIN AND OTHER ELEVATORS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederic Eliot Duckham
and George Raymond Birt, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Frederic Eliot Duckham and
George Raymond Birt, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par.
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
Our Invention relates to an improved elevating apparatus more
especially applicable for loading or unloading ship's cargoes of grain and
other produce or goods, but also useful in stores or warehouses generally.
The apparatus is of simple construction, and consists of a chain of
buckets, basket cages, or platforms according to the nature and condition
of the goods to be raised. It differs from ordinary bucket elevators,
inasmuch as the frame or ladder is dispensed with, and one drum only
is provided for the chain to pass over instead of two, with or without a
weighted roller to steady it. By dispensing with the frame or ladder we
are enabled to vary the length of the chain so as to readily adapt the
apparatus to the situation in which it is to be employed, and the depth
from which the goods are to be raised so that is no longer necessary to
raise the goods higher than is actually required for their discharge,
whereas when a ladder is employed it cannot in many instances be
conveniently adapted to the varying bulk of the goods, raising and
discharging the same at a greater elevation than is necessary, thereby
involving a considerable waste of power.

page_text: c, are
discs B, B, fixed upon an axle E at a sufficient distance apart to admit
the chain of elevators between them, and a certain number of cross
bars F are fixed between the discs at a distance apart equal to say two.
links of the chain A. A bucket is attached to every alternate link of
the chain near one end thereof, the chain being so hung on the barrel
that the buckets will come opposite the intervals between the cross
bars F. I have shown the buckets as being jointed to the chain at a,
and with a bar 6 attached to the under side of each bucket, and projecting
beyond the same at either side. As each bucket passes over the barrel
the bar 6 being of greater length than the width of the barrel, the ends
of said bar will rest upon the edges of the discs B, and the cross bars F
(upon which the chain hangs) being fixed nearer to the axle E, the
bucket will be tilted up as it passes over the barrel, as shown.
forked projections on cross bars F, or they may be fixed to the plates B
which embrace the chain and prevent slipping. Instead of the bar 6 :
being fixed to the bucket projections may be arranged on barrel A, or
other means may be adopted to effect the same result. For example the
buckets may be permanently fixed, and so arranged or constructed that
the side of each bucket next the chain shall be at such an inclination
thereto (as shown in Figure 3) that when the bucket arrives over the
barrel its contents will be discharged as before described. As the bulk
of the goods decreases the chain is lengthened by inserting additional
links and buckets. To facilitate the filling of the buckets and give
sufficient rigidity to the chain, a weighted cylinder G having flanged
ends to keep it in position is preferably placed in the bight of the chain
as shown. The goods are discharged from the buckets into a shoot D
which may be single or double, as seen in Figure 1. H are valves at
which sacks are filled, or the goods may be discharged in bulk direct
into a lighter or other receptacle.
-

page_text: The goods must be placed on the platforms and removed by hand and
not scooped up and discharged through the drum as in the former
case.
Figure 5 shows a side elevation of a similar platform but made to tip
and discharge its contents into a shoot instead of being unloaded by
hand as in the former case. The platform I is carried on brackets K
jointed to the chains as before, but instead of the brackets resting
against the chain the platform is held in the horizontal position by a
spring latch d pivoted to the chain, as shown. When the platform
which is in this case unprovided with any ledge arrives at a suitable
distance above an incline or shoot L the latch & strikes against a fixed
pin or stop e, thereby allowing the platform to tilt, as shown in red
lines, and discharge its load on to the shoot. In descending on the
other side of the chain the platform tilts in the reverse direction and is
again held by the latch.
The apparatus may be worked by hand or by steam power from an
engine and boiler disposed on frame C, or by power transmitted from
any other convenient source.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim
as our Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the improved construction of elevating apparatus
herein shown and described, in which the chain passes over but one
drum (with or without a weighted roller to steady it), no "bucket
frame" or "ladder" being employed, so that the chain may be readily
lengthened as required, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Eliot Duckham, for myself
and on behalf of the said George Raymond Birt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
1555