IMPROVEMENTS IN STILLAGES, STANDS, OR SUPPORTS FOR BARRELS, CASKS, OR OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Parkinson, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, and William Snodgrass, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STILLAGES, STANDS,
OR SUPPORTS FOR BARRELS, CASKS, OR OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS."
Sealed the 7th November 1865, and dated the 13th May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Parkinson and
William Snodgrass at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 13th May 1865.
We, THOMAS PARKINSON, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, and WILLIAM SNODGRASS, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STILLAGES,
STANDS, OR SUPPORTS FOR BARRELS, CASKS, OR OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to stillages, stands, or supports for barrels, casks, or
vessels, from which liquid is to be withdrawn, and to such as allow the position
of the vessel placed thereon to be gradually altered as the liquid is drawn off,
or after the level of the liquid has approached sufficiently near to the bottom

page_text: of the vessel, and our Invention consists in an improved combination and
arrangement of mechanism for this purpose.
We prefer to make the stand of cast iron, formed by one vertical frame and
a horizontal projection therefrom; this vertical frame carrying the pivots of a
beam lever frame constructed to receive the barrel, cask, or other vessel, which
is partly balanced thereon, the heavy end of the lever frame being supported
by a spring secured at its lower end to the horizontal projection from the
vertical frame. The upper end of this spring carries an antifriction pulley,
which acts against an incline formed upon the lever frame, so that when the
liquid in the cask or vessel placed thereon has been drawn off sufficiently,
this spring will (as the weight diminishes) act upon the incline, and gradually
elevate one end, and consequently depress the other end of the lever frame.
A latch is jointed to the vertical frame, which may be used for holding
the spring till the cask is placed upon the lever frame and for preventing the
action of the spring till required. A rigid arm may be substituted for the
spring, this arm being jointed at its lower end to the horizontal projection
from the vertical frame, and a screw may be substituted in place of the latch
and made to act upon the arm, so that by turning the screw or screw nut
(which may be made of brass) the arm will be brought forward, and this will
cause the pulley at its end to act against the incline upon the lever frame, as
herein-before explained.
For convenience of placing the cask upon the stillage, and to give facility
for moving it about, we mount the frame (and this is a peculiar feature of our
Invention) upon three or more wheels, one or more of which are made to
swivel round a centre, so that the frame may be easily turned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Parkinson and William Snodgrass in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
PARKINSON, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, and WILLIAM 3
SNODGRASS, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, 3!

page_text: the said Thomas Parkinson and William Snodgrass, Her special license that
we, the said Thomas Parkinson and William Snodgrass, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Parkinson
and William Snodgrass, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
STILLAGES, STANDS, OR SUPPORTS, FOR BARRELS, CASKS, OR OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Parkinson and
William Snodgrass, by an instrument in writing under our bands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Parkinson and William
Snodgrass, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
nanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that
is to say):-
Our Invention relates to stillages, stands, or supports for barrels, casks, or
vessels from which liquid is to be withdrawn, and to such as allow the position
of the vessel placed thereon to be gradually altered as the liquid is drawn off,
or after the level of the liquid has approached sufficiently near to the bottom
of the vessel; and our Invention consists in an improved combination and
arrangement of mechanism for this purpose.
We prefer to make the stand of cast iron formed by one vertical frame and
a horizontal projection therefrom; this vertical frame carrying the pivots of a
beam lever frame constructed to receive the barrel, cask, or other vessel, which
is partly balanced thereon, the heavy end of the lever frame being supported by
a spring or springs, or by a weight or weights acting directly or through levers
and inclines upon the lever frame, so that when the liquid in the cask or other
vessel placed on the said lever frame has been drawn off sufficiently, the spring
or springs, weight or weights will (as the weight diminishes) act upon and
gradually elevate one end, and consequently depress the other end of the
lever frame. A latch is jointed to the vertical or horizontal frame, which is
arranged to hold down the lever frame while the vessel is being placed upon

page_text: it, and it is also used to prevent the lever frame from being forced down by
accident, so as to agitate the liquid contained in the vessel. A screw may be
substituted in place of the weights or springs retaining the other parts of our
improved combination, which screw may be made of brass, the screw being
connected to a lever or levers attached to the lever frame and to the framing,
so that by turning the screw by hand the lever frame may be gradually
elevated at one end as required.
For convenience of placing the cask upon the stillage, and to give facility
'for moving it about, we mount the frame (and this is a peculiar feature of our
Invention) upon two or more wheels, one or more of which may be made to
swivel round a centre, so that the frame may be easily turned.
We will now proceed to describe more fully the nature of our Invention,
and the manner in which it may be carried into effect by reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, shewing several modifications of our
Invention.
Figure 1 is a front view, Figure 2 a side view of a stand or stillage,
according to one modification of our Invention.
a is the front vertical frame; b, the horizontal projection from it, which
may be cast with or screwed to the middle part of the vertical frame. The
vertical frame is mounted on two wheels (a¹) as shewn, and the horizontal
projection (6) has a swivel wheel (1) fitted in its end, as shewn. The vertical
frame (a) carries the pivots (c') of the lever frame (c), the plan view of which
detached is shewn in Figure 3. It will be seen that this lever frame (c) is
formed by a central piece and cross piece having two horns at each end, upon
which the barrel or cask rests. To the under side of the lever frame (c) a
projection (c) is secured of the form shewn; it has a series of fine ratchet
teeth in one edge and a hook projection (c³) on another edge. A double latch
or pawl (d) is jointed to the projection (b) as shewn, so as to engage either
with the hook (c 3) or ratchet teeth. To the frame (6) an upright part (2) is
secured, the upper end of which supports the lever frame when the vessel is
first placed on it, and this upright is fitted with a collar (63) that can be slided
up and down, and can be secured in any required position by a set screw. This
collar (63) has a projecting pin or knob on one or both sides of it upon which
a strong india-rubber band (f¹) may be placed, which passes round another
knob or projection (c) from the part (c), so that the elastic force of this
spring or springs will act to lift up the end of the lever frame (c) and the
pawl (d), (when in the ratchet teeth, as shewn in Figure 2) will prevent its
descent. When the barrel, cask, or other vessel is to be placed upon the

page_text: lever frame (c) its long end is depressed (the pawl (d) being first lifted out of
the ratchet teeth) till the hook end of the pawl engages with the hook (c³) on
the part (c), and when the vessel is adjusted the lever frame (c) is further
depressed till the hook pawl (d) is released and falls into or against the ratchet
teeth. The mechanism is now adjusted, and it will act to lift the lever
frame (c) by the force of the spring or springs (f) when the liquid is suffi-
ciently drawn off from the vessell. The elastic force of the spring is adjusted
according to the weight to be lifted when the liquid is sufficiently drawn off,
and this can be modified by moving the collar (63) up or down to increase or
diminish the tension upon the india-rubber spring. When the same stand is
used for barrels or casks of, say, either 18 or 36 gallons, then the india-rubber
band (f) is changed from one projection (c) on the part (c2) to the other
projection (e), to give more or less extension accordingly as the weight to be
lifted is greater or less. The position of the barrel or cask upon the lever
frame is represented in Figs. 1 and 2 in dotted line.
Each of the Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, represent side views of stillages or stands
according to other modifications of our Invention. The wheels (a and b¹),
frames (a and b), and lever frame (c), are in each Figure substantitially the
same as those shewn by Figs. 1, 2, and 3, but each Figure shews a different
arrangement of mechanism for lifting the lever frame, when the liquid is
drawn off nearly to the bottom of the vessel.
In the modification shewn by Fig. 4, a projection (2) is made to ascend
from the frame part (6), and this projection (2) will support the lever
frame (c) when the barrel or other vessel is first placed upon it. The pro-
jection (6) carries the fulcrum (e¹) of a lever (e), one end of which is jointed
to one end of a link (e), which at the other end is jointed to the lever
frame (c). This lever (e) has a slot in it for a toothed pawl (d) to pass through
jointed to the frame (b) as shown. The ratchet pawl (d) when at one end
of the slot will hold up the lever (e), and when at the other end of the slot
the ratchet teeth upon it will prevent that end of the lever (e) from ascending
after it begins to descend until the pawl is lifted away. This lever (e) has a
weight (e) suspended upon it, which can be changed to different positions
upon the lever according to the weight of the vessel upon the lever frame (c),
and in addition to this weight an india-rubber spring (f) is used to pull
down the lever, arranged as shewn.
Fig. 5 shews another modification of our Invention, where a steel spring (9)
is used bolted to the frame part (b) as shown, the upper or free end of this
spring carries an antifriction bowl (g¹) which acts upon an incline (g) formed

page_text: upon the under side of the lever frame (c), as shown. In Fig. 5 the spring
(9) is supposed to have forced up the lever frame. It is prevented from
descending by a ratchet tooth pawl or latch (d) jointed to the lever frame
at (d'), the pawl passing through a slot in the upper end of the spring (g).
When the latch or pawl (d) is lifted the lever frame (c) may be forced down
till the upper end of the slot in the spring catches upon the notch in the
upper side of the latch or pawl (d), when the spring (9) will be held and
prevented from acting until the latch is forced down. A latch or pawl. shown
in dotted line may be used in place of the pawl (d).
Fig. 6 represents another modification of our Invention, where the
fulerum (e) of a weighted lever (e) is mounted upon a projection (62) from the
framing (6), the end of the lever carrying an antifriction bowl, which acts upon
an incline (g) formed upon the under sid of the lever frame (c). A pawl (d)
is also jointed to the lever frame (c), which enters ratchet teeth formed on
the lever (e) as shewn. The lever (e) has a moveable weight (e), which can
be adjusted according to the weight to be sustained.
Fig. 7 shows a modification of our Invention, where the lever frame is lifted
by turning a screw. This screw (h) is fitted in bearings which can swivel,
and so as to be rotated freely without end play, by a hand wheel (h), the
screw part may be formed of brass screwing through a brass nut (h') placed
to swivel in the joint between the two links (), one jointed to the lever
frame (c), and the other to the framing (6) as shown. An edge view of these
link () is shewn detached by Fig. 8. There is a projection (k) from the
lever frame, and one (¹) from the framing (6), upon which projectious the
lever frame (c) may be supported when the vessel is first placed upon it.
The screw may be continued so as to have a bearing on the part (k'), when
the lower link () may be dispensed with. Handles (6) may be applied to
the lever frame (c) when required, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
We have now particularly described the nature of our Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect, and claim as our
Invention,
Firstly, the combination and arrangement of mechanism, whereby the vessel
to be tilted is partly balanced on a lever frame (c), and is gradually elevated
at one end and depressed at the other end by self-acting mechanism,
substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly, the combination and arrangement of a lever frame (c) and
screw (h), substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by Figs. 7
and 8 of the Drawings.

page_text: Thirdly, the mounting of self-acting and other stillages or stands for casks,
barrels, or other vessels to contain liquid, where such vessels have to be tilted
upon two or more wheels, and the making of one or more of the wheels to
swivel to facilitate the turning of the stillage or stand, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Snodgrass, on my own behalf,
and on behalf of the said Thomas Parkinson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
WILLIAM SNODGRASS. (L.S.)