APPARATUS FOR RAISING LOWERING AND STEADYING HIGH POSTS CARRYING LIGHTS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, FRANCIS BOLTON of No 4 The Sanctuary Westminster in the County of
Middlesex, Knight, JOHN SAXBY and JOHN STINSON FARMER both of Canterbury
Road Kilburn in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention for "APPARATUS FOR RAISING LOWERING AND STEADYING HIGH
POSTS CARRYING LIGHTS "and in what manner the same is to be performed to be.
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus whereby a high post carrying lights at its
top can be raised so as to cause the light to be diffused over a large area, and
steadied in its elevated position, or can be lowered, when the lights are not required,
or when the weather is stormy, the lights being protected in the lowered position.
We will describe the apparatus for this purpose referring to the accompanying
drawings. Fig. 1 is a vertical section shewing the post lowered, Figs. 2 and 3 are
plans on X X and Y Y of Fig. 1 respectively. Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in
section, and Fig. 5 is a plan partly in section of the winding and steadying gear,
drawn to an enlarged scale. Over a well A sunk to a depth in the ground suited
to the height of the post, is fixed a column B at the top of which is a chamber C
containing the winding and steadying gear. The post D which is preferably of
taper form in open trellis work, passes down the column and well. At its top it
carries the roof E of the chamber C, lights F (which may be electric or of other
kinds) being arranged below the roof E, the undersurface of which may be made to
act as a reflector. From the bottom of the post D chains & are led upwards and
after passing over several sets of pullies g and h, are attached to the fixed framing
of the winding gear. The pullies g are mounted on an annular weight G which
counterbalances or nearly so the weight of the post D. The pullies h are driven by
crab gear H worked by winch handles by workmen in the chamber C. By turning
the crab gear in the one direction, the post D is raised carrying with it the roof E
and the lights F as indicated by the dotted lines D' E' and F¹ in Fig. 1, the weight G
descending within the column B as indicated at G¹. By turning the gear in the
opposite direction the post is lowered, while the counterweight G ascends. When
the post is quite down the roof E covers the chamber C protecting the lights and
the gearing. If the post D were of uniform thickness throughout it might be
steadied by guide rollers at its angles mounted on the fixed framing of the winding
Ruins A.71

page_text: gear. It is, however, preferable for the sake of lightness and elegance to make the
post taper. The guide rollers which serve to steady it are therefore made to move
to and from the axis of the post so as to suit the varying dimensions of the post as
it ascends and descends. For this purpose the eight guide rollers K are mounted
on bell crank levers L which are connected by links to nuts N fitting on screwed
spindles M each of which has a right hand screw thread at the one end and a left
hand thread at the other. The spindles M are driven by bevil gear O from the
shafts P of the winding pullies h. Thus in turning these shafts P causing the
post D to ascend or descend the screwed spindles M are also turned and the nuts N
moving up or down them move the levers L causing the rollers K to accommodate
their positions to the greater or less diagonal dimensions of those parts of the post
against the angles of which the r..llers bear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we, declare that what
we claim is
1. The construction and arrangement of apparatus for raising, lowering and
steadying high posts carrying lights, substantially as herein described and illustrated
by the drawings.
2. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim applied to a taper
post, the mechanism for giving the guide rollers a movement to and from the axis
of the post, substantially as herein described.