A SELF-TRIMMING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR LOADING VESSELS WITH COAL, BROKEN STONES, GRAIN, OR OTHER FREIGHT
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Davidson Kerr, of Bishopwearmouth, in
the County of Durham, Staith Master, for the Invention of
"A SELF-TRIMMING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR LOADING VESSELS WITH COAL,
BROKEN STONES, GRAIN, OR OTHER FREIGHT."
•
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Davidson Kerr
.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th March 1874.
I, JAMES DAVIDSON KERR, of Bishopwearmouth, in the County of
• Durham, Staith Master, do hereby declare the nature of the said !In-
vention for "A SELF-TRIMMING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR LOADING VESSELS
WITH COAL, BROKEN STONES, GRAIN, OR OTHER FREIGHT," to be as follows
The object of this Invention is to effect an economy of time and
labor in the loading of vessels with coal, broken stone, and other like
freight.
In applying the Invention to the loading of a steam collier I clamp
to the cross beams to the fore and aft holds, at about the middle of the

page_text: vessel, a pair of rails which run parallel to the keel. These rails are
intended to receive a wheel carriage which is fitted with a double shute
for guiding the coal to either side of the hold, and when not in use they
are to be removed, except short end pieces which are left to support
the carriage when the loading is completed.
The loading of the vessel will be effected as follows:-The coal is first
teemed from the waggon into the hold, the usual trimming being dispensed
with. When the coal has accumulated to such a height that no more
can be conveniently teemed in, the rails are clamped in position on the
cross beams and the self-trimming apparatus (consisting of the wheel
carriage and the double shute) is brought under the coal waggon to
receive the coal as it falls and direct the flow to the opposite sides of the
hold, the vacant space at the sides of which is filled to within two or three
feet of the deck. The trimming apparatus is then shifted and the same
operation is repeated until the hold is filled to the same height from end
to end. A space triangular in cross section is thus left below the deck
at each side and extending from end to end of the hold. This will give
to the laden vessel buoyancy and otherwise improve its qualities for
navigation. When the hold is thus far filled and the double shute has
been run up to the end combing, the shute is removed from the carriago
and the rails are unclamped, except that portion on which the carriage.
stands. The detached rails are drawn towards the sides of the hold and
the coal is then teemed in and trimmed by manual labor (covering up the
carriage of the self-trimmer) to the height of the combing. The hold
is then ready to be battened down.
It will be understood that each hold will be similarly provided with a
travelling self-trimmer. These trimmers may be made to shoot the cargo
into the hold fore and aft as wells as sideways..
For filling coal bunkers a similar shute, but not running on rails,
will be used.
In some cases it may be desirable to construct the shute as a four-way
shute.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Davidson Kerr in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th September 1874.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DAVIDSON KERR, of Bishopwearmouth, in the County of Durham, Staith
Master, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Davidson Kerr, Her
special licence that I, the said James Davidson Kerr, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Davidson
Kerr, 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
"A SELF-TRIMMING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR LOADING VESSELS WITH COAL,
BROKEN STONES, GRAIN, OR OTHER FREIGHT," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Davidson Kerr, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Davidson Kerr, 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 statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
The object of this Invention is to effect an economy of time and
labor in the loading of vessels with coal, broken stone, and other like
freight, and to prevent as far as may be the breaking of the coal as it is

page_text: discharged into the hold. To this end I employ a self-trimming
apparatus, which when brought under the coal or other waggon that is
to be discharged of its load receives the material as it falls and directs
its flow to the opposite sides of the hold."
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shows in cross
section a steam collier fitted according to my Invention with a coal
waggon supported on a tramway in a position to discliarge its load; and
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the collier on a smaller scale.
In applying the self-trimming apparatus to this class of vessels I
clamp to the cross beams A, A, of the fore and aft holds, at about the
middle of the vessel, a pair of rails B, B, which run parallel to tho
keel. These rails are intended to receive a wheel carriage C which is
fitted with a double shute D for guiding the coal to either side of the
hold. This shute may be made of wood or metal; but I prefer to form
the inclines of planking secured to a frame of wood, as shewn at Fig. 1.
The inclines I fit with side pieces to prevent the coal or other material
falling over the sides of the shute and to guide the same into the hold.
When the apparatus is not in use these rails may be removed, except short
end pieces B*, Fig. 2, which are left to support the carriage C when the
loading is completed.
The loading of the vessel will be effected as follows:-The coal or
other material is first teemed from the waggon or truck into the hold in
the usual way, the trimming however being dispensed with. When the
coal has accumulated to such a height in the hold that no more can be
conveniently teemed in, the rails are clamped in position on the cross
beams, as shewn in the Drawing, and the self-trimming apparatus (con-
sisting of the wheel carriage C and the double shute D) is brought into
position to intercept the coal discharged from the truck or waggon and
direct the flow of the coal to the opposite sides of the hold, the vacant
space at the sides of which is filled to within two or three feet of the
deck. The trimming apparatus is then shifted along the rails and the
same operation is repeated until the hold is filled to a uniform height
from end to end. A space triangular in cross section is thus left below
the deck at each side and extending from end to end of the hold; and
to prevent the filling up of these spaces by the shifting of the coal
during the voyage I propose to form air-tight chambers in the hold, ás
shewn at. E, E. This will ensure to the laden vessel buoyancy and

page_text: otherwise improve its qualities for navigation. When the hold is so far
filled, as above indicated, the carriage is run up to the end combing and
the shute is removed from the carriage. Coal is then teemed in as before
until it attains to the height of the combing, and the carriage of the
self-trimmer is buried in the coal. The hold is then ready to be battened
down. ."
1. By reference to Fig. 2-it will be seen that both the fore and aft holds
are similarly provided with a travelling self-trimmer. These trimmers
may if desired be made to shoot the cargo into the liold fore and aft as
well as sideways.
'I would remark that the shute may be hinged at its apex to adjust it
to different widths of hatchway, and the suspending rods or chains will
in that case be adjustable.
For filling coal bunkers a similar shute, but not running on rails, will
be used.
A modification of the Invention is shewn in Sheet- II., where Fig. 3
is a cross section of a vessel fitted with a modified form of the self-
trimming apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a plan of the vessel on a reduced
scale. In this example the rails B and carriage C are dispensed
with and the shute is suspended from the cradle F which brings the
loaded waggons over the hold of the vessel.
Where drops or spouts are used the shute will be fixed in like manner
to the under side thereof. In this arrangement in order to allow the
waggons to discharge directly into the hold through their opened
bottoms, the sides of the shute are hinged as at d, d. When therefore
it is desired to discharge directly into the hold, the hinged portions of
the inclines are thrown back to the dotted position where they will rest
against transverse beams d, d. On the completion of this operation the
hinged portions are returned to their normal positions. E, E, are the
air-tight longitudinal chambers running from end to end of the holds.
for the purpose of maintaining the buoyancy of the vessel.
I may remark that in some cases it may be desirable to construct tho
shute as a four-way shute.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "A Self-
trimming Apparatus adapted for Loading Vessels with Coal, Broken
Stones, Grain, or other Freight," and explained the manner of carrying

page_text: the same into effect; I wish it to be understood, that under the above in
part recited Letters. Patent I claim, the use of the shute D or its
equivalent, whether mounted on a travelling carriage or supported
independently of the vessel that is being laden, for receiving from trucks
or waggon's coals or other materials, and conducting the same into the
holds of vessels in the manner and for the purpose above described.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Davidson Kerr, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the 18th day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
JAMES DAVIDSON KERR. (L.S.)