IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING VESSELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A M and
W Clark of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND
UNLOADING VESSELS A communication to him from abroad by John Wilson
Brown and John Wilson Brown junior, both of the City of Baltimore in the
County of Baltimore and State of Maryland, United States of America,
Gentlemen.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th September 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
[A communication to him from abroad
by John Wilson Brown and John Wilson Brown junior, both of the City of
Baltimore in the County of Baltimore and State of Maryland, United States of
America, Gentlemen.]
FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING VESSELS."
"
The object of this Invention is to provide an apparatus for loading and unloading
vessels in a more easy and expeditious manner.
The first part of the Invention consists of a removable frame work of peculiar
construction and arrangement which is to be located above the hatch way of the
vessel provided with independently moving and downwardly extensible sections
of frame work which may be extended a greater or less depth into the hold of the
vessel and which sliding sections of the frame work are provided with guides for,
and are combined with an endless carrier to which the packages are slung and by
which they are raised or lowered and transported across the deck to or from the
wharf.
The second part of the Invention is an apparatus to be placed upon the wharf
to and from which the endless carrier passes from the vessel, the said apparatus on
D
1 1

page_text: the wharf being designed to support that end of the carrier and to provide for the
shifting movements of the vessel as hereinafter described.
The third part of the Invention is an apparatus to be suspended from a support
on the vessel and which sustains the carrier and takes the place of the apparatus
on the wharf when the vessel is being loaded or unloaded by the aid of a lighter or
smaller craft.
The apparatus constituting the first part of the Invention consists in the main
of four separate parts, viz-(1) A sort of derrick which is set over the hatchway;
(2) An upper adjustable frame or section sliding downwardly in guides in the
derrick; (3) A lower adjustable frame or section sliding in guides in the upper
section, and (4) An endless carrier moving around the said adjustable frames or
sections.
The relatively stationary frame or derrick consists of a rectangular borizontal
frame resting upon the deck around the hatch way with four upright posts connected
by a rectangular frame at the top and provided with oblique side braces. The
upper sliding section has four corner posts which rest against the corner posts of
the derrick and are guided with a vertical adjustment there against. For the
adjustment of the sliding section, racks are formed on its corner posts and a wheel
is journalled in a bearing in the derrick at each corner so as to engage with each
of said racks, and motion is imparted to these wheels through a shaft turned by a
crank handle and geared with two of the wheels which in turn drive the two
others through a parallel motion coupling rod and a gear wheel whereby the
sliding section is raised or lowered truly. The object in putting the crank handle
on an independent shaft is to connect the two pairs of wheels on opposite sides and
still give room for the packages to be raised. For bolding the sliding section to its
adjustment, a pawl and ratchet mechanism or stop bolt may be used. The lower
sliding section is constructed with four corner pieces suitably braced and sliding in
the four corner pieces of the upper sliding section. This section is also made
adjustable and its adjustment fixed by bolts that pass through the corner posts of
the two sections.
The carrier is made of two endless chains connected by cross bars which have a
bent portion in the middle upon which the packages are slung and the ends of
which cross bars project beyond the chains and are provided with friction rollers
that travel in guides in the several sections of frame work. In the lower section
said guides are merely open grooves in the corner post so that the rollers of the
carrier can at any adjustment between the two sliding sections, pass from the
guides in the one to the guides in the other. At the bottom part of the lower
section however the guides are partially enclosed so as to receive and house the
rollers as they pass around the lower end of said section. For guiding the carrier
in its travel, a pair of pulleys is arranged in the derrick frame, and two more pairs
are journalled in the same just beneath the first pair, the last two pairs being
arranged tangential to each other. Then in the movable sections of the frame
there are four pulleys at the top of the upper section, and four more at the bottom
of the lower section. The carrier then travels (in unloading a vessel) under the
upper pulleys of the derrick over the pulleys on top of the upper section, down one
side of the two sections around the pulleys at bottom of the lower section, thence
up and between the two lower pairs of pulleys on the derrick and thence to either
of the apparatus constituting the second or third part of the improvements which
distend the carrier, deposit the packages, and return the carrier to the upper
pulleys. For driving the carrier, the pair of guide pulleys which travel on top of
the chain is keyed on a shaft journailed in the derrick frame and driven by the
donkey engine or other power. This shaft is geared by wheels outside of the
derrick frame with other wheels fixed on short shafts journalled in the derrick
frame on which are fixed the other pair of chain wheels over which the chains of
the carrier pass, and by which said chains are driven, the wheels above serving to
hold the chains always to a firm engagement with them. The peripheral measure-

page_text: ment of the wheels which drive the chains should be a multiple of the distance
between the cross bars of the carrier and have notches to receive the projecting
ends of said bars. There is a stop bar on each side of the derrick frame notched
to receive the projecting end of a bar on the upper sliding section and so limit its
downward adjustment that the top of the pulleys on said section will just be on a
level with the bottom of the upper pair of pulleys on the derrick frame, so that the
carrier will pass straight across to the opposite side of the upper sliding section
when the latter is at its lowest adjustment.
Now, for unloading a vessel the derrick frame is mounted above the hatchway
and the carrier distended from the derrick to the apparatus on the wharf before
referred to the carrier between the said apparatus on the wharf and the derrick
being sustained by side rails grooved to receive the rollers on the ends of the cross
bars of the carrier.. Motion being now imparted to the carrier in the proper
direction and the sections being at the proper adjustment to commence removing
articles from the hold, the barrels and packages are hung in slings and hitched
upon the middle loops of the cross bars of the carrier at the bottom and are
carried up above deck and thence outward to the wharf. After the hold has been
partly cleared and the sections require adjustment down to the articles not yet
removed they are without any change in their relation to each other, adjusted
further down into the hold by means of the rack gear on upper section and in this
adjustment while the sections are projected lower down into the hold of the ship
no increase or variation in the length of the carrier chains is required for the
pulleys on the upper section approach those on the derrick round which the carrier
chains return just to the same extent that the pulleys on the lower section descend
from the pulleys on the derrick round which the carrier chains go out. This
variation in the adjustment of the sections without alteration in the length of the
carrier saves much time and very greatly facilitates the loading or unloading,
When, however, it is necessary to extend the lower section down in its guides in
the upper section then the chains of the carrier are disconnected and a supplemental
section put in. For this purpose the lower section is made fast to the derrick and
disconnected from the upper section which is then raised and the bolts that connected
the two sections together are then put in place and the supplemental chain having
been inserted the lower section is extended the desired distance after which the
operation is the same as before.
In constructing the upper section its corner pieces are secured to each other in
pairs by braces which pairs of corner posts are connected by other middle braces
which are placed in when the lower section is extended, and removed when it is
drawn up. Of the two pairs of pulleys at the top of upper sliding section one
pair is journaled in the said section but the back pair is set in pieces that drop in
notches in the top of the section so as to be detachable from the section so that the
latter may pass below upper pulleys on the derrick and leave the pulleys on stop
bar and thus enable a greater range of adjustment of the upper section when
additional sections of chain are used.
In the relative arrangement of the parts of the frame traversed by the carrier
the guides of the carrier chain project a considerable distance from the middle of
the frames and the chains forming the carrier travel over separate sets of pulleys
near the ends of the cross bars while the cross bars are a sufficient distance apart
to allow articles to be suspended between them. This is an important, feature for
it permits heavy articles such as hogsheads of tobacco, etc. to be suspended on the
carrier chains with their centres of gravity immediately beneath the cross rods of
the carrier and thereby avoiding the distortion of the chains and other objectionable
effects of leverage exerted upon the chain by said suspended weights.
The apparatus constituting the second part of the Invention consists of a base
frame constructed of two parallel horizontal bars crossed at two right angles upon
two other parallel horizontal bars. This base frame may be mounted upon rollers
or placed on wheels on a railway track running parallel to the edge of the wharf.

page_text: From the four corners of the rectangular portion of the base frame rise four
upright posts connected at top by a rectangular frame and braced by six oblique
braces suitably strutted. In the back part of the frame in two of the corner posts
are two grooves facing each other which form guides for a vertically adjustable
frame which is provided with pins moving in said grooves. On this frame are
supported the horizontal guide rails for the endless carrier which at this end are
connected together by vertical bars and supported on this frame by means of a
slotted bar at each side, engaging with one of the pins that hold the frame in the
grooves, the object in making this connection by the slotted bars being to allow
the carrier rails to have a longitudinal movement to accommodate the swinging of
the ship. In this vertically adjustable frame are mounted two pairs of pulleys
corresponding to the incoming and outgoing portions of the endless carrier. The
vertical adjustment of the frame accommodates the rise and fall of the vessel and
does this without any change in the length of the carrier.
In the top part of the main frame are arranged two pairs of pulleys which are
journaled in bars whose ends are guided in vertical grooves in corner pieces at the
top of the frame These bars are strained upward by weights connected thereto
by cords passing over pulleys, the object of which is to hold the carrier in uniform
tension and compensate for the movement of the vessel away from or toward the
wharf. Thus when the vessel moves away from the wharf and a draft strain is
put on the carrier the carrier pulleys are drawn against the gravity of the weight
and vice versa. This keeps the carrier in even tension and avoids breaking strain
and the disarrangement of the main frame.
Now the carrier being loaded with packages and set in motion as described in
the first part of the Invention it passes over the lower pulleys of the adjustable
frame then descending passes under the pulleys at the lower part of the main frame
placed so as to allow the adjustable frame to pass at which point the packages may
be deposited if desired, but if the merchandise is to be carried back from the edge
of the wharf to a point farther on shore the packages are allowed to remain on the
carrier which runs horizontally farther ashore to a set of pulleys fixed in a
stationary framework at which point they are taken off or automatically deposited.
The carrier then returning passes under other pulleys on the lower part of the
main frame then up and over the pulleys at the top and thence down and under
the upper pulleys of the adjustable frame and thence horizontally into the guide
rails to the vessel again.
The third part of the Invention for loading, or unloading from a lighter consists
mainly of a vertical adjustable framework or leg constructed of two main timbers
braced together and of four corner posts braced to the main timbers and provided
with grooves to receive the ends of the cross bars of the endless carriers. The
grooves in two of the corner posts at one side of the frame receive the ends of the
bars while those in the posts at the other side are open grooves to allow the carrier
to pass out laterally at any point in the different adjustments of the framework.
It also consists of a guide frame encompassing the vertical main frame or leg and
guiding it by friction rollers in its movement up or down said guide frame being
attached to the upper and lower pairs of horizontal guide rails for the carrier which
extend to the derrick above the hatchway as previously described.
At top of the vertical frame or leg are four pulleys and at bottom are six
pulleys while in the guide frame at the ends of the guide rails are four pulleys
around which the endless carrier travels. The carrier enters the vertical frame or
leg over the pair of pulleys corresponding to the lower pair of horizontal guide
rails, descends to the lighter, is relieved of its load and then after turning the
pulleys at the bottom of the vertical frame or leg it rises to the pulleys at the top,
passes over them and descends to the pair of pulleys corresponding to the upper
pair of horizontal rails which it enters and passes back to the hoisting apparatus at
the hatch way.
For raising or lowering the vertical frame or leg inside of the guide frame it is

page_text: connected on each side to a rope which passes up to a suitable support in the
rigging over pulleys and descends on each side of the apparatus and is wound upon
a windlass at the bottom of the vertical leg or frame and within easy reach from
the lighter. This vertical adjustment of the leg or frame permits it to be lowered
as the ship is lightened and rises and as the lighter is loaded and descends, and
this adjustment of the leg or frame is such that the length of the carrier remains
always the same.
The apparatus herein described may be used also for loading or unloading coal
and other loose stuff by placing it in buckets suspending them on the carrier and
providing means for discharging the buckets.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th March 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Patent Agents "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING VESSELS"-A Communication to me from abroad
by John Wilson Brown and John Wilson Brown junior, both of the City of
Baltimore, in the County of Baltimore and State of Maryland, United States of
America, Gentlemen.
The object of this Invention is to provide an apparatus for loading and unloading
vessels in a more easy and expeditious manner.
The first part of the Invention consists of a removable frame-work of peculiar
construction and arrangement which is to be located above the hatchway of the
vessel, provided with independently moving and downwardly extensible sections of
frame-work which may be extended a greater or less depth into the hold of the
vessel and which sliding sections of the frame-work are provided with guides for
and are combined with an endless carrier to which the packages are slung and
by which they are raised or lowered and transported across the deck to or from
the wharf.
The second part of the Invention is an apparatus to be placed upon the wharf to
and from which the endless carrier passes from the vessel, the said apparatus on
the wharf being designed to support that end of the carrier and to provide for the
shifting movements of the vessel as hereinafter described.
The third part of the Invention is an apparatus to be suspended from a support
on the vessel and which sustains the carrier and takes the place of the apparatus
on the wharf when the vessel is being loaded or unloaded by the aid of a lighter or
smaller craft.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated

page_text: it in the accompanying drawings and will proceed to describe it fully with reference
thereto.
Figure 1 is an isometric projection in perspective of the apparatus constituting
the first part of the Invention.
Figure 2, is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3, a front elevation of the same.
Figure 4, is a horizontal section through the line x x of Figure 1 and
Figure 5 is a view looking down upon the frames B and C the view being
partly in section through the line y y of Figure 1.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in these five figures.
This apparatus consists in the main of four separate parts, of which A is a sort
of derrick which is set over the hatchway; B is an adjustable frame sliding
downwardly in guides in A; C is an adjustable frame sliding in guides in B, and
D is an endless carrier moving around the adjustable frames B and C.
The relatively stationary frame or derrick A consists of a rectangular horizontal
frame resting upon the deck around the hatchway with four upright posts
connected by a rectangular frame at the top and provided with oblique side
braces.
The frame B has four corner posts which rest against the corner posts of the
derrick and are guided with a vertical adjustment there against. For the
adjustment of the frame B in A racks a are formed on the corner posts of B and
a wheel A¹ is journalled in a bearing in frame A at each corner so as to engage
with each of said racks and motion is imparted to these wheels through a shaft A²,
turned by a crank handle and geared by wheels A³ with the wheels A¹ whereby to
raise or lower the frame B. To secure an equal movement of all the wheels A¹,
those on the same side of the frame are connected in pairs by a parallel motioned
connecting rod A* and gear wheel A5. The object in putting the crank handle on
an independent shaft A² is to connect the two pairs of wheels A² and A³ on opposite
sides and still give room for the packages to be raised. For holding the frame B
to its adjustment in A a pawl and ratchet mechanism or stop bolt may be used.
The frame C is constructed as shown with four corner pieces suitably braced and
sliding in the four corner pieces of B. This frame is also made adjustable in B
and its adjustment fixed by bolts b, that pass through the corner posts of B into
holes in the corner posts of C.
The carrier D is made of two chains connected by cross bars D' which have a
bent portion c, in the middle upon which the packages are slung and the ends of
which cross bars project beyond the chains and are provided with friction rollers &
that travel in guides in the several sections of frame work. These guides are
shown at e in the lower section C, and at f in the section B. In the lower section C,
said guides are merely open grooves in the corner posts so that the rollers d of the
carrier can at any adjustment between B and C pass from the guides e to the
guides at the bottom part of the section C, however, the guides e¹ are partially
enclosed so as to receive and house the rollers d as they pass around the lower end
of said section.
For guiding the carrier D, in its travel a pair of pulleys E E, is arranged in the
derrick frame and two more pairs F F, F F¹, are journalled in the same just
beneath the first pair the last two pairs being arranged tangential to each other.
Then in the movable sections of the frame there are four pulleys G G, G' G³, at
the top of frame B, and four more H H H H at the bottom of frame C, The
carrier then travels (in unloading a vessel) under the pulley E over G G₁ down one
side of frame C around the pulleys H, thence up and between the pulleys F and F¹
and thence to one or other of the apparatus constituting the second or third part of
the improvements which distend the carrier, deposit the packages and return the
carrier to the upper pulleys E.
The carrier is driven by a belt from the donkey engine or other power, running t
on the pulley J of a shaft I journalled in the derrick frame upon which shaft are
keyed the two pulleys F F, inside the frame and travelling on top of the chain and

page_text: c
also two gear wheels L L outside the frame which gear with wheels M M, fixed on
short shafts journalled in the derrick frame which carry also the other pair of
chain wheels F¹ F¹, over which the carrier chains pass and by which said chains
are driven, the wheels F serving to keep the chains always engaged with them.
The peripheral measurement of the wheels F' should be a multiple of the distance
between the cross bars D¹ of the carrier and have notches to receive the projecting
ends of said bars.
There is a cross bar P on each side of the derrick frame, notched to receive the
projecting end of a bar Q, on the frame B and so limit the downward adjustment
of said frame these bars P being so located that when the bar Q strikes them the
top of the pulleys G G¹ will just be on a level with the bottom of the pulleys E E,
so that the carrier will pass straight across to the opposite side of fraine B when
the latter is at its lowest adjustment.
Now for unloading a vessel the derrick frame is mounted above the hatchway
and the carrier distended from the derrick to the apparatus on the wharf before
referred to the carrier between the said apparatus on the wharf and the derrick
being sustained by side rails 00 grooved to receive the rollers on the ends of the
cross bars D' of the carrier. Motion being now imparted to the driving shaft I,
the carrier is made to travel in the direction of the arrows, and the frames B
and C being at the proper adjustment to commence removing articles from the
hold, the barrels and packages are hung in slings and hitched upon the middle
loops c of the cross bar at the bottom and are carried up above deck and thence
outward to the wharf. After the hold has been partly cleared and the apparatus
requires adjustment down to the articles not yet removed the frames B and C are
without any change in their relation to each other, lowered further down into the
hold by means of the crank shaft A2 the wheels A' and the rack on frame B, and
in this adjustment although the frames are projected lower down into the hold of
the ship no increase or variation in the length of the carrier chains is required as
the pulleys G approach E just to the same extent that the pulleys H descend
from FF. This power of adjusting the frame B in A without alteration in the
length of the carrier saves much time and very greatly facilitates the loading or
unloading. When, however, it is necessary to lower the section C still further
down by sliding it in its guides in B then the carrier chains are disconnected and
lengthened by putting in a supplemental section.
For this purpose C is made fast to A and disconnected from B-B is then raised
and the bolts that connect B and C together are then put in place and the
supplemental chain having been inserted, C is extended the desired distance after
which the operation is the same as before.
In constructing the frame B, its corner pieces are secured to each other in pairs
by braces R which pairs of corner posts are connected by other middle braces
which are placed in when the section C is extended, and removed when it is
drawn up.
Of the pulleys G and G¹ at the top of section B, those shown at G are
journalled in frame B but those at G' are mounted on pieces S that drop into
notches in the top of the frame B and are connected by bar Q. This bar and
the pulleys G¹ are detachable from frame B so that the latter may pass below
pulleys E and leave the pulleys G' on the stop bars P and thus enable a greater
range of adjustment of B when additional sections of chain are used.
In the relative arrangement of the parts of the frame traversed by the carrier it
will be seen that the guides e and f project a considerable distance from the middle
of the frames and the chains forming the carrier travel over separate sets of pulleys
near the ends of the cross bars D¹ while the cross bars are a sufficient distance
apart to allow articles to be suspended between them. This is an important
feature for it permits heavy articles such as hogsheads of tobacco &c. to be
suspended on the carrier chains with their centres of gravity immediately beneath
the rods D' thereby avoiding the distortion of the chains and other objectionable
effects of leverage exerted upon the chain by said suspended weights.
Referring now to the drawings illustrating the second part of the invention.

page_text: Figure 7 a side elevation of the same.
Figure 8 a front elevation, and
Figure 9, is a cross section through the line x, x of Figure 7 looking
downwardly.
In these figures A represents the base frame consisting of two parallel horizontal
bars crossed at right angles upon two other parallel horizontal bars. This base
frame may be mounted upon rollers or placed on wheels on a railway track
running parallel to the edge of the wharf. From the four corners of the
rectangular portion of the base frame rise four posts B B, B' B' which are con-
nected at top by a rectangular frame C, and are braced by the six oblique
braces D2 with struts D'. In the back part of the frame in the two corner
posts B¹, B¹, are two grooves a facing each other which form guides for a
frame E, F, G, which is provided with pins moving in said grooves a, 00 are the
horizontal, guide rails for the carrier D which at the other end are supported on the
vessel and at this end are connected together by vertical bars J and are supported
on the frame E F G by means of slotted bars K one at each side, respectively
engaging with one of the pins that hold the frame E F G in the grooves a. The
object in making this connection by the slotted bars K. is to allow the carrier
rails O to have a longitudinal movement, to accommodate the swinging of the ship
to or from the frame A B'. In the vertical bars of frame E F G are arranged
two pairs of pulleys L L and L' L'. the upper and lower pairs being just far
enough apart to bring the lower sides of the upper and the upper sides of the
lower pair in line with the incoming and outgoing portions of the carrier D.
The vertical adjustment of the frame E, F, G, accommodates the rise and fall of the
vessel and does this without any change in the length of the carrier.
In the top part of the main frame are arranged two pairs of pulleys M which
are journalled in bars N whose ends are guided in vertical grooves in corner
pieces O2 at the top of the frame. These bars are held up by counter weights P
connected thereto by cords passing over pulleys, the object of which is to hold the
carrier in uniform tension and compensate for the movement of the vessel away
from or toward the wharf. Thus when the vessel moves away from the wharf
and a draft strain is put on the carrier the pulleys M are drawn down against the
gravity of the counter weights and vice versa. This keeps the carrier in even
tension and avoids breaking strain and the disarrangement of the frame A B¹.
In the lower part of the frame posts B₁ are arranged stationary pulleys S placed
on offsets so as to allow the frame E, F, G, to pass them and upon the other
posts B are also two pulleys R R.
Now the carrier being loaded with packages and set in motion as described in
the first part of the invention it passes over the pulleys L' L' at the bottom of the
frame E F G then descending passes under the pulleys S, at which point the
packages may be deposited if desired, but if the merchandise is to be carried back
from the edge of the wharf to a point farther on shore the packages are allowed
to remain on the carrier which runs horizontally farther ashore to a set of pulleys
(not shown) fixed in a stationary frame work at which point they are taken off
or automatically deposited. The carrier then returning passes under pulleys R
thence up and over the pulleys M and thence down and under pulleys L and thence
horizontally into the guide rails to the vessel again.
Referring now to the drawings illustrating the third part of the invention for
loading, or unloading from a lighter.
Figure 10 is an isometric projection in perspective of this improvement.
Figure 11 is a side elevation,
Figure 12 a front elevation.
Figure 13 is a top view, and
Figure 14

page_text: relation of the first part of this invention to the third part or that now about to
be described.
A A Figures 10 to 14 represent the two main timbers of the frame work or
leg connected together by middle braces B. C, C, C¹, C¹, are four corner posts
which are attached to the main timbers A by braces D2 and are provided with
grooves g
to receive the ends of the cross bars D' of the endless carriers D. The
grooves in C, C, receive and enclose the ends of the bars D' while those in C¹ C¹
are half grooves or rebates to allow the carrier to pass out laterally at any point
in the different adjustments of the framework. G is a frame encompassing three
sides of the main frame A C C¹ and provided with pairs of friction or guide rollers
a a which embrace the bars A and guide the frame A C C¹ in its movement up or
down. The ends of the three sided frame G are fastened to a frame H that is
attached to the horizontal guide rails O for the carrier, which guide rails extend
from the frame A C C¹ to the derrick mounted above the hatchway as described
under the first head of the Invention and as shown in Figure 14. At the top
of the frame A C C₁ there are four pulleys J and at the bottom there are six
pulleys K while in the frame H there are four pulleys L around which the endless
carrier travels. The carrier enters the frame ACC over the lower pulleys L of
the frame H, descends to the lighter, is relieved of its load, and then after turning
the pulleys K at the bottom of the frame A C C³, it rises and passes over the
pulleys J at the top and then descends to and passes under the upper pulleys L'
in the frame H, enters the horizontal rails O and passes back to the hoisting apparatus
at the hatchways. The frame A C C is raised or lowered within the frame G H by
ropes L2 connected to it at either side at the point b Figure 10, which ropes pass
up over pulleys carried by a suitable support in the rigging (see Figure 14) and
down on each side of the apparatus, and are wound upon windlass drums M
at the bottom of the frame and within easy reach from the lighter. This
vertical adjustment of the frame A C C¹ permits it to be lowered as the ship
is lightened, and rise as the lighter is loaded and sinks, and this adjustment of
the frame ACC' in the frames G H is such that the length of the carrier remains
always the same.
The apparatus herein described may be used also for unloading or loading coal.
and other loose stuff by simply placing it in buckets suspending them on the
carrier and providing means for discharging the buckets.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I would observe that I do not claim broadly an endless carrier passing
over adjustable frame work for loading and unloading vessels, but what I claim as
the Invention to be protected by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is.
1st The combination shown in Figures 1 to 5 consisting of the derrick frame A
having two sets of guide pulleys for the carrier arranged on stationary axes, one or
more vertically adjustable sections of frame work sliding in the derrick frame and
bearing pulleys at the top and bottom, and an endless carrier passing from one set
of stationary pulleys up and over the upper movable pulleys and extending from
the lower set of stationary pulleys down and under the other set of movable
pulleys, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2nd The apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 5 consisting of a set of extensible
frames having guides for an endless carrier projecting from the middle of said
frames, and separate pulleys for the two chains of said carrier, in combination with
the carrier composed of two chains with rods D¹ spaced as described and having
their ends arranged in said guides as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd The combination shown in Figures 1 to 5 consisting of the derrick frame A
having guide pulleys E and drivers F, the vertically adjustable frame B having
pulleys G G', the carrier passing under pulleys E and over G G and stop devices,
substantially as described for limiting the downward movement of the pulleys G¹
to the level of the carrier chains, as and for the purpose set forth.
4th The combination shown in Figures 1 to 5 consisting of the stationary derrick
frame A, the extensible frame B moving in guides in the derrick frame, the

page_text: :
extensible frame C moving in guides in the frame B and the endless carrier passing
around the same, substantially as shown and described.
5th The combination shown in Figures 6 to 9 of the main frame having
posts B¹ B¹ with grooves a, the vertically adjustable frame E F G bearing pairs of
pulleys L L', the endless carrier D and the slotted bars K, connected to the guide
rails for the carrier, substantially as described, for the purpose of permitting a
vertical and a horizontal adjustment of the carrier rails as described.
6th The combination shown in Figures 6 to 9 consisting of the endless carrier D
and the main frame A B B¹ having guide pulleys for the carrier, and the auto-
matically adjustable pulleys M M at the top for the purpose of avoiding breaking
strain from the movement of the vessel and ensuring a uniform tension for the
carrier as described.
7th The combination shown in Figure 6 to 9 of the main frame A B B¹ with
pulleys R and S, the automatically adjustable pulleys M M at the top of the frame,
the vertically adjustable frame E F G bearing guide pulleys, and the slotted bar K,
the said frame with its pulleys and slotted bars being arranged between the
pulleys L and R, substantially as and for the purpose described
8th A frame constructed as shown in Figures 6 to 9, located on shore and
provided with pulleys and carrier guides combined with an independent and
vertically moving frame having horizontal carrier guides and a carrier passing from
the latter to the former in any of its adjustments as described.
9th The combination shown in Figures 10 to 14 consisting of a frame G H con-
nected to a hoisting apparatus on the ship by guide rails, a suspended vertically
adjustable frame moving in said frame G H, and an endless carrier moving around
said vertically adjustable frame and extending to and around the hoisting apparatus
on the ship as shown and described.
10th The suspended and vertically adjustable frame shown in Figures 10 to 14
combined with the ropes L² supporting pulleys in the rigging of the vessel, and a
windlass M at the bottom of said frame for the purpose of forming an adjustable
terminus or delivery end of the carrier capable of being worked from the bottom, as
shown and described.
11th The combination shown in Figures 10 to 14 of the braced frame A C C¹
having four pulleys at the top and six at the bottom, and provided with grooves g
for the endless carrier, the encompassing frame G H provided with pulleys L and
connecting with horizontal guides for the carrier, the carrier traversing said frame
and the rope L2 and windlass M, as and for the purpose described.
12th A suspended and vertically adjustable frame as shown in Figures 10 to 14
provided with vertical carrier guides in combination with a relatively stationary
frame G H with horizontal carrier guides and a carrier passing from the latter to
the former in any of its adjustments, as described.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fifth day of March, A.D. 1883.
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