IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING OR CONVEYING YARNS OR SIMILAR MATERIALS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Steven, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 12th February 1867, and dated the 25th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Steven at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
September 1866.
I, ALEXANDER STEVEN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING OR CONVEYING YARNS OR SIMILAR MATERIALS," to be
as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its objects to save hand labor and to obtain increased
rapidity in elevating or conveying yarns or similar materials, and the application
of the improved apparatus is of considerable importance and advantage in
manufactures such as that of Turkey-red goods wherein a very large amount
of hand labor has hitherto been required in conveying yarns into and out of
the drying chambers or stoves.
The improved apparatus comprises two endless chains, which in one
modification pass round two pairs of pitch wheels or pulleys disposed in a
vertical line, one pair above the level of the top floor and the other pair below

page_text: the level of the bottom floor or stove to which the apparatus is applied. It
is convenient to mount the bearings for the upper pulleys on the wall of
the building, one side of the chains passing on the outside of the wall 'and
the other side of the chains on the inside thereof. The whole of the chains
is by preference enclosed within wooden or other casings, the inner one being
fitted with doors into the several flats or floors of the building, and the outer
one having a door and shed at the bottom (and at other levels if required).
The bottom pair of pulleys are fast on one shaft to which driving power is
applied in any convenient way, the shaft being carried in bearings in a frame
which acts as the casing of an opening formed through or under the wall for
the passage of the chains, and, if wished, of the goods carried by them. The
upper pulleys are not on one shaft, but are mounted on separate studs in the
same axial line, but on opposite sides, so as to leave the space clear between
them. The chains are conveniently formed of long plate links disposed singly
and in pairs alternately and jointed together by pins. On certain of the
joint pins taken at suitable intervals there are suspended vertical hanging plates
formed with horizontal carrying flanges at their bottom edges. The hanging
plates are disposed on the inner sides of the chains so as to face each other, and
so as to be on the same levels on both sides, their carrying flanges being di-
rected inwards towards each other. The yarns are suspended on rods, and rods
are passed through their lower loops to keep them from entangling, and they
are put upon the elevating apparatus by simply setting the opposite ends of the
rods on the carrying flanges of a pair of the hanging plates. These hanging
plates are free to turn on the joint pins, and when the yarns arrive at the
upper pulleys they swing across between the pulleys without being dragged or
turned over. In general it is preferred to convey the yarns up the outer casing
and down the inner casing, when conveying them into the building or stove,
and on arriving at the particular flat or floor where they are to be put they are
removed by hand, or they may be delivered automatically by coming in contact
with inclined planes which detach the rods from the hanging plates.
In the modification described the direction of conveyance by the apparatus
is vertical, but the endless chains may be disposed for conveying in an inclined
or borizontal direction or in different directions at different parts. The
various details may obviously be modified to suit particular requirements.
Leather or other belts may be used instead of the chains, the hanging
plates being jointed upon studs fixed on the outside of the belts, or in any
other convenient way.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Steven in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; ALEXANDER
STEVEN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alexander Steven, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Steven, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Steven, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
ELEVATING OR CONVEYING YARNS OR SIMILAR MATERIALS,"
upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Steven, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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.
per-.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Steven, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:
My said Invention has for its objects to save hand labor and to obtain
increased rapidity in elevating or conveying yarns or similar materials, and
the application of my improved apparatus is of considerable importance and
advantage in manufactures such as that of Turkey-red goods wherein a
very large amount of hand labor has. hitherto been required in conveying
yarns into and out of the drying chambers or stoves.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of

page_text: explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing a con-
venient and practically successful modification of my improved apparatus.
Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevations as taken at right angles to each
other.
The improved apparatus comprises two endless chains 1, 1, which pass
round two pairs of pitch wheels or polygonal pulleys 2, 2, 3, 3, disposed in
a vertical line, one pair 2, 2, above the level of the top floor 4, and the other
pair 3, 3, below the level of the bottom floor 5 of the building or stove to
which the apparatus is applied. It is convenient to mount the frame 6 with
the bearings for the upper pulleys 2, 2, on the wall 7 of the building, one
side of the chains passing on the outside of the wall 7, and the other side of
the chains on the inside thereof. The whole of the chain is by preference
enclosed within wooden or other casings 8, 9, the inner one 9 being fitted
with doors into the several flats or floors of the building, and the outer one 8
having a door and shed 10 at the bottom (and at other levels if required).
The bottom pair of pulleys 3, 3, are fast on one shaft 11, to which driving
power is applied in any convenient way, the shaft being carried in bearings
in frame pieces 12, fixed in a casing 3, occupying an opening formed through
or under the wall 7 for the passage of the chains 1, 1, and if wished of the
goods carried by them. The upper pulleys 2, 2, are not on one shaft, but are
mounted on separate studs in the same axial line, but on opposite sides so as
to leave the space clear between them. The chains 1, 1, are conveniently
formed of long plate links disposed singly and in pairs alternately, and jointed
together by pins; certain of the joint pins 14 taken at suitable intervals are
made a little longer than the others and project inwards, and have suspended
on them vertical hanging plates 15 formed with horizontal carrying flanges 16
at their bottom edges. The hanging plates 15 are disposed on the inner sides
of the chains 1, 1, so as to face each other, and so as to be on the same
levels on both sides, their carrying flanges being directed inwards towards
each other. The yarns shown in red lines in the Drawing are suspended on
rods 17, and rods 18 are passed through their lower loops to keep them from
entangling, and they are put upon the elevating apparatus by simply setting
the opposite ends of the rods 17 on the carrying flanges 16 of a pair of
hanging plates 15; these hanging plates 15 are free to turn on the joint
pins 14, and when the yarns arrive at the upper pulleys 2, 2, they swing
across between the pulleys without being dragged or turned over.
In general
it is preferred to convey the yarns up the outer casing 8 and down the inner
casing 9; when conveying them into the building or stove, and on arriving at

page_text: the particular flat or floor where they are to be put they are removed by
hand, or they may be delivered automatically by coming in contact with
inclined planes which detach the rods from the hanging plates.
one 22.
As herein-before stated the driving gear may be arranged in various ways;
in the arrangement shown in the Drawings, however, there is a first motion
shaft 19, having on it three pulleys 20, 21, 22, to receive a belt from a
convenient driving shaft above. The middle pulley 20 is loose, the outer
pulley 21 is fast on the shaft, and the inner pulley 22 is loose on the shaft but
fast to a bevil pinion 23, in gear with a bevil wheel on a second motion
shaft 24. With the other side of the bevil wheel there gears a bevil pinion 25
fast on the first motion shaft 19, so that the shaft 24 is driven in either
direction, accordingly as the driving belt is upon the outer pulley 21 or inner
On the second motion shaft there is a pinion gearing with a spur
wheel on the pulley shaft 11. There is a horizontal reversing and stopping
shaft 25 round a pulley, on one end of which there passes an endless cord 26,
the other end whereof passes round a pulley in the top flat, and this cord can be
actuated from any flat. The reversing shaft 25 is geared by bevil wheels to a
short shaft 27, which has fast on it a lever 28, that has connected to it a forked
rod 29 for shifting the driving belt. On the first motion shaft 19 there is a
brake wheel 30, the friction strap of which is controlled by a weighted
lever 31. This lever 31 is lifted so as to relieve the strap whenever the
driving belt is shifted to either of the outer pulleys 21, 22, by a cam on the
reversing shaft 25, but tightens the strap whenever the driving belt is on the
middle loose pulley 20.
In the modification of my improved apparatus herein-before described the
direction of conveyance is vertical, but the endless chains may be disposed for
conveying in an inclined or horizontal direction, or in different directions at
different parts. The various details may also obviously be modified to suit
particular requirements. Leather or other belts may also be used instead of
the chains, and portions of such belts are shown in edge and side view in
Figure 3, the hanging plates 15 being jointed upon studs 14, fixed by
rivetting or otherwise on the outside of the belts, or in any other convenient
way.
Invention, and the manner in
state that I do not restrict
Having thus particularly described my said
which the same is to be performed, I have to
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing and

page_text: arranging of apparatus for elevating or conveying yarns or similar materials,
substantially in the improved manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Steven, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
ALEXR. STEVEN. (L.S.)