US608142A - Loading - Google Patents

Description

v Patented luly 26, 189 8. s. B. KENFIELDK; c. ELVIDGE. 2LOADING APPLIANCE.

(Applicationfiled. Oct. 11, 1897.)

s sheets-sh ei 2.

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CALIFORNIA.

LOADING APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 608,142, dated July 26, 1898.,

Application filed October 11, 1897. Serial No. 654,876. (No model.)

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHEN B. KENFIELD and CHARLES ELVID GE, citizens of the United States, residing at San Francisco,in the county of San Francisco and State of Oalifornia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading Appliances; and we do here by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

This invention relates to improvements in loading and unloading appliances.

It consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the various parts whereby deep-sea vessels may be loaded while at an.- chorage and at a considerable distance from the shore without pier construction or other wharfage.

It further consists in a novel construction and arrangement by means of which the load may be carried out to the end of the delivery without necessitating the erection of tall hoisting structures on the shore.

It further consists in a construction and arrangement whereby the carrying-cable and the propelling-lines may be lengthened or shortened without requiring any change in the construction of the propelling mechanism; and it further consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts whereby the raising and lowering of the load on the shore is accomplished by the raising and lowering of the carrying-cable.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the invention in operation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, enlarged,of the driving mechanism and the structure on shore for suspending the carrying-cable and raising and lowering the same above the loadingplatform. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the driving mechanism. Fig. tis anenlarged detail View of the outward end of the carrying-cable, showing the means of connecting it to the anchored cable and the pulley over which the far end of the propelling-line is compelled to operate and also the carriage in its outer position. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the drivingdrums, showing the interlaced winding of the adding to the letter common to that group a numeral.

Thus the carrying-cable upon which the loaded carriage runs in transmitting the load to or from the vessel we will designate by the letter A, the stop-blocks or buil'ers at either end of the travel by the letters A A The raising and lowering mechanism by means of which the carriage is lowered or depressed to the load and is raised with the load after being secured theretowe will designate by the letter 13, and the drum by means of which the raising and lowering are accomplished we will designate by the letterB. The carriage upon which the load is caused'to travel to and from the vessel we will distinguish by the letter C, while the propelling-line will be distinguished bythe letter O, and the drums upon which the same is wound and unwound we will distinguish by the letters 0 C This invention is designed as a loading device to load vessels while at anchorage at a distance from the shore. For this purpose the cable A is provided, which is of sufficient length to extend from the shore outward to the vessel when lying in the desired anchorage. When not in use, it, the cable, is wound upon the drum A which is mounted in suitable framework and securely anchored. The

cable A is drawn back or inshore until the buffer A is drawn against the buffer A, with the interposed carriage C between, and the whole suspended from the raising and lowering blocks 13.

At the anchorage which is provided for vessels it is designed that the vessel should take up a position between the extremes of the cable. For this purpose the cable A is anchored seaward considerably beyond the anchorage of the vessel and is secured to a float or other suitable device to prevent its sinking when not in operation. On coming to the anchorage for the vessel the end of the cable A which is attached to the anchor is caught Y and drawn on board the vessel. In the meantime a boat is sent ashore for the purpose of bringing out the end of the cable A carrying the pulley A over which the propelling-rope O is run. The end of the cable A is provided with suitable hooks A, into which a hook, generally called grab-hook, on the end of the cable A is connected on board the vessel. The vessel is suitably rigged with a hoisting-tackle suspended between the masts of the vessel, which is connected to the link A on the block A which is raised thereby to the desired height from the deck of the vessel. While this adjustment on board the vessel is being made, the cable A is maintained partially slack. \Vhen, however, the block A is raised, as described, the drum A is rotated to take in the slack of the cable A and render it as taut as desirable. WVhen the end of the cable is carried out, as described, the carriage C is retained in position against the block A, so that the propelling-line O has been carried out with the pulley A The block A is provided with a central perforation through which the cable A is loosely extended, so as tobe carried out and drawn back without interference by the block A. The block A is mounted on the end of a swingin g scantling or frame A which extends back to the upright or frame X, which is erected to support the raising and lowering mechanism B. It is by means of this frame A that the block A is maintained in this position, and the blow of the returning carriage is transferred from the said block to the structure X. WVhen the cable A has been extended across the vessel and drawn taut by the drum A it is still found that by the weight of the cable and the length of the space there is considerable slack, which sags the cable between the pulley A on the frame X, over which it rests at the highest point inshore, and the link A by means of which it is hoisted to this highest point 011 the vessel. By reason of this sag the cable swings near the platform Y, so that any load which is resting thereon maybe caught up by the carriage O and secured to the hook 0 thereof.

The carriage O is constructed to have two carrying-wheels C Cflwhich are placed in line with each other to travel upon the carryingcable A. They are pivotally mounted in a hanger-frame G which is dropped down on either side of the cable in the form of a stirrup. Directly beneath the cable A the frame 0 has between its sides pivotally mounted the idlers C C, which prevent the forward and backward rocking of the carriage upon the cable. Below the line of the bearings of the idlers O 0' there is suspended between the frames 0 the friction-pulley 0 whose office is to carry the weight of the returning branch of the propelling-line C and to help to support the said line midway between the outer and the inner end of the reach. At the lower extremity of the frame is suspended the hook 0 upon which the load is secured. To the two opposite sides of the frame, preferably below the center of the friction-wheel 0 are provided the attaching devices or loops O 0 the former being connected to the end of the extension of the propelling-line which draws the carriage outward toward the pulley A on the block A and the latter to that end of the extension of the propelling-line which draws the carriage toward the block A at the shore end of the travel. By means of this construction a very compact and strong carriage is obtained.

'When the load is securely fastened to the carriage O, the raising mechanism B is oper ated to raise the block A to lift the cable A, and with it the carriage O, and the load fastened thereto clear of the platform. The raising and lowering mechanism consists of an ordinary block and tackle hung upon the framework of the scaffolding X at the forward extension of the same, and a hoistingrope B is led back to the drum 13, mounted on the shaft of the driving mechanism.

When the mechanism which operates the drum B is set in action, it is operated to draw upon the rope B and thereby raise the block A,with the carriage O and the load, as described. When the block A and the carriage have been raised, the carriage 0 tends to run down the incline of the cable A. This it may be permitted to do by throwing off the engines which are attached to the driving mechanism of drums O 0 over which the continuous propelling-line O is wound.

If the carriage be permitted to run free, as described, it will continue until checked by the upgrade of the cable,which is caused by the sag in it. From this point it would become necessary to draw the load outward to the vessel. This is accomplished by means of the engines D D,which are operating upon the driving-shaft D to drive through the pinions D D the gear-Wheels D D on the shafts D D and by winding on the drums O and O the propelling-line O to carry the carriage outward to the vessel until it reaches the buffer A upon which the blow is received. When arrived in this position, the load is lowered on the deck. of the vessel by means of the hoisting-tackle, by means of which the jointed ends of the two cables A and A have been raised. When the load is deposited on the deck of the vessel and the hitchings released, the block A is raised on the vessel to its normal position, and the engines of the propelling mechanism on shore,

which have been brought to a rest while unloading on board the vessel, are now reversed, driving the propelling-lines in the opposite direction and compelling the carriage to travel up the incline of the cable until it reaches the block A, when the engines are again stopped. In this position the parts are in their initial position, from whence the operation above described is repeated.

The driving mechanism by means of which the raising and lowering device and the carriage are operated consists vof the drum B and the twin drums C C The drum B is provided with a friction-clutch B by means of which it is compelled to travel with the shaft D upon which it is. loosely mounted. It is further provided with the flange B upon which is fitted an ordinary band-brake. (Not shown in the drawings.) It'is by means of this band-brake that the drum B is arrested and maintained in any position. Upon the same shaft D are mounted the drum 0 loosely and the gear D rigidly. This gear is meshed with the small pinion D which is rigidly secured to the driving-shaft D, upon which the engines D D operate.

The drum 0 is mounted in line with the drum 0 upon a shaft D to which it is rigidly secured. The shaft is provided with a large gear D of an equal diameter to the gear D and is similarly engaged to a pinion D on the driving-shaft D. The pinion D however, is

loosely mounted upon the shaft to run independent] y thereof, except when locked by means of the clutch D ,which is splined upon the said driving-shaft.

From the side of the driving-drum O is extended a flange C to receive a band-brake similar to that with which the drum B is pro vided and for the same purpose. Both of the said band-brakes are spring-actuated to release the drums and are provided with suitable connections extending to foot-operated levers at any convenient point for the engineer or operator; Both clutches B and D are provided with suitable operating connections reaching to the station of the engineer or operator.

It will be observed that by means of the mechanism above described the machine while being continuouslyoperated may be controlled to accomplish two distinct operations that of propelling the carriage C to and from the vessel and that of raising and lowering the cable A and load at the point of the inner limit of the travel of the carriage G-both which operations are controlled by the several devices herein called clutches and bandbrakes, the former causing the several parts to be moved and the latter arresting the movement.

In Figs. 5, G, and 7 are shown three forms of propelling-drums which are used by us in this invention. In Figs. 5 and 6 the drums are alternative and differ only in that on the drums shownin Fig. 5 the windings of the cable are alternately carried from the bottom of the one drum to the top of the other, forming in the space between the twodrums an interlaced appearance, as seen in Fig. 3. This is the preferred construction by reason of the fact that the cable in passing about the drum comes in contact with more of the surface of the drum and obtains a greater friction thereon. These drums differ from that shown in Fig. 6 only in the manner of applying the propelling-line thereto, in the latter it being wound straight around both drums that is, from the top of the one drum it extends directly to the top of the other and from thebottom of the one to the bottom of the other. These drums may or may not be connected by means of the connecting-gear O, which is shown in Fig. 6, its purpose being to compel the one drum to travel in exact time with the other drum.

By the employment of the twin drums C C we are enabled to change the length of the propelling-line 0 without changing the construction or the wrappings upon the said drums. These drums are provided with circumferential grooves adapted to receive the wrappings of the propelling-line and maintain the one wrap separate from the other to prevent wear. of the line upon itself and also the tendency of the one wrapto ride upon the other. The windings upon the said drum 0 C being transferred from the one drum to the other maintain constantly their position upon the one drum without friction upon the cable or any tendency on the part of the line to ride upon itself. When, however, the length of the cable A is constant and the lengthening and shortening of the deliveryline are not changed, we sometimes use the single drum 0 (Shown in Fig. 7.) This drum is provided with a spiral groove around which the propelling-line C is wound two or three times.

It will be observed. that as the line is paid outin the one direction or in the other the position of the windings of the propellingline on the drum will change its position laterally. This drum becomes inconvenient and impracticable in the event of the deliverypoint or the anchorage of the vessel being extended at a greater distance than the calculated capacity or lateral movement of the windings on the drum. Afurther inconven:

ience in regard to this drum (shown in Fig.

7) is the length of the drum, which has to be provided to accommodate the travelof the said windings.

WVhen the vessel has been loaded or discharged, the carriage O is drawn into shore, and the cable A is slacked by releasing the drum A on shore until it is possible to unhook theanchor-chain from the hook A at the end of the cable. The end of the cable A is now carried on shore and the anchorcable A is released, to be supported on the float which is provided for it.

Having thus described this invention, it is claimed 1. In a loading appliance, the combination with acarrying-cable extended from the shore out into thesea and anchored at both ends, and provided with suitable attachments whereby it may be raised at the points of anchorage of the vessel to be loaded, to extend across the deck of the said vessel; of a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; a continuous propelling-line the ends of which are secured to both sides of the said carriage, and the one extension of which is supported upon a pulley at the vessel; and a driving mechanism provided with a drum upon which the said propolling-line is wound, substantially as described.

2. In a loading appliance, the combination with the carrying-cable extended from the shore outward to a vessel lying at anchor; of a cable provided with an anchor and adapted to be connected with the end of the said carrying-cable and to be hoisted therewith above the deck of the said vessel, and a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; a continuous propellingline the ends of which are secured to the said carriage; a pulley secured to the said vessel to receive the said propelling-line beyond the said carriage; and a driving mechanism provided with a drum upon which the said propelling-line is wound to compel the two extensions of the said propelling-line to travel alternatelyinward and outward substantially as described.

3. In a loading appliance, the combination with a carrying-cable extended from the shore and anchored out at sea, and provided with suitable attachments whereby it may be raised at an intermediate point to extend across the deck of a vessel; of a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; and a continuous propelling-line the ends of which are secured to the said carriage; a pulley attached at the delivery end to the said cable to carry the one extension of the said propellingline; a driving mechanism provided with twin drums adapted to receive the wrappings of the propelling-line, substantially as described.

4:. In a loading appliance, the combination with a carrying-cable extended from the shore and anchored, and provided with a suitable attachment whereby it may be raised at an intermediate point to extend across the deck of a vessel; a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; a continuous propelling-line the ends of which are secured to the said carriage; a pulley attached to the said cable at the delivery end to carry the one extension of the said propelling-line; a driving mechanism provided with a drivingdrum adapted to receive the wrappin gs of the said propelling-line to wind and unwind the same in alternately opposite directions; and an undriven drum adapted to receive part of the wrappings of the said propelling-line and to cooperate with the said driving-drum to receive the said propelling-line constantly at one point while delivering it constantly at another point, substantially as described.

5. In a loading appliance, the combination with a carrying-cable extended from the shore and anchored, and provided with a suitable attachment whereby it may be raised at an intermediate point to extend across the deck of a vessel; a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; a continuous propelling-line the ends of which are secured to the said carriage; a pulley attached to the said cable at the delivery end to carry the one extension of the said propelling-line; a driving mechanism provided with a driving-drum having on its surface a series of parallel grooves to receive and separate the wrappings of the propelling-line and adapted to wind and unwind the same in alternately opposite directions; and an undriven drum the surface of which is provided with a series of parallel grooves similar to those on the said driving-drum, and being located in line with the driving-drum so that the ridges between the grooves of the undriven drum are opposite the center of the grooves in the drivingdrum, substantially as described, whereby the propelling-line may be wound alternately upon the two drums to change the direction of the travel of the said line, without changing its point of entrance or exit from the said driving-drum, substantially as described.

6. In a loading appliance, the combination with a carrying-cable extended from the shore outward to a vessel lying at anchor; of a cable provided with an anchor beyond the said vessel and adapted to be connected with the end of the said carrying-cable and to be hoisted therewith above the deck of the said vessel; an anchored rotary drum adapted to draw the said carrying-cable and wind the same upon itself; substantially as described.

7. In a loading appliance, the combination with the carrying-cable extended from the shore outward to a vessel lying at anchor; of a cable anchored beyond the said vessel and adapted to be connected with the end of the said carrying-cable and be hoisted therewith, above the deck of the said vessel; a carriage adapted to run upon the said cable with a suspended load; acontinuous propelling-line the ends of which are secured to the said carriage and the one extension of which is supported upon a pulley at the vessel; a driving mechanism provided with a drum upon which the said propelling-line is wound and adapted to wind and unwind the said propelling-line in alternately opposite directions; and a hoisting mechanism engaging the said carryingcable over the loading-point adapted to raise and lowerthe same to allow the said carriage to be secured to the load prior to hoisting the same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 1st day of October, 1897.

STEPHEN B. KENFIELD. CHARLES ELVIDGE.

Witnesses BALDWIN VALE, v MAYNARD HARRIEs.

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