US1356218A - Steering apparatus for freight-carrying barges - Google Patents

Description

E. W. B. NOWLAND.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR FRE|GHT CARRYING BARGES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, I920.

Patented Oct. 19,1920.

UNITED STATES V PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD NOWLAND, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD NOWLAND, JR., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

' STEERINGAPPARATUS FORIREIGHT-CARRYING B AnGns.

Specification of Letters Patent. Paten ted Oct. 19 1920.

Application filed July 28, 1920. Serial No. 399,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAND, a citizen "of the United States; and a resident of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve tow boat may be utilized in pushing while the steering is done by rudders at the front of the tow and rear of the tow boat operated by steering mechanism on the latter, and'1t consists of a tow boat having steering rudders at its stern, and a barge lashedthereto and having steering rudders at ltS'bQW the rudders on the barge and tow boat being controlled by steering mechanism on the latter.

It further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of a tow boat and a barge, showing my improvement applied thereto. same. Fig. 3 is a rear end view. and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a false bow for a barge.

10 represents a tow-boat which may be of the type now in general use for towing barges, or it may be especially designed for the purpose, and carrying propelling means (not shown) operated by an engine in the usual and well known manner. This boat 10 is provided at its stern, which is squared as shown with twin rudders 11, the stems wheel 16*. This steering mechanism is pref-' erably driven by steam steerlng gear (not shown) but may be actuated by hand.

Barges 17 are to be coupled or lashed to the boat 10 in the usual manner, and the barge at the firearm-e center of the fleet EDWARD B. Now- Fig. 2 is a View in plan of the is provided at-its front end with rudders 18. "Inthe drawings I have shown one barge lashed at: its rear end to the front end of the tow-boat 10 but I would have it understood that my invention contemplates the use of more than one barge arranged in tandem formcor side by side as is now customary.

The rudders 18 at the bow of barge 17 are arranged in pairs as shown in Fig. 2, and are connected by the cross-bar 19 connected to the tiller line 20. The stems 21 of the rudders 1 8 are mounted in and carried by the bearings 22 which may be detachably secured to the bow of the barge and be readily detachable for use on the barge which occu-' pies the front ofthe fleet in line with the tow-boat 10. 1

The tiller lines 20 pass around sheaves '23 I at the bow of the barge and are guided by the sheaves 24: adjacent the stern of the lat ter and pass from thence around sheaves 25 at the side of tow-boat 10 and under guides 25* located below the steering drum 26; This drum is located in line with steering drum 16- and closcto the latter, and is provided with a steering wheel 26 adapted to beactuated by hand. The two steering-wheels and their drums are located in the pilot house of the tow-boat 10 and are sufliciently close so that bothmay be operated simultaneously, but independently of each other by a pilot, in the event of an emergency. and the shafts of the two drums 16 and 26 or the drums themselves may be connected by the clutch 27 actuated by the lever 28.

In Fig. 2 the clutch sections are shown disconnected so that the steering drums may be actuated independently, but by shifting the movable section 27 of the clutch to the position shown in dotted lines, both drums will be actuated simultaneously and operate the rudders at the bow and at the stern. By using steam steering gear on the tow-boat and providing a coupling or clutch for the two drums the rudders at the stern of the tow-boatand the bow of the barge may be operated by the steam steering mechanism. orif necessary to manipulate the rudders at the bow of the barge independently of the rudders 11 at the stern of the tow-boat. the latter rudders may be actuated by the steam steeringgear and the bow rudders by hand.

The bearings 22 carrying the rudders 18 and stems 21 may be removable and thus adapted for attachment to thefront barge of cases I use the false bows 29 which latter are shaped at their rear ends to make a close fit with the barge and carry the rudders 18* at their front ends, the false bow being provided with snubbing posts 30 whereby it may be lashed to the barge. These false bows are provided with water compartments (not shown) which, when filled or partly filled with water, cause the bow to sink sutliciently to enable its stern to be warped under the bow of the barge, the stern of the false bow being designed to conform to the shape of the bowof the barge.

This false bow is provided with sheaves 23 and 2% for guiding the tiller lines back to the sheaves on the barge to which the bow 29 is attached.

It will of course be understood that if the front barge be in advance of other barges the tiller lines will be guided on each of the latter back to the tow-boat.

Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit'thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to'secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern and steering mechanism for actuating the same, a barge in advance of said tow-boat and provided with a rudder at its bow, a steering drum on the tow-boat and tiller lines leading from the rudder on the barge to the steering drum on the towboat.

2. The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern and steering mechanism for actuating'the same, a second steering drum on said boat, clutch mechanism for connecting said drums, a barge in advance of the tow-boat and provided with a rudder at its bow, and tiller lines leading'from said bow rudder to the secondsteering drum on the tow-boat.

The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern, two steering drums on said best, one of said drums being connected with the rudder at the stern, a barge in advance of the tow-boat, a. false bow for said barge, a rudder at the front end of said false bow and tiller lines leading from said how rudder to the other steering drum on the tow-boat.

4-. 'l he combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern, two steering drums on said boat,'one of which is connected with said rudder, a clutch for connecting the two,

drums whereby they may be moved in unison, a barge in advance of sand tow-boat, a false bow for said barge, a rudder at the front of the false bow and tiller lines lead ing from the bow rudder to the other StB1- .EDl/VARD B. NOWLAND.

Witnesses Enw. NOWLAND, J12, EDWARD D. SHEA.

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