US375715A - Device for unloading vessels - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G. W. PRICE.

DEVICE FOR UNLOADING VESSELS. Nq. 375,715. Patented Dec. 27, 1887.

e0 7 MINI?! f 4; CZM 644W N. PETERS. Phalo-LiXhogmplwr, Washington. D. C.

PATENT OFFIcE.

GEORGE IV. PRICE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DEVICE FOR UNL OADING VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters P Application filed March 29, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Unloading Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for unloading and loading vessels, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional view of a vessel and wharf and a side view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the mast and gaff, and shows the weightbalancing the gripper. Fig. 4 isa view of the gripper. Fig. 5 is a view of the counterpoiseweight. Y

The apparatus is shown in the drawings as it appears when rigged for unloading a vessel.

The letter A designates the Wharf, B a car on the wharf, and C a vessel to be unloaded. The mast D has a gaff, E, over the deck-hole, and a boom, F, projects from the mast over the wharf, and has at its end a pulley-block, a. A chain or rope gripper, G,which is fully described hereinafter, has attached a carrierrope, I), which passes through said pulley-block a and connects with a winch, c, on the deck of the vessel, at one side of the hole d. By winding the rope I) on the winch c the said gripper may be carried from a position directly over the deck to a position near the pulicy-block a over the wharf.

The mast D has a pulley-block, e, and the gaff E also has a pulley-block, f, which has a position above the vessels deck-hole d. A rope, 9, passes through both of these pulleyblocks 6 and f, and the said rope end above the deck-hole is attached to thegripper G, and the other end, hanging down from the mastpulley e, is attached to a counterpoise-weight, H. This weight has one or more friction-pulleys, h, by which it is supported and attached to a guy-rope, z. By this arrangement the weight Hbalances the gripper G in a manner similar to that of a weight balancingawindowsash, and the weight will run up and down on the said guy-rope t to meet the various movements of the gripper. It is obvious that the described balancing of the gripper will be efatent No. 375,715, dated December 27,1987.

Seria No.232,924. (X0 model.)

feeted by the rope g passing through a pulley, and that this result will be producedwhether one, two, or more pulleys be used. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the precise arrangement of the two pulleys e andf. The object of this combination, it will be seen, is to have the advantages of the gripper (hereinafter referred to) without the attendant dis advantages occasioned by the weight of such a moving device, which is necessarily heavy.

The gaff Ehas a hoist-block, 7c, and a chain, Z, passes through this block, and one end connects with the winch m, and the other passes through the opening a in the gripper-jaws and attaches to the bail of the bucket I, which normally hangs over the deck-hole d. To lower from, it is necessary to turn the hoist-winch m. In thus raising and lowering the bucket the hoistchain Z may pass freely through the opening a of the gripper-jaws, and said gripper, being balanced by the weight H, will shift its position up or down to accommodate the movement of the bucket.

The gripper will now be described, and then the operation of the apparatus will be set forth.'

The gripper, essentially, is a device which has an opening, as at a, through which a hoistchain may at times pass freely, and a jaw, as 0, by which the hoist-chain may be gripped or clutched where it passes through the said opening, and thereby stop or prevent the chain from passing freely. It may be said,'therefore, the gripper has twojaws. The construc tion of the gripper may vary from that shown; but the form here shown is known to be prac tical and operative. A shank, G, consists of two parallel bars having at one end a hook-. curve, 11, and at the other a pulley, q. Ajaw, 0, is pivoted between the said two bars, and is of similar shape to the said hook-curve, but curved in the reverse direction; thereby the two hook-curves form an opening, a. As already stated, the hoist-chain Z passes through the said opening. The jaw 0 has an arm, 0', and a carrier-rope, b, (or a chain, if preferred, as in Fig. 4,) is attached to this arm and passes shank' G. A spiral spring, 1', connects the jaw-arm o with the hook-curvep of the twobar shank, and its effect, normally, is to keep the bucket Iinto the said hole or raise it thereover the pulley g at the end of the two-bar open the gripper-jaw, so as to permit the hoistchain Z to pass freely through the said opening a. Asecond spiral spring, r, is shown,which serves the same purpose as the first one. Thus one or two springs may be used.

The operation is as follows: The bucket I the carrier rope or chain 1) is first drawn, the

effect on the gripper is to extend the springs r and close the jaw 0, and thereby press or clutch the hoist chain Z. If the draft or pull is continued on the carrier rope or chain 1), as will be the case ifthe carrier-winch c is turned, the bucket I will be drawn sidewise in a horizontal direction, the hoist-chain Z being unwound from its winch m to permit this movement of the bucket, and through the action of the gripper G and carrier-rope b the bucket may be drawn to a position over the wharf, (indicated in Fig. l by broken lines,) Where its contents may be dumped into a car, B. By now unwinding on the carrier winch c and winding on the hoistwinch m the empty bucket will move back to its normal position, and may be lowered into the hole to have the aforesaid operation of hoisting repeated.

For loading from the wharf to the vessel the position of the parts comprising the apparatus 35 should be reversed.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In an apparatus for loading and unloading vessels, the combination of a hoist-chain gripper, a conuterpoise-weight, H, a pulleyo block, and a rope passed through the said pulley-block and connecting the said gripper and weight, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for loading and unloading vessels, the combination of the supporting- 45 block it and hoist-chain Z, to raise the bucket vertically, a gripper, G, suspended by a rope v and having an opening, a, for the free passage of said hoistchain, and jawsto clutch the same, and a carrier rope or chain, 1), attached to the -'o said grip-per to draw the bucket sidewise, as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for loading and unloading vessels, the combination of thesupportingblock it and hoist-chain Z, to raise the bucket 5 vertically, a gripper, G, having an opening,

a, for the free passage of said hoist-chain, and jaws to clutch the same, a balancing-weight, H, connected with said gripper by a rope passed over a pulley, and a carrier rope or 60 chain, 1), attached to the said gripper to draw the bucket sidewise, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \V. PRICE.

Vitnesses:

J OHN E. MoRRIs, J NO. T. lVIADDOX.

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