US67031A - Improved method of loading and unloading vessels - Google Patents

Description

@uiten gisten genot @frs GILBERT AUGUST E FOURNIER .DES CORATS, 0F PARIS, FRNCE.

Letters' Patent No. 67,031, dated July 23, 1867. I l

IMPROVED METHOD 0F LOADING AND UNLOADING VESSBLS.

TO ALL WHOM I'l MAY. CNCERN: y

" `Be it known that I, GILBERT Avatars FOURNIER Das Comms, Gentleman, of Paris, France, have invented a newMode of Conveyance on Sea or River, avoiding Transhipment, Lading and Unlading by M'anual Labor; and I do hereby declare that .the following is a full, clear, and exact .description of the same, reference being had'to the annexed sheet of drawing, making a part of the same'. y

My invention refers toa new arrangement of stcamboats and vessels, avoiding all transhipment, lading and unladiug by manual labor on board the same. 4

I separate the interior of a vessel or steamboat in several compartments, say three, the bue at the how I and another astern for containing boxes or carriages mounted on small wheels, and in which boxes goods have been previously shipped. In the third compartment, between, are the steam engines for the' propulsion of the vessel, and others intended for the lading and unlading of said boxes or carriages. Regular platforms like railway platforms, provided with rails, will receive the said carriages on their being conveyed out of the 'I steamboat or other vessel. The lading andunlading of said carriages is effected in the same way as done in a railway terminus. As regards the introduction on board a ship or steamboat of auch carriages,4 a steam engine is provided inside the vessel whereby this operation is effected by means of any suitable lifting-apparatus situated likewise inside the vessel.

supposing a steamer, for instance, in the two'compartments of which it is desired to lodge wheeled boxes or carriages for the above pur-pose, 1 place vertically, and at proper distance from one another, screws supporting nuts upon which rails are securedand on which rails the carriages are placed. Longitudinal shafts provided with endless screws set the vertical screws in motion, and the nuts' screw forth or back, according -as said carriages are to be got in or out.

New it will be readily understood that the deck being provided with rails corresponding to those of a springing-board, themselves corresponding to those in the terminus, and the rails and the nuts being come on a level with those on the deck, it will be easy to have' either the lading or unlading eiected,

The working is proceeded with in the following manner: The steam engine for'this purpose sets in motion a cylinder placed ostern, on which acable or chain is either wound or unwound, according to the work it is desired to accomplish, and the boxes or carriages being suspended thereto, will in this manner get in or out of the vessel. The steamboat or other vessel is to be introduced, for lading or unlading purpose, into a sort of recess dug out of the wharf, the depth of the water therein being the same of course as that-in the haven. The springing-board is hinged upto the end of said recess so` as to assume always the level of the vessel, to the bow or fore-part of which it is likewise secured in such manner that the railways on the platform of the board and of the vessel will correspond with cach other. When this operation is over then islto commence the working of the liftingiapparatus, whereby the boxes or carriages are raised to the height of the rails both on the springing-board and deck. When arrived at this height they are hooked on to the cable which is woundon the cylinder placed astern, and a motion is imparted thereto by the v'steam engine, above mentioned, and .by means of a return pulley placed in the terminus,- the boxes or carriages are `quickly and at once gotin. For unlading Iproceed inversely.: the cable is attached ahead one or more rows of carriages, and is directlyQwo-und up on the cylinder or drum ostern, by which way of proceeding the lading is so speedily effected that the stability of the vessel is but for a few moments disturbed. It is evident that the supply of coal for the engines, 'and other con veniences, are conveyed in the samemanner by means of special carriages.

The advantages of this system may be summed up as follows: Notable saving of time; suppression of expenses for transhipment;' preservation of the goods; possibility, in case of fire, of quickly throwing the burning carriages or boxes into the sea, making up readily or repairing the leakages. y

In the annexed drawing, illustrative of this new mode of conveyance- Figure 1 shows a longitudinal view of a steamboat arranged according to my invntion, so as to admit 1 wheeled boxes Lis-carriages. In this ligure the boat is seen partly in elevation and partly in section.

Figure 2 is the plan of the'same. Figure 8 is a transverse section of the boat, and in these three figures the same letters of reference stand for the like parts when they recur.

a, bont or vessel; b, screw; c, rudder;d, nuts vsupporting the' rails f, upon vvvhichthe boxes or carriages v are -placed y, gear-wheels keyed on the screws d to these wheels i s imparted a rotary motionv by thnendlels screws i; j, turn-plates placed on the deelt of a vessel so as to facilitate the working thereof; lc, boards setting in communication 'the platform and the boat; l, 'rails placed on the deck and corresponding to those on the board and platform m, traction-chain or cable for conveying the carriages' from the platform to the deelt, or

' viceversa; n, return pulleys; o, other pulleys leading the cables towards the machine intended to e'eet the traction.

Fig 3 shows the lading and unladingr operated along one side of the vessel..

Figs. 1 and- 2 show the same operation performed at the bow both these arrangements being indicated in order to show thatA the lading and unlading may takeplaeehothI trays indiscriminately, as the carriages are easily worked upon on the decl: by means of the turn-plates. f

Having so far described my invention, what 'I claim isv 1. The vertical screws d in the vessela, haring gear-wheels h, provided vwith -nuts e, operated by means of the endless 'screws and longitudinal rods arranged in such a manner that' two or more-tiers f cars maybe spported in said vessel and raised or lowered, substantially as described forl the purpose lpcied.

2. The combination of -tlie turn-tables j, rails l, traction-chains and pulleys h o, springboards k, arranged in relation to the vessel q, and operated as herein describedfforthe purpose specified.

v A.- FOURNIER DES cona'rs. Witnesses: l

A. GUIox,

Dsxos.

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