IS47. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



291 



by the open end of the pipe g, will be closed, and the flow of g^s 

 stopped. The same is effected by tlie valve i, on the upper end of 

 pipe g; the stem of the valve being jointed to a weighted pendulum 

 i', which closes the valve, on the meter being tilted forward, and stops 

 the flow of gas. The pipe g, may be u«ed without the valve ; ; or it 

 the valve ?, be employed, the lower end of the pipe may occupy a 

 higher position in the upright side 9, of llie partition, so that it will 

 not be closed by the water on the meter being tilted. 



There is a small air-passage at k, bored vertically through tlie nozzle 

 at the upper end of the upright pipe 14, to permit air to escape from 

 the interior of the meter when water is poured into it. A wasner of 

 leather or india-rubber is applied beneath tlie shoulder of the stopper, 

 screwed on the pipe 14, to securely close the orifice of the pipe 14. 



STEAM POWER FOR CRANES. 



William Johnson, of Grosvenor Wharf, Milbank, Westminster, 

 gentleman, for " certain Improvements in machinery for raising or 

 lifting and lowering imglits or ponderous ()oc((e«."— Granted Dec. 1, 

 184G; Enrolled June 1, 1847. [Reported in Newton's London Jour- 

 nal.'] 



This invention consists in a peculiar adaptation of steam power to 

 a drum barrel or cylinder, round which a rope or chain, for raising the 

 weight, is passed. Rotary motion is given to the dranght-barrel or 

 pulley by a steam-engine ; the outer end of its piston-rod being 

 attached to a chain or rope, coiled round a winding-drum, of small 

 diameter, tixed upon the axle of the draught-barrel. 



Fig. 1 represents the apparatus in elevation, a portion of the frame 

 being removed to show the internal parts of the machinery more per- 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 3. 



fectlv ; and fig. 2 is a horizontal view of the same. A, is a rectangu- 

 lar frame of iron, which contains and supports the machinery. It 

 may be fixed iirmly into the ground, or mounted upon wheels to admit 

 of its being transported to different parts of a wharf or warehouse. 

 In or near the centre of this frame A, the working cylinder of a steam- 

 engine, B, is fixed,— its piston-rod, c, C, passing through both ends ol 

 the cylinder, for the purpose of rendering the machinery capable ot 

 raising and lowering heavy bodies, through the agency of cranes, fixed 

 one at each end, when the machinery is required to be made double- 

 acting, as it is supposed to be in the drawing, although but one crane 

 is shown ; but in a single-acting machine it is obvious that the dupli- 

 cate parts of the apparatus may be dispensed with. D, D, are the 

 upriMit parts or standards of a crane, with the usual jib E, and pul- 

 leys F. G, is a horizontal axle, turning in plummer-bloclis, fixed upon 

 the bottom of the frame. This axle carries a conical pulley H, whicli 

 Insseveialgroovesformedinit, of different diameters, for the pur- 

 pose of receiving severally the draught-chain or rope of the crane; 

 the different diameters of the conical pulley being designed to eftect 

 different powers of draught. This pulley is enabled to slide laterally 

 along the axle G, for the purpose of bringing either of the grooves 

 into a line of coincidence with the leading pulley of the crane; and 

 the pulley is confined to the axle, when it revolves, by a key passed 

 through a notch in the pulley; or it may be by the axle in that part 

 being formed square. Upon the axle there is also a smaller puUey L 

 fixed to the axle, and turmng with it. This pulley is intended to 



receive the coiled chain attached to the end of the piston-rod c, so 

 that as the piston recedes in the cylinder the chain may draw the 

 pulley I round, and with it the axle and the cone-pulley H. It will be 

 seen that there is a cone-pulley H, connected to a draught-cliain, at 

 each end of the working steam-cylinder B; and that upon the axle to 

 which this cone is keyed, there is affixed a small pullev i, with a chain 

 connected to the end of the piston-rod, as before described, — thus 

 making the machinery double-acting; that is, when a heavy weight 

 is raising at one crane, a heavy weight may be lowering at the otber 

 crane. 



In working this machinery steam, at a high pressure, is to be pro- 

 vided in a boiler contiguous, from which the steam is to be conducted 

 to the vporking-cylinder b, by a pipe k, shown as broken off in the 

 drawing. The steam when passed through this pipe will occupy the 

 steam-box L, and by the sliding of the valve within the box the steam 

 will, in the usual way, be admitted into the cylinder at its ends, for the 

 purpose of working the piston: the action of the slide-valve is pro- 

 duced by the hand of a workman applied to the lever M, so that the 

 operations of the machine shall be always under command. Supposing 

 that the piston in the cylinder B, is, by the pressure of the steam, 

 passing from the right-hand end of the cylinder to the left, the chain 

 connected to the piston-rod and to the pulley i, will draw round the 

 pulley I, its axle G, and the cone-pulley H ; and the draught-chain 

 of the crane being attached to the periphery of the pulley H, as the 

 pulley revolves the chain will draw up the weight suspended from 

 the jib-head. Now, to prevent the raised weight, suspended from 

 the crane, from descending, the pulley H must be made fast; this is 

 effected by means of a break, formed by a band N, and lever o. The 

 band being passed round the pulley H, as shown irt fig. 2, the workman 

 by moving the lever o, will cause the band N, to be drawn tight round 

 the pulley and prevent its rotation ; the lever being held in its posi- 

 tion by a click or pawie, resting in the teeth of a ratchet p, as shown 

 in tig. 1 ; and in lowering the weight the break may be gently released 

 until the weight has reached its proper situation. The steam maybe 

 allowed to escape from the cylinder by a pipe Q, into the air ; and it 

 will be seen that a similar arrangement of parts being adopted to the 

 reverse end of the machine, heavy weights may be either raised or 

 lowered by their reciprocating actions. 



WARPING VESSELS. 



George Beadon, of Taunton, Somerset, a commander in the navy, 

 and Andrew Smith, of Princes-street, Leicester-square, engineer, 

 for " Improvements in warping or hauling vessels, which improvements 

 are also applicable to moving other bodies." — Granted Jan. 21; En- 

 rolled July 21, 1847. [Reported in the Patent Journal.l 



These improvements consist in the use of certain machinery for 

 warping or hauling vessels on rivers or canals, and which machinery, 

 with slight modifications, is also adapted for propelling carriages on 

 railways or common roads by ropes or chains. 



The first part of the specification consists of a description of the 

 improved apparatus or machinery for moving bodies on water, and 



IF^'"" 



which, by the aid of the annexed engraving, will be 

 stood, a represents the hauling apparatus or nhelp 



readily under- 

 ■Toheel, moimied 



39* 



