The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

UNLOADING VESSELS BY BARGE OR SHIP ELEVATORS 453 flexible to prevent any damage to the elevators from any side movement which might be caused by the traffic in the river during their use. They were built by Spencer & Co., Ltd., of Melksham. Barge Elevator for Coal.—This was erected by Messrs Graham & Morton for the Tonbridge Gasworks, and is illustrated in Fig. 629. The full lines show it in working position, whilst the dotted lines show it at rest, and placed out of the way of the canal traffic. The elevator is lowered into one end of the barge to be emptied, and the coal is trimmed into the elevator well by shovels, and as the barge is emptied its position is altered, as described. The elevator at the top terminal delivers its load by means of a hinged shoot into a Zimmer conveyor, which distributes the coal over the store by a number of outlets. The elevator is suspended at a point 6 ft. below the top spindle on a steel beam 16 ft. long, which has a balance weight at the other end to equalise its weight. This mode of fixing has the advantage that the elevator can be moved round its support and swung into any position across the width of the barge. The winch on the supporting column controls the raising and lowering of the elevator. A barge elevator for grain, small coal, etc., would be arranged just as that shown in the illustration, with the exception that the elevator bottom has no inlet spout, but is