The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

SÖ2 THE MECHANICAL HANDLING OF MATERIAL strictly speaking, they do not come under this heading, as they do not deal with railway trucks, but tip barges which contain coal. These compartment barges (which are each 13 ft. by 30 ft. by 6 ft. 6 in. deep) are brought down the Aire and Calder navigation. The boats pass along the canal in long strings, articulated together, and on reaching the dock they are floated, one at a time, on to the submerged cradle of one of the coal hoists. Fig. 786. Front View of Tip at Goole Docks. The cradle is then lifted till the barge is clear of the water, when clips are made fast to the rear of the barge, securing it to the cradle. The lifting is then continued until the barge reaches a height of 35 ft., when it is turned over sideways and deposits the coal into a shoot by which it is conveyed to the hold of the vessel. 1 he empty boat is then returned to a horizontal position, the cradle is lowered and the empty boat floated off. Each barge holds from 25 to 35 tons of coal. The lifting of the cradle is effected by direct acting hydraulic cylinders placed vertically above the cradle, pistons with piston