SAVING TIME

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 33, 9 February 1927, Page 10

SAVING TIME

A USEFUL WATERFRONT CRANE

One of the most useful and busiest of. the "Wellington Harbour Board's many up-to-date cargo-handling appliances is the Ransome electric runabout crane, which, since its purchase about a year ago, has proved itself one of the board's.best investments. At first used in the wharf stores on account of its great mobility, the machine, which is known as an "elephant crane," is now being put to work alongside steamers discharging cargo. This morning the crane was busy taking charge of slings of cement as they lifted from the holds of the steamer Regulus at the Queen's Wharf. As soon as the slings were lowered to the wharf by the ship's winches, the crane, easily manoeuvred into position with its quadruple drive, loaded them on to the waiting lorries. Several operations were obviated by this method, the previous system having been to manhandle the sacks into the store,, where they were again handled in loading them on to the lorries. Wellington is the only port in New Zealand which possesses one of these little lab-our-saving machines, although they are in general use in overseas ports. They are capable of being manoeuvred in very confined spaces, and can pick up a load and run with it in and out through the doorways of stores and elsewhere. Their lifting capacity is 15cwt, and the maximum radius is 12ft 9in. Travelling at 300 ft per minute, they can run from point to point very expeditiously, and their very size makes them ideal for the work to which they are being put in the ports of the world.