LATEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL METHODS OF HANDLING WOOL BALES.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 10, 1 August 1906, Page 274

LATEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL METHODS OF HANDLING WOOL BALES.

Recently there has been installed for Messrs. Dalgety & Co., Ltd., a complete conveyor plant in their new wool warehouse, Miller's Point, Sydney. The warehouse throughout has been designed with a view to handling and storing the wool in as little time, and at as small a cost, as possible previous to its being shipped to its destination — England or the Continent of Europe. The conveyor has been installed to do away to a great extent with the loss of time and money (in wages) which naturally occur under the old system of hand trollying, and is designed to deal with 900 bales per hour. It runs the entire length of the building from end to end, and the distance between the gentres of the end sprockets is 275 feet. An electric motor is employed to provide the driving power. The type of conveyor in question is what is known as a Continuous Wood-Apron Conveyor, and is* constructed of two lines of special flanged roller chain which work over sprocket wheels

at either end and at the centre, the centre sprocket wheels being the driving ones. Heavy wooden slabs are securely bolted across the two lines of chain, and, as shown by the cross section, form, a continuous platform upon which the bales of wool are carried. The upper runways are bolted to the floor joists, and the bottom or return runways are supported by wooden structural work suspended from the floor joists, and, consequently, below the floor level. But the space required below the floor joists is very little, so that there is practically no interference with the storage capacity of the floor beneath. The wood apron of the conveyor, whether in operation or not, forms practically part of the floor of the store, though the top of the slabs are an inch or so above the floor level, so that clearance may be given the floor and the bales as they are carried along. It being necessary to be able to " hand- trolley " the bales from one side of the conveyor to the other or on the conveyor itself, an incline suitable for the purpose is formed on each side of the apron by steel plates securely screwed down to wooden wedge pieces which are fixed to the floor, as is also clearly shown in the cross-sectional drawing. The plates run the full length of the conveyor on both sides, and no difficulty is experienced in wheeling the trolleys over from one side to the other whether the conveyor is in operation or not. The conveyor is reversible, that is, it can be run in either direction, as required, this being effected by simple reversing gear connected with the starting switch. The motor driving the conveyor is placed in the centre on the second floor, and the reduced speed required is obtained by belt and chain drives with a spur gear on the driving shaft of the conveyor. The electric wiring has been so arranged

that the motor can be started and stopped by the foreman in charge, who is situated at the receiving doors on the first floor. The horse power required to drive, when the conveyor is fully loaded, is approximately ten, but the power actually consumed is consideralby less than this, owing to the fact that the conveyor usually carries the bales away so quickly that the men are unable to keep it fully loaded, and it is consequently seldom working at its full capacity. The advantage and economy of the electric system of driving is here apparent, as the motor only develops, at any instant, that amount of power necessary to keep the speed constant. The bales are received at the door of the warehouse weighed and marked, and are then placed upon the wood apron and carried to whatever part of the warehouse required. Fig. 2 shows a number of bales on their journey, and they are carried along, exactly as shown, standing easily on end on the moving platform. The bales on reaching the bay of the store at which they are required, are hand trolleyed to any part of it ; consequently, the conveyor acts as a feeder for the hand trolleys, and the long trolley trips, done by the men wheeling the bales from one end of the store to the other, and returning with empty trolleys, are done away with. The bales are quite easily removed from the conveyor while it is moving, as it only runs at the moderate speed of 100 ft. per minute, and the men find no difficulty in loading or unloading the bales or crossing with their loaded trolleys while the conveyor continues on its course. The manufacturers are Messrs. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. of Columbus, Ohio, U S.A., who have representatives in New Zealand, but the plant

described was supplied and erected by Messrs. Gibson, Battle & Co., of 7 Bent street, Sydney. As this conveyor is a typical example of the modern labour-saving device for handling materials in process of manufacture or packed for distribution, whether in bales, boxes, bundles, casks or even loose, we have no doubt that our readers will appreciate the opportunity of seeing an illustration and reading a description of an example of this up-to-date system, as adopted by such a wellknown and experienced firm as Messrs. Dalgety's, Ltd.