Housing for ratchet-wheels.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1897.) (No Model/’

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ATTai=?c>jE2vTHE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, 0. C.

United States Patent Office.

RICHARD H. DOUGHERTY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,

HOUSING FOR RATCHET-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,645, dated November 7, 1899.

Application filed November 10,1897. Serial No. 657,999. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known, that I, Richard H. Dougherty, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Housings for Ratchet-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toan improved housing for ratchet-wheels of windlasses such as ro are used for oyster-dredges; and it consists of the parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a windlass. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the improved housing in15 closing the ratchet-wheel and pawls. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improved housing.

The letter A designates the frame, and B the shaft on which the winding drum or spool C is fixed. A ratchet-wheel D is on the shaft, 20 and two pawls e/ engage the ratchet and prevent reverse movement. One or both ends of the shaft has a square end g to receive a crank-arm H, (indicated by broken lines.)

It is desirable to provide a housing for in25 closing the ratchet-wheel and the pawls and of such construction that access may be immediately had to said parts at any time, and which will exclude the clothing of the operator from accidentally catching in said parts 30 and prevent the pawls from turning backward and wholly disengaging from the ratchet and throwing the crank back, which sometimes results in serious injury to the operator. I have accordingly provided the housing I 35 shown in the drawings. This housing consists of two parallel arch-shaped side walls j, having rounded ends k. These walls are spaced apart and are connected together at the rounded ends by curved end walls I, which 40 unite said two side walls. These end walls I extend upward for a distance and have an upper edge j', and the lower portion of each of the two end walls curves inward, as at /, toward each other. An open top m is thus left between the upper edges / of the two end 45 walls and the arched part of said side walls/ Each end of the housing has a hole n to receive a bolt ri, which serves to secure the housing to the frame A, and each bolt also serves as a pivot for one of the pawls. The 50 side walls project higher than the ratchetwheel, and the uppermost edge/ of each end wall prevents the pawl adjacent it from turning backward and entirely disengaging from the ratchet-wheel, and the lower curved part 55 / takes under the pivoted end of the pawl and prevents anything from passing upward and thereby disengaging the pawl.

By using this housing device there will be no liability of the crank being thrown back- 60 ward and injuring the operator.