Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Patent for the Penarth Slipway - 1881 . . .

The form of hydraulic hauling gear so successfully introduced by the late Mr. Moreton has had very extended application. It consists of a single direct-acting hydraulic cylinder with one ram having about 10 feet length of stroke. On the outer end of the ram is a crosshead, and to this crosshead are attached two wrought-iron bars, one bar passing on each side of the cylinder. These two bars are connected at their lower extremities to a second crosshead, to which wrought-iron links for hauling up the cradle are secured.

◊ Slipways for Repairing Ships - Plate 7 - Figs. 12 to 14, show the general arrangement of this gear.

In hauling up a vessel, after the ram has made one outward stroke, it is necessary to pause to disconnect and remove one of the links, which are made in lengths to suit the stroke of ram. This having been accomplished with the assistance of a small hand-crane, the ram is run back by a constantly acting weight and a new attachment made between the links. The ram than makes another forward stroke, drawing up the cradle another 10 feet, and the process of disconnection and connection is repeated until the vessel is hauled up a sufficient distance. With the heaviest vessels two lines of links are generally used, as shown in Plate 7, Fig. 14, and two links have therefore to be disconnected and connected at each stroke.

◊ Slipways for Repairing Ships - Plate 7 - Fig. 14.