Abstract: An earthquake responsive valve having a lever structure which is mounted to swing about an axis and has two arms projecting in different directions and carrying two weights respectively balanced against one another in a relation such that one of the weights normally overbalances the other and retains the valve in open position but is displaceable by earthquake forces to an inactive position releasing the lever structure for valve closing movement.

Abstract: A winch for automatically taking up slack or looseness in a chain or the like and including a reel element having a ratchet mechanism for normally permitting rotation of the reel in only one direction, together with a power operated actuating unit which advances the reel and ratchet mechanism rotatively through successive steps in a take-up direction and is retractable in an opposite direction relative to the reel after each advancement step and in preparation for the next successive advancement. Automatic control means, desirably an automatic valve arrangement, cause such retraction of the power actuated unit in response to its arrival at a predetermined advanced position.