A SHIP LEAKAGE INDICATOR
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hart, of No. 5, Waterloo Crescent, Dover, in"
the County of Kent, Gentleman, for the Invention of "A SHIP LEAKAGE
INDICATOR."A communication.
Sealed the 23rd May 1856, and dated the 7th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
December 1855.
I;-HENRY HART, of No. 5, Waterloo Crescent, Dover, in 'the County of
Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "A"
SHIP LEAKAGE INDICATOR" to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists of apparatus by means of which the quantity of
water which has obtained entrance into the hull or hold of a ship by leakage
may be indicated by means of a moveable pointer and figures upon a dial
platė.
This apparatus is furnished with a float, which works up and down in a
case; and which floats upon the top of the water in the case, so as to rise when
the water rises, and fall by its gravity when the water falls. A cord, an end of
which is attached to the top of the float, leads over pulleys to an axle to which'
it is attached; so that the rising and falling of the 'float may turn the axle:
within its bearings.
I

page_text: The axle just mentioned may have a pointer fixed at one end of it, or the
motion may be communicated by wheels from the first axle to another axle
having a pointer fixed at one end of it. A dial is placed so that the pointer
may revolve in either direction in front of it, and point to figures upon the
face of the dial, the apparatus being so regulated that the pointer shall at all
times, when the water is in the hold of the vessel, point out a figure or figures
which indicate the height of the water in the hold of the vessel.
I furnish the axle upon which the float cord.acts with a spring or a counter-
balance weight (preferring the former) so as to turn the axle in one direction
when the float rises with the water, the float by its weight, when it falls with
the water, turning the same axle in the opposite direction.
The cord proceeding from the float may be connected with a pointer moving
backwards and forwards in a straight line, instead of turning upon or with an
axle, the pointer being fixed upon a sliding piece sliding in a slot, and the
sliding piece drawn in one direction by the weight of the float when it falls,
and in the opposite direction by a spring or counterbalance weight. The dial
plate in such a case is placed along one side or both sides of the slot in a
straight line, and furnished with figures so that the pointer may indicate by
its motions the height of the water in the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HART, of Waterloo Crescent, Dover, in the County of Kent, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Hart, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Hart,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Hart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any.
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein, expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A SHIP
LEAKAGE INDICATOR," during the term of fourteen years thence next ensuing,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Hart, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
eause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Hart, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My said Invention consists of apparatus by means of which the quantity of
water which has obtained entrance into the hull or hold of a ship by leakage
may be indicated by means of a moveable pointer and figures upon a dial
or index.
This apparatus is furnished with a float, which works up and down in a
shaft or case, which reaches to the bottom of the ship, or nearly so, and to the
bottom of which shaft or case any leakage water within the ship has free
access, and the float swims or rests upon the top of the water (if any) in the
shaft or case, so as to rise when the water rises, and falls by its gravity when.
the water falls, and when the vessel is free from leakage water, the float will
by its gravity descend to the bottom of the shaft or case. A cord or chain, one
end of which is attached to the top of the float, leads over pulleys or wheels
to an axle to which the other end of the cord or chain is attached, so that the
rising and falling of the float may, by means of the cord or chain and with
the aid of a counterbalance spring or weight, herein-after mentioned, cause
the axle to turn within its bearings.
The axle just mentioned may have a pointer fixed at one end of it, or the
motion may be communicated by a wheel, or a train of wheels, from the first
axle to another axle having a pointer fixed at one end of it. A dial or index
is placed so that the pointer may revolve in both directions in front of it, and,
as it moves in either direction, point to figures upon the face of the dial, the
apparatus being so regulated that the pointer shall at all times, when any water
is in the hold of the vessel, point at a figure or number which indicates the
height (in feet or otherwise) of the water in the hold of the vessel.
I furnish the axle to which one end of the float, cord, or chain is attached,
as already mentioned, with a counterbalance or counteracting spring or weight

page_text: .
(preferring the former) so as to turn the axle in one direction when, the float
rises with the water, the float by its weight, when it falls with the water, turning.
the same axle in the opposite direction. And when the float is at the bottom
of the shaft or case, I cause the pointer to stand at zero, or point to a figure
or position upon the dial, indicating the height (if any) of the bottom of the
float, or of its shaft or case above the bottom of the ship.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings. I have shewn by way of illustration
how apparatus may be constructed with a circular dial or index, and a pointer
revolving with an axle for the purpose of indicating the quantity or height of
any leakage water which may have, obtained entrance into a ship or, vessel,
and in each of the Figures similar parts are marked with similar letters of
reference.
Figure 1 in those Drawings is a front view of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a
similar view of the same apparatus, with the dial and glass removed; and
Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the same apparatus, which is shewn
in Figure 1.
A, A, is a wooden case containing the indicating apparatus, which may be
placed in any convenient place, and in any convenient position (vertical,
horizontal, or otherwise,) in the ship; B, B,, (Figures 2 and 3, is a brass or
metal framing fixed within the wooden case, and within which the wheels of
the apparatus are mounted; C, C, (seen best in Figure 1), is a circular dial
or index, which must be furnished with the necessary number of figures to enable
the instrument to indicate the total depth or height of the leakage water which
may at any time be in the hold of the ship, and the dial shewn in Figure 1 is
furnished with figures or numbers sufficient to enable it, if necessary, to indicate
a depth or height of eighteen feet of leakage water. D, D, is a pointer fixed
upon the axle or spindle E, so as to turn with it in either direction. The axle
or spindle E is mounted in bearings made in the metal frame B, B, and has
the inner end of a convolute spring f, f, attached to it, whilst the outer end of
the spring rests against or is held by the bolt or rod g at one corner of the
metal frame.
The spring ff, is attached to the axle E, E, in such a manner that it
exerts little or no action or force upon the axle when the pointer stands at
XVII., which is the highest number upon the dial (as shewn in Figure 1). But
when the axle E, and the pointer D, D, are turned in the opposite direction,
the spring ff, is bent, and exerts a force upon the, axle E, which, if left free
to turn, will by. the action of the spring be. turned round until the end of the
pointer comes again to the figure or number XVII. The spur which h, h,
is fixed upon one end of the axle E, and the teeth of this spur wheel take

page_text: into the teeth of the pinion i, which is fixed upon one end of the axle of the
drum or hollow wheel K, K, which last-mentioned axle is mounted in bearings
within the metal frame B, B. One end of the cord or line L, L, is attached
to the periphery of the drum, so as to be wound upon the drum, when the
drum is turned in one direction, by the action of the spring ff; and be again
unwound when the weight of the ball float upon its descent draws. off the cord
and causes the drum to turn in the opposite direction.
The cord or line L, L; I cause to lead over pulleys or rollers to a convenient
place, where it may pass over a pulley immediately above, or at the top of the
case or shaft in which the float is placed, and there the end of the cord or line
is fastened securely to the float.
.
The pullies over which the cord or line L, L, pass I construct so as to move
with great freedom, and 1 place the pullies in such positions that the motions
of the cord shall not be impeded when drawn in either direction; that is to say;
either when drawn by the action of the spring contained in the indicating
apparatus when the float ascends, or by the weight of the float when it
descends. I prefer to make the float of a hollow metal, ball, such as shewn
at M near the bottom of Figures 2 and 3, and at the lower end of the
cord L in Figure 1.
In Figure 1, I have shown by way of example the cord L, L, as leading
over two pulleys to the top of a circular. case or shaft N, N; in which the
hollow ball float M is placed, and represented as raised nearly to the top of
the shaft by water, the pointer upon the dial indicating the height of the
water in the shaft and in the hold of the vessel. The number of pulleys to be
used for the float cord to pass over, and the positions in which they are to be
placed, will of course vary according to the positions chosen for the indicating
apparatus, and the float, shaft, or case.
The comparative sizes of the spur wheel h, h, pinion i; and drum K, K, are
so regulated that for every portion of float cord L, L, a foot long, which is
wound upon the drum K, K, a rise of water in the ship to the extent of one
foot in height shall be indicated by the pointer upon the dial, and for every
portion of float cord a foot in length, which is drawn off the drum K, K, a fall
or diminution of the water within the ship to the extent of one foot in height
shall be indicated. And it will be observed that a length of cord or line
wound upon or drawn off the drum will be equivalent in the one case to a rise,
and in the other to a fall of the ball float to the extent of one foot.
The cord or line proceeding from a float (whether of a globular or other
form) may be connected with an indicating apparatus containing a pointer,
moving backwards and forwards in a straight line, instead of turning upon or

page_text: with an axle, the pointer being fixed upon a sliding piece sliding in a slot,
or upon a bar or otherwise, so that it may slide freely in both directions, the
sliding being drawn in one direction by the weight of the float when it falls,
and in the opposite direction by a counterbalance spring or weight when the
float rises with the water. The dial plate in such a case is placed with the
figures or numbers ranged in a line along one side or both sides of the slot
bar or line, along which the sliding piece traverses, and with the figures so
placed that the pointer may from time to time indicate by its motions the
rising or falling and the height of the water in the vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed, I declare that I do
not claim as of my Invention the float, the shaft, or case, or any other of the
parts or elements of the apparatus which I have described separate or apart
from the combination and application thereof, in manner and for the purposes
berein-before described. And that what 1 do claim as my Invention is, the
construction of a ship leakage indicator, with a float placed in a shaft or case
so as to rise and fall with the leakage water in a ship, and having a cord or
chain attached to the float, and connected with an indicator apparatus furnished
with a counterbalance weight or spring acting upon or at the other end of the
cord or chain, and also furnished with a dial and a pointer for the purpose of
indicating the height or extent of the leakage water in a ship, as herein-before
described.
As witness my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our
HENRY HART. (L.S.)