AN IMPROVED DIVING APPARATUS
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Bernard Alfred,
Barón Espiard de Colonge, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 31st May 1855.
I, ANTOINE BERNARD ALFRED, Baron ESPIARD DE COLONGE, of Paris, in the
Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London; do hereby declare
the nature of the said' Inventions for AN IMPROVED DIVING APPARATUS" to be
2.
as follows, viz.
This Invention relates to a portable and dry well; of metal or other suitable
substance, which is intended for working under water, or exploring the surface
of the bottom of seas, lakes, and beds of rivers. This well consists of a-cylin-
drical-or-other shaped tube or pipeof the proper size, which is hermetically
closed at the bottom end, so as to keep the water out when immersed, and has
openings on its vertical sides: near the bottom, these openings being, closed
water-tight by glass plates, carefully and strongly fitted into the tube. On
each side and below the said openings there is an opening, which is closed by
tubes, bags, or-sheaths of india rubber or gutta percha, which end in a kind of

page_text: glove to put the arms and hands into, and move them outside the well, for the
purpose of working upon the sea's bottom, for which operations the necessary
tools may be used. The objects which are thus operated upon are raised to the
surface of the water by means of suitable apparatus, in connexion with or inde-
pendent of the diving well. This latter is kept in a vertical position, and
rendered more or less stationary by means of weights attached to the bottom
end. The diving apparatus may be fastened to one or two ships, for the pur-
pose of moving the same from place to place. This tubular well may also
contain any suitable apparatus for descending into the well. I also sometimes
adapt at the lower end of the tube a portion of a diving bell a little above the
openings for the arms, for the purpose of surrounding said arms, and allowing
them to move in compressed air instead of under water, which they meet only
at the bottom of the diving bell. The two portions of a diving bell may also
be united into one, which there surrounds the under end of the tube.
This
additional compressed air diving apparatus is intended to remove the pressure
of water from the arms as they emerge from the tube, and also, by dis-
placing the water to a certain depth round the tube, afford a more efficient
means of examining the bottom of the sea. For the same purpose I also
sometimes use a seperate diving bell, in front of the diving well above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard de. Colonge, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTOINE
BERNARD ALFRED, Baron ESPIARD DE. COLONGE, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard de Colonge, Her special
licence that I, the said Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard de Colonge,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as. I, the said
Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard de Colouge, my executors, admi-,
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time. agree with, and no, others, from

page_text: time to time and at all times thereafter during the: term, therein expressed,
should, and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED DIVING APPARATUS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard de
Colonge,, by an instrument-in-writing-under-my-hand-and-seal, should par
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be-performed,-and-cause 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 Antoine Bernard. Alfred, Baron Espiard
de Colonge, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in. what
manner. the same is to be: performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to a portable and dry well, of metal or other.suitable
substance, which is intended for working in free air and under open skies,
under water, or exploring the surface of the bottom,of, seas, lakes, and beds
of rivers. This well consists of a cylindrical or other shaped tube or pipe.A
of the proper size, which is hermetically closed at the bottom end, so as to keep
the water out when immersed, and has openings B on its vertical sides near the
bottom; these openings B. being closed water-tight by glass plates, carefully
and strongly fitted into the tube A, and above a kind of shed at the bottom of
the binnacle C. On each side, of the said openings, and a little below the
same, there is an opening, which is closed by tubes, bags, or, sheaths made of
metallic or any other water-tight substance capable of opposing the water
pressure. Those tubes end in a kind of glove to put the arms and hands into,
and move them outside the well for the purpose of working upon the-water's
bottom, for which operations the necessary tools may be used.
Instead of said sheaths, any suitable tools may be used, which are worked
from inside. This may happen, for instance, when the water pressure becomes
too considerable. The objects which are thus operated upon are raised to the
surface of the water by means of suitable apparatus, in connection with or
independent of the diving well; this latter is kept in a vertical position, and
rendered more or less stationary by means of weights D attached to the
bottom end, or surrounding the tube at different distances, and resting on
the connecting corner irons. Instead of these weights for the purpose of
ballasting the apparatus, toothed racks or endless screws may be used, which,
fixed to the tube A, could be operated by pinions or screws secured to the
vessel.

page_text: 4
The diving apparatus may be fastened to one or two ships; for the purpose of
moving the same from place to place: This tubular well also contains any
suitable apparatus; a ladder E, for instance, for descending into the well. I
also sometimes: adapt, at the lower end of the tube, a portion of a diving. bell;
a little above the openings for the arms, for the purpose of surrounding said
arms and allowing them to move in compressed air, instead of under water,
which they meet only at the bottom of the diving bell. The two portions of
the diving bell may also be united into one, which then surrounds the under
end of the tube: This additional' compressed air diving apparatus is intended
to remove the pressure of water from the arms as they emerge from the tube;
and also, by displacing. the water to a certain depth round the tube, it affords a
more efficient means of examining the bottom of the sea: For the same purpose
I also. sometimes use a separate diving bell in front of the diving bell above
described.
-Having thus described-the-nature of my Invention; and the-manner-in-which
the same is: or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly-understood,
that what I claim as novel and being secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent-is, the idea of descending beneath the surface of
waters; still continuing in free air- and under open skies, by means of an
apparatus such as I have substantially described.
In witness whereof, I, the 'said' Antoine Bernard Alfred, Baron Espiard
de Colonge, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth
day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
&fifty-five.
LE BARON ESPIARD DE COLONGE. (L.S.)