IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND PURIFYING WATER
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LAIRD, of Liverpool, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth
day of June, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in fourteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Laird, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
William Laird, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Laird, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND
PURIFYING WATER," partly invented by myself, and partly communicated to me
from abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
William Laird, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Laird, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
=
In this, Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a vertical longitudinal section,
Figure 3 a plan, and Figure 4 a cross section of this improved life boat,
which may be about ten fect long, four feet wide, and one foot three inches
leep in midships. The floor or bottom flat, to give stability in the water and
sit upright on the beach, and also give room inside for persons or goods. The
ends sharp, but buoyant, and formed alike to move either end foremost, so as
to form a car or vessel shaped- like a boat, the better to act in a heavy sea,
being formed as shewn in the Drawing, with a keel a, and bottom and sides b.
An air-tight bulkhead, 1, 1, is placed across, about two feet from each end, and
so as to leave about six feet of space between them. These may be termed
"reserve chambers." The collective quantity of water they displace being more
in weight than the weight of the car boat, she cannot sink even when filled
with water by accident. Over the whole a deck or cover c is placed, rising
from the gunwales towards the centre, both lengthwise and across. Upon
this deck can arched plate of metal d is securely placed so as to be air tight,
with the ends tapering down to the deck c. This may be termed the "trip
cylinder," because, if the boat is accidentally or designedly overset, its effect is
to "trip" the boat over in the contrary direction, and thus compel her instantly
to "right" herself. At e is a hatchway and hatch made narrower at one end
than at the other, expressly that the hatch may not be put on wrong end first.
At 2, 2, are two bow handles to move the hatch, and on each end is a hasp 3,
taking the staples 4 in the deck, with pins that are secured to the hatch by a
small chain, and the hatch is also secured by a chain to the deck, so that
neither pins or hatch can be lost overboard. Beneath the hatch is a handle 5;
and on the opposite side to the hatchway at 6 are small air holes, through the
deck, for ventilating the interior of the boat when in use. At each end is a
chain f, with a large ring to slide on a hawser g, and another ring h to take a
rope to a stranded vessel, and on the other end a rope to the shore. These car
'boats and their equipments are to be used as follows:-A hawser, thrown by
any competent means to reach from a stranded vessel to the shore, is to have
the shore end attached by some secure means, after it is put through the
larger rings on the car boat and ropes from the shore, and the vessel to be
attached to the smaller rings. One or two men now get into the car boat. The

page_text: hatch e is put over them, and they hold it down by the handle 5, and the car
boat is launched, the people on the stranded ship hauling her to them. On
coming alongside the wreck, the hawser raises the car to near the vessel's
gunwale; the men inside move up the hatch, and assume directions of the next
proceedings, which are to put the passengers or crew of the stranded vessel
into the car boat, say four adults, or two or three adults with children, if there
are any.to be saved, from the wrecked vessel. The hatch is then put on, and
pinned down, and the car boat hauled to and up on the shore on the hawser
by the small ropes and rings; the inside freight permitted to quit by removing
the hatch e. This is then to be put on, and the "car boat" successively hauled
to the wreck again for the other of the human beings to be landed by her in
safety; and she may then be used to land any portion of the cargo that can
be got at, and that she can contain. In any case the last person who quits a
wreck will place the hatch e over the hatchway, and hold it over himself by the
handle 5.
The shape and fittings of the car boat, as described and shewn, may
be best formed of what is known as galvanized sheet iron, as being the
lightest in proportion to the strength of the material, the most elastic and
durable, and always water tight when the parts are properly connected together
by rivets, scrows, bands, and straps. Whatever material may be used, fenders
formed of canvas cylinders, stuffed with cork or other light elastic material may
be placed around the gunwale, and the size of the boat may be varied, though
I do not advise more than ten feet long, as they then require more strength
to handle them, and if less than to contain four adults, too much time will be
lost in landing a large number of people. The parts described and shewn
herein are not any one new in itself, and are not herein claimed as such. But
what is claimed is the general arrangement and application of the parts herein
described and shewn as used to effect the specific object of the Invention.
I will now describe the second part of the Invention, which consists of
improvements in apparatus for filtering and purifying water, by which the same
is first purified from smell, taint, or any disagreeable or noxious substance;
secondly, clarified and rendered clear to the eye, and agreeable to the palate.
The mode of doing this is as follows:-Figure 5 shews a vertical section,
and Figure 6 a horizontal section of apparatus arranged according to the
Invention. In a cistern of water or other fluid to be clarified, I place a
hollow or porous stone filtering vessel, made in two or more parts cemented
together. This stone vessel I surround on all sides at a convenient distance
with jackets of perforated zinc, galvanized iron, or other perforated metal or
wire work. This jacket consists of two surfaces, the space between them being

page_text: filled with animal charcoal, or substance possessing antiseptic qualities. The
form of these vessels may be varied. The vessel A is provided with a tap and
pipe for drawing off filtered water, and an air pipe to allow the water to run
off freely.
I claim, in respect to filtering and clarifying water, the combination of an
outer jacket filled with an antiseptic substance for purifying the liquid from
any disagreeable smell, taste, or noxious quality, and afterwards clarifying the
liquid by passing it through a second filtering medium of porous stone, or
artificial stone, or substance of a similar character.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Laird, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, in the year of. our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.