IMPROVED MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PUMPing bilge waTER FROM VESSELS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVED MEANS
FOR AUTOMATICALLY PUMPing bilge waTER FROM VESSELS a communication to
me from abroad by Edward Dunn, of Benson in the County of Cochise and
Territory of Arizona, United States of America, Gentleman to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide means for automatically discharging
the bilge water or water that leaks into the hold of a vessel and the invention
consists in the combination with a vessel of a pipe containing mercury a flexible
partition or diaphragm at each end of the pipe and a vertical suction pipe at each
end of the mercury pipe.
The mercury pipe is suitably supported in the bottom of the hold a short
distance above the keel and at the bow and stern of the vessel it is connected with
upright pipes, the lower open ends of which extend down to the keel or false keel
and the upper ends of which project over the front or sides of the vessel.
Each vertical pipe bas an enlargement or chamber in which are arranged flexible
metal partitions or diaphragms and each pipe is provided with an upwardly
opening check valve near the bottom and a like check valve near the top.
The operation is as follows:-When the ship tosses and pitches the mercury
which does not quite fill the longitudinal pipe alternately runs from bow to stern
and from stern to bow and more or less rapidly and the changes of movement take
place more or less rapidly, according to the pitching of the vessel. When the
mercury runs to the stern it raises or forces out the diaphragm in the chamber or

page_text: enlargement in the discharge pipe at the stern and the water in the said compart-
ment is forced upward-When the mercury runs from the stern the suction
produced draws the diaphragm inward and as a vacuum is produced in the
chamber or enlargement at the stern, water is drawn from the hold into said
chamber to be forced upward and out through the discharge pipe when the
mercury again runs to the stern-In a like manner the water is forced up at
the bow.
The check valves prevent the water flowing down the pipes into the enlargement
or chamber.

page_text: Improved Means for Automatically Pumping Bilge Water
from Vessels.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by Edward Dunn of Benson, in the County of Cochise, and Territory
of Arizona, United States of America, Gentleman, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved pump for auto-
matically pumping the bilge water out of vessels. Reference is to be had to the
accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification in which similar letters
of reference, indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5 show cross sectional views of different constructions of the improved bilge
water pump. The pipe A is provided at its ends with the two upwardly projecting
pipes B. B', at the upper ends of which the nozzles C. C¹, are formed which may
be projected from the sides of the vessel, if desired, and which are provided at
short distances below their upper ends, with the poppet or other upwardly
opening valves D. D¹, With each pipe B. B¹, a pipe E E¹, is connected near the
upper ends of the pipes B. B¹, and the said pipes E E' extend down to the bottom
of the hold of the vessel, and are provided at their lower ends with the poppet or
other upwardly opening valves F F¹. When the vessel rocks in the direction
toward the pipe B¹, the mercury G, in the pipe A, runs, or flows toward the
pipe B¹, whereby a vacuum is created in the pipe E, causing the water in the hold
to rise in said pipe E. the check valve F in the pipe E. preventing the water from
flowing from the lower end of the pipe E. When the vessel rocks in the direction
toward the pipe B. the mercury flows in the same direction and forces the water
in the pipe B, which has passed into the same through the pipe E, out through
the nozzle C, and at the same time a vacuum is created in the pipe E' and water
is drawn into the same which then passes into the pipe B¹, and is forced out of the
same, when the vessel again rocks in the direction toward the pipe B¹. In the
construction shown in Figure 2, water chambers H. H¹, are formed at the junctions
of the pipe A and the pipes B B¹, and the nozzles are formed on the upper ends of
the pipes E. E. which are the suction and discharge pipes, and are not connected
directly with the pipe A. In the construction shown in Figure 3, the combined
suction and discharge pipes E are provided with the semicircular pipes K K¹. In
the construction shown in Figure 4, the pipes are shown similar to the construction
shown in Figure 1, but the same are provided with the water vessels L L¹, similar
to those shown in Figure 2. In the construction shown in Figure 5, the pipe A.
is made semicircular, and the pipes E. E¹, are close together. If desired, the
suction pipes may be provided on the lower ends of the pipes B. B², and in this
case, diaphragms must be provided where the pipe A. connects with the pipes B. B¹.
The pumps may be arranged longitudinally or transversely in the vessel, and if
desired a number of the pumps may be provided in the vessel, for example one in
each compartment.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. An automatic bilge pump for marine vessels, consisting of a pipe containing
mercury, and connected with suction pipes, and with discharge pipes, substantially
as herein shown and described.
2. An automatic bilge pump for marine vessels consisting of a pipe provided
with suction pipes and with discharge pipes, the said suction, and discharge pipes
being provided with automatically closing valves, substantially as herein shown
and described.
3. An automatic bilge pump for marine vessels consisting of a pipe provided
with combined suction and discharge pipes, said combined suction and discharge
pipes being provided with automatically closing valves, substantially as herein
shown and described.