IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR THE PROPAGATION AND PRESERVATION OF OYSTERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Jennings, of Palace Wharf, Stangate, in the County
of Surrey, and George Anderson, of Great George Street, in the City of
Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR THE
PROPAGATION AND PRESERVATION OF OYSTERS."
Sealed the 12th December 1876, and dated the 14th June 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Jennings and George
Anderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th June
1876.
GEORGE JENNINGS, of Palace Wharf, Stangate, in the County of Surrey, and
GEORGE ANDERSON, of Great George Street, in the City of Westminster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR THE PROPAGATION AND PRESERVATION OF
OYSTERS."
This Invention has more especially for its object to provide appliances by which
lands bounding tidal rivers and between high and low water mark may be
utilized for the propagation and preservation of oysters. For this purpose we
place upon the land water-tight receptacles for containing the oysters and spat;
these receptacles may be of earthenware or other material. The receptacles we
cover over at the top with dome or other covers of glass or other material, which at
the bottom may rest in a trough or groove formed around the sides of the
receptacle at their upper part. When the receptacles are to be placed upon mud
lands we form them with a projection at the bottom to enter holes formed in
boards or wooden or other frames, the holes being by preference, cut half in the
edge of one board and half in the edge of another, and the two boards being then
secured together with their edges abutting against one another.
By the use of receptacles of the above nature the oysters and oyster spat will
not only be protected from the mud deposits on the banks, but will also be
protected from the extremes of heat and cold, as also. from their many natural
enemies. The receptacles also when subject to the influence of the sun's rays will
so raise the temperature of the air and water in them as to induce fertilization in
the oysters and encourage their growth.
The site upon which receptacles of the kind above described are placed may be
enclosed by protecting sides or walls, which, whilst affording protection will allow
of the passage of water, as the tide rises or falls.

page_text: The protecting walls may conveniently be made of piles driven at distances
apart into the mud or bottom with boards or other side covering between them;
the piles may have vertical grooves down them, and the ends of the boards or
other covering may drop into these grooves.
The receptacles may also be placed within wooden troughs made water-tight,
such troughs.being coated with tar or other cementitious matter, having gravel or
small shingle embedded into it, or the receptacles may themselves be formed in this
manner.
Water-tight receptacles covered at the top with glass or other covering may also
in some cases be made capable of floating, so that they rise and fall with the tide,
they may be kept in position by fixed piles or otherwise, in a similar manner to
floating landing stages; they may be arranged either to be at all times floating, or
they may at times be left resting upon the ground.
Spatting yards or enclosures may be provided in connection with the before-
mentioned receptacles containing walls or other surfaces and bodies, and into
which the spat will be allowed to float, and be retained until sufficiently advanced
to be removed to the growing and fattening beds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Jennings and George Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th December 1876.
GEORGE, JENNINGS, of Palace Wharf, Stangate, in the County of Surrey, and
GEORGE ANDERSON, of Great George Street, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR THE PROPAGATION AND PRESERVATION OF
OYSTERS."
This Invention has more especially for its object to provide appliances by which
lands bounding tidal rivers and between high and low water mark may be utilized
for the propagation and preservation of oysters. For this purpose we place upon
the land water-tight receptacles for containing the oysters and spat; these receptacles
may be of earthenware or other material. The receptacles we cover over at the top
with dome or other covers of glass or other material, which at the bottom may rest
in a trough or 'groove formed around the sides of the receptacle at their upper part.
When the receptacles are to be placed upon mud lands we form them with a
projection at the bottom to enter holes formed in boards or wooden or other frames,
the holes being, by preference, cut half in the edge of one board and half in the
edge of another, and the two boards being then secured together with their edges
abutting against one another.
By the use of receptacles of the above nature the oysters and oyster spat will not
only be protected from the mud deposits on the banks, but will also be protected
from the extremes of heat and cold, as also from their many natural enemies. The
receptacles also when subject to the influence of the sun's rays will so raise the
temperature of the air and water in them as to induce fertilization in the oysters
and encourage their growth.
The site upon which receptacles of the kind above described are placed may be
enclosed by protecting sides or walls, which, whilst affording protection will allow
of the passage of water as the tide rises or falls.
The protecting walls may conveniently be made of piles driven at distances apart
into the mud or bottom with boards or other side covering between them, the piles
may have vertical grooves down them, and the ends of the boards or other covering
may drop into these grooves.
The receptacles may also be placed within wooden troughs made water-tight,
such troughs being coated with tar or other cementitious matter, having gravel or

page_text: they may at times be left resting upon the ground.
Spatting yards or enclosures may be provided in connection with the before-
mentioned receptacles containing walls or other surfaces and bodies, and into which
the spat will be allowed to float and be retained until sufficiently advanced to be
removed to the growing and fattening beds.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention we will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
At Figures 1 and Figure 2 of the Drawings annexed we have shown two different
forms of earthenware pots suitable for being used for the propagation and preservation
of oysters as above described; they are each provided with a cover, by preference, of
glass, but it may be of earthenware or other material. The cover rests in a socket
around the top of the pot. The bottom portion of cach pot is cylindrical to drop
into holes cut between boards, as above described.
A plan and sectional view of a portion of two boards with holes cut partly in
each of them is shown at Figures 3; the two boards when laid together in their
place are secured together by nailing to them small cross pieces as shown. The
covers may either be allowed simply to rest in the sockets, or there may be
projecting lugs at the bottom of the covers to pass under a flange projecting
inwardly from the top of the pot, as shown in the vertical section of a pot at
Figures 1; this will avoid all risk of the covers being overturned by the waves.
Small holes may be formed at the top of each pot to allow air to pass in and out.
The boards with the pots upon them are placed upon the mud flats or other shore
between high and low water mark, and in each pot are placed one, two, or more
oysters, according to the size of the pot. Each time that the tide rises the pots are
entirely covered with water; as the tide falls it recedes from the pots, but each pot
remains filled with water. The covers of the pots protect the water from rapidly
cooling in cold weather, and if of glass they allow the sun's rays to penetrate and to
warm moderately the water, but on account of the body of water in the pot the
temperature will never rise excessively high, consequently the oysters are protected
from extremes both of heat and cold.
Where the shore is not in an exposed situation the boards with the pots upon
them may be simply placed on the shore without any protection from the action of
the waves, but if there is any risk of the pots being overturned protecting walls
should be erected to break the force of the waves; or the pots may be placed in
enclosures entirely surrounded by walls. The walls may conveniently be made,
as before stated, of boards dropped into vertical grooves in wooden piles. A.
protecting wall formed in this manner is shown at Figures 4.
We also form large boxes or troughs of wood as shown at Figure 5 to serve as a
protection to the pots, or to serve as receptacles for the oysters. We well coat the
interior of the box with tar, and when the surface coating is quite hot we sprinkle
over it fine gravel or shingle to form a suitable surface for oyster spat to adhere to.
Boxes formed in this manner we place upon mud flats or other shores, and place
into them pots, such as above described for containing oysters; a further quantity
of gravel or shingle may then be thrown into the bottom of each box: or the
wooden boxes might themselves form the receptacles for the oysters without placing
earthenware pots into them.
Boxes formed in the manner above described might also be covered over at the
top with glass; in this case we prefer to construct them so that the glass covering

page_text: shall be at a slope for the sun's rays to strike upon more directly like the roof of a
greenhouse.
Water-tight enclosures of a more substantial kind may also be similarly
constructed to hold and retain water at the lower part, and be covered at the top
with a sloping roof of glass, as shown at Figure 6, and the oysters may be placed
upon shelves in such structure. The structure should be erected between high and
low water mark, so that it may be well covered with water at each tide. By this
means, and by the roof not being water-tight a constant renewal of the water in the
receptacle is ensured. Such structures may also be used in connection with ponds
in which a certain amount of water can always be retained, and there may be an
opening or openings fitted with valves between the pond and glazed structure, so
that whenever desired, as for example, when the water is milky from the spatting
of the oyster the water in the structure may be run out into the pond, and the
water so run out may be caused to travel in a circuitous course through the pond
by division walls arranged in a ziz-zag manner, as shown at B, Figures 6 and 7,
Figure 6 being a vertical section of the structure and part of a pond, and Figure 7,
a plan view of the same. The walls of the pond or enclosure will afford a
considerable amount of surface, upon which the spat may adhere.
Water-tight structures covered at the top with glass in the manner above
described might also be made capable of floating to rise and fall with the tide; in
this case the portion of the structure in which the oysters were placed would have
openings in it to allow the water to pass in and out, whilst the buoyancy of the
structure is obtained by water-tight compartments at the sides or ends. Such a
structure may be kept in position by fixed piles, as shown at Figures 8, or they may
be simply moored or anchored in place.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we would have it understood that we claim, the means and appliances for
the propagation and preservation of oysters, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Jennings, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
ANADAN
זגזזוזז