IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GRAPPLING AND RAISING SUBMERGED OBJECTS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GRAPPLING AND RAISING SUBMERGED OBJECTS."
—A communication from abroad by Jean Baptiste Tosselli, of
Paris, France.
Sealed the 28th May 1875, and dated the 11th December 1874.

page_text: These improved grapnels may be constructed in two ways.
According to one arrangement the grapnel is expanded by being
suddenly raised while immersed in the water. The second arrangement,
on the other hand, is made to expand by the act of lowering in the
water, but in both cases the resistance of the water is the agent by which
the arms of the grapnel are expanded or closed together without any
mechanical aid, as will be readily understood by reference to the accom-
panying Drawing.
Figure 1 shows a plan of one arrangement of the improved grapnel,
with the arms expanded, while Figure 2 is a vertical elevation of the
same collapsed. a, boss of the grapnel, having an eye or ring 6 for
attaching the rope c, by which the grapnel is suspended; d, grapnel
arms in any convenient number disposed equidistantly around boss a, to
which they are jointed at e.
These arms are curved in such manner as
to resemble when the whole are collapsed a kind of skeleton sphere, as
seen in Figure 2, the said arms being furnished with flukes or palms f
,resembling those of an anchor. In the one arrangement shown in
Figures 1 and 2, these palms are at the extremities of the arms, whilst
in the second arrangement they are near the boss of the grapnel.
The grapnel shown in Figures 1 and 2 is expanded and closed in the
following manner :-The grapnel is lowered to the bottom with the arms
in the closed position, Figure 2, and when over the object to be raised thé
arms are caused to expand by a sudden pull on rope c, whereupon the
resistance of the water within the arms acting on the palms f will tend
to open out or expand the arms, as shown in Figure 1, and in dotted
lines in Figure 2. On again lowering the grapnel the arms fall inward
by their own gravity, and when they have grasped the object to be raised
the grapnel may be slowly brought to the surface.
Figure 3 shows a plan, and Figure 4 an elevation of the second
arrangement of the improved grapnel. The same reference letters are
used as in Figures 1 and 2 to indicate the same parts.
{
As will be seen from the Drawing, this arrangement only differs from
the foregoing as regards the position of the palms or blades f, which in a
this case are placed near-the jointed ends e of arms d. The resistance of

page_text: the water thereon acts in the reverse manner to the foregoing, inasmuch
as on lifting the grapnel by the rope c the volume of water comprised
within the arms opposes no such resistance to arms d as would cause
them to expand, but on lowering the grapnel the resistance of the water
opposes the descent of the palms or blades f, and thus causes the arms to
expand, as indicated in dotted lines.
It will be evident that these improved grapnels may be made of all
sizes and of proportionate strength, but when a heavy object is grappled
it is necessary to have the means at hand for raising it. This result is
obtained in a very simple manner by attaching to the grapnel (see
Figure 5) a chain of expanding air bags A, A, of suitable size, made of
strong canvas or other material, which has been rendered air-tight.
These air bags A, A, are united together by metal unions B, B, securely
attached to the same.
In order to raise a heavy object from a great depth the grapnel is
lowered together with a number, more or less, of these air bags, connected
in the form of a chain, whose upper end is placed in communication with
an air pump by an india-rubber pipe E, F. This tube is accompanied
by a rope C, D, of sufficient strength to support the weight of the chains
and of the apparatus, so that no strain liable to break the tube E, F,
shall be borne by the same.
After grappling the object-the air bags A, A, are inflated, and displace
a proportionate amount of water until the object is lifted from the
bottom. When the air bags arrive at the surface of the water the object
held in suspension as it were is secured and transported into shallower
water.
The above arrangement of chain and grapnel is also applicable for
raising sunken vessels by passing round the vessel after grappling the
same a chain of air bags of sufficient length and capacity proportionato
to the weight to be raised in the manner shown in Figure 6. The air
bags are then inflated by means of a powerful pump until the vessel is

page_text: filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GRAPPLING AND RAISING SUBMERGED OBJECTS,"
a communication to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Toselli, of Paris,
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, 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 cause the
same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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, reference being had to the accom.
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :—
My Invention relates to an improved automatic grapnel for recovering

page_text: The distinctive feature of the improved grapnel of this Invention is
that it is made to expand and to close automatically by the mere
resistance of the water.
The improved grapnel may be constructed in two ways.
According to one arrangement the grapnel is made to expand by being
suddenly raised bodily. while immersed in the water. The second
arrangement, on the other hand, is made to expand by the act of
descending in the water, but in both cases the resistance which the
water opposes is the agent by which the arms of the grapnel are made
to expand or to close together without any mechanical aid, as will be
readily understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in
which,―
Figure 1 shows a plan of one arrangement of the improved grapnel,
with the arms expanded, while Figure 2 is a vertical elevation of the
same collapsed. a, body of the grapnel, having an eye or ring & for
attaching the rope c by which the grapnel is suspended; d, grapnel
arms, in any convenient number, disposed equidistantly around the
body a, to which they are jointed at c. These arms are curved in such
manner as to resemble when the wholo are collapsed a kind of skeleton
sphere, as seen in Figure 2, the said arms being furnished with flukes or
palms fresembling those of an anchor. In the one arrangement shown
in Figures 1 and 2 these palms are at the extremities of the arms, whilst
in the second arrangement they are near the boss of the grapnel.
The grapnel shown in Figures 1 and 2 is expanded and closed in the
following manner :-The grapnel is lowered to the bottom with the arms
in the closed position, as shown in full lines, Figure 2, and when over
the object to be raised the arms are caused to expand by a sudden pull
on rope c, whereupon the resistance of the water within the arms acting
on the palms f will tend to open out or expand the arms, as shown in
Figure 1 and in dotted lines in Figure 2. On again lowering the grapnel
the arms fall inward by their own gravity, and when they have grasped
the object to be raised the grapnel may be slowly brought to the
surface.

page_text: As will be seen from the Drawing this arrangement only differs from
the foregoing as regards the position of the palmsf, which in this case arc
placed near the jointed ends e of arms d. The resistance of the water
thereon acts in the reverse manner to the foregoing, inasmuch as on
lifting the grapnel by the rope c the volume of water comprised within
the arms opposes no such resistance to arms d as would cause them to
expand, since the water can pass freely through the spaces g between
the arms, but on lowering the grapnel the resistance of the water opposes
the descent of the palms or blades f, and thus causes the arms to expand
as indicated in dotted lines.
It will be evident that these improved grapnels may be made of all
sizes and of proportionate strength, but when a heavy object is grappled
it is necessary to have the means at hand for raising it. This result is
obtained in a very simple manner in the absence of any other means
by attaching to the grapnel (see Figure 5) a chain of expanding air
bags A, A, of suitable size, mado of strong canvas or other material,
which has been rendered air-tight by a coating of india-rubber or other
suitable material. These air bags A, A, are united together by metal
unions B, B, securely attached to the same.
In order to raise a heavy object from a great depth the grapnel is
lowered, together with two, three, or more of these air bags, connected
in the form of a chain, whose upper end is placed in communication
with an air pump by an india-rubber pipe E, F. This tube is accom-
panied by a rope C, D, of sufficient strength to support the weight of the
chains and of the apparatus, so that the tube E, F, shall sustain no strain
liable to break it.
After grappling the object the air bags A, A, are inflated, and displace
a proportionate amount of water until the object is lifted from the bottom.
When the air bags arrive at the surface of the water the object held in
suspension, as it were, is towed into shallow water, where it may be
readily made fast and drawn out of the water.
The above arrangement of chain and grapnel is also applicable for
raising sunken vessels by passing round the vessel. After grappling the
same a chain of air bags of sufficient length and capacity proportionate
to the weight to be raised in the manner shown in Figure 6. The air
bags are then inflated by means of a powerful pump until the vessel is
floated.

page_text: Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,—
1st. The improved construction of grapnel, provided with arms so
jointed and of such form that the'mere resistance of the water will cause
the arms to expand or to close when the apparatus is raised or lowered,
as the case may be, substantially as herein described and shown in the
Drawings.
2nd. The combination with the improved grapnel of this Invention of
a chain of bags capable of being inflated with air or gas for raising
objects of exceptional weight, and also for raising sunken vessels, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
In witness whoreof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
fivc.