Improvements in the Construction of Passenger, Cattle, and other Vessels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Passenger, Cattle, and other
Vessels.
I, EMIL HUGO OSCAR ROBERT ROPNER, the Younger, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the
County of Durham, Shipbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
-
My invention has for its object improvements in the construction of passenger
and other vessels.
For the purposes of ventilation and of supporting or aiding to support_decks or
other parts of a vessel requiring supports of the kind known as pillaring, I provide
stanchions, pillars or supports made hollow or with passages therethrough and
adapted to serve both as stanchions and as ventilators. Such hollow stanchions,
pillars or supports are, for brevity, hereinafter referred to as ventilator-stanchions,
and may be employed in the construction of vessels of all kinds, in which decks or
other parts have to be supported by stanchions or pillaring.
I sometimes arrange them to support or assist in supporting portable cargo skids.
As so applied they can be variously arranged.
By way of example (and without limiting myself thereto) I illustrate one arrange-
ment in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, whereof:
Fig. 1 is a cross section,
Fig. 2 a part side view, and
Fig. 3 a part plan.
-
a is the ship's hold, 6 the tank, c the deck, d the hatch, ee are portable cargo
skids, f f ventilator-stanchions that serve as supports to the cargo skids e, which
are fitted for the purpose of loading or discharging cargo. The upper part of
ventilators and, also, the skids, can be made removable. g g ventilator-stanchions
that serve as supports to the decks c, h trunk deck.
Thus it will be understood that in this example there are four longitudinal rows
of ventilator-stanchions. Such an arrangement may be applied in a trunk ship
or other vessel.
The drawings indicate a trunk ship, wherein the two inner sets of ventilator-
stanchions extend upward from the top of the tank at the bottom of the ship (but
it might be from the bottom of the ship) past the inner edges of the weather decks,
which they assist to carry by suitable brackets or other means of fastening, through
the trunk along the sides thereof to which they are or may be connected and
through the top of the trunk; but they might extend only to a suitable point
inside the trunk.
The outer ventilator-stanchions are carried by the weather decks at the res-
pective sides of the trunk and are arranged near the bulwarks which they assist
or may assist to carry. The ventilator-stanchions are in communication at suit-
able points with the hold or holds of the ship, so as to ventilate the same.
The inner ones may be upcast, and the others downcast, or vice versa (the two
inner and two outer sets of hollow stanchions thus in either case co-operating) or they
may be otherwise arranged.
To increase the ventilating action, the upper ends of the ventilator-stanchions
are or may be provided with suitable cowls or equivalents removable or not.

page_text: Sometimes it may be convenient to arrange that each ventilator-stanchion shall
serve independently as an upcast shaft.
The upper ends of the ventilator-stanchions are shewn provided with brackets
whereby to carry the portable cargo skids.
The inner edges of the portable cargo skids might at the parts opposite a hatch,
be supported by brackets or bearers attached to the sides of the hatch, instead of
to the upper end portions of the ventilator-stanchions.
The cargo skids might be at or about the same level as the trunk deck, and either
rest on it or be attached to its edges. The number of ventilator-stanchions, as well
as their construction, positions and arrangement, will depend upon circumstances.
In the example they are shown at the sides of the ship as supporting the plate
bulwark; they might also be used in conjunction with rails. The cargo skids are
fitted for the purpose of discharging cargo, and loading cargo efficiently, so that
there is a gangway as it were right out to the sides of the ship. These cargo skids
and those parts of the ventilators supporting the same can be permanent, in which
case the cowl parts of the side ventilators would be portable so as not to obstruct
the loading and discharging of cargo; or I may make the cargo skids portable and
the upper parts of the supporting ventilators also portable. I prefer to place the
inner ventilators 9 clear of the cargo skids, that is to say, to one side thereof, so
as to obviate obstruction when loading or discharging.
I sometimes apply my ventilator-stanchions as supports to continuous permanent
shade decks; sometimes as supports to cattle decks and cattle pens.
A vessel can be constructed with a continuous permanent shade deck or decks
with my ventilator-stanchions as supports thereto and with another shade deck or
decks arranged above the first mentioned shade deck or decks and also if desired
over the central portion of the vessel including the hatches.
In the case of an ordinary type of ship the inner ventilator-stanchions may be
arranged in two longitudinal rows located at opposite sides of the longitudinal centre
line of the ship, somewhat as described for a trunk ship, or in a centrally arranged
longitudinal row, and may extend upward from the top of a tank or other base at
the bottom of the ship through the weather deck and upward to a suitable height
to assist in supporting the shade deck or decks, or portable cargo skids, or cattle
decks and cattle pens, the outer portions of which may be supported by outer
ventilator-stanchions carried at the respective sides of the weather deck.
In some cases I arrange side or outer ventilator-stanchions so that they extend
downward to between decks; sometimes I arrange them to serve as bulwark
stiffeners, or as supports, or as rails.
The hollow ventilator stanchions may be used in combination with stanchions.
of ordinary kind, and may alternate with them.
The upper ends of the ventilator stanchions may be provided with movable bell-
mouthed ends, ordinary, or other suitable cowls.
The upper ends of the ventilator stanchions may also be provided with plugs or
caps, which might be hinged or screwed thereto as desired, so as to be capable of
being opened or closed at will. These caps may be used when cowls are off or on.
The cargo skids at ends may be supported by one or more ventilator-stanchions,
as desired.
The ventilator-stanchions may be of sufficient height to act as derrick posts for
the working in or out of the cargo.
Although openings into the holds are shewn at the lower ends of the ventilator-
stanchions, yet the openings might be at any convenient position and at different
levels, and also in communication with horizontal or approximately horizontal
pipes or air shafts.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Passenger, Cattle, and other
Vessels.
I, EMIL HUGO OSCAR ROBERT ROPNER, the Younger, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the
County of Durham, Shipbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention has for its object improvements in the construction of passenger
and other vessels.
For the purposes of ventilation and of supporting or aiding to support decks or
other parts of a vessel requiring supports of the kind known as pillaring, I provide
stanchions, pillars or supports made hollow or with passages therethrough and
adapted to serve both as stanchions and as ventilators. Such hollow stanchions,
pillars or supports are, for brevity, hereinafter referred to as ventilator-stanchions,
and may be employed in the construction of vessels of all kinds, in which decks or
other parts have to be supported by stanchions or pillaring.
I sometimes arrange them to support or assist in supporting portable cargo skids.
As so applied they can be variously arranged.
By way of example (and without limiting myself thereto) I have illustrated one
arrangement in the diagrammatic drawings left with my Provisional Specification.
Referring to those drawings; -
Fig. 1 is a cross section the details of beams and frames etc., being left out so
that the special features herein described are the more clearly shown.
Fig. 2 a part side view, and
Fig. 3 a part plan.
a is the ship's hold, the tank, e the deck, d the hatch, e e are portable cargo
skids, ff ventilator-stanchions that serve as supports to the cargo-skids e, which
are fitted for the purpose of loading or discharging cargo. The upper part of
ventilators and, also, the skids can be made, removable g g ventilator-stanchions
that serve as supports to the decks, c, h trunk deck.
Thus it will be understood that in this example there are four longitudinal rows
of ventilator-stanchions. Such an arrangement may be applied in a trunk ship
or other vessel.
The drawings indicate a trunk ship, wherein the two inner sets of ventilator-
stanchions extend upward from the top of the tank at the bottom of the ship (but
it might be from the bottom of the ship) past the inner edges of the weather decks,
which they assist to carry by suitable brackets or other means of fastening, through
the trunk along the sides thereof to which they are or may be connected and
through the top of the trunk; but they might extend only to a suitable point
inside the trunk, and may be so arranged that the pillars will extend up through
the side deck and up past the outside of the trunk to any desired height.
The outer ventilator-stanchions are carried by the weather decks at the res-
pective sides of the trunk and are arranged near the bulwarks which they assist
or may assist to carry. The ventilator-stanchions are in communication at suit-
able points with the hold or holds of the ship, so as to ventilate the same.
The inner ones may be upcast, and the others downcast, or vice versa (the two
inner and two outer sets of hollow stanchions thus in either case co-operating) or they
may be otherwise arranged.
To increase the ventilating action, the upper ends of the ventilator-stanchions
are or may be provided with suitable cowls or equivalents removable or not.
Sometimes it may be convenient to arrange that each ventilator-stanchion shall
serve independently as an upcast shaft.

page_text: The upper ends of the ventilator-stanchions are shown provided with brackets
whereby to carry the portable cargo skids.
The inner edges of the portable cargo skids might at the parts opposite a hatch,
be supported by brackets or bearers attached to the sides of the hatch, instead of
to the upper end portions of the ventilator-stanchions.
The cargo skids might be at or about the same level as the trunk deck, and either
rest on it or be attached to its edges. The number of ventilator-stanchions; as well
as their construction, positions, and arrangement, will depend upon circumstances.
In the example they are shown at the sides of the ship as supporting the plate
bulwark; they might also be used in conjunction with rails. The cargo skids are
fitted for the purpose of discharging cargo, and loading cargo efficiently, so that
there is a gangway as it were right out to the sides of the ship. The ordinary
hatches or hatch covers can be used as portable cargo skids, say if and when placed
on the cross bearers extending from trunk to side of vessel. These cargo skids and
those parts of the ventilators supporting the same can be permanent, in which case
the cowl parts of the side ventilators would be portable, so as not to obstruct the
loading and discliarging of cargo or I may make the cargo skids portable and the
upper parts of the supporting ventilators also portable. I prefer to place the inner
ventilators clear of the cargo skids, that is to say, to one side thereof, so as to
obviate obstruction when loading or discharging.
I sometimes apply my ventilator-stanchions as supports to continuous permanent
shade decks; sometimes as supports to cattle decks and cattle pens.
A vessel can be constructed with a continuous permanent shade deck or decks
with my ventilator-stanchions as supports thereto and with another shade deck or
decks arranged above the first mentioned shade deck or decks and also if desired
over the central portion of the vessel including the hatches.
In the case of an ordinary type of ship the inner ventilator-stanchions may be
arranged in two longitudinal rows located at opposite sides of the longitudinal centre
line of the ship, somewhat as described for a trunk ship, or in a centrally arranged
longitudinal row, and may extend upward from the top of a tank or other base at
the bottom of the ship through the weather deck and upward to a suitable height
to assist in supporting the shade deck or decks, or portable cargo skids, or cattle
decks and cattle pens, the outer portions of which may be supported by outer
ventilator-stanchions carried at the respective sides of the weather deck.
In some cases I arrange side or outer ventilator-stanchions. so that they extend
downward to between decks; sometimes I arrange them to serve as bulwark
stiffeners, or as supports, or as rails.
The hollow ventilator stanchions may be used in combination with stanchions
of ordinary kind, and may alternate with them.
The upper ends of the ventilator-stanchions may be provided with movable bell-
mouthed ends, ordinary, or other suitable cowls.
The upper ends of the ventilator stanchions may also be provided with plugs or
caps, which might be hinged or screwed thereto as desired, so as to be capable of
being opened or closed at will. These caps may be used when cowls are off or on.
The cargo skids at ends may be supported by one or more ventilator-stanchions,
as desired.
The ventilator-stanchions may be of sufficient height and strength to act as
derrick posts for the working in or out of the cargo.
Although openings into the holds are shown at the lower ends of the ventilator-
stanchions, yet the openings might be at any convenient position and at different
levels, and also in communication with horizontal or approximately horizontal
pipes or air shafts.
In all cases I consider it desirable if practicable to space the pillars clear of the
loose plates or manholes and covers, when such are fitted in the trunk sides, & clear
also of the hinged or portable doors fitted in the way of, or adjacent to the cargo
hatches, or at other parts of the "trunk."
In either ordinary vessels, "trunk" vessels, or vessels having sloping decks or

page_text: central upward extension of the hold, the hollow stanchions may also be in com-
munication with horizontal, or approximately horizontal pipes or air shafts, such
as boxes or hollow beams; these shafts or hollow beams may be at different tiers
or levels in a vessel, and may extend either wholly across or partially across the
width of the vessel, or, in "trunk" vessels, they may extend only across the width
of the trunk top or base, or a combination of both arrangements can be adopted.
At the outer end or ends of these hollow horizontal or approximately horizontal
shafts, or at certain intermediate points, perpendicular coamings, ventilator shafts
and ventilators may be arranged.
The pillars may be incorporated with the horizontal shafts either by passing up-
wardly alongside of the shafts, or they may be located partly underneath and partly
between them, in the same perpendicular plane, the pillars will then be (as I prefer)
divided into parts, so as to come in between the different tiers of such shafts. The
horizontal shafts and the pillars will be perforated so as to place the pillars and
shafts in communication with one another, thus establishing a combined system of
ventilation.
The horizontally placed shafts may be of any suitable section or combination of
sections, thus for example, two channels placed alongside each other, with a plate
rivetted on the upper or lower portions or secured in a suitable manner; or they
may be formed of separate plates connected with angles rivetted thereto, or a hollow
shaft can be formed by boxing in two or more beams or portions of beams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. For the purposes of ventilation and of supporting or aiding to support decks
or other parts of a vessel requiring supports of the kind known as pillaring, pro-
viding stanchions, pillars or supports, made hollow, or with passages therethrough,
and adapted to serve both as stanchions and as ventilators, substantially as described.
2. In a vessel, the use, substantially as described, of ventilator stanchions which
support the ordinary deck or decks, and are extended upwardly and made to also
support a shade deck or decks, or cattle deck or decks, with pens.
3. In a vessel of the type known as a "trunk" ship supporting the side portions
of the weather decks at the respective sides of and next to the base of the trunk,
by means of ventilator stanchions which extend upward either inside or outside of
the trunk and support a shade deck or decks or cattle deck or decks above the
trunk substantially as described.
4. In a vessel of the type known as a trunk" ship, supporting the outer sides
of cargo skids or shade decks or cattle decks, by means of ventilator stanchions,
fitted at the sides of the vessel, whether or not such side ventilator stanchions,
extend downward to between decks, and whether or not they act as bulwark
stiffeners, or supports, or rails.
5. In a vessel of the type known as a "trunk" ship the ventilating arrangement
substantially as described, with reference to and illustrated by the drawings herein-
before referred to.
Dated this 20th day of June 1898.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.