IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF TRANSIT ACROSS RIVERS, ESTUARIES, AND OTHER WATERS, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Imray at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th May
1872. A communication from abroad by Leopoldo Brockmann and
Daniel O'Ryan, both of Madrid, in the Kingdom of Spain.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OF TRANSIT ACROSS RIVERS,
ESTUARIES, AND OTHER WATERS, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means of conveying goods or
passengers across rivers, estuaries, or other waters without interfering
with the navigation or natural currents of the same, and to apparatus
for that purpose.
For carrying out these improvement two or more lines of rails are
laid down on a firm foundation on the bed of the river, estuary, or
other water, these rails extending from shore to shore and terminating
at each end close to a pier or landing stage erected to a convenient
height above the water-line. The foundation of the rails may be the
natural bed, dredged or excavated to a suitable depth and level when

page_text: it is sufficiently firm, or it may be formed on piles or cylinders, or on
blocks of concrete or masonry, in any manner ordinarily employed for
strong subaqueous structures. The rails may be level or they may be
laid with an easy gradient from either shore, as may be suited to the
section of the bed. A car is constructed with wheels to run upon these
rails, and on the car is mounted a platform at a sufficient height to be
above the highest water level. The framing by which the platform is
supported above the car is by preference of openwork, such as stayed
iron columns, so as to permit free passage of water through it, and by
preference the columns, stays, and other members of the framing are 1
made of such a form that they can be drawn through the water in the
direction of the length of the platform with small resistance. The
height of the platform above the rails, and the height of the piers on
the shore is such that when the car is at either end of the railroad,
the pier and platform are on the same level, so that passengers may
walk or carriages may be drawn from the one to the other.
The car with its platform loaded with goods or passengers is drawn
from one pier to the other by a rope or chain worked by stationary
engines on either shore, or it may be towed by a tug vessel. Or an
engine may be placed upon the platform and made to work the wheels
of the car below by suitable gearing, so as to make it move like a loco-
motive along the rails. Or an engine on the platform may be employed
to wind a chain fixed to each shore, and passing round guide rollers
mounted in the car, so that the chain shall lie at the bottom and not
interrupt navigation. Also the engine instead of being placed on the
platform may be placed in a hull or submerged water-tight chamber
below the platform or on the car, and act as a locomotive engine on the
axles of the car wheels, which in this case would pass through stuffing
boxes in the sides of the submerged chamber. When such submerged
engine room is used, proper tubes for ventilation are provided extending
above the water level.