APPARATUS FOR NEUTRALIZING THE EFFECT OF COLLISIONS AT SEA
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ADOLPH ISIDOR RATH of 10 Market Place, Manchester in the county of
Lancaster, India rubber Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for APPARATUS FOR NEUTRALIZING THE EFFECT OF COLLISIONS AT SEA
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to protect the bows and sides, and if necessary
the quarters, of steamers or other vessels in such a way as to neutralize the effect
of collisions at sea or upon other waters where such vessels are employed.
For this purpose I propose to encase the bows and sides or quarters of the vessel
in a protective armour capable of absorbing the force of the impact caused by
collision with another vessel, so that the vessel will not be wrecked or seriously
damaged, and thus loss of the vessel, cargo, crew and passengers will be prevented.
The same protective armour will also prove to be a great defense against injury in
the event of the vessel being driven ashore or against rocks or on sandbanks.
The protective armour which I propose to employ for this purpose consists
mainly of a series of blocks of india rubber, from two to three feet in thickness,
having embedded therein coiled steel springs, and the outer surface covered with
steel plates.
These blocks are (by preference) made square, each block with its springs and
outer plate being vulcanized, and forming as it were a separate buffer, so that
although the external surface of the armour is a series of smooth steel plates
following the contour of the vessel, any part on being struck by another vessel in
collision can give way and the india rubber and steel springs will absorb the force
of the blow and protect the vessel itself from injury.
The blocks are to be attached to the vessel by bolts or in any other convenient
manner, and may extend from the bulwarks down to the keel or as far as may be
thought desirable.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I, ADOLPH ISIDOR RATH of 10 Market Place, Manchester in the county of
Lancaster, India rubber manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "APPARATUS FOR NEUTRALIZING THE EFFECT OF COLLISIONS AT SEA
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 protect the bows and sides, and if necessary
the quarters of steamers or other vessels in such a way as to neutralize the effect
of collisions at sea or upon other waters where such vessels are employed.
For this purpose I propose to provide the bows and sides or quarters of the
vessel with a protective armour capable of absorbing the force of the impact
caused by collision with another vessel, so that the vessel will not be wrecked or
seriously damaged, and thus loss of the vessel, cargo, crew and passengers will be
prevented. The same protective armour will also prove to be a great defence
against injury in the event of the vessel being driven ashore or against rocks or on
'sandbanks.
The protective armour which I propose to employ for this purpose consists
mainly of a series of blocks of india rubber, from two to three feet in thickness,
having embedded therein coiled steel springs, and the outer surface covered with
steel plates.
These blocks are (by preference) made square, each block with its springs and
outer plate being vulcanized, and forming as it were a separate buffer, so that
although the external surface of the armour is a series of smooth steel plates
following the contour of the vessel, any part on being struck by another vessel in
collision can give way and the india rubber and steel springs will absorb the force
of the blow and protect the vessel itself from injury.
The blocks are attached to the vessel by bolts or in any other convenient manner,
and may extend from the bulwarks down to the keel or as far as may be thought
desirable, and in practice I have found it advantageous to cut away the extreme
ends of the bows and the stem of the vessel, the part so cut away being replaced
by my rubber blocks which will themselves form the bows.
Ou
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