IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' LIFE BOATS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jordan Hough, of No. 15, Tower Hill, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS'
LIFE BOATS."
Sealed the 15th August 1873, and dated the 21st February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jordan Hough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st February 1873.
I, EDWARD JORDAN HOUGH, of No. 15, Tower Hill, in the City of
5 London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN Ships' Life Boats," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in ships' life boats.
In order that ships' life boats may be launched readily and without
loss of time, and may not be liable to be capsized either by the sea alone

page_text: or on contact with the ship's side, I construct them in the following
manner: The two ends of the boat I form separate from the body or
centre portion. The ends are of conical form, and they are closed air
chambers on which the floatation of the boat mainly depends. They
also serve as wheels, on which the boat runs as it is launched into thei
water. The two conical ends are connected by an axle, and the body of
the boat is supported from the axle.
In other respects the body of the boat is constructed like that of an
ordinary life boat. Boats thus constructed are not liable to be over-
turned by contact with the side of a ship; such contact merely rotates
the ends of the boat without tending to capsize the body or centre
compartment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Jordan Hough in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JORDAN HOUGH, of 15, Tower Hill, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Jordan Hough, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Jordan Hough, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Jordan Hough,
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,

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SHIPS' LIPE BOATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edward Jordan Hough, 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 Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Jordan Hough, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, 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 my said Invention of improvements in ships' life boats
is to enable ships' life boats to be launched readily and without loss of
time, and so as not to be liable to be capsized either by the sea alone, or
on contact with the ship's side. I construct these boats in the following
manner-I form the two ends of the boat separate from the body or
centre portion. The ends I make of conical form by preference, and as
closed air and water-tight chambers, though such chambers may be filled
with cork or otherwise rendered buoyant if thought desirable, on these
ends the floatation of the boat mainly depends. They also serve as
wheels on which the boat runs as it is launched into the water. The
two ends I connect by an axle or axles, and support the body of the boat
from such axle or axles.
In other respects the body of the boat is usually constructed like that
of an ordinary life boat, though I prefer to have the side seats and double
bottom of the body water-tight to give stability when too much weight
is placed on one side and to add to the buoyancy. Also to place pipes
) in the bottom to allow the water to pass through as it may come over.
Boats thus constructed are not liable to be overturned by contact with
the side of a ship, for such contact merely rotates the ends of the boat
without tending to capsize the body or centre compartment.
In case of the boat being under any circumstances capsized it is self-

page_text: The foregoing statements particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and indicate in what manner the same is to be
performed or put in practice, and in further compliance with the con-
dition in the said Letters Patent contained I will now further and par-
ticularly describe and ascertain in what manner the same is to be
performed or carried out in practice by referring to the Drawings
accompanying these Presents.
Fig. 1 is a side view of boats arranged in position in the ship ready
for launching when required; Fig. 2, longitudinal section; Fig. 3, 1
midship section.
.
In the said Drawings A, A, are the air and water-tight chambers;
B is the body of boat; C, is the axle connecting the two air and
water-tight chambers (A,) and supporting the body (B,) as shown. The
said axle (C) is secured to a bulkhead or any other contrivance, situate:
by preference in the chambers A.
One mode of stowing these boats which I recommend is shown in
Fig. 1, where they are supported on rails, and thus by means of the
shape of the ends of the boat they are free to revolve on the axlc, and
so are easily launched. D represents the side seats with water-tight
compartments; E, false bottom of boat, below which are water-tight
compartments; F is pipo for allowing water to pass out of boat; G
represents washers or projections which keep the body of the boat from
contact with the chambers A, thereby ensuring freedom of revolution to
the ends.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed or put in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the "Im-
provements in Ships' Life Boats," as the same is herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawings accompanying this Specification, in
which Invention the important feature is the use and adoption of buoyant
ends so connected or secured to the body of the boat that such ends
may be free to revolve, it being understood that otherwise I do not

page_text: •
limit or confine myself to any form, construction, or arrangement of
body, or particular form of ends.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Jordan Hough, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
EDWARD J. HOUGH. (L.S.)
Witness,
T. MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Ass". Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross.