A DIVING MACHINE, TO BE USED IN AND ABOUT STOPPING HOLES AND LEAKS IN SHIPS' BOTTOMS, AND FOR OTHER PUR- POSES, WHICH WILL BE OF GENERAL BENEFIT AND ADVANTAGE
Year: 1802

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FORDER, of Portsen, in the County of Hants, Purser in His Majesty's Royal
Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Second day of October, in the forty-second year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said William Forder, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Forder, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of His United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A DIVING MACHINE, TO BE USED IN
AND ABOUT STOPPING HOLES AND LEAKS IN SHIPS' BOTTOMS, AND FOR OTHER PUR-
POSES, WHICH WILL BE OF GENERAL BENEFIT AND ADVANTAGE;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William
Forder, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the said
Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, may more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Forder, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained as follows (that is to say): —
My said Invention consists of the machinery hereunder drawn and de-
scribed, which is to made, constructed, put together, and used in the manner
and of the materials mentioned and described in the said Plan or Drawing
and the explanation subjoined thereto.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
seventh day of October, One thousand eight hundred and two.
REFERENCES TO THE PLAN OR DRAWING.
A, A, Fig. (1) a case, made of common sheet copper, in two parts (with
rims b, b, b, b, one quarter of an inch thick and three quarters of an inch
wide) so as to cover the upper part of a man's body and head. When the
man is inside, the two parts of this case must be secured together with square-
headed screws a, a, a, a, placed in the rims b, b, b, b, about four inches apart,
and pieces of leather must be put between the two rims to prevent the water
getting into the machine. B, a copper hoop, four inches broad, made to fit
into the lower part, and to go two inches up the inside of the case A, A, and
to have a piece of copper c, c, c, c, round the middle part on the outside, of
the same breadth and thickness as the rims b, b, b, b, and to be secured to the
rims b, b, b, b, on the bottom of the case A, A, in the same manner as the
two parts of the case A, A, are secured together. C, a strong leather case,
(made to cover the lower part of the body, thighs, legs, and feet,) sewed over
the outside of the lower part of the hoop B. D, D, two rims of sheet
copper, three quarters of an inch wide, round the holes of the arms in the
case A, A, on which rims are sewed strong leather cases E, E, to cover
the arms and hands. F, a copper pipe, two inches long and five eighths
of an inch diameter, over which is tied the end of a strong leather pipe K,
three quarters of an inch diameter, lined with what is commonly called spring
wire to prevent its closing with the weight of water, by which means a free
passage is left for the air to pass into the machine. Fig. (2) a small
strong pair of bellows (with a valve at the mouth, e, to prevent the air
returning into them after it is forced into the body of the machine through
the pipe K) must be fastened on the top of the pipe K to supply the
diver with air, and to force in a sufficient quantity to counterbalance
the weight of water on the outside. G, another copper pipe, of the same
diameter as the pipe F, on which is fastened another strong leather pipe L

page_text: lined as before, to let out the air that may be polluted by inspiration; this
pipe must have a valve at the top of sufficient weight to keep in a proportion
of air to counterbalance the weight of the water on the outside. The two
leather pipes before mentioned must be secured to a rope to prevent their
breaking, which rope must be fastened under the man's arms and over his
shoulders. This rope will likewise answer the purpose of lowering the diver
down or hawling him up. H, H, two holes in the case A, A, over which are
two strong clear glasses for the diver to see through. J, J, two rings screwed
on to the case A, A, over the edges of the before-mentioned glasses, between
which and the case A, A, pieces of leather must be put to prevent the water
getting into the machine. M, a lamp hung on a swivel on the outside of the
case A, A, i. e. to be used in dark or windy weather only. N, a hole in the
case A, A, for the fresh air to pass to the lamp. O, a copper pipe brazed on
the front of the case A, A, to convey the air which may be polluted by the
lamp into the pipe G. P, a case or cover (made of copper, with a strong
clear glass (Q), two inches diameter, fixed in it) over the lamp M; this case
must be screwed on to the case A, A, with four or more small screws. To
make the leather cases and pipes waterproof, it will be necessary to rub a
quantity of warm beeswax and tallow on the outside of them, which will
likewise preserve the leather. A small quantity of sand in bags or lead must
be fastened on the outside of the machine, round the body, to make it sink the
easier. It is likewise particularly necessary to observe that it is impossible for
any person to live inside of the machine unless he is properly supplied with
air, whether in or out of the water, therefore, one person must constantly
attend to the blowing the bellows after the diver is inside the machine. This
machine, with a sufficient quantity of the leather pipes K and L (which may
be in joints of two or more fathoms, secured together with joint screws) may
be used in any moderate depth of water) and the person inside of it may stop
holes in ships' bottoms, fasten cords to wrecks of ships, or any such like
purposes, as he will be able to continue under water for two hours. And,
further, in case the diver may want to stop a hole in a ship's bottom, he may
(by means of a rope being passed under the ship's keel athwarteships) cause
an empty cask or buoy to be hauled to any part of the bottom he may think
proper, and by that means get at the hole, as the cask or buoy will naturally
float up against the ship's bottom. The part of the case A, A, which covers
the head of the man, is made of an equal size to allow him to breathe the
better.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day of
October, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Forder came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year above
written.