A FLOATING HYDRAULIC LIFT STAGE FOR RAISING NAVIGABLE VESSELS OR OTHER HEAVY BODIES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, AND AN IMPROVED METHOD OP BLOCKING' OR 'SHOREING UP.
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hammond Walker, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "A FLOATING HYDRAULIC LIFT
STAGE FOR RAISING NAVIGABLE VESSELS OR OTHER HEAVY BODIES ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF THE WATER, AND AN IMPROVED METHOD OP BLOCKING' OR
'SHOREING UP.'
'
Sealed the 10th December 1861, and dated the 12th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hanimond
Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th June 1861:
I, WILLIAM HAMMOND WALKER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A FLOATING HYDRAULIC
LIFT STAGE FOR RAISING NAVIGABLE VESSELS OR OTHER HEAVY BODIES ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF THE WATER, AND AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BLOCKING OR SHOREING UP,"
to be as follows (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in a peculiar construction of double floating stage
(as herein-after described), the two parts being placed parallel and sufficiently.
apart from each other to admit the vessel to be lifted to be floated in between
them. This double floating stage is connected together by transverse beams
or kelson girders, which are capable of being lowered down to admit the vessel
or other body to float over them when they are lifted up with the vessel to
be docked resting thereon. A number of vertical hydraulic machines are used
to elevate the transverse beams upon which the vessel rests. Each of the
parts of the floating stage are constructed of a number of pontoons or vessels

page_text: (say ten) placed parallel to each other, say about five feet apart. These
pontoons it is preferred to construct of iron plates, and have a sufficient
displacement conjointly to bear up at a certain draught of water the vessel or
other body to be lifted, together with the weight of itself and materials;
and the pontoons of each stage are connected together by two, three, or more
transverse beams or girders extending horizontally across the top of the whole
set of pontoons used to form the stage, and which are connected to transverse
beams on the sides of each pontoon, and which transverse beams rest upon an
horizontal girder stringer, which runs round the stage a little below the top of
the pontoons. The bydraulic lifts are mounted above the openings between
the pontoons, and are connected to the transverse iron girder beams, which
connect the two floating platforms or stages together by vertical rods, which
work through the arms of cross heads on the heads of the rams, where they are
pauled" during the up stroke, and the rods are "pauled" on the deck
during the down stroke of the rams to repeat the lift, or when the rams are
not in action. The transverse bridge girder beams upon which the vessel or
other body is lifted are connected by other longitudinal girder beams, which
are placed transversely across them on the centre longitudinal beam forming
the keel blocks space, and so forth upon which the vessel rests.
"
The keel blocks are made portable and capable of being moved in case of
need when the vessel is on them. Bilge blocks are also constructed to work
upon inclined planes, to bo chocked under water, and to grip the run and
bilges of the vessel before the strain comes on, to equalise not only the weight
of the vessel, but the amount of pressure on the cross beams.
any
When the operation of lifting is to be accomplished, the transverse beams
and so forth are sunk to the requisite depth, and the vessel floated between
the double pontoon stage, the hydraulic lifts being worked in the usual way by
a pair of small engines placed on each side of the stage, or in
other con-
venient position. The lift of each of the hydraulic rams is equalised by their
being supplied through branch pipes from one common feed pipe, and the
branch pipe of each cylinder is provided with a suitable cut-off valve, so that
one or any other number of the lifts can be cut off at pleasure.
The whole construction is so formed that it is a combination of duplicates,
one pontoon, one cylinder, and so forth, representing a counterpart of the
other like portions of the machine, by which arrangement any of the parts
can be removed for painting or other repair, and be replaced by duplicate
parts provided for the purpose without interfering with the general working of
the apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hammond Walker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HAMMOND WALKER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Hammond Walker, Her special licence that I,
the said William Hammond Walker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hammond Walker, 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, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A FLOATING HYDRAULIC LIFT
STAGE FOR RAISING NAVIGABLE VESSELS OR OTHER HEAVY BODIES ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF THE WATER, AND AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BLOCKING' OR 'SHOREING
UP,""
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Hammond
Walker, 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 William Hammond Walker, 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 (that is to say) :-
This my said Invention consists in a peculiar construction of double floating
stages (as hercin-after described), the two parts being placed parallel to and
sufficiently apart from each other to admit the vessel to be lifted to be floated
in between them. This double floating stage is connected together by
transverse beams or kelson girders, which are capable of being lowered down
to admit of the vessel or other body to float over them when they are lifted up
with the vessel to be docked resting thereon. I use a number of vertical
bydraulic machines to elevate the transverse beams upon which the vessel rests.

page_text: Each of the parts of the floating stage I construct of a number of pontoons or
vessels (say of ten each) placed parallel to each other, and say about five feet
apart. These pontoons I prefer to construct of iron plates, and have a
sufficient displacement conjointly to bear up at a certain draught of water the
vessel or other body to be lifted, together with the weight of the apparatus
itself and materials; and the pontoons of each stago I connect together by
two, three, or more beams or girders extending horizontally across the top of
the whole set of pontoons used to form the stage, and which I connect to
transverse beams on the sides of each pontoon, and which transverse beams
rest upon a horizontal girder stringer, which runs round the stage a little below
the top of the pontoons. The hydraulic lifts I mount above the openings
between the pontoons, and connect them to the transverse iron girder beams,
which connect the two floating platforms or stages together by vertical rods or
chains, which work through the arms of cross heads on the heads of the rams,
where they are "pauled " during the up stroke, and the rods or chains are
pauled on the deck during the down stroke of the rams to repeat the lift, or
when the rams are not in action. The transverse bridge girder beams upon
which the vessel or other body is lifted I connect together by other longitudinal
girder beams, which are placed transversely across them, the centre longi-
tudinal beam forming the keel blocks, space, and so forth, upon which the
vessel rests.
The keel blocks I make portable, and capable of being moved in case of
need when the vessel is on them. Bilge blocks I also construct to work upon
inclined plains, to be chocked under water, and to grip tho run and bilges of
the vessel before the strain comes on, to equalise not only the weight of the
vessel, but the amount of pressure on the cross beams.
When the operation of lifting is to be accomplished the transverse beams,
and so forth being lowered down to the requisite depth to allow the vessel to
be floated between the double pontoon stage, when the transverse stage upou
which the vessel rests is elevated by the various hydraulic lifts on the decks or
the floating stages. The hydraulic lifts are worked in the usual way by a pair
of small engines placed on each side of the stage, or in any other convenient
position. The lift of each of the hydraulic rams I equalise by supplying them
through branch pipes from one common feed pipe, and the branch pipe of each
cylinder being provided with a suitable cut-off valve, so that one or any number
of the lifts can be cut off at pleasure.
The whole of this my improved floating graving dock is so constructed that
it consists mainly of a combination of duplicate parts, one pontoon, one
hydraulic cylinder, and so forth representing a counterpart of the other like

page_text: portions of the machine, by which arrangement any of the parts can be
removed for painting or other repair, and be replaced by duplicate parts
provided for the purpose, without interfering with the general working of the
apparatus.
That this my said Invention may be the more clearly seen and understood,
I have hereunto annexed Drawings in partial illustration of the same, like
letters and figures marked thereon being used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one of my improved floating hydraulic
lift graving docks, showing (in dotted lines) the transverse lifting stage lowered
down for lifting out of the water, the vessel seen floated in between the double
floating stage, drawn on a scale of one-sixteenth of an inch to the foot;
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is ditto, showing the
lift stage elevated with a vessel resting upon it; Figure 4 is a horizontal
section of one of the pontoons (A); Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal
section of the same, drawn on a scale of one-sixteenth of an inch to
one foot.
In this modification of the Invention I use twenty-two pontoons, twenty of
these to be thirty-five feet by twenty-five feet by eleven feet three inches deep;
and the other two thirty-five feet by twenty-five feet by thirteen feet deep.
The plating of the pontoons to be three-eighths of an inch thick; the landings
to be overlapped, and the butts flush with the butt strips, seven-sixteenths of an
inch thick inside, the grain of the iron running at right angles to the line of
butts. The rivets to be snap headed, and to be spaced six to the foot, and the
butt strips and landings of the plates to be caulked thoroughly both inside and
outside. The frames to be of angle iron, three and a half by two and a half.
by three-eighths of an inch, spaced about two feet nine inches, centre to centre,
in sides and bottom and top. Two opposite bottom corners of the pontoon to
be rounded to a radius of one foot, the other corners to be square, with three.
by three by three-eighths of an inch angle iron. Each pontoon to have
twenty-four stancheons of two and a half by two and a half by three-eighths:
of an inch angle iron, to run from floor to deck, and eight cross stays of two
and a half by two and a half by three-eighths of an inch angle iron, to be
secured by knee plates to frames and sides of pontoon; and I use angle irons
three by three by half an inch on top of pontoons to secure them in their.
places.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of one of the centre girders on the top of pon-
toons, which are of the form shown, and being three feet in height and two
feet six inches broad, and extending the full length of the dock, and stiffened.
vertically by angle or tee irons at intervals of thirty inches.

page_text: Figure 7 is a section of one of the pontoon side girders (B), and which
extend the whole length of the dock, and are stiffened vertically, as centre
girders, three feet in height by eighteen inches in width, with a rubber of rock
elm three feet wide by six inches thick all round.
Figure 8 is a vertical section of the thwartship pontoon beams to connect
the girders, and are three feet in height by twelve inches wide, and are secured
by angle irons six by six by five-eighths of an inch in the corners to the
girders. In addition to these thwartship beams, angle irons three and a-half
by three, by three-eighths of an inch, to be spaced at regular intervals and
secured for carrying the decks.
Figure 9 is a contre vertical section of one of the girder beams (F) for
carrying the ship, to be of the form shown in the elevation of the dock, or
with the curvature equally divided between top and bottom. The length of
the beams to be eighty-six feet between the supports, two feet broad, and
seven feet six inches deep, made perfectly water-tight, and most carefully
rivetted, so as to secure the full strength of the material, and they are fitted
with manhole doors at each end, and with wrought-iron hoops for attaching
the chains. The girders are tied to each other at bottom by three sets of
wrought-iron tie rods of two inches diameter.
Figure 10 shows a cross section of the keel girder (G), which is a longi-
tudinal centre girder fixed on the top of the thwartship girder beams (F), and
is four feet high by four feet wide at the top, and five feet wide at the bottom,
with three vertical plates stiffened by angular or tee irons at intervals of thirty
inches, and made as shown in the Figure, and extends the whole length of the
dock, and has fixed to it seventy cast-iron graving dock blocks, with taper
wedges for shifting, and hard wood cappings.
Figure 11 is a cross section of one of the four bilge keelsons (II), which
extend the full length of the dock, two on each side of the keel girder fixed on
the top of the girder beams; and on these bilge keelsons portable wrought-
iron inclined beams, to be placed at regular intervals to receive the bilge
blocks; these bilge keelsons are about four feet high by two feet wide on the
top and three feet wide at bottom plate.
The inclined beams are as shown in the Drawings, Figures 2 and 3,
numbering ten on each side of the vessel. The bilge blocks are made to slide
on the top of the inclined beams, and are fitted with tackles for drawing them
in to support the bilges of the ship as soon as the keel takes on to the keel
blocks. The lower part of the blocks are of cast iron, made with taper keys
and wedges, so as to admit of their being driven in or out. The top of the
blocks are capped with wood, as required, to suit the form of the ship.

page_text: Figure 1 is a cross section of the end bridges or binders (I), which are
constructed each with two girders three feet six inches deep at centre, and
eighteen inches broad, and to be formed of wrought iron, as seen in the
figure, and are stiffened by vertical angle irons, every thirty inches, inside.
The girders are five feet apart, secured to each other by short beams, and
decked on the top with two and a half inch yellow pine, covering boards of
teak three inches thick, with wrought-iron stancheons and double rails ;
provision to be made for securing the bridges at each end, so as to keep the
pontoons steady at the same distance from each other athwartships. The
two bridge pontoons are twenty-five feet long by ten feet wide, by four feet
deep, formed of plates a quarter of an inch thick, and framed and stiffened
with three by three by five-sixteenth inch angle iron, spaced about two feet,
centre to centre, and with stancheons, as required, from floor to deck. The
bridge is raised from the top of the pontoons by wrought-iron framework to a
sufficient height to lift the bridge on to the top of the larger pontoons when
the dock is at its light draught; each pontoon is fitted with a suitable brass
sea cock to regulate their draught.
A, the pontoons upon which the apparatus float; B, the pontoon side
girders; C, wrought-iron stancheons and double rails running all round the
outside of the pontoon decks. The deck planking is of yellow pine, three
inches thick by five inches wide, laid, fitted, and caulked over the top of the
pontoon girders the whole length of the dock, with teak covering boards
twelve inches by four and a-half inches all round. D, two engine houses of
wood, one on each side of the dock, to receive the engines, pumps, and boilers,
with all necessary fittings; E, hydraulic presses, by which the thwartship
girders on which the ship rests are to be raised or lowered; they are twenty
in number, with double or single cylinders, as may be preferred. Each press
to have an area of the rams equal to seventy-eight and a half square inches,
and an effective working stroke of five feet, and constructed to sustain a
proof strain of at least three tons to the square inch. The presses are fixed
on strong bed plates on the top of the pontoon girders, and connected by
strong wrought-iron pitch chains to the end of the thwartship girder beams.
F, the girder beams (shown in section at Figure 9); G, the keel girders
(seen in section at Figure 10); H, the bilge keelson (seen in section by
Figure 11); I, end bridges (seen in cross section at Figure 12); K, pontoons,
upon which the bridges can be floated; L, the inclined beams, upon which
rest M, the bilge blocks, which are mado to be drawn in or out from the keel
to suit the form of the vessel, on the inclined thwartship beams, which are to
be placed at proper distances on the top of the longitudinal box beams.

page_text: Having now fully ascertained and described the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, dimensions, or relative proportions of the various parts herein-before
described and set forth, as it will be readily seen that the same may be con- 5
siderably varied without departing from the Invention; but what I do claim
is the general arrangement, combination, and construction of the various
parts of the apparatus, substantially and in the manner and for the objects
herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hammond Walker, have 1
hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this Eleventh day of
December, in the year of our Lord 1861.
WILLIAM HAMMOND (L.S.) WALKER.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.