IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING STRANDED AND SUNKEN VESSELS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Count Arthur Dillon, Proprietor, of 29, Boulevart
St. Martin, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RAISING STRANDED AND SUNKEN VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Count Arthur Dillon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
18th February 1867.
I, Count ARTHUR DILLON, Proprietor, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR RAISING STRANDED AND SUNKEN VESSELS," to be as follows:-
The apparatus of my Invention consists of a pontoon with double sides, the
space comprised between the two sides being decked over. The interior or
centre part is hollow and unenclosed, and serves to receive the wrecked
vessel so as to enclose and raise her to the surface. This pontoon is divided
into two equal parts connected together at the after part in preference to
the fore part (should the position of the wreck admit of it) by three strong
chains of unequal length and placed equidistant from each other. The
lengths of these chains are respectively as 4, 2, and 1, the shortest being
placed in the lowest position, their absolute lengths depending on the size of

page_text: the wreck. These chains constitute hinges by the aid of which the half pon-
toons act as jaws between which to enclose and grasp the wreck.
My improved apparatus is so constructed that the wreck may be taken
hold of without the bottom of the pontoon touching the bottom of the sea.
The two open jaws are connected by means of two tackles, the fixed point
for each tackle is on the wreck, the one jaw being made to close on the other,
while the point at which the force is applied is on the vessel by means of
which the wreck is to be towed to shore. The two open jaws when once
brought near to each other are connected by three chains, as at the other end.
Each of the half pontoons is provided with a series of vertical hollow cylinders
parallel to its axis, open at their upper part and closed at the bottom by a
hinged trap opening downwards at the will of the operator. These hollow
cylinders are intended to receive ballast (stones or pebbles), whereby the
immersion of the apparatus is rendered easier, and allowing of the displacement
of its centre of gravity (by emptying-the cylinders at the end opposite to that
which it is desired to keep lowest. This displacement of the centre of gravity,
first, in the whole apparatus, and, secondly, in each part thereof allows of
ench pontoon occupying the position required for obtaining a hold on the wreck;
lastly, each half pontoon is provided at its upper part with a pump chamber
closed by a valve opening inwards, and at its lower part with another pump
chamber opening outwards; to this last chamber and forward of the valve is
fitted a pipe provided with a cock.
In order to render my Invention better understood I will explain the
principle on which each half pontoon is constructed, and also the mode of
operation, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing.
Supposing a chamber A, B, C, D, of any form and of considerable
strength to be provided at its upper part with a pump barrel P, with a valve S
opening inwards, and at its lower part with another barrel or chamber
provided with a valve S¹ opening outwards and closed by a set screw, and
finally on this pump barrel a pipe E provided with a stop-cock R; supposing
this chamber to be floating on the water, and that it is desired to sink it to
the bottom. By means of a force pump or a fan of sufficient power I force
into the chamber by means of the piston P an amount of air, the pressure of
which is represented by N + 1, N being the pressure in atmospheres to
which any body is subject when sunk to the depth at which the chamber is
to be lowered. I then force through the same pump barrel the amount of
water required to sink it; a rope passing through a ring F on the chamber
A, B, C, D, is connected to an anchor which marks the point at the bottom to
which I intend to bring down my apparatus, and if the rope is properly stretched

page_text: it cannot fail to terminate at that point; supposing it to have reached it I
next restore to the valve S¹ its free action, by reason of the difference of
pressure on its two sides it will then open, the water introduced will be expelled,
and the chamber being lightened will rise to the surface. Now supposing
the vessel has been long sunk and buried in the sand, previous to liberating
the valve S¹ I first open the cock R and direct the pipe E to the sand which
surrounds the sides of the vessel, the effect produced will be in a direct ratio:
with the power of the jet or stream. This force is expressed by the difference
of pressure inside and outside of the chamber minus the resistance offered by
the water to the passage of the jet or stream, the internal pressure being more
by three atmospheres than the external pressure (one atmosphere before the
introduction of the water, and nearly two atmospheres resulting from the
volume of compressed air being diminished by the introduction of the water.)
This force properly directed will generally suffice to move the vessel; should..
this however be insufficient I may at a calculated distance from the under side;
cause an explosion of nitro-glycerine, in order to produce (as would a strong
wave or several successive waves) the oscillation of the wreck. The result.
would be proportionate to the strain and to the extent of surface receiving the
shock; the pressing force will go on increasing as the moving proceeds and
the vessel will slowly rise.. At this time the cock R is closed and free action
restored to the valve S¹; an equilibrium of pressure being established..tho..
wreck rises, freeing itself from the ballast it carries and from the internal
pressure to which it is subjected. Such are the means of action which I
apply to the manoeuvring of each half pontoon, which are relieved of their
ballast immediately a hold of the wreck is taken. Thus my improved mode:
of recovering ships consists in the application on the sides of tho. wreck. of. a
salvage belt fulfilling the following conditions, viz.
.
1st. Of containing. in a latent state. the force required under water to free
itself of the ballast necessary for its immersion and generally for clearing away..
the sand from or freeing. the wreck.
2ndly. The pressing surface presented being considerable the vessel, however.
bad her condition may be, will receive no further damage from the salvage.
operations.
3rdly. The wrecked vessel may be raised entire with her masts.in readiness
to be towed to the nearest docks.
The apparatus may either be made of sheet iron or wood lined with thin-
sheet metal.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Count Arthur Dillon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Count:
ARTHUR DILLON, Proprietor, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Count Arthur Dillon, Her special licence that I, the said Count Arthur.
Dillon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Count Arthur Dillon, 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 "IкPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING STRANDED AND SUNKEN VESSELS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Count Arthur Dillon, 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 Count Arthur Dillon, do hereby declarè
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention refers to a new salvage apparatus intended to bring a float or
recover wrecked and run aground ships. My said salvage apparatus consists
in a keelless pontoon with double side walls, the part between said walls being
decked; the inside part is open and empty, and is intended to embrace the
wreck as with a belt and bring it afloat; this pontoon is divided through
its longer axis into two equal parts connected at the back part (preferably to
the fore part) when the position of the wreck permits it, by three strong chains
of unequal length placed at equal distances apart. The lengths of these chains
are as 4, 2, 1; the shortest being downwards, but the absolute lengths merely
depend on the conditions of the wreck; these chains constitute a sort of hinge,

page_text: on which are made to turn the half pontoons which act like jaws, between
which the wrecked ship is to be gripped.
My apparatus is so constructed that the hold taken of the ship may be
effected even without the base of the pontoon having touched the bottom of
the sea.
The junction of the two open jaws is operated by means of two
tackles; the fixed point for each tackle is on the wreck, the resistance being
one of the jaws to be neared and the force-applying point being on the tow boat,
whereby the immersed ship is to be conveyed to the harbour; the two open
jaws being brought close to each other are connected by means of three chains
as at the other end. Each half pontoon has through its axis a series of vertical
hollow cylinders open at their upper part and closed at the bottom by a hinged:
trap opening from upwards to downwards; these hollow cylinders are designed
to receive ballast, whereby the immersion of the apparatus and the displace->
ment of the centre of gravity are allowed and facilitated (by the opposite
cylinders getting emptied to that end which it is desired to keep lower down
or more depressed.) This displacement of the centre of gravity, 1st, in the
whole of the apparatus; 2nd, in each part thereof, allows of each half pontoon
occupying the comparative position required for taking hold of the wreck.
.
. I have represented my said improvements in the annexed Drawing. In the
arrangement shown at Figure 1 each half is provided at its upper part with a
pump chamber closing by a valve which opens from without inwards, and at.
its lower part with another chamber opening from within outwards, to which
last chamber, and beforo the valve, is fitted a tube provided with a stop-cock..
Supposing a resisting side walled shell of any form or shape A, B, C, D,
which has at its upper part a chamber P provided with a valve S opening from.
without inwards, at its lower part another chamber P¹ with a valve S' opening
from within outwards and secured by a set screw, and on the latter chamber a
tube E provided with a stop-cock R; supposing likewise the said shell to be.
immersed still floating on water, by means of a force pump or any sufficiently
powerful blower I force through the chamber P into the shell an amount of.
air, the pressure of which is expressed by (N.+ 1), (N being the pressure in
atmospheres undergone by any body sunk in water to the depth that the shell:
is to descend to), then through the same chamber I introduce the amount of
water required to make the said shell sink; through the ring F is passed a
rope terminated by an anchor, which points out the very spot down to which
the shell is to be brought, so that the rope being thus stretched the shell may
not take any other, direction.. Supposing now the same shell has reached the
desired spot and the valve S' is restored its free action, owing to the different
pressures undergone. by the two surfaces it will then open, the water within

page_text: will be ejected, and thus released the shell will come up again to the surface.
If we suppose now that the shell has been slipped and embedded in sand for a
long time it will suffice, previous to releasing the valve S¹, to open the cock R
to direct the tube E to the sand which surrounds the sides of the shell, the
produced effect of which will be in direct ratio to the force of the jet. This
force may be analysed or expressed as follows:-The difference of pressures
undergone by the inside and outside walls of the shell minus the resistance
opposed by water to the progress of the jet. Now, by reason of the pre-
cautions taken, the internal pressure exceeds by three atmospheres the external
pressure, (one atmosphere before the induction of. water, and nearly two atmo-
spheres resulting from the diminution of the volume or bulk of air compressed
by the fact of the introduction of water.. This force properly directed will
effect generally the release and rise of the shell, but should it be insufficient I
can produce at a calculated distance from the recumbent sides of the wreck.
the explosion of any required amount of nitro-glycerin, which acting like a
strong wave shall cause or determine the oscillating motion of the sand embedded.
wreck, the result of course will be proportionate to the strain applied, and to-
the extent of the receiving surface. The extent of the pressure is more and
more increased as the clearing operation goes on, and then the shell rises up
slowly; the cock R is afterwards shut so as to allow the valve S¹ to work or
play; the equilibrium between the pressures being established the shell as it.
rises is self-cleared from the ballast it carries, and released from the internal.
pressure it undergoes. Such are the means of action applied to the working
of each half pontoon which has been freed from its ballast immediately the
hold of the wrecked ship has been obtained.
I have represented at Figure 2 another arrangement, which though
grounded on the same principle as already exposed still obviates certain
difficulties which might result from, 1st, the induction of water into a medium
wherein is contained. compressed air at a high pressure; 2ndly, the great.
thickness of metal required for an apparatus which with a large diameter is
to support a high pressure; 3rdly, the immediate or direct strain exerted by
the air upon water.
A, B, C, D, shows a section of a cylinder in a plane passing through its
axis; m, n,.m', n', are two circular openings made through each base of the
cylinder; E,,F, generator communicating with the cylinder by the pipe T, 0,
this communication being established or cut off at will by the cock R; P, P¹,.
pistons provided with two safety valves S, S¹; G, H, is a pipe, whereby are.
allowed through the cock. X to evolve at will. the gases contained within the
cylinder. Now supposing the cocks R, X, closed and the pistons P, P, at

page_text: the bases of the cylinder, if the latter is placed in water it will float on opening
afterwards the cock X; the internal pressure of the air in the cylinder is the
atmospheric pressure, the external pressure on the pistons P, P¹, is also the
atmospheric pressure plus the weight of a volume of water, which depends on
the depth to which the cylinder is immersed. The external pressure on the
pistons being greater than the internal tension these will be brought nearer
to each other, driving away part of the air contained therein through the
cock X, diminishing thereby the volume of water displaced by the cylinder,
and consequently causing the latter to become immersed, which being done.
the cock X is shut up. The cylinder having commenced its descent is heavier
than the weight of the volume of water it displaces, and consequently will go.
on descending, the pistons sinking more and more until the cylinder reaches:
the bottom. At any depth whatever that the cylinder may be it still under-
goes the same internal and external pressures, and its thickness may be reduced.
as much as possible, this thickness being only to be considered as a mere.
detail of construction. Supposing now that the cock R at the bottom of the
water being open the generator E, F, .lets a volume of gas evolve through.
the pipe. O, T, (whether said gas is taken from the atmosphere or obtained by
chenical operations), which volume of gas fills up the whole.apparatus at a
pressure equal to the external pressure, then the pistons P, P¹, recede from.
one another, bringing back to the cylinder the volume or quantity of water
displaced, and the apparatus will re-ascend. In order to maintain the equi-:
librium of both the internal and external pressures the pistons P, P¹, are
provided with two safety valves S, S', opening from within outwards, so as to.
allow the gas to escape, which determines the excess of the internal pressure.
over the external one when the pistons have reached the end of their stroke..
Each pontoon contains such a cylinder substituted for the case or shell in
which compressed air and water were introduced. The principle is still the
same, the only alteration in the mode of action is that the two fluids (gas and
water) are separated by a solid partition acting as a piston.
In some cases, and in order that the apparatus may produce a lesser volume
of gas, I use the arrangement represented at Figure 3. In the inside and
central part of the cylinder above described I fit another hollow cylinder A, B,
which is tightly closed, and answers the following conditions:-Supposing it is
desired to sink the cylinder to a depth of fifty yards, which depth answers to
an external pressure of about 6 atmospheres, I make it of thick sheet iron
that will with regard to its diameter correspond to 3 atmospheres. Previous
to the immersion the excess of the internal strain over the external pressure
will be 2 atmospheres only, but as the cylinder sinks down the external

page_text: pressure increasing there will be more and more approximated, the equilibrium
of the pressures taking place at a depth of 20 yards, beyond which point the
external pressure exceeds the internal tension, and at 50 yards depth finally
exceeds it by 3 atmospheres, or a force for which the said cylinder was con-
structed. By this contrivance I am enabled in replacing the metallic by the
gaseous resistance to sink a much less heavy and quite as much resisting
cylinder. In case this constant internal cylinder were used the ballast on each
pontoon should equal the weight of the volume of water displaced by this
cylinder, so as to render the immersion possible.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the principle of my Invention; but I claim as my
Invention the so-called salvage apparatus as described and intended to bring
afloat stranded ships, and which consists in applying over the sides of the
grounded vessel a belt formed of an immersible pontoon in two parts which
carries down with it in a latent state the force required beneath water to clear
it of its ballast, and also for releasing the ship from sand, the immersion of
the apparatus and its return to the surface resulting from the conditions of
equilibrium of a body, which being immersed in a fluid will vary in its volume
without varying in its weight; this variation of bulk at a precise moment
resulting from an amount of any atmospheric or other gas evolving within the
cylinder sufficient to make up the volume thereof at the pressure it undergoes
at the point it has been immersed; finally, this evolving is obtained readily
and at will by the combination of very small quantities of sulphuric acid, for
instance, and bicarbonate of soda.
In witness whereof, I, the said Count-Arthur Dillon, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.