IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING THEIR SAFETY AND " UTILITY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county
of Lancaster, Civil Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS
OR OTHER VESSELS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING THEIR SAFETY AND
"
UTILITY a communication from Monsieur Henry Le Roux a person resident
at Paris in tho republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th July 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
INCREASING THEIR SAFETY AND UTILITY a communication from Monsieur Henry
Le Roux a person resident at Paris in the republic of France
33
The following is a description of the invention exactly as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent with orders to file, except that it is translated from
the French and where the words I and my occur, they have been made impersonal
or changed to "Monsieur Le Roux."
"The system of the vessel which forms the subject of the present application,
for a patent, is characterized by a belt of air space, with water tight compartments
existing on the outside on its upper part and for the arrangement of a flat bottom,
having a concavity for its wholo length, and in its middle so as to form a kind of
channel filled by relatively calm water giving the effect of water ballast.
This system of navigation which (whether with two keels and two rudders or
with a single keel and a single rudder) admits of movable partitions forming a
wall which can be turned round on the deck, when the vessel sails upon a river,
and placed in its normal position again when it is on the open sea.
Figs and 2 representing the first a transverse and the second a longitudinal
elevation of a vessel having two keels in which
P are movable partitions
CC movable crotchets fixing the partitions

page_text: FP F flat bottom of the vessel joining the two keels, and making use of the
outer water as ballast.
9. q. keels of the vessel about fifteen centimetres high on the outside and 75
centimetres of total height.
H screw..
B hollow zinc tubes, filling the extent of the floating air spaces and covering the
tubes S in order to protect them against the encroachment of the water in case of
running foul of a vessel.
NN level of the deck.
Qrudder which is the prolongation of the keel, each of the two keels is provided
with a rudder.
Fig 3. shows the arrangement given to the channel which stretches along the
middle of the flat bottom of a vessel, on Monsieur Le Roux's plan provided with n
-keel-and-with a-single helm.
-
Vessels on the above plan, are believed by Monsieur Le Roux to present the
following advantages.
1st. Considerable diminution in draft in a loaded vessel of equal. weight with
occan vessels as at present constructed.
2nd. Possibility given to vessels constructed for long voyages of a pretty heavy
tonnage of being able to navigate rivers having two metres and a half to four
metres of water.
3rd. Possibility at the same time of river navigation, of navigation on the high seas
and of long or short coasting and even long voyages.
4th. The speed whether for sailing vessels or for steam vessels will be the same as
in other vessels, seeing that 'the vessel on the improved system will not displace
more water than any other vessel of the same tonnage, and its resistance in the
water will therefore not be increased.
5th. By the means of this belt of floating air spaces, with water tight compartments
existing on the outside at the top, vessels according to this new system will have a
more even course upon the water than any other vessels. they will rise better on
the billows, experiencing much less rolling, and the depression below the bottom
will procure for them a kind of water ballast, which will keep them from over-
straining.
6th. The vessel according to this plan will be less susceptible in case of collision
of being injured than another because its floating air spaces with. water tight
compartments have the effect of empty pontoons offering a first resistance to the
shock and another resistance more serious to leaking. There will be on account of
these two causes a greater security for the crew and a considerable diminution in
the risk of total loss resulting from accident on the ocean.
7th. To equal tonnago, thanks to its floating air spaces, this vessel will carry in
weight more than any other actual vessel of the same gauge, and this difference
spread over an annual series of voyages will well compensate for the greater
expense of the first construction; so much so that this system must procure a
reduction in the premium of life and cargo insurance.
Thus as has been said already, the depression existing in the channel along the
middle of the flat bottom of the vessel, being instantly occupied by the water has
the effect of a water ballast and will procure for the screw the advantages of
avoiding the eddies which are caused by swift vessels and overworking the machine,
for the screw will be greatly strengthened by the flow of water circulating in the
empty bottom, water nearly or always calm, The two keels and two rudders as
shown by Figs 1 and 2, the two rudders which are prolongations of the keels are
by their posts united above deck, by means of a bar or chain, which causes them
to act simultaneously in the saine way.
Besides the facts mentioned in the above, facts which are in connection with the
modifications, which my plan affords in the actual construction of vessels, all the
other details of the construction as well as the management of the equipment of
the vessels remain the same, with the exception that instead of being fastened to

page_text: the two sides of one and the same keel, tho timbers at each side of the vessel are
fixed to the outside of each keel. The flat bottom which joins the two keels to
their upper extremity is constructed on the same principle as the sides of the vessel,
planks and ribs above and below.
Fig 3. relates to a design of my plan with one keel and consequently with one
rudder. It is seen in this design that the central depression of the bottom has a
rounded section and in the middle of this depression there rests a keel G the
whole length of the vessel, terminating upon a stern-post, similar to that of all the
vessels, and upon which the rudder is fixed.
The builders can then build vessels according to Monsieur Le Roux's plan, either
with two keels and two rudders or with one keel and one rudder according to
the intention for which the vessel is built."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Phillips Thompson in the Patent Office on the
25th January 1884.
"
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county of Lancaster Civil
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
INCREASING THEIR SAFETY AND UTILITY A communication from Monsieur Henry
Le Roux, a person resident at Paris in the republic of France
"
(The following is a description of the invention exactly as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent with orders to file, except that it is translated from
the French and where the words "1" and "my' occur they have been made
impersonal or changed to "Monsieur Le Roux").
"
The system of vessel which forms the object of this invention is characterized
by a hollow belt of air spaces with water-tight compartments situated on the
outside in the upper parts of the vessel, and by the arrangement of a flat bottoin
extending the whole length of the vessel at its middle and depressed or at a
different level so as to form a kind of channel filled by relatively calm water,
giving the effect of water ballast. This system of vessel, which may have two
keels and two rudders or a single keel and a single rudder, admits also of
movable partitions forming a wall, which can be turned over upon the deck
when the vessel is sailing upon a river and set up again when it is on the
open sen.
П
Figs. 1 and 2 represent a transverse section and a side elevation of a ship with
two keels on my system, the essential features of which will be described below.
In these P are movable partitions. CC movable crotchets fixing the partitions.
SS air spaces formed by hollow tubes. T inside of the stern of the vessel.
FPF flat bottom of the vessel joining the two keels and making use of the
outer water as ballast. q q' keels of the vessel having in regard to the other
dimensions indicated a height on the outside of about fifteen centimetres and a
total height of seventy five centimetres. H screw. B hollow zinc tubes filling
up the extent of the air spaces and covering the tubes S in order to protect them
against the encroachment of the water in case of running foul of something.
NN level of the deck. Q rudder which is placed on the prolongation of the
keel; each of the two keels is provided with its rudder.
Fig 3 shows the arrangement given to the channel along the middle of the
flat bottom of a ship on my system provided with a single keel and a single
rudder.
Vossels on the above plan are believed by Monsieur Le Roux to present the
following advantages :——
1st. Considerable diminution in draught of water in a loaded vessel of equal
weight with ocean-going vessels as at present constructed.
2nd. Possibility given to ocean-going vessels of a pretty heavy tonnage, of being
able to navigate rivers which have two metres and a half to four metres of water.
3rd Possibility whilst still fit for river navigation of navigation on the high
seas, and of long or short consting and even long voyages.
4th. The speed whether for sailing vessels or for steam vessels will be the same
as in other vessels, seeing that the vessel on the improved system will not displace
moro water than any other vessel of the samo tonnage, and its resistance in the
water will therefore not be increased.
5th. By means of the belt of air spaces with water tight compartments situated
on the outside at the top vessels according to this new system will float on the
water in better equilibrium than any other vessels; they will rise better on the
billows, experiencing much less rolling, and the depression below the bottom
will procure for them a kind of water ballast, which will keep them from over
straining.

page_text: 6th. The vessel according to this plan will be less susceptible in case of collision
of being injured than another because its air spaces with water tight compartments
will have the effect of empty pontoons, opposing a first resistance to the shock
and another more serious resistance to leaking. There will be on both of these
grounds a greater security for the crew and a considerable diminution of risk of
total loss resulting from accident on the occan.
7tb. Thanks to its floating air spaces, this vessel will carry more weight than
any other vessel at present constructed of the saine nett gauge and of equal tonnage,
and this differenco spread over an annual series of voyages will well compensate
for the greater expense of first construction; so much so that this system must
procure a reduction in the premium of life and cargo insurance.
Thus as has been said already the depression or channel along the middle of
the flat bottom of the vessel, being constantly occupied by the water, has tho
effect of water ballast and will procure for the screw the advantages of avoiding
the eddies which are caused by swift vessels and which strain the engines, for the
screw will be principally fed by the current of water circulating in the channel
at the bottom, wator always calm or nearly so. In the case of a vessel with two
keels and two rudders as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the two rudders which are on
the prolongations of the keels are by their posts united above deck by means
of a bar or chain, which causes them to act simultaneously in the same
direction.
Besides the facts mentioned in the above description which are in connection
with the modifications which my system affords in the present construction of
vessels, all the other details of the construction as well as the management and
equipment of the vessels remain the same, with the exception that instead of being
fastened to the two sides of one and the same keel the ribs at each side of tho
vessel are fixed to the outside of each keel. The flat bottom which joins the two
keels at their upper extremity is constructed on the same principle as the sides of
the vessel, ribs, and planking above and below.
Fig. 3 relates to a type of my system with one keel and consequently with one
rudder. It is seen in this design that the central depression of the bottom has a
rounded section and that in the middle of this depression there rests a keel a
extending the whole length of the vessel, terminating in a stern-post similar to
that of all vessels, and upon which the rudder is fixed.
The builders can then build vessels according to Monsieur Le Roux's plan, either
with two keels and two rudders, or with one keel and one rudder according to tho
intention for which the vessel is built.
Having now described the invention, being a translation of the specification
forwarded to me in French by my foreign correspondent-I wish it to bo
understood that what I claim is
The system of vessel with one or two keels, characterized by the air spaces
with water-tight compartments, the arrangement of flat bottom with a depression
or channel following the longitudinal axis of the said flat bottom, and the movable
partitions, substantially as described above and represented in the accompanying
drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Phillips Thompson havo hereunto sot
my hand and seal this twenty fourth day of January in the year of our Lord
hondand and sighter Cow