Improvements in and relating to the use of Compressed Air on Board Ship, and in the Recovery of Sunken Ships.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the use of Compressed Air on
Board Ship, and in the Recovery of Sunken Ships.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS, of 46 Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to the application of compressed air to floating vessels, with
the means and apparatus for effecting that purpose, in order; to prevent the vessels
from sinking; to refloat them when sunk; to extinguish and prevent fires in them;
to ventilate and preserve cargoes in them; and to indicate or mark the sites or
positions of the same when sunk.
I effect my object in the following way.
The vessels are constructed in one or several compartments, and are made air-
tight by caulking or any suitable means. The hatches and doorways are provided
with flexible jointing material, such as indiarubber, asbestos, or their compounds, or
similar substances.
This jointing material may be so placed as to close the spaces between the doors
and frames when the doors are shut, and thus render them airtight. In the case of
sliding doors between two compartments, the jointing material is generally applied
to both sides of the doors or frames, so that, on which ever side of the door the
pressure predominates, the door is forced or pressed against the jointing material
opposed to that pressure. In the case of hinged doors, and outside doors, the
jointing material need only be applied to one side. The jointing material is
sometimes tubular, round or oval in section, and may be inflated with air or
water after the door is shut. The jointing material may be placed in recesses or
channels formed in the door-frames or in the doors, so that the solid parts of the
doors and frames go together and prevent the material from being compressed
beyond its elasticity.
The doors may be shut by hand or machine power; operated directly, or by
means of ropes, chains, rods, or like transmitters of power, but they are preferably
shut by means of compressed air, acting upon pistons and cylinders, bellows-like
cylinders, or discs, to shut the doors, or to liberate catches pauls or latches,
for allowing the doors to close of their own weight, balances, or springs. This
pneumatic system is applicable for shutting doors while they are under water, and
at a long distance.
Airtight vessels and their compartments thus constructed and arranged, are
provided or equipped with apparatus or tubes for admitting and conveying air to
close the doors, and to force water out of the compartments; tubes reaching near
to the bottom of the compartments inside, and to deck, or other suitable places,
outside, for the ejection of water; insulated wires extending from inside the com-
partments to electric bells and indicators which are placed outside, to indicate the
presence of water in the compartments.
The air tubes are provided with pressure gauges to indicate the pressure of air
and height of water in the compartments.
All or any of the compartments may be provided with double doors forming air-
tight antechambers, by which men and material may pass in and out while it is
charged with compressed air. These may be fixtures, or portable and inter-
changable so that one set may be used with all or several compartments.
The tubes or inlets for air may terminate in suitable places outside the com-
partments with unions or other connectors, by which tubes or hoses from air pumps
or compressors may be attached, or the tubes may extend to suitable stations on
deck, or to any suitable part of the vessel, where all or some of these tube from the

page_text: compartments, may terminate in one or more tubes or junction chests, which
junction chests are also connected with air compressors.
Each compartment is furnished with a tube or channel, extending from near its
floor to deck, or some other suitable place, for the ejection of water which may be
forced out of a compartment without a leak in it. This tube or aperture may have
a union or connector, at its outer extremity, to which may be connected, ordinary
pumps for pumping water from the compartments, injectors for extinguishing fires
..and for ventilation and like purposes.
For vessels containing several or many compartments, the bell wires, and the
tubes for conveying air with their junction chests, may terminate at stations,
herein generally called, switch rooms, where the bells, indicators, pressure gauges,
and taps, are arranged and numbered or labelled to indicate their respective com-
partments, in a suitable and convenient manner for prompt service.
:
For marking the sites, and for the purpose of recovering these vessels when
sunk, there are ropes attached at one end to the vessels and at the other end to
floatable buoys; the ropes are kept coiled in any suitable manner so as to uncoil
easily and with certainty as the ships or vessels sink and the buoys float. The
ropes may be replaced with flexible tubes, attached, at one end to the junction
chests, and at the other end to the buoys or to ropes which are attached to the
buoys; thus, in some cases, making it practicable for the vessels to be ré-floated
without the aid of a diver, or enabling a diver to reach the tubes and connect them
with salvage tubes, in cases where sunken vessels are too deep for a diver to
descend to.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will describe some of
the purposes to which it may be applied, and the means and manner of using it.
For this purpose I select a vessel supposed to be a sea-going vessel, constructed on
my principle and system.
This vessel is supposed to be divided into several airtight compartments by floors
decks and partitions or diaphragms, its doorways and hatches are also airtight
when the doors are closed. On deck is a room or space called the switch room, in
which there are; a junction chest, supplied with air, when required, by fixed or
portable compressors. From this junction chest there are tubes for the admission
of air, extending to the compartments. In these tubes there are taps, so arranged
that each one may be turned on or off separately, or they may be turned on in
series by moving connecting rods or levers; to these tubes, between the taps and
compartments, are attached pressure gauges, to shew the pressure of air in the
compartments, graduated for feet or metres of water, and also branch unions with
valves or taps, for use in extinguishing fires, or injecting prepared air or gas, for
purposes herein explained; there are also one or more electric bells, with numbered
indicators, and bell wires extending to each compartment; from near the floor of
each compartment to near the deck, there is a tube or channel which may terminate
with a union or connector for letting out water when there is no leak in the com-
partment, for admitting water when a vessel is sinking and for other purposes
herein explained.
If this vessel were to spring a leak by striking a rock or otherwise, the inflowing
water, would, by moving a float or other device, complete the electric circuit, cause
a bell to ring, and the number of the affected compartment to be exposed; the tap
bearing this exposed number would be turned on, and the air compressors started,
when compressed air would pass into the tube to the door closing apparatus, close
the door or doors, and, when these were shut, the air would flow into the compart-
ment. Water would also continue to flow in through the leak until equilibrium
had obtained between air and water, after which water would flow out through the
leak as air was forced in from the compressors, until air blew out at the leak, when
the pressure gauge would indicate the depth of the leak below the surface of the
water in which the vessel were floating. Then the compressors might be stopped
if this compartment were quite airtight, otherwise they might be worked slowly
to supply any leakage there might be. The vessel could then proceed on its

page_text: voyage or to port, though the leakage in the bottom might be too large for ordinary
pumps to overcome.
If the vessel before described were to sink, the buoy would float as the vessel
went down; the rope attached to buoy and vessel would uncoil, and the buoy
would indicate the position or site of the sunken vessel. Using this rope as a guide,
a diver could descend with one end of a flexible tube, the other end of the tube
being attached to air compressors presumably in a salvage vessel, and, on reaching
the switch room, would connect the tube to the junction chest, or to separate tubes
or inlets, and set the taps as required for admitting compressed air which would
first close the doors and then force the water out of the compartments through the
ejector tubes or leaks, until the vessel rose to the surface; after which more air
could be injected and water ejected, till the vessel were sufficiently out of water to
be towed or taken by its own propellers to port.
To extinguish a fire in this vessel, the doors of the compartment on fire might
be closed, and, instead of air, carbonic acid gas produced from the stored liquid, or
other fire extinguishing material, would be injected at the connectors on the branch
air tubes, or on the water ejector tubes; thus extinguishing the fire without wetting
the cargo.
To prevent fire in goods liable to spontaneous combustion, the doors may be
closed and in some cases a current of air forced in at one tube and out at the other;
or sufficient fire extinguishing material might be injected to render the contents of
the compartment incapable of supporting combustion.
With a vessel constructed and equipped as herein described, the apparatus may
be used for injecting dry air, warm air, cool air, and freezing air, to preserve goods
therein according to their respective requirements.
All the parts of this my invention may be applied to and used in one vessel, or
only such parts as may be required for each vessel.
My invention may be applied to any kind of ship, boat, barge, caisson, or other
floating vessel for which it may be required, and may be varied in detail to suit
each vessel.
Some of such modifications are as follows: Hydraulic power or compressed air
may be used through special tubes for closing the doors; the doors may be
counterbalanced with springs or otherwise, to close or open, and the air or water
used for closing them may either, force them to close, or liberate catches or latches
to allow them to shut or spring to of themselves; the number of taps connected in
series may vary; when a sunken vessel has a flexible tube connected to its air
junction chest and a buoy, the salvage air tube may be joined to it at the buoy
without the necessity of a diver, and when the buoy line is composed of part tube
and part rope, the diver need only descend to the top of the tube and there make
the connection, thus, (providing that the doors were shut or taps had been
turned on before the vessel sank so that a sufficient number of compartments
could be filled with compressed air to float the vessel) it could be floated from a
greater depth than a diver could descend; stoke rooms filled with compressed air,
and having fires burning in their furnaces, might be supplied with suitable valves,
and mechanical stokers or antechamber traps for supplying fuel, so as to regulate
the supply of air to the fires; valves, at or near the bottoms of the compartments
may be used instead of tubes or channels for the ejection of water; air pumps or
air compressors of any suitable kind may be used with this my invention and worked
with manual or mechanical power; any suitable valves may be used instead of
taps; instead of a pressure gauge for each compartment, one gauge may serve for
several compartments by means of interchangable connectors; the pressure gauges
may be graduated to any required scale; instead of terminating and uniting the
bell wires, tubes, indicators, bells, gauges, and connectors, at one central station or
switch room, they may be in several switch rooms, or separate in suitable parts of
the vessel; names may be used instead of numbers for distinguishing the com-
partments; the doors may, in some cases, be closed automatically by means of
**
:P

page_text: floats raised by inflowing water and acting upon the doors or their latches catches
or pauls; instead of a separate air tube for each compartment, one tube may in
some cases be used with several branches, to several compartments.
29th March 1892.
Improvements in and relating to the use of Compressed Air on
Board Ship, and in the Recovery of Sunken Ships.
I GEORGE EDWARDS, of 46 Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to the use & application of compressed air to ships and
floating vessels, with the means & apparatus for effecting that use and application,
in order to prevent ships from sinking; to refloat ships when sunk; to extinguish
& prevent fires in ships; to ventilate cargoes in ships; and to indicate or mark
the situation of sunken ships.
I now explain, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, how I effect my
object.
LIST OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a ship.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, & Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of parts of said
ship.
Figs. 4, 5 & 6 are diagrams relating to floats, for use in indicating the presence
of water, & for opening and closing valves, and doors.
Fig. 7 are diagrams of electrical indicators.
Figs. 8, 9 & 10 are sections of taps & valves, with pressure gauges, service and
supply pipes.
Fig. 11 is an elevation of a pressure gauge key & tap.
Figs. 12, 13, 14 & 15 are sections of door frames & jointing material for rendering
ships' doors airtight & watertight.
Figs. 16, 17 & 18 are diagrams of my improved air & watertight door, & door
jointing.
Fig. 19 is a section through a piston disc, for use in closing doors by means of
compressed air, or water power.
Fig. 20 is a diagram of a binged door.
Figs. 21, 22 & 23 are diagrams to show various applications of my invention.
The ships or vessels for use with my invention may be constructed with a suitable
number of compartments, & made airtight by caulking, or other suitable means.
The hatches and doorways are provided with flexible jointing material A such as
indiarubber, asbestos, or their compounds, or similar substances, to render them
airtight & watertight. This jointing material is preferably made in some hollow
form, like those shewn in Figs. 12, 13, 14 & 15, where it is shewn in its normal
form when the door B is not within the frame C, (Fig. 12) & slightly pressed when
the door B is between the two joints as at C Fig. 14. At Figs. 13 & 15 the
door B is shewn as pressed in the directions indicated by the arrows, more on
one side than the other, & A¹ is squeezed into its recess while the door B is
prevented by part of the framing C' from forcing A' beyond its elasticity while A
is left free.
The door joints are here shewn for sliding doors between two compartments
where greater pressure of air or water may sometimes be on one side & sometimes

page_text: on the other, they may however be used singly with hinged doors like Fig. 20, or
sliding doors or hatches where pressure is wanted on one side only.
The jointing material A is preferably made in one piece, for each door, or for
each side of a door, frame like in form, as Fig. 18 with rounded or mitred corners,
so that there may be no joinings where air might escape.
In some cases
apertures A are inade in the jointing material to prevent bursting & to aid its
elasticity, & in other cases the hollow parts d of the door joints are connected by
tubes or channels (not shown) to deck, or some suitable place from where they may
be inflated with compressed air, or water power.
Figs. 16, 17 & 19 shew my improved sliding door for use with compressed air.
B is the door, C the frame, A the jointing material. This door may be opened and
closed by means of a windlass key placed in the hole of the pinion E, which, when
turned acts on the ratchet D, while the pawl F retains the door at the required
position.
The door B here shewn (Fig. 16) as open, may be closed in the following manner.
Compressed air is admitted through a pipe in the direction shewn by the arrow
at G (Figs. 17, 18 & 19) & entering the piston dise E at H, forces the elastic
diaphragm I, & the pin or piston rod J, into the position shewn by the dotted
lines I & J¹. This piu J, pushes the pawl F out of gear directly or by means of
connecting rods or cranks, & allows the door to shut by gravity or suitable weights
or springs. When the door is closed & near its seat, the projection K (Fig. 16)
forces the lever L (Figs. 16, 17 & 19) of the tap L' into the position shewn by the
dotted lines L, & thus opening the tap L' admits the compressed air into the
compartment now closed to receive it. This improved door may be closed as
described while under water, & water power may be employed to liberate the pawl
or catch F (Fig. 16) for closing the door in the same manner as that described
above for compressed air.
My improved ship rendered airtight in some or all its compartments, as before
described, is further provided when required, with air compressed by any of the
usual means, such as manual or steam air pumps or compressors, & with my
improved apparatus & tubes or channels for using the same for ejecting water as
herein after explained.
In the Figures 1, 2, 3 and others M are pipes or tubes to convey compressed air
to the airtight compartments. These pipes are generally disposed in convenient
angles like gas pipes, but they may take the form of supporting column M', or channels
formed by means of gusset plates M", which serve also for strengthening the ship.
They may terminate the one end at any convenient part of the compartments, & the
other end on deck at various places as at M³, suitable for attaching flexible air
pipes from the compressors by means of unions similar to those of the hose of a fire.
engine, but I prefer to unite the deck terminals in one or more central stations N,
which I herein call switch rooms. The switch room & apparatus shewn for example
at the Figs. 1, 2 & 3 is adapted for the service of 100 separate compartments or
series of compartments.
The circles O, Fig. 1 shew the general position of some of the pressure gauges &
taps or valves which are shewn in detail by the Figs. 8, 9, 10 & 11, where O is a
pressure gauge, P a tap or valve for turning on the supply of compressed air by the
hand key or lever P. Q is a service pipe connected with the air compressors
or reservoirs (not shewn), service pipe for use in connection with salvage ship
when recovering a sunken ship. R & R¹ (Figs. 8 & 10) are back pressure valves,
with springs S. The lever P (Fig. 10) may be held down by any suitable means,
not shewn.
In the switch room N (Figs. 1, 2, 3) there is an indicator board T, & electric
bells T', from which indicator board to the floats U, in the ship are electric wires V,.
which may be supplied with electric current from any suitable source. These!
indicators are shewn in detail by the Fig. 7, where pivotted indicators W, are drawn,
by electro magnets of any suitable form such as are shewn at W" to the holes in
the board W.

page_text: In each air tight compartment, or series of compartments, of the ship, there is a
float U, (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 21) generally placed in the lower part of the
compartment or in a well U¹.
This float U serves for switching on & off, an electric current for ringing the
bell T & working the indicator W, also to open & close a valve Y. As the
float U rises the valve Y of the injector pipe X opens as shown by the dotted lines,
& is closed by the weight of the float or by spring when water ceases to support it.
When the float rises the contact piece V touches V11 & pushes it to V; V being
electrically connected with or forming part of the wire V of the one pole, & Vi
& V³ being electrically connected with a wire or the ship, forming lead to the other
pole of a battery or generator, the circuit is thus completed.
Sometimes these floats U serve also for closing the ejector pipes as shewn in the
drawings Figs. 4, 5 & 6 where there are valves Y capable of being opened by
the floats U rising in water & closed by these floats taking their normal position by
spring or gravity when no water supports them.
Another form of valve & float for closing & opening the ejector pipes X when a
ship is lying on its side or end is shewn at Fig. 6 where the valve is shewn closed
by the full lines & open in two of the many positions the float is capable of taking,
by dotted lines.
Z, Fig. 1. is a buoy, to which is attached a rope or tube Z' all contained in a
suitable recess Z" which has an opening at Z for drainage & to admit water for
floating the buoy more promptly in case the ship should sink. The top of the buoy
being made to fit well the opening so as to keep out surf water.
Having described the general features of the apparatus for carrying out my
invention, I now describe some of the purposes for which it is intended, & the
manner of using it. For this purpose I select a sea going ship, constructed on my
improved principle & system.
This vessel is divided into several airtight compartments by floors, decks, &
partitions, which are furnished with airtight doors. On deck is a switch room N,
to which compressed air may be conveyed in pipes Q to the valves P. The
magnets W of the indicators W & bells T¹ are connected by wire to the float
switches V'. This ship is now supposed to spring a leak at e (Fig. 21) in the
compartment No. 13. The inflowing water at e acts upon the float U, (shewn in
several figures) makes electric contact by pressing V₁ against V & V³, rings a
bell T and exposes No. 13 on the indicator board T. The tap No. 13 is then
turned on & the compressors started, compressed air passes through Q, P, M,
to the piston disc I, &, acting upon the disc piston E, pushes the pin J which
releases the pawi F, when the door B closes by gravity or spring as the case may
be. When nearly closed the projection K on the closing door presses the lever L,
& opening the tap L', admits the compressed air into the closed compartment
No. 13, through the pipe M. If the door is already closed when the accident
occurs, the air is at once admitted through the tap L' which is always open when
the door is shut. When the air in the compartment has been compressed by means
of the compressors & inrushing water, to a density equal to the pressure due to the
difference of levels of water inside & outside the compartment, water ceases to flow
in at the leak, & any additional quantity of air forced in at a superior pressure to
that outside will force a corresponding quantity of water out until the air reaches
the leak & there blows off, when the tap or valve P may be turned off, & the
compressors stopped or worked slowly. During this operation, at all times when
a compartment is charged with compressed air the pressure gauge O, being in
communication with the air in the compartment, through the channel a (Figs. 8, 9, 10)
& indicates the difference of level between sea level (Fig. 21) and the water in the
compartment at e rendering. it easy to determine the height of the water in the
compartment during the lowering, & the height of the leak e when the pressure
becomes constant through air blowing off at the leak. And so on with other
compartments which may have leaks in them, simultaneously or successively.

page_text: To eject water by my improved means, from compartments in which there are
no leaks, each compartment, or series of compartments in communication, is pro-
vided with an ejection pipe X (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 21) reaching from the bottom
of the compartment, or its well U₁ to deck or some convenient place above sea
level, as at X through which the water is ejected by means of compressed air in
the compartment, in the same manner as described above for those with leaks in
them.
If a ship provided with my improved compressed air apparatus as herein described
were to sink & be submerged in water not too deep for a diver to reach the switch
house N, (as at Fig. 22 for instance) it might be recovered in the following
manner.
The buoy Z would indicate the site of the ship. A diver g would descend with:
one end of the flexible tube h, & connect it with the supply pipe Q by means of a
union N' at the switch house N, (the other end of the flexible tube being connected
with compressors on land or on board a salvage vessel i or raft) & then open &
close the taps or valves 1', as required in succession while compressed air would be
forced into the compartments (first closing the doors, if not already closed,) till
sufficient water had been ejected, through leaks or the ejection pipes X, to refloat
the ship. When it would float & it could be further emptied in a similar manner &
conveyed to shore or proceed on its voyage.
A ship constructed on my improved principle as herein explained is also capable
of being recovered from a greater depth than can be reached by a diver, or
without the aid of a diver, in the following manner. As the ship' descends water
enters at Z (Fig. 1) & pushes out the buoy Z which uncoils the flexible:
tube which is permanently connected at one end to the buoy & at the other end.
to the supply pipe Q. This buoy indicating the site of the wreck, & supporting-
one end of the Hexible tube, is approached by a salvage vessel or other means, &
the buoyed up tube is then connected directly or by means of other tubes
(Figs. 22 & 23) to the air compressors on the salvage ship i or a raft, or on land if
near enough & the compressors are started. Compressed air entering Q' opens.
the back pressure valve R', &, being prevented from passing into Q, by the
valves P (Fig. 10) & R (Fig. 8) the compressed air passes through the pipe M to
its respective compartment, first closing the door if not already closed, and then
forcing out the water through leaks & ejector pipes as described for the cases
before mentioned. As however the taps & valves in this case cannot be worked
by hand, the automatic valves provided for the purpose are used in the manner
described hereafter.
Compressed air in the pipes Q¹ which all communicate, presses equally on all
the valves R', & finding the least resistance in a compartment, generally nearest
the surface of the sea, will first lift the valve belonging to that compartment &
force out its water until the float U, being no longer supported by the water, allows
the valve Y to close, & prevent loss of air, then another valve R', offering the
least resistance, is raised & another compartment emptied. In some cases however
several compartments will be in course of emptying at the same time, when the
water in all will be maintained at about the same level if the resistances are equal.
And so on until sufficient water has been ejected to allow the ship to float, when it
will rise to the surface, & may be righted by means of the taps & valves being
worked by hand directing the compressed air to force water from those compart-
ments which require lighting for that purpose.
Some large compartments would have two or more ejection pipes U placed in
opposite corners as in Fig. 2, & provided with the valve shewn Fig. 6, so that
the compartment may he nearly emptied though the ship may be lying flat on
her side as shown at Fig. 23, or on one end as well as on her bottomn.
The side wings & water ballast compartments, or some of them, may have only
one ejector pipe placed preferably on the side nearest the shell of the ship, so that
the compartments which are at the lowest side of a ship lying or lurching on her
side, may be first emptied & tend to right the ship.

page_text: The valve shewn Fig. 6 is designed specially for use in deep sea salvage but may
also be used for ordinary cases.
The ejection pipes X (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 21) besides serving to eject water
serve also for admitting water to compartments while they are sinking, & so to
maintain equilibrium of pressure, & prevent collapse. Back pressure valves, (not
shewn) may be inserted in the pipes Q or other suitable places while a ship is
sinking.
1.
Instead of a tube being attached to the buoy Z, a cord may take its place
to simply show the site of the wreck, or the communication between buoy &
ship may be composed of part tube Z' (nearest the ship) & part line (near the
buoy) as shewn at Fig. 23, so as to render it practicable to recover a ship at
a great depth with less length of tube attached to the buoy, in which case a
diver would descend to the top of the tube Z & connect another tube m from
the salvage ship i to it at n. Instead of a pressure gauge for each compartment,
one may serve for several compartments, & several compartments may communicate
so as to form a series to be worked by one set of taps or valves & injection &
ejection pipes.
In some cases my improved door B may be made to close by the float v acting
upon the pawl F by means of suitable connecting rods, or wires & cranks like
those used for ringing house bells, or by electricity as herein described for working
the indicators W.
This my improved apparatus may also be used for injecting compressed air; for
ventilation of cargoes; to prevent damage or spontaneous combustion; for injecting
warm, cool, dry or freezing air for preserving cargoes; also for injecting or con-
veying carbonic acid gas or other fire extinguishing substances, in conjunction with
compressed air, for preventing & extinguishing fires in ships. These substances or
compounds may be injected or admitted through the unions N' & the pipes Q, Q1, M,
& valves P, or through the connectors M³, or X1, & the injector pipes X. This
my arrangements of pipes, for inlet & outlet, affords greater facility than hitherto,
for the use of liquid carbonic acid; the liquid being stored in suitable vessels with
taps or valves, & connectors to fit those at M', N₁, or the like, would, in case of
need, be so connected & a tap or valve opened to allow the liquid to escape, which,
taking the form of gas, would force its way into the compartments & compressing
the air in the compartments would expel it through the other pipes, & occupy its
place as a fire extinguisher.
Where practicable, some of the compartments of my improved ship would be
used for water or liquid ballast, which, by my improved means & apparatus, could
be ejected to lighten the ship, & so aid in floating her, when she had gone aground
at high tide.
When a ship is not equipped with that portion of my invention, herein described,
& which specially relates to deep sea salvage, the buoy tubes 71, & portions of
valves & pipes between b & c (Figs. 8 & 10) also the valves Y (Figs. 1, 4, 5 & 6)
may be omitted.
When deep-sea salvage is provided for in a ship & the compartments are furnished
with my self-acting valve Y, I also supply them with safety valves of any suitable
construction, opening outwards so that, as the ship rises & the outward pressure.
becomes less than the inner pressure, air may escape from the compartment to
maintain such equilibrium of pressure between inside & outside as to prevent
bursting of the ship. These safety valves (not shewn) may open into the ejector
pipes X, or at any suitable part of the ship.
All the parts of this my invention may be applied to & used in or in connection
with one ship or vessel, or only such parts as may be required for any one vessel.
Airtight antechambers, by which men may pass into compartments filled with
compressed air would be provided to suit circumstances.
The word "ship" used herein signifies any kind of ship, boat, barge, raft, or
vessel, to which my invention is applicable.
For liberating or forcing the pawl F (Fig. 16), out of gear with the ratchet D

page_text: for closing a door B, an ordinary cylinder or piston may be used instead of the
disc & piston I & J (Figs. 16, 17 & 19); & instead of, or in combination with,
the piston, I sometimes used connecting rods, or wires & cranks (not shewn) like
those of a house bell, for closing the door B. One end of these rods or wires being
attached to the pawl F, & the other end terminating at any suitable station on
board, enables an operator to disengage the pawl F & allow the door to close,.
though it may be under water.
The ratchet D (Fig. 16) & its accessories may be applied & used on both
edges of the door.
One end of the airtight door B is bevelled, or chisel edged as shewn in Figs. 12,
13, 14, 15, & of the shape shewn at x, y, z, (Fig. 16) in order that it may pass.
between or along side the jointing material without injuring it.
The hinged doors may be made to close with springs as shewn at Fig. 20 & the
sliding doors for both horizontal & vertical positions may be supplied with
suitable springs to close them when they are in such a position as not to close
by gravity. These springs are preferably made in the form of clock springs
with fusee wheels p (Fig. 16) & chain or cord q (Fig. 16) acting on any suitable
part of the door.
Instead of all the pipes M terminating in one or more switch rooms N they may
terminate on deck at suitable places such as M³ & the like, with union connectors,
to which may be connected flexible pipes for conveying compressed air from fixed
or portable manual or steam compressors on board the same ship or through. a.
salvage pipe h.
The buoy Z (Figs. 1 & 2) is made to fit its container Z" at the top, so that surf
or wave may not displace it, but in the bottom of the container there is an opening
at Z for drainage & to admit water for floating the buoy if the ship should sink.
The word airtight herein used does not necessarily mean absolutely airtight, but
sufficiently airtight to render practicable the use of compressed air in the manner
& for the purposes herein described.
In the drawings, similar letters of reference donotes similar parts of the
apparatus.
Any suitable machine may be used for compressing air which may be used
directly or stored for use with this my invention.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1st. The improvements in & relating to the use of compressed air on board
ship & in the recovery of sunken ships, as & for the purposes herein substantially
described.
2nd. The doors for rendering ships' compartments airtight by means of & in
combination with elastic jointing material, as herein shewn & described.
3rd. The application of hollow elastic jointing material for rendering ships' doors.
airtight as & for the purposes herein described & shewn.
4th. The combination of ratchet, pinion, key, & pawl, for opening, closing, &
sustaining doors of ships, as herein described & shewn.
5th. The combination of ratchet, pawl, & piston, for closing ships' doors, by
means of air or water pressure, as herein described & shewn.
6th. The combination of ratchet & pawl, with wires, cranks, & connecting rods,
for closing doors by hand & with automatic floats, as herein described.
7th. The combination of tap L' with lever Ĺ & projection K as & for the
purposes herein described & shewn.
8th. The combination of air pipes or channels M, M¹, M", with union con-
nectors M³, as & for the purposes herein shewn & described.
9th. The combination of several airpipes M in a switch room with hand taps &
valves P, & the service pipes Q, as & for the purposes herein described & shewn.

page_text: 10th. The combination of several pipes M with automatic valves R¹, S, & the
service pipes Q substantially as & for the purposes herein described & shewn.
11th. The application of ejection pipes & channels X, X, X³, to ships as & for
the purposes herein described & shewn.
12th. The construction & combination with the ejection pipes, X of the float
valves Y, as & for the purposes herein described & shewn.
13th. The construction & combination of automatic electric bells, & indicators
for ships, as & for the purposes herein set forth.
14th. A flexible tube ½ & its connectors to convey compressed air for the
recovery of sunken ships, as herein shewn & described.
15th. The application & combination of flexible tubes Z' & buoys Z, to indicate
the sites & to aid in the recovery of sunken ships, as herein described & shewn.
16th. The combination of a flexible tube Z, a line K, & a buoy Z, to indicate
the site & to aid in the recovery of sunken ships.
17th. The combination of the line K, the tube or line Z with a buoy Z*,
contained in a recess or well, Z", as & for the purposes herein described & shewn.
18th. The construction & combination of airtight compartments in ships, with
pipes, channels, & pipe connectors, for use with compressed air, as & for the
purposes herein described & shewn.
19th. The combination of airtight compartments of ships, with pipes, channels,
valves, & taps, for use with compressed air, as & for the purposes herein described
& shewn.
1
:
20th.. The combination of airtight compartments of ships, with pipes, channels,
valves, taps, buoys, flexible salvage tubes h & Z & buoy lines, K & Z' as & for
the purposes herein set forth, described & shewn.
21st. The use of compressed air for ventilating ships in the manner & by the
means of the apparatus herein described & shewn.
22nd. The method of applying liquid carbonic acid for preventing & extinguish-
ing fires in ships, as herein described & set forth.
Dated 30th December 1892.
GEORGE EDWARDS.