IMPROVEMENTS IN RAFTS FOR PASSENGER Ships, and IN THE MEANS OF LAUNCHING RAFTS AND SHIPS' BOATS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Thompson, of Sutton, Surrey, Shipbroker,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAFTS FOR PASSENGER Ships, and
IN THE MEANS OF LAUNCHING RAFTS AND SHIPS' BOATS."
IN THE MEANS OF LAUNCHING RAFTS AND SHIPS' BOATS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Thompson at
-the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th January 1875.
I, EDMUND THOMPSON, of Sutton, Surrey, Shipbroker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAFTS FOR
PASSENGER SHIPS, AND, IN THE MEANS OF LAUNCHING RAFTS AND SHIPS' BOATS," to
be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in rafts for passenger ships and in
the means of launching rafts and ships' boats consists in a raft built of
logs, preferably square, bolted or fastened together so as to divide the
raft into square or rectangular compartments or divisions, each com-
partment being about 8 feet in length by about 3 to 4 feet in width:

page_text: In each of these sections are placed between two gratings, above and
below, forming parts of the frame, cork mattresses, as many as are
needed.
Along the sides of the raft I construct thin iron lockers, air-tight, and
fitted with air-tight covers similar to the water covers of ships' tanks; 5
these lockers are filled with biscuit, provisions, and water. The outer
longitudinal sides of the raft are fitted with stanchions and ropes, or
netting, forming a strong enclosing frame, which can be made removable
or to fold down.
In the centre of the raft are two long bearers raised. above the other 1
longitudinal pieces to form a resting place or warp for a boat, the keel
of the boat resting on a roller fitted into these longitudinal pieces. If
needed and the raft is made wide enough two boats may be fitted in this
way.
To the raft is fitted one or more centre boards, either folding down in 1
one piece or divided into sections of the length of cach compartment.
In the latter case it may lift up into the sections like the ordinary centro
board and be actuated by any appropriate mechanism.
The centre of the raft rests on a strong frame built on the deck.. This
frame carries one or preferably two rollers the full width of the raft at 2
cách end; the raft rests on similar frames carrying one roller. These last
frames are held up from the bulwarks or supported from the deck, and
are so fitted that they can be instantly released or allowed to fall.
When the raft is in its normal position it lies athwart ships supported
on the centre frame, and the two end frames packed with provisions, 2
water, and cork mattrasses, mast, sails, instruments for navigation, and
completely equipped if of the size mentioned to support with ease
100, people exclusive of the boat.
When it is desired to launch the boat one of the end supports is.
released, and the raft canting on one of the rollers with very slight effort 3
rises up from the end support and forms an inclination to the side it is
required to launch the boat from; a chock or other fastening being
released the boat at once launches into the water; the launch may
then be restored to its original position to have another boat put on for
launching if needed, or if it is desired to launch the raft itself it is 3
retained in its inclined position and fastenings made to hold it about the

page_text: centre or other convenient place are released, and the launch slides or
rolls upon the end roller of the frame and upon one of the centre rollers
and so is launched into the water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
THOMPSON, of Sutton, Surrey, Shipbroker, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edmund Thompson, Her
special license that I, the said Edmund Thompson, my exécutors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund
Thompson, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAFTS FOR PASSENGER SHIPS, AND IN THE MEANS OF
LAUNCHING RAFTS AND SHIPS' BOATS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edmund Thompson, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under niy, 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Thompson, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
In conjunction with the Drawings hereto annexed and forming part

page_text: of this Specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of
the raft and boat supported athwart ships on its bearings and ready for
launching; Figure 2, a cross view of the raft and boat; and Figure 3,
a plan of the raft and the launching ways of the boat. The like letters
indicate the like parts in all-the-Drawings....
Firstly. In the construction of the raft and in the boat launching
ways in conjunction with the raft.
And Secondly. In the manner of supporting the raft so as to afford a
ready means of launching the raft or boat, or raft and boat together in
an casy and rapid manner.
The first improvement consists in constructing a raft composed of
longitudinal and cross bearers of timbers so as to divide the raft, whatever
may be its size, into a series of square or rectangular compartnicnts of
from four to eight feet in length by about three to four feet in
width, the depth should be from ten to fifteen inches, though these
dimensions must of course be varied according to the requirements of
cach case; the logs forming the raft may be square and notched into the
half of their depth where the two logs intersect, but I prefer to make the
logs of a depth of about twelve inches and give them a width of about
four inches; in each of these compartments are fitted air-tight cases of:
suitable metal, and when placed in the divisions a suitable grating in
timber is fixed on the top and the bottom of the raft, the whole being
bolted firmly together forms a very solid strong structure, with great
buoyancy cork mattresses may be used in place of the air-tight cases.
On the upper grating are placed two longitudinal pieces of timber
forming the support for a boat and the launching ways for the boat.
Where the raft is made wide enough two boats may be fitted on suitable
ways.
;
Along the sides of the raft air-tight iron lockers (forming seats), or
wooden lockers metal lined are fitted filled with provisions and water,"
and articles such as compasses, instruments of navigation, suitable for
:

page_text: Various modifications may be made in the raft, such as giving to the
ends a barge bow or to the sides a section approximating to the sides of
a boat or ship, or fitting it with a centre board or boards for the purpose
of enabling it to sail or steer better.
Other modifications may be made by which the raft may be made to
assume the character of a flat bottomed boat with hinged bulwarks, air-
tight cellular compartments in wood or iron outside, filled with cork
shavings or metal air-tight tubes to replace the tanks as previously
described, or the raft may be made entirely of metal. "
The second improvement consists in the manner of supporting the
raft ready for launching. The principle consists in placing on the deck
amidships a strong framing carrying a roller the full width of the raft,
the roller being placed in the line of the keel of the ship; upon this roller
'the raft is placed at a height from the deck of 6 or 7 fect. The raft should
be of the length of the beam of the vessel, and each end is supported
at the bulwarks of the vessel upon vertical stanchions, the stanchions
rising and falling in suitable guides and supported at the height required
by pins, so that the raft rests parallel with the deck when stowed away.
The top of the stanchions, of which there are four, preferably tied
'together in pairs by a cross iron, are fitted with rollers at the head, upon
which the side beds of the raft rest; cach stanchion also may carry a
vertical roller against which the sides of the raft may impinge. The
object of this is to enable the raft at a moment's notice to be launched,
cither to starboard or port, by withdrawing the port or starboard pins with
a lever or any other suitable catch or fastening supporting the stanchions,
the raft then canting over to port or starboard rolls down upon the
centre roller and upon the stanchion rollers into the sea with a velocity
depending upon the angle given by the relation between the centre
support and the drop of the stanchions; by suitable lashings the raft
although canted either to port or starboard may be retained, and the
inclined plane of the raft may only be used for launching the boat on
the ways described on the raft.
In the Drawings A represents the raft; B, the boat; C, C, the
stanchions; D, the centre frame supporting the raft; a, the sides of the
raft; a', the cross pieces; a³, the ways for the boat; a³, the upper
gratings beneath which the air-tight cases or cork mattresses are stowed.
away; a', the side lockers or seats; a³, the standard and rope bulwarks;

page_text: :
c are the stanchions or rods kept up by the pins c¹; c², the horizontal
rollers, and c³ the vertical rollers against which the raft rolls when
launching; d, the centre roller of the centre frame D; d', rope lashings
holding the raft when stowed away; E, struts with knuckle joints for
more securely fastening the raft when stowed away and secured by slip
rings e; two or four of these struts may be used, or any other plain and
simple strut in place of them.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of my
Invention and the best means that I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practice, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,-
Firstly. The form and construction of raft with the air-tight cases or
cork mattresses, and the longitudinal raised seats or lockers for holding
provisions, water, &c., in conjunction with the ways for holding a boat,
substantially as described.
Secondly. The means of launching a raft or boat, or raft and boat by
the mechanism and appliances, substantially as described.
In witness. whereof, I, the said. Edmund Thompson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.