Improved Salvage Boxes for Money and Valuables for Use in Case of Shipwreck.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1900
t
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Salvage Boxes for Money and Valuables for Use in Case of
Shipwreck.
I, FRIEDRICH WILHELM JURGSCHAT, of 10, Rippenstrasse, Konigsberg, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Gentleman, 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:—
For the provisional safety of passengers and crew in serious cases of shipwreck,
in addition to the boats which have been provided for such events, many contri-
vances have been invented in the form of swimming-belts, safety suits, attachable
Hoats and such things which are capable of supporting a person above the water
for a considerable time even when he does not know how to swim. There are.
however, as yet no apparatus in use to enable a shipwrecked person, carried about
in the water, to take with him such a quantity of food and drink as may be
absolutely necessary as a last resource, without putting any additional load on him
and to take with him also such valuables as he would only be willing to give up in
case of absolute necessity and the failure of all means of assistance.
The box here referred to serves this purpose, that is, the saving of money.
valuables and important papers and to enable a shipwrecked person to take with
him at the same time the largest possible quantity of food and drink, whether he
is drifting about in a boat or by the assistance of life-belts or other means, or also
if swimming about freely, without any of these, in the water.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1. Is an elevation in its normal position of a portable box as it will be
when floating, but inverted for carrying.
Fig. 2. Vertical section on line C-D, Fig. 3 (shown floating).
Fig. 3. Horizontal section on line A-B, Fig. 2.
Fig. 4. Elevation of the flat vertical side of one half of the box.
Fig. 5. Plan after it has been opened out (reduced scale).
It is composed of two parts and b which outwardly are of symmetrical shape
and are connected by hinges e so that they can be opened out. Each half is made
with a metal plate, d, to one side of which there is placed a double cased box,
flat on the upper side but otherwise nearly the shape of half of a ship, in such a way
that the plated, along its upper straight edge which is close to the hinges c level
with the edge of the box, but along the sides and bottom edges it projects beyond
the outside edge of the latter by a definite and uniform width. The two casings, c
and f, of which the outer one is best made of thin sheet steel, and the inner
one of some lighter metal such as aluminium of less thickness, leave a space
between them filled with some light material or elastic floating substance, whilst
the space inside the box, which is inclosed at the sides by the plate d, can be
stiffened by cross partitions either with or without holes through them. Just
under the flat top of the box, in each of the plates d, there are holes h, cut out,
either circular or of any other shape, through which the interior of the box is
accessible. For the purpose of filling the box with the intended articles, the
two halves of the box are to be opened out in such a way that the two plates d
are in one plane and the holes in them are freely accessible, (Fig. 5.).
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page_text: The subsequent closing together of the two halves, by bringing the two plates d
parallel with each other and bolting them together with an india-rubber packing
between them so as to shut off the openings h watertight, gives to the whole then
the form of a ship, of which the edges of the plate d, by projecting at the sides and
underneath beyond the surface of the box, constitute the keel. In this condition
it may then with facility be dragged behind a life boat or the owner may push it
along in front of him, while he is being sustained in the water by help of
swimming apparatus or by his own exertions, until other assistance reaches him.
To indicate the place where the box is floating it is provided with a flag i, of
which the staff is securely held by a staple or in any other way. For the case
when, in addition to valuables and money, food and drink are to be carried, there
must be in the flat top or lid of the half box in question, which must stand well
above the surface of the water even when fully loaded, a water-tight closable
opening, easily accessible for extracting the absolutely necessary means of
sustenance. For greater convenience in carrying the projecting edges of the
plates have holes cut through them on the under side, into which the hand of
the carrier can be inserted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
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1. A salvage box for money and valuables for use in case of shipwreck con-
structed of two boxes a b in the form of two halves of a ship, of equal size and
shape, with double casing ef hinged together and capable of being folded against
each other or opened out, and which when placed together and closed up water-
tight (their flat sides being formed of vertical side plates d connected together by
hinges at and projecting by a definite width all round the sides and underneath)
have the shape of a ship built on a keel the floating capacity and strength of which
are increased by the placing of light material between the double casing e f,
access being obtained. for the purpose of filling it with money and valuables,
or for putting in provisions, through holes h in the vertical side-plates & which
are closed so as to be water-tight by bringing the vertical sides parallel
against each other with an elastic sheet between them substantially as described.
2. A salvage box constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose
described and shown.
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0711 J
T
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.