Improved Means of Indicating the Depth of Water in Rivers, Harbours, Seas, and the like, and Photographing said Depths to Scale or otherwise.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Indicating the Depth of Water in Rivers,
Harbours, Seas, and the like, and Photographing said Depths to
Scale or otherwise.
I, JAMES DILLON of 36 Dawson Street, Dublin in the County of Dublin, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention is designed to provide a simple and effective apparatus for
indicating at a glance and recording if found desirable the depth and variation
of depth of water in seas, rivers, harbours, lakes and the like and is intended to
improve and simplify the apparatus described by me in the Specifications of
Letters Patent No. 3418 of 1881, No. 9969 of 1885 and No. 16,817 of 1889, and
also to provide means whereby a series of soundings may be photographed in
succession upon a continuous photographic film showing also the speed of the
vessel and the year, day and hour in which the sounding was recorded, thus
admitting of comparison with ancient or other charts, tidal records and the like.
In carrying out my said invention I take a long tubular rod of a length
considerably greater than that of the average sounding to be measured and pivot
it at or near its upper end to a convenient point either below the keel or on one side
of the bows or front of the vessel containing the sounding apparatus and allow the
lower open end to drag along the bed or bottom of the water and so transmit the
pressure corresponding with the depth through the tubular rod to a pressure gauge
suitably placed in the vessel and connected up to the open end of the rod by
flexible copper or other tubing. To the upper end of the inclined tubular rod
I also fix a pointer capable of indicating upon a graduated quadrant scale the
depth of the water bed or submerged rocks or the like. Said quadrant is pivotted
and may be balanced by a weight so that oscillations of the vessel may not throw
it out of the perpendicular. A small inflating pump may be put into communication
with the pressure gauge and tubular rod to discover by movement of dial hand if
any leakage is taking place. If the pressure gauge should not prove sensitive
enough for the particular soundings the same can be read off from the graduated
quadrant scale. By a modification of the foregoing arrangement the quadrant may
be rigidly connected with or mounted upon the axle of the sounding tube and the
pointer loosely suspended (and weighted if necessary) so as to always hang
vertically.
Should the length of the sounding tube be less than the maximum depth of
soundings required, or in cases where the current causes it to bear heavily against
the side of the vessel, I may pivot the same to a point underneath the bows or prow
of the vessel supported by tie rods or wires or to a rod or rods adjustable as
to height by means of rack and pinion or equivalent and to its lower end attach a
cord passing upwardly over a pulley or drum situated in the stern of the vessel and
from thence over or around pulleys fixed to a mast or upright post and terminating
in a balance weight to take up the slack thereof. On said upright post or mast
may appear a scale indicating the depth of the bed over which the end of the
sounding tube passes by the position of the balance weight suspended upon said post
or mast, the size of the graduated scale thereon (i.e. the sensitiveness of the

page_text: reading) depending upon the number of ropes and pulleys in the pulley blocks or
sheaves upon the mast or post.
In order to prevent the sounding rod from rising off the ground when the vessel
is running at a high speed I may provide an adjustable wing or blade the resistance
of which will counteract this tendency. This may also be done by pivotting the
sounding rod at a point near its centre so that there will be no effective upward
pressure.
To take soundings of considerable depth, say over 40 feet, where it would be
inconvenient to use a sounding rod of such a length, I may provide in place thereof
a long wire or cord attached by preference to the bowsprit or prow of the vessel
and made to drag behind it a heavy metal rod held vertically under the stern of
the vessel by a wire or cord passing over pulleys and balanced by a weight
as before.
In place of the pointer and quadrant above described, or else in conjunction
therewith, I may use an arrangement as follows: I take a triangular frame and
attach to it by staples or otherwise a triangular tube one side of which at least is
composed of glass and containing sufficient coloured liquid to fill one arm, the three
arms being continuous throughout and hermetically sealed. This frame is so
secured to the sounding tube or upon its axis that when the latter is vertical one of
the arms is filled with the liquid the side of the triangle being so graduated that
the depth of the water may be ascertained according to the position of the liquid in
the arm of the tube which when inclined causes the liquid to fall and partly
enter the adjacent arm.
Upon the graduated arm of the triangle, which is made longer than the other two
arms, I secure a clock or watch dial and a date indicator such as printed bands
passing over rollers or other well known device. Upon the axis of the triangular
indicator and so as to always be in the same relative position thereto I mount
rigidly a photographic camera containing a sensitized film caused by clockwork or
the like to be wound at a convenient and regular speed from one roller on to
another said clockwork or the like at regular intervals of time likewise exposing &
section, say th inch, of the film to the light whereby a photographic negative is
obtained of the graduated arm and at the same time other particulars as to the
hour and date &c. of the sounding. The clockwork or like mechanism may be
stopped when no soundings are being taken or put in motion when required by any
well known device. It will be understood that upon the film will be recorded in
succession the various soundings, to the number of 10, 100, or more or less, being
photographs of the various positions of the liquid in one arm of the triangular tube
as it rises and falls according to the angle of the sounding tube varying with the
depth of the bed passed over, and a line marked or drawn through the points
representing the different levels of the liquid will give a true section of the ground
passed over, the date of each sounding and other particulars being also recorded.
The position of any particular sounding will sometimes be made clearer on account
of certain fixed objects or places upon the shore being photographed simultaneously
with the sounding.
I may use any one of my devices separately to ascertain the depth of water or
may employ any two or more of them together and to ensure perfect accuracy of
calculation may take the mean of two or more simultaneous soundings.
The drum or pulley over which the cord or wire in the stern of the vessel passes
as previously described may by suitable gearing such as a rack and cogwheel be
made to move an arm up and down (according to direction of rotation) carrying a
pencil which will thus mark graphically the variations of depth upon a paper roll
which by any well known means is being unwound from one drum on to another.
Also the swinging quadrant or pointer above described may be made to move
a pencil over a moving roll of paper and thus afford a graphic representation of tl:c
surface passed over.
When a dredging machine is being employed I may fix one or more of my
indicators to the ladder of a bucket or chain dredger, either a quadrant with pointer

page_text: or the triangular device, or may use both together and a pressure gauge if desired
in addition the tube passing along the sides of the ladder and terminating at the
lowermost bucket at the bed of the river or the like.
Dated this 21st day of October 1893.
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
32, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Indicating the Depth of Water in Rivers,
Harbours, Seas, and the like, and Photographing said Depths to
Scale or otherwise.
I JAMES DILLON of 36 Dawson Street Dublin in the County of Dublin, 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 is designed to provide a simple and effective apparatus for indicating
at a glance and recording if found desirable the depth and variation of depth of
water in seas, rivers harbours, lakes and the like and is intended to improve and
simplify the apparatus described by me in the Specifications of Letters Patent
No. 3418 of 1881 No. 9969 of 1885, and No. 16817 of 1889 and also to provide
means whereby a series of soundings may be photographed in succession upon a
continuous photographic film showing also the speed of the vessel and the year,
day and hour in which the sounding was recorded thus admitting of comparison
with ancient or other charts, tidal records and the like.
In carrying out my said invention I take a long tubular rod of a length
considerably greater than that of the average sounding to be measured and pivot
it at or near its upper end to a convenient point either below the keel or on one
side of the bows or front of a vessel containing the sounding apparatus, and allow
the lower open end to drag along the bed or bottom of the water and so transmit
the pressure corresponding with the depth through the tubular rod to a pressure
gauge suitably placed in the vessel and connected up to the open end of the rod by
Hexible copper or other tubing. To the upper end of the inclined tubular end
I also fix a pointer capable of indicating upon a graduated quadrant scale the depth
of the water bed or submerged rocks or the like.
Said quadrant is pivotted and may be balanced by a weight so that oscillations
of the vessel may not throw it out of the perpendicular. A small inflating pump
may be put into communication with the pressure gauge and tubular rod to discover
by movement of dial hand if any leakage is taking place. If the pressure gauge
should not prove sensitive enough for particular soundings the same can be read
off from the graduated quadrant scale. By a modification of the foregoing
arrangement the quadrant may be rigidly connected with or mounted upon the
axle of the sounding tube and the pointer loosely suspended (and weighted if
necessary) so as to always bang vertically.
In order to prevent the sounding rod from rising off the ground when the vessel
is running at a high speed I may provide an adjustable wing or blade the resistance
of which will counteract this teudency.
In place of the pointer and quadrant above described, or else in conjunction
therewith, I may use an arrangement as follows. I take a triangular frame and
attach to it by staples or otherwise a triangular tube one side of which at least is
composed of glass and containing sufficient coloured liquid to fill one arm, the three
arms being continuous throughout and hermetically sealed. This frame is so
secured to the sounding tube or upon its axis that when the latter is vertical one of
the arms is filled with the liquid the side of the triangle being so graduated that the

page_text: depth of the water may be ascertained according to the position of the liquid in
the arm of the tube which when inclined causes the liquid to fall and partly enter
the adjacent arm.
Upon the graduated arm of the triangle, which is made longer than the other
two arms, I secure a clock or watch dial and a date indicator such as printed bands
passing over rollers or other well known device. Upon the axis of the triangular
indicator and so as to always be in the same relative position thereto I mount rigidly
a photographic camera containing a sensitized film caused by clockwork or the like
to be wound at a convenient and regular speed from one roller on to another said
clockwork or the like at regular intervals of time also exposing a section (say inch)
of the film to the light whereby a photographic negative is obtained of the
graduated arm and at the same time other particulars as to the hour and date &c.
of the sounding. The clockwork or like mechanism may be stopped when no
soundings are being taken or put in motion when required by any well known
device. It will be understood that upon the film will be recorded in succession
the various soundings to the number of 10,100 er more or less, being photographs
taken at fixed intervals of time of the various positions of the liquid in one arm
of the triangular tube as it rises and falls according to the angle of the sounding
tube varying with the depth of the bed passed over, and a line marked or drawn
through the points representing the different levels of the liquid will give a true
section of the ground passed over, the date of each sounding and other particulars
being also recorded.
The position of any particular sounding will sometimes be made clearer on
account of certain fixed objects or places upon the shore being photographed
simultaneously with the sounding.
I may use any one of my devices separately to ascertain the depth of water
or may employ any two or more of them together and to ensure perfect accuracy of
calculation may take the mean of two or more simultaneous soundings.
When a dredging machine is being employed I may fix one or more of my
indicators to the ladder of a bucket or chain dredger, either a quadrant with
pointer or the triangular device or may use both together and a pressure gauge if
desired in addition to the tube passing along the sides of the ladder and terminating
at the lowermost bucket at the bed of the river or the like.
In order to more fully explain the nature of my invention I have attached to this
Specification a sheet of drawings to the figures and letters of reference on which a
I shall now refer.
Figure 1. is a view of the bow of a vessel fitted with a sounding tube carrying a
triangular water scale or pressure gauge or both and also shewing means for
indicating depths by graduated staff or scale with pointer.
Figure 2. shows the after part of a vessel fitted with sounding tube pivotted
below keel so as to prevent tidal current carrying tube against side of ship.
Figure 3. shows a simple form of arranging water scale and means for checking
rising of tube from the bottom when vessel is going at speed.
Figure 4. shows a method of fixing photographic camera for the purpose of
registering soundings shewn on scale simultaneously with the date, time, No. of
section, speed of boat or other desirable data together with recording band or chart
mechanically driven.
Figure 5. shows how water scale may be attached to the ladder or frame of a
dredging machine.
Referring to Figure 1. A is a portion of the hull of a vessel B being a bracket
or frame fixed to the side thereof stayed fore and aft by guys bb and carrying a
projecting rod or shaft C on which is pivotted a vertical shaft or arm D and on
this are mounted a triangular continuous tube E or a pressure gauge F or a
graduated quadrant G or any two thereof or if desired the whole three indicators
as shown on drawing this vertical shaft D is continued downwardly at an obtuse
angle forming a short lower arm D' carrying hooks or staples d. d. upon which
I hang by suitable metallic loops and straps C. C. a rudder shaped plate H

page_text: carrying at its lower extremity the tubular rod J one end of which is free to trail'
along the bed of the sea or river and so transmit the pressure corresponding with
the depth through the tubular rod and a flexible tubing k jointed to same at K to
the pressure gauge For the varying depths may be read from the triangular
tube E by noting the height of the liquid in arm L and it will be seen that shaft D.
is normally vertical when tubular rod hangs clear of soundings-when the water
begins to shoal and the rod to trail over unequal surfaces the shaft D will be
more or less inclined towards the bows of the vessel and should the vessel's keel
approach closely to the bottom of sea or river the apparatus would assume the
position shewn by dotted lines (Figure 1) and the whole of the liquid would remain
in the then horizontal part of tube L' or the graduated quadrant G and pointer G¹
would assume varying positions in relation to each other corresponding to the depth.
of end of rod J. from keel of vessel. Thus these various methods may be employed
separately or together and I may also fix an upright scale such as M having a
sliding pointer m attached to a cord passing over pulleys n. o. the opposite end
being secured to shaft D at p. I may fix to an extension of arm L of triangular
tube a clock or watch dial N and a date indicator-see Figure 4. and upon the
axis of the triangular indicator mount rigidly a photographic camera ( containing
a sensitized continuous film caused by clockwork or the like to be wound at a
convenient and regular speed a suitable section being by similar well known
means exposed at regular intervals.
I may also use a continuous roll of paper automatically unwound such as shewn.
at V Figure 4 on which the varying depths may be registered by a pencil or the
like fixed on pointer G¹.
The rudder shaped connection of trailing rod J with shaft Di enables the rod J
to move literally if swayed by currents without interfering with its effectiveness
and I may also employ devices such as shewn by Figure 3 to prevent the rod from
being lifted by speed of vessel away from the bottom of the sea and for this
purpose is an umbrella float attached to a cord passing over a pulley 9 at the
bow and having its extremity secured to the rod J at or I may provide an
adjustable wing or blade such as R to be fixed on the rod J.
In Figure 2 is shewn a method of fixing and pivotting my sounding tubular rod
considerably below the keel of vessel the lower part of rod J is leaded or weighted
to keep it against bottom. The centre or pivot S being from 20 to 30 feet below
surface of the water and the part of rod below pivot about the same length the two.
are fairly balanced and the addition of a small amount of lead or other weight keeps
end on bottom.
Figure 5 shews how my indicators or one of them T may be fixed to the frame
of ladder U of a dredger so that the variations of depth may be registered or
noted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.-
-
1. In apparatus for taking and registering soundings and the like the use of a
continuous triangular tube having on one or more arms or sides a scale or gauge such.
tube containing a certain amount of liquid. The tubes being so constructed of
glass or otherwise as to enable the height of the liquid to be noted and the whole
mounted on the upper arm of a bent lever pivotted against the side of a vessel or
boat or below the keel thereof-the opposite or long arm being free to trail along
the bed of a sea or river the varying depths being shewn by the altered position of
the triangular tube and the liquid therein substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figures 1. 2 and 3 of accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for taking and registering soundings and the like the combination
of a triangular continuous tube as before described mounted on one arm of a lever
pivotted to the side or below the keel of a vessel the opposite arm being a tube in
communication with a pressure gauge so as to check the varying depths in triangular

page_text: tubes as shewn on scale substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 of accompanying drawings.
3. The method of pivotting the long arm or tube of the sounding apparatus below
the keel of the vessel as and for the purposes described and as illustrated by
Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for continuously photographing
and recording the varying depths of water together with the time of day or
intervals of time at which such varying depths were shewn on a scale or gauge
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. For the purpose of taking soundings and the like the combination of a
triangular tube partially filled with liquid and having a scale or gauge attached or
marked thereon with the pivotted frame or ladder of a dredger substantially as
described with reference to Figure 5 of accompanying drawings.
6. For taking soundings at some depth below keel of vessel the use of a tubular
or other rod forming a bent armed lever pivotted at or near its centre to a rigid
arm or bracket carried by the vessel and extending below keel thereof substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
7. The means for and method of taking and recording soundings in shallow
waters substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1894.
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
32, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.