IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA, OR ON OTHER WATERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ALFRED HAMLYN WILLIAMS, of Clapham Road, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA, OR ON OTHER WATERS, to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to construct an apparatus for saving life at sca,
or on other waters, in which one, two or more persons may stand at the same
time when the said apparatus is borne on the water, but which apparatus is so
constructed that a number of them may be easily stowed away under the seats
of a vessel or elsewhere, when not required for use, and when required for use be
almost instantaneously available.
For the purposes of my Invention my improved life saving apparatus is com-
posed of two longitudinal floating vessels or chambers, rendered buoyant by being
made air tight, or by being filled with cork, and to these vossels or chambers, a
depending or hanging sheet, or contrivance of netting, canvas or other suitable
fabric is secured. This hanging contrivance is provided at bottom with a footboard,
on which persons may stand.
The floating vessels or chambers are connected together by jointed bars, plates
or hinges, which, when the apparatus is opened, keep the same distended, but
which, when the apparatus is closed, allow the vessels or chambers to lie onc
against the other. The hanging contrivance or sheet with its footboard, when
not in use, is folded and lies under the said vessels or chambers.
This apparatus can be arranged to open out to the full extent of the canvas
sheet or netting, and when so opened out may be retained in place by cross.bars,
thus providing a receptacle into or on to which persons may jump from a vessel
with safety and be taken therefrom into boats or on to rafts, and when it has
answered this purpose it may be re-converted into the apparatus above described.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I; ALFRED HAMLYN WILLIAMS, of Clapham Road, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA, OR ON OTHER WATERS, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, referenco being bad to the accompanying
drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My Invention has for its object to construct an apparatus for saving life at sea,
or on other waters, in which one, two, or more persons may stand at the same
time, when the apparatus is borne on the water, but which apparatus is so con-
structed that a number of them may be easily stowed under the seats of a vessel;
or elsewhere, when not required for use, but when so required, be almost instan-
taneously available.
For the purposes of my Invention my improved life-saving apparatus is com-
posed of two or more longitudinal vessels or chambers rendered buoyant by being
made air-tight, or by being filled with cork, or other buoyant material, and between
which vessels or chambers I secure, in any appropriate manner, a depending or
hanging contrivance, or depending or hanging contrivances or sheets, of netting,
canvas, or other suitable fabric.
These hanging contrivances are each provided at bottom with a footboard on
which persons may stand.
The floating vessels or chambers are connected together by jointed bars, plates
or hinges which, when the apparatus is opened, keep the same extended, but which,
when the apparatus is closed, allow the vessels or chambers to lie one against the
other. The hanging contrivances with their footboards, when not in use, are folded
and lie under the said air-tight vessels or chambers.
And in order that my Invention may be readily understood, I proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved life-saving apparatus in its closed form.
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line x, x, of
fig. 1.
A, A1, A2, are the longitudinal air-tight or buoyant vessels or chambers, and
B, B', the hanging contrivances of netting, canvas or other suitable material, which
are secured by rivets, or otherwise, between any or every two of the air-tight or
buoyant vessels or chambers A, A¹, A². These hanging contrivances are each
provided at bottom with a foot board C, on which persons may stand, when the
apparatus is borne on the water. In order to retain the apparatus in its extended
or distended form, when opened out, I provide jointed bars or plates D, which are
hinged and secured between the air-tight or buoyant vessels, as shewn. These
jointed and binged bars or plates are clearly shewn in fig. 4 which is a perspective
view of the apparatus in its extended or distended condition, and in the form it
will assume when on the water. In fig. 2 these jointed bars or plates are shewn
closed and lying between the air tight or buoyant vessels or chambers A, A¹, A¹, A²,

page_text: The apparatus thus constructed, and by reason of the very small compass it will
occupy, when not in use, is arranged to lie and be stowed beneath the seat of a
vessel, or boat, as shewn in fig. 5, so that it may be ready at hand when required;
a shelf or frame z, is provided for its reception. To retain the apparatus in its.
closed and packed form it may be tied round or lashed with cord, as shewn in
figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Although I have shewn the apparatus in which there are threo airtight or
buoyant vessels or chambers, and two hanging contrivances, it is obvious that
I can combine and arrange any number of the samo, in like manner.
Fig. 6, shews an arrangement in which the apparatus may be opened out to the
full extent or width of the hanging contrivance. In this arrangement I employ
two air-tight vessels or chambers A, A¹. When so opened out the said vessels or
chambers are retained at the required distance apart by bars or rods d, d¹, the
bard, being hinged, or otherwise attached to the air tight vessel A, and secured to
the other air-tight vessel A¹, in any suitable manner, and the bar d', being similarly
attached to the air-tight vessel A¹, and secured to the other vessel A. By this
arrangement I provide a buoyant structure or receptacle on to, or into which
'persons may jump from a vessel, with safety, and be taken therefrom into boats,
or on to rafts, and when the said apparatus has answered this purpose it may bo
re-converted into an apparatus as first herein described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. An apparatus for saving life at sea, or on other waters, consisting of two or
more longitudinal air tight or buoyant vessels or chambers between which are
arranged one or more hanging contrivances provided with footboards, and means
for retaining the entire structure in its open position, the said apparatus being so
constructed and arranged as to fold in a very small compass to be stowed or to lio
beneath the seat of a vessel or elsewhere, substantially as herein described.
2. The special construction and arrangement of life-saving apparatus as herein
described, and as shewn with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.
3. The modified arrangement of life-saving apparatus, whereby the same may
be opened out to the full extent of the hanging contrivance, as herein described
and as illustrated with reference to fig. 6 of the drawings, and for the purposes
set forth.