AN IMPROVED FLOATING DOCK
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stanislas Janicki, of St. Petersburg (Russia),
Civil Engineer; for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FLOATING DOCK."
Sealed the 1st August 1871, and dated the 23rd March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stanislas Janicki at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd March 1871.
I, STANISLAS JANICKI, of St. Petersburg (Russia), Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
FLOATING DOCK," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to make an improved floating dock to
be afterwards used as a dry dock for ships when their sheathing, keels,
propellers, or other parts require to be repaired; the dock being raised
by compressed air with or without external floats.
The dock consists of one or more metal caissons of several compart-
ments for forming the bridge or platform on which the ship is to rest,
the caissons being without bottoms but held together at the sides and
top by rods and bars in any required manner. At the longitudinal

page_text: sides of the caissons there are upright walls or frames surmounted with
railings, and in one arrangement to both the outsides of the caissons
are jointed two series of connecting rods and floats. One series of
connecting rods at each side are jointed at one end to the bottom of the
single or compound caisson, and at their other ends to floats; and the
other series of connecting rods are connected at one end to the first
series of rods, and at their other ends to sliding carriages or frames at
the sides of the caissons, the connections being kept above the water
by means of floats. Below the bridge or platform there are pipes and
taps communicating with air pumps for forcing air when required into
the several compartments between the platform and the water, there
being safety valves to prevent accidents, and let-off valves to form an
equilibrium when the dock has to be sunk by its own gravity for the
ingress and egress of the ship or vessel.
When the dock is in its lowest position it receives the ship, and when
the dock is required to be raised the let-off valves are closed and air
forced by the pumps between the surface of the water and the under
side of the bridge or platform until the dock rises sufficiently high to
place the ship out of the water. I prefer this arrangement having
external floats, but in some cases the dock is raised by the compressed
air only and lowered by letting the air off.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stanislas Janicki in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STANISLAS
JANICKI, of St. Petersburg (Russia), Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Stanislas Janicki, Her special licence
that I, the said Stanislas Janicki, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Stanislas Janicki, 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

page_text: 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 Invention for "AN IMPROVED FLOATING DOCK,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Stanislas Janicki,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stanislas Janicki, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
The object of this Invention is to make an improved floating dock,
to be afterwards used as a dry dock for ships when their sheathing,
keels, propellers, or other parts require to be repaired or cleaned, the
dock being raised by compressed air and kept steady by means of
external floats.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is an end view, and
Fig. 2 a plan of one of my improved floating docks.
The dock consists of one or more metal caissons A of several com-
partments for forming the bridge or platform on which the ship is to
rest,, the caissons being without bottoms but held together at the sides
and tops by rods and bars in any required manner. At the longitudinal
sides of the caissons there are upright standards or frames H surmounted
with footpaths and railings B, and to each outer side of the dock are
jointed two series of connecting rods and floats. One series of connecting
rods, marked F, are jointed at one end, as at a, to the bottom of the
single or compound caissons, and at their other ends to floats D, and
the other series of connecting rods, marked F¹, are connected at one end
to the rods F, and at their other ends to sliding carriages or frames J
attached to floats D¹, which keep the jointed parts d invariably above
the surface of the water. Below the bridge or platform A there are
pipes and taps communicating with pumps for forcing air when required
into the several compartments between the platform and the water, there

page_text: being open safety.pipes G let into the caissons by screws to allow air to
escape when the compressed air is in excess, and there are also let-off
valves to form an equilibrium when the dock has to be sunk by its own
gravity for the ingress and egress of the ship or vessel. When the dock
is in its lowest position the float D. at each side is near the float, D',
the connecting rods F, F', approaching vertical: positions, as shewn by,
the dotted lines Fig. 1, and when the two floats are near each other
they are sufficiently immersed to sustain the dock, the greater part of
the weight of which is compensated or counteracted by a quantity of
compressed air shut up in the caissons.
To raise the dock and vessel the compressed air is pumped under. the
platform into the caissons by means of one or several air pumps, which
are placed by preference in a separate vessel or barge, the air circulating
and increasing in all the compartments of the caissons until they and
the ship are raised to the required height; but the outer sides of the.
caissons are immersed in the water, as seen in Fig. 1, thereby keeping in
the compressed air. As the. dock rises the part at each, side, rises
a
with it, and the part d, not, being able to, rise, the connecting rod F
pushes the connecting rod F and float D. more and more outwards, so.
as to give complete stability to the dock, the movements. taking place,
automatically. Thus during and after the raising of the dock the
stability of all the parts is assured by these lateral floats, that is, the
external floats D jointed to connecting rods attached to the sides of.
the dock, and the internal floats D₁ counterpoising the sliding carriages J
connected by the rods Fi to the rods F. If the dock, by any external
force is caused to incline it soon recovers itself, as the floats D are
connected to it by inflexible rods, and bring back the platform or bridge
to its horizontal position. The floats &, used for keeping the point d
always above the surface of the water, act not only as supports for the
carriages J, but also prevent them from rising when not required, and
it follows that all the parts should be properly balanced. As before
said the dock or caisson is composed of one or several sections according
to the requirements, but not closed at the bottom; it is a simple rigid"
diaphragm provided with the necessary pipes and taps to enable the
compressed air to circulate between the several partitions.
r
F
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to
be understood that I claim,-

page_text: First. The general arrangement of the compressed air floating dock
with the several sclf-acting counterpoising motions.
Secondly. The construction of the dock with one or several caissons,
each without a bottom, and receiving air compressed by an independent
air forcing machine, by means of pipes and taps in connection with the
diaphragm of the caisson or caissons.
Thirdly. The connection with the caisson, caissons, or dock of lateral
floats by means of connecting rods for maintaining the stability of the
dock.
And fourthly. The employment of safety pipes to let off the com-
pressed air from the compartments of the caisson or caissons if the air
should be in excess.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stanislas Janicki, have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Fifteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
ALBERT CAHENS,
Civil Engineer,
STANISLAS JANICKI. (L.S.)
32, Boulevard Magenta,
Paris.