Improvements in Means and Appliances for Breeding or Rearing Oysters.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1893—^ccepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Appliances for Breeding or Rearing
Oysters.
I EDGAR NEWMAN of Glasgow House, Chapel Street, Colchester in the County
of Essex Manager of the Colne Oyster Fishery do hereby declare the nature of
my invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention has for its object to provide means whereby the breeding, and
rearing of oysters is facilitated by protecting them against injurious changes of
temperature which at early stages of the oysters' development kills them or
prevents the development of the spat. I have found that when the temperature
falls, as it frequently does during the period of the year when the spat occurs, to
below say 650 or 70° Fahrenheit that the development of the spat or of the young
oysters is hindered and large numbers are destroyed. I have therefore devised
means and appliances whereby a constant and proper temperature is maintained in
the oyster pits or like places wherein the spat is received and developed and
whereby also the necessary supply of fresh water is maintained without injuriously
varying the temperature.
According to my invention I heat the water which is in or is to pass to the pits
or like places to a temperature which is necessary to maintain the necessary equable
temperature in the pits or the like. I find that a temperature of about
70° or 72° Fahrenheit is a temperature which if maintained practically constant is
most favourable to the development of the spat and of the young oysters. The
following is a convenient arrangement by which my invention can be performed but
I do not limit myself to the details which I shall describe. I provide a pit or pits
(which I will call generally "pit A") and in communication with this or these a
second pit or second pits (which I will call generally "pit B") and in communi-
cation again with this second pit or these second pits a third pit or third pits
(which I will call generally "pit C").
Pit A is of such a depth and is so situated that it receives a supply of water at
each high tide and in this pit impurities and foreign matter can settle the water
passing off into the pit B which is heated by pipes through which circulates water
heated in a boiler. The water passes from the pit B to the pit C and thence back
to the river or sea the pit C being preferably provided with material which will
intercept any spat which may pass from the pit B. Any suitable heating device
may be used and it may heat the water in pit A as well as in pit B if desired.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Appliances for Breeding or Rearing
Oysters.
I EDGAR NEWMAN of Glasgow House Chapel Street Colchester in the County
of Essex Manager of the Colne Oyster Fishery 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 has for its object to provide means whereby the breeding and
rearing of oysters is facilitated by protecting them against injurious changes of
temperature which at early stages of the oysters' development kill them or prevent

page_text: the development of the spat. I have found that when the temperature falls (as it
frequently does during the period of the year when the spat occurs) to below
Bay 65° or 70° Fahrenheit the development of the spat or of the young oysters is
hindered and large numbers are destroyed.
I have therefore devised means and appliances whereby a constant and proper
temperature is maintained in the oyster pits or like places wherein the spat is
received and developed and whereby also the necessary supply of fresh water is
maintained without injuriously varying the temperature.
According to my inveution I heat the water which is in, or is to pass to the pits
or like places to a temperature which is required to maintain the necessary equable.
temperature in the pits or the like.
I find that a temperature of about 70° or 72° Fahrenheit is a temperature
which, if maintained practically constant, is most favourable to the development
of the spat and of the young oysters. This heating I effect by passing the heating.
medium such as heated water for example through pipes passages or chambers
situated in or in proximity to the water which is in the pits or like places and in
which the breeding and rearing is carried on.
I will describe with reference to the accompanying plan and longitudinal vertical
section a convenient arrangement by which my invention can be performed but I
do not limit myself to the details which I shall describe and which I have
illustrated. I provide a pit or pits (one is represented at A divided by a filter a)
and in communication with this or these a second pit or second pits (two are.
represented at B) and in communication again with this second pit or these second
pits a third pit or third pits (two are represented at C).
The pit A may be so situated that it receives a supply of river or sea water
at each high tide. The said pit may also have the river. or sea water pumped
into it by means of a pump D which draws in the water by the pipe d and
discharges it by the pipe d² into the first compartment of the pit A in which
impurities and foreign matter can settle the water passing thence through the
filter at a into the second compartment of the pit A and thence by the pipe b to
the pits B. The water after passing through the first pit B passes by the pipe
to the second pit B and thence by the pipe c to the first pit C and thence by the
pipe to the second pit C and back to the river or sea the pits C being preferably.
provided with material which will intercept any spat which may pass from the
pits B. Any suitable heating device may be used for heating the water which
passes or is passed through the pipes passages or chambers to heat the river or sea.
water and it may if desired heat the water in the pit A and in the pits C or in
either of them as well as in the pits B. I have shewn a boiler E for heating the
water to pass or to be caused to pass to the pits. I have shewn heating coils in
the two pits B and to heat the water preparatory to its being, introduced to the
pits B I have shown a pit F provided with a heating coil for this preparatory
heating the river or sea water entering this pit from the pit A by the pipe b and
after being heated passing into the first of the pits B by the pipe 63. The heating
water passes or is passed from the boiler E by the pipe e and returns to the boiler
by the pipe e and the several coils communicate with these respective pipes and
stop cocks are preferably provided so that the heating water can be supplied as
required to each, any or all of the coils. Or the heating 'water may be pumped
from the return pipe e and after being reheated by a coil or other appliance be
again passed through the heating system. I have shown at G an additional pit
which may be used if desired into which pit water may be drained off from the
pits B by means of pipes provided with valves or means for opening and closing
them as required the said pipes 6 preferably opening into the pits at the bottoms
thereof and then rising at the sides thereof to a level equal to that at which the
water is to be kept in the tanks B and then discharging into wells g from which
the water passes by the channel 93 into the pit G thence passing by the pipe or
passage g³ to the river or sea the said passage or pipe 9 and also the pipes 6 and
any of the other pipes being provided with valves or means for opening and closing

page_text: them if desired. The water from the second pit C is also shown as discharging by
the pipe into the pit G and I may provide the pit B and the first pit C with
similar discharge pipes so that discharge from them direct into the pit G can be
effected when desired. The several pits may be provided with cultch or other
means for catching or retaining the spat. The several pits are preferably arranged
at a lower level as they approach the outlet to the river or sea so that the river or
sea water passes from pit to pit by gravity. When the river or sea water is
pumped into the pit A it is preferable to lead the inlet pipe of the pump to
below the surface sufficiently to avoid liability to the drawing in of weeds
refuse or the like and the inlet to insure this may be protected by a grating if
desired. The pipes by which the water is passed or caused to pass from pit to
pit may be arranged so that the water can pass or be drawn off from the bottom
or from the top or from an intermediate level as desired. For protecting the
oysters or spat from cold winds or the heat of the sun and atmospheric changes
generally screens may be arranged to be placed in any suitable position or there
may be a covering or shed over the pits or the like for this purpose.
The pipes passages or chambers through which the heating medium passes may
be situated in the pit or pits or the like or in such proximity thereto as to
impart the desired temperature to the water therein for example they may if
desired be situated in the water itself or the passages or chambers may constitute
a casing beneath or surrounding or partly surrounding the pit or pits or the like
or the coils may be in the earth beneath or near to the pit or pits or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. For the breeding or rearing of oysters the provision in, or in connection
with, or in proximity to, the pit or pits, or the like, of pipes, passages or chambers
through which a beating medium is passed or caused to pass so as to raise and
maintain as required the temperature of the water in the said pit or pits or the like
substantially as herein before explained.
2. An arrangement of pits or the like and apparatus connected or used in
conjunction therewith substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 1st day of August 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.