AN IMPROVED VESSEL FOR CONVEYING SEA WATER TO INLAND TOWNS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hayes, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of
London, Consulting Engineer, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED VESSEL
FOR CONVEYING SEA WATER TO INLAND TOWNS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hayes at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th June 1880.
JOHN HAYES, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engincer. "AN IMPROVED VESSEL FOR CONVEYING SEA WATER TO INLAND
TOWNS."
My Invention is in adapting vessels of a peculiar construction as a means of
carrying and convoying water from the sea to towns and other places inland, such
vessels being propelled by wind by means of sails, or by preference towed by
steain tugs.
Instead of a barge or vossel of the ordinary construction, my Invention consists
in making use of circular pontoons (that is, in cross section) by preference, although
I reserve to myself the right of adopting any other cross section, which under some
circumstances might be more suitable. The length of my vessel would be regulated
by the quantity of sea-water it was proposed to carry; the two ends would be so
shaped as to offer as little resistance as possible when in motion, and the aft end
would be fitted with a rudder.
One of the great advantages of using vessels wholly enclosed, as now proposed
by me, is that by means of creating a partial vacuum inside the same, they, the
pontoons, can he made to fill themselves, and that in a very short space of time,
through suitable apertures into which valves to be regulated by hand will be
fitted.
A valve or valves opening outwards will also be fitted to the vessel, so that in
case of getting filled to too great an extent and sinking to the bottom they could
easily be recovered by means of compressed air, a long flexible tube being fastened
to the top of the vessel, and at the other end would be secured a good sized
life-buoy, which when necessary would be cut adrift, and thus keep the air pipe

page_text: on the surface; the valve opening outwards would be kept shut by means of a
spiral spring.
I also propose to divide the vessel internally by means of two or even three
watertight bulkheads, this however is not absolutely necessary but might prove
convenient.
When the sea water vessel has arrived at its destination, I propose to empty the
same by means of compressed air, which would be more readily accomplished than
by pumping, the sea water being forced along suitable pipes or channels into large
and properly prepared tanks or reservoirs in which it would be stored, and from
which the small vessels would be filled for distribution to users of sea water for
bathing, medical, and other purposes, such as aquaria, &c., &c., &c.
These improved sea water carrying vessels can be made of iron, timber, or any
other suitable material, great care being taken that the insides are properly
protected from corrosion, and which would if such occurred have a tendency to
injure the quality of the sea water carried within them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Hayes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th November
1880.
JOHN HAYES, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer. "AN IMPROVED VESSEL FOR CONVEYING SEA WATER TO INLAND
TOWNS."
My Invention relates to the construction of vessels for the conveyance of son
water to inland and riverside towns and cities, such vessels being propelled or
towed by means of steam power, or as sailing boats. by the force of the wind.
Instead of using a barge or vessel of ordinary construction for the purpose of
conveying sea water, my Invention consists in making use of iron, steel, or wooden
vessels wholly enclosed, but of any required form or shapo in cross section to suit
special circumstances, but by preference I would in most cases adopt the circular
form.
These sea water carrying cylinders or vessels would be not only "wholly enclosed,"
but thoroughly watertight, and capable of withstanding an internal test pressure of
20 lbs. to the square inch (hydraulic pressure), the length of the vessel, as well as its
diameter being governed by the quantity of sea water to bo conveyed cach trip,
the two ends of the vessel being formed so as to offer as little resistance as possible
in passing through the water; the rudder could be made to suit cither end, and
easily unshipped and changed from one to the other as might prove most convenient.
The chief features of this Invention are, that it gives increased safety as compared
with an open or ordinarily constructed boat or bargo, as when the latter is already
filled or nearly so with sea-water and deeply laden, a heavy storm or a chopping
sea would be very likely to sink or swamp it; whereas, with my Invention, wo
have practically a safety or life-boat applied to purposes of carrying a dead freight;
sea water when carried in large quantities at sea in an ordinary decked boat being
a dangorous cargo, whereas with my Invention, it is a matter of indifference how.
rough a sea may have to be encountered, or whether the vessel be wholly immersed
by the waves, as I claim under all such conditions that my vessel is practicably
unsinkable.
For a vessel of a given length and beam, I also claim to be able to carry a
maximum quantity of water, and to do so with a minimum amount of steam or
other power; and in order to carry out the above objects, and to give a certain
amount of buoyancy to the vessel when fully loaded, I propose to reserve the
I also
upward portion of the vessel for nearly the entire length as an air reservoir.;
place a watertight bulkhead near to each end of the vessel, so that those also in
case of need may be used as air spaces.
These vessels can be lashed or secured one on each side of a steam tug, and thus
towed abreast of the same, or singly astern of the tug boat, the latter being the
most suitable for river towage, whilst the former would be for at-sea work, By
these means a very moderate powered steam tug would be capable of bringing very
large quantities of sea-water, and thus obtain an economy in working to be realized
by no other known method.
. The inside of the improved sea water vessel for a depth of from 2 to 3 inches
would be well and carefully lined throughout with a composition similar to that
used in ships' bottoms, as a means of preventing corrosion of the iron frames,
plates, &c., and at the same time keep the sea water from being dis-coloured, an
important consideration not to be lightly considered.
I will now proceed to explain-my-Invention by the aid of the annexed Drawing..

page_text: Figures 3, 4, and 5 are cross sections of vessels also embraced in my Invention,
the principle being identical, but the form or shape only differing to incet special
circumstances.
In Figures 1 and 2, a, a, is the vessel, and a¹, a¹, angle or toe iron ribs or frames to
which the plates are secured; b, b, b, are watertight compartments or bulkheads;
c, c, and d, d, the inlet valves, with screw adjustment and rods d, d, fitted to same,
and by which the sea water is admitted into the vessel.
At or near the bottom of the watertight bulkheads are fitted suitable sized gun
metal cocks or valves e, e, e, by which the admission of the water into any one of
the compartments of the vessel can be regulated at will, or entirely shut off, when
necessary, by means of the wheels or handles f, ff, which are conveniently placed
on the outside and at the top of the vessel, strong rods f¹, f, f¹, being securely
connected to the valves e, e, e, on the inside of the vessel; by means of these
watertight bulkheads b, b, b, it will readilly be seen that the security of the sectional
or compartmental system is made available in case of need, whilst, at the same
time, by fitting these watertight bulkheads with the cocks e, e, e, the handiness and
facility, also the economy, of working a cargo of water as a whole is in no way
interfered with.
A small portion of the upper part of the vessel, for nearly the whole of, its
length, is formed into two air-tight chambers g, g, the shell of the vessel a, a, itself
forming the top of the same, whilst the bottom is made up of plating strongly
supported and secured to longitudinal and transverse frames g', g'; into these
chambers no water would be allowed to enter, there being no aperture, valves, or
connexions of any kind, either on the inside or outside of the vessel, by which
water could be admitted; to this air chamber g, g, the buoyancy of the vessel when
fully loaded with sea water would be due; the end compartments o, o, however,
can, when required, be also used as air spaces, should it at any time be necessary
for the purpose of putting the vessel in better trim for purposes of navigation or
otherwise, and in which caso the valves at each end e, e, would be kept closed and
no water admitted.
In Figures 1 and 2, h, h, are two deep keels to prevent rolling, the plating
between them or on the bottom of the vessel being slightly thicker and heavier for
the same object, but more particularly with the view of keeping the vessel upright;
the rudder is shewn at i, i, the steering platform j, the towing rail and rope being
represented by and l.
In this vessel one manhole m only is fitted at the stern, and thus the liability of
leakage is reduced to a minimum, access to any part of the vessel, when necessary,
being through the bulkhead manhole doors m³, m³, m³, the same being afterwards
closed and a watertight joint made after each removal.
n, n, are small vent holes for the egress of air displaced by sea water;
n', n², represent the suction pipes and connexions by which the water would be
pumped from the vessel a, a, Hexible pipes from the steam or other pumps provided
being screwed on to the connexions n¹, n', and the suction pipes n³, n², being
carried down inside and along the bottoin of the vessel, as shewn.
All the apertures, both on the insido and outside of the vessel, in front of cocks
or valves, as at d, d, also in front of the cocks c, c, e, as shewn at p in the Fig. 2,
would be carefully guarded by a perforated copper or other sheet metal plate to
prevent the entrance of any foreign substance, such as seaweed, &c., which might
obstruct the valves were this precaution not adopted.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim the following advantages,-
Firstly. The application of a vessel wholly enclosed and constructed as above
explained, and referred to in the accompanying Drawings, to the purpose of
conveying sea water to inlund and other towns, such vessel being towed by means
of a steam tug, with sails by force of the wind, or propelled by suitable machinery
contained in the vessel itself, and which, when constructed to work by any of these
three methods, I claim it to be practically unsinkable.

page_text: Secondly. That it is therefore by far the safest way of moving by water a cargo
of sea water.
Thirdly. That by this Invention a maximum quantity of water can be carried in
vessels of any given size, and with the least amount of power developped.
Fourthly. That it offers very great facilities attending the unloading the sea
water on arrival at the depôts, and
:
Lastly. That the sea water being wholly enclosed is kept very clean and free
from dust, debris, &c., as when placed in tanks with open tops or moveable covers
this is difficult to prevent.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hayes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 20th day of November, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
(L.S.) JOHN HAYES,
November 20th, 1880.