Improvements in the Method of Expelling Water or other Liquids from Floating Bodies, Keeping Damaged and Leaky Vessels from Foundering, and Raising Sunken Ships, Vessels, and Caissons.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1887
Specification Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1887
Improvements in the Method of Expelling Water or other Liquids
from Floating Bodies, Keeping Damaged and Leaky Vessels from
Foundering, and Raising Sunken Ships, Vessels, and Caissons.
I, JAMES WING, of No. 50, Gurdon Road, Charlton, in the County of Kent,
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 said invention relates to an improved method of expelling water or other liquids
from floating bodies, for instance, raising and expelling bilge water, water ballast and
liquid cargoes; it further relates to the keeping of damaged and leaky vessels from
foundering; and raising sunken ships, vessels and caissons.
For the purpose of expelling bilge water, water ballast and liquid cargoes from
the lower part of a ship or vessel or from tanks or other receptacles within which
the liquid is contained, a tube or tubes is or are arranged, leading from the lower
part of the space in which the liquid is situated to the upper part of the ship or
vessel, a continuation being arranged to the point at which it is desired to discharge
the same, and, the said space having been closed, air is forced by means of a pamp
into the upper part thereof and the pressure thus exerted on the liquid will force
it up the before mentioned tube or tubes. The said tube or tubes may be fixed,
when required, or they may be permanently arranged in position. The aperture or
apertures at the top of the tank is or are closed by a suitable valve, and the tube or.
tubes above that point are, by preference, flexible.
When applying this invention to damaged and leaky vessels for the purpose of
keeping the same afloat the hatches or other openings in the deck, or in the com-
partment or compartments within which the leak is situated, are closed and air is
forced into the space beneath the said deck or into the said closed compartment
or compartments and the pressure thereof will force out through the leak or through
a tube or tubes or through both any water that may have entered the vessel and
the pressure of the air being greater than the pressure of the outside water, the
entry of the latter through the leak will be prevented. The simplicity and efficacy
of my invention for the purpose lastly described render it extremely valuable for
use in connection with war-ships and passenger and other boats.
"

page_text: For the purpose of raising a sunken ship or vessel, the hatches and other openings
are closed, and where no tubes, such as those hereinbefore described for expelling
bilge water, are provided, or, in addition thereto, and where no, or not sufficient, holes
exist in the lower part of the hull of the ship or vessel, holes are formed by driving
out rivets or by other means, air is then forced into the body of the ship or into
certain compartments thereof by pumps in barges, on the bank of the river or in any
other desired position, and the pressure exerted by such forced air will drive the
water out through the tubes, or holes, or both.
In applying this invention to caissons, the upper part of the caisson is provided
with valves to which the air pipes are attached, and the water is expelled either
through valves in the lower part of the caisson or through one or more tubes arranged
within the latter and extending from the top nearly to the bottom, the tops of the
tubes are provided with valves for closing the same, when desired. When air is
forced into the caisson the pressure of the same expels the water therefrom either
through the valves or tubes, and the caisson is consequently caused to rise to the
surface of the water, when the valves are closed.
In fitting a ship with valves and tubes to facilitate the application of this invention,
the different air valves may be connected with one or more pipes communicating with
one or more pumps in the engine room or other suitable situation.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. is a side elevation of a ship in which
a. are the air valves which are attached to the pipe a¹ and are thereby placed into
communication with the air pump or pumps, and 6. are pipes, leading to the bottom
of the ship, through which the water or of her liquid is expelled. Figure 2. is a side
elevation of a sunken ship, the tubes c. c. connecting the air pumps on the barges d. d.
with the air valves a. or pipe or pipes a'. The water is expelled through the hole b¹
from the compartment A and through the pipe b. from the compartment A².
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 :-
--
First. The method of raising and expelling water or other liquid from the interior
of ships or othor floating bodies by closing the space containing the water or liquid
and forcing air into the same, the liquid escaping through pipes or tubes extending
from near the bottom of the said space to the upper part of the vessel and being fitted
with continuations by which the liquid can be discharged at any desired point,
substantially as herein before described.
Secondly. The method of keeping damaged and leaky ships and other vessels afloat
by closing the hatches and other openings and forcing air into the interior of the same
whereby any water which has entered will be expelled and the further entrance of
water prevented, substantially as hereinbefore described.
And Thirdly. The method of raising sunken ships, vessels and caissons by closing
the hatchways or other openings in the upper part thereof and forcing air into the
interior, by which means the water will be expelled through tubes or holes, bub-
stantially as herein before described.
Dated this 31st day of Dvention 1007