CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND SUPPORTING VESSELS AND FLOATING OR SUNKEN BODIES, AND FOR THEIR APPLICATION TO THE BETTER PRE- SERVATION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
ARMAND Le Comte de FONTAINEMOREAU, of No. 1, Skinners Place, Sise
Lane, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of August, in the ninth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Pierre
Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Pierre Armand le Comte
de Fontainemoreau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in
all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, the Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND SUPPORTING VESSELS
AND FLOATING OR SUNKEN BODIES, AND FOR THEIR APPLICATION TO THE BETTER PRE-
SERVATION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY," Communicated to me from a certain Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, shall cause a particular

page_text: description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, do hereby declare that the
nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say: -
My Improvements in Apparatus for Raising and Supporting Vessels and
other Floating or Sunken Bodies, and for the better Preservation of Life
and Property, are employed, according to circumstances, either separately or
collectively. I will successively describe them.
IMPROVED APPARATUS TO PREVENT VESSELS AND FLOATING BODIES FROM
SINKING.
I am well aware that for a long while several means have been employed
to raise vessels that have been wrecked or sunk by means of bags or
boxes made of several substances capable of containing and keeping the
air. I therefore thought that it would be still more desirable to prevent
vessels from sinking and being lost, for which end I introduce into all
the vacancies not required for the accommodation of the passengers, crew,
and cargo, air-tight boxes, made of copper, zinc, sheets of iron, linen,
canvas, caoutchouc, leather, or any other suitable material, which, by them-
selves, or by any of the usual preparations too well known to require to
be described, can contain the air and keep it tight, and are of a volume
much larger than their own weight.
Figure 1, Drawing 1, represents a vertical section of the interior of a vessel.
Figure 2, Drawing 1, shows the plan of the vacuum where the air-tight boxes
are placed. Figure 1, Drawing II., represents an elevation of the air-tight
boxes closing upon each other like a telescope. Figure 2 of the same Draw-
ing is an elevation of the same boxes when entirely extended. The dotted
line shews where the one enters the other. Figure 3 of same Drawing
represents the same boxes when they are entered the one in the other.
Figure 4 of the same Drawing shows the top part of the boxes shut
at C. In the timber work A and E, Figures 1 and 2, Drawing I., and
in all the vacancies B¹ and E¹ of the same Drawing and Figures, I place

page_text: air-tight columns or pillars, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Drawing II., and
boxes D and D', Figures 1 and 2, Drawing I.,. and Figures 2 and 4,
Drawing II. I divide the boxes or columns into several compartments of
about one yard in length, which, as well as their width, are made according to
the spaces they are to fill up. I properly support them by wooden partitions, G,
Figure 2, Drawing I., and B and C, Figure 1 and 7, Drawing II., brackets,
pegs, or any other similar contrivance, taking care to divide them also into
sundry parts in order that if any shock should take place the whole of each of
them should not break or be rendered useless to their full extent; and to
render them still more steady I place between them wood shavings, or any soft.
substance capable of lessening the effect of a collision. I prepare also these
boxes as moveable connected columns or compartments to be placed under the
ceiling between the beams supporting the several decks, as D and C, Figure 1,
Drawing I. They may be removed or raised at pleasure when required, in order
to make them still more available; and consequently they are made so as to open
and shut like the tube of a telescope, or collapse like bellows, as shewn by
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, Drawing II., as Figure 5, 6, and 8 of the same Draw-
ing, so as to extend or distend according to necessity. B, Figures 5 and 9,
Drawing II., is the hole through which the air is introduced. Supposing that by
some cause or other a hole should be made in a vessel, and capable of letting
in a quantity of water sufficient to sink her, I am convinced, by the experi-
ments I have made, that if all the vacancies she contains, and which I have
partly mentioned, are filled up by my boxes in the manner described, it would.
be impossible for her to submerge, as a cubic yard of air will float a ton
weight. Therefore, by setting a number of cubic square yards, air-tight
boxes, or columns of the above-mentioned description, in all parts of the
vessel, and in proportion to their capacity, of the places where the said boxes
can be conveniently placed, as above stated, it will be easy to avoid the
calamity of shipwreck. The said means, with the same certainty of success,
may consequently be applied to all floating bodies, with due attention, however,
to the several modifications they may require.
APPARATUS FOR RENDERING WHERRIES, GIGS, LIGHTERS, AND ANY OTHER
SIMILAR BOATS, LIFE AND SAFETY BOATS.
In all the places which are not indispensably required or necessary either for
working the boat or for convenience, for example, fore A, and aft B, Figure 1,
Drawing III., under benches or seats, y,y,y,y, Figure 4, Drawing III., K, K, K,
Figure 4, Drawing 4, the floaring against the sides or walls between the ribs,
and all other similar vacancies, I set some of the boxes herein-before described.

page_text: I have them perfectly suitable as regard to shape for the place they are to
occupy, always taking care that the volume of air they are to contain be larger
(recollecting that one cubic yard of air can support one ton weight) than the
weight of the boat, in addition to that of the weight of the water contained in
her, in case of submersion, or from any other accident. Now it may happen
that the force of the waves or sudden shift of wind, or want of skilfulness, or
negligence, on the part of the crew in working the boat, may cause her to
capsize. To avoid that misfortune, although on account of the herein-before
mentioned preparation she would be prevented in most cases from sinking, I
adapt to her an apparatus which I construct as follows:-Figure 1, Drawing 3,
represents a bird's-eye-view of a boat. Figure 2, Drawing III., represents a
front view of the apparatus. Figure 3, Drawing III., represents a section
of the said apparatus set in its proper place. Figure 4, Drawing III., a
side view of the said apparatus. Figure 5, Drawing III., represents a plan of
the valve A. A double toothed wheel I, Figure 2, Drawing III., is put in
motion by the handle 2 fixed on the axis of the double wheel I, and gives the
necessary rotatory motion to two other wheels 3, 3, turning respectively on
their axes 6, 6. These two wheels catch each of them in the rack of the two
shafts 4, 4, and give to these an ascending or descending alternate perpen-
dicular motion. To the lower extremities of the shafts 4, 4, which pass under
the keel through the floaring of the boat, I attach, at convenient depth, cer-
tain weights, which are proportional to the capacity of the boat itself.
Supposing that by the motion of the apparatus the shafts 4 and 4 should have
been lowered one yard and a half from the keel of the boat, the weight
fixed at their vertical extremities will serve as ballast for the boat, and keep its
proper equilibrium. The whole of the apparatus is set upon a board placed
on two benches at equal distances fore and aft, starboard and larboard, O,
Figure 1, 3, 4, Drawing III. That board on which the apparatus is set is made
to slide in grooves, in order that the large double toothed wheel I, be, in case
of necessity, independent of the two other wheels 3 and 3. That causes the
shafts 4, 4, to be precipitately lowered, when their descending motion imme-
diately restores the equilibrium and steadiness of the boat. Their upper
extremity is provided with a peg or pin sufficiently strong to stop them when
they have reached the lowest point of their descending motion. Figure 2
shows the shafts 4, 4, when lowered, and Figure 4 represents them when
entirely elevated above the lower point of the keel, and therefore cannot, in
that position, with even the weight suspended to them, impede the course of
the boat in fair weather. These shafts are enclosed within tubes placed air-
tight underneath the kee!; they rise higher than the draught of water taken by

page_text: the load or weight of the boat, therefore no water can get in through them.
These tubes are sufficiently large so as to permit the shafts to move freely on
them. It may happen perchance that the waves during a storm may fill the
boat; I have therefore sought, by the means which I here propose, to have the
water leaving the boat. For that purpose, towards the stern of the right and
left of the keel at O, Figure 1 and 8, and at B, Figure 4, I place four valves,
A, A, and A, Figure 5, which are forced (from their construction) to remain
constantly closed in fair weather; but when water is thrown into the boat by
the waves, it has a natural tendency and is forced to run towards the stern,
which is always the lowest part of the boat. Small trenches or channellings are
properly prepared under the tight air boxes, to permit a constant passage of the
water towards that part of the boat, and the valves, which the lightest pressure
from within will cause to open, will naturally allow the water to escape from
the boat. These valve open towards the stern, and have a counterpoise which
compels them to be closed hermetically, and which is beside provided with a
band of leather, so that they cannot therefore allow the water to get into the
boat during her course. As I have said before, the board on which is set the
mechanism of my above-mentioned apparatus is made to slide in grooves so
that the apparatus may be removed when the weather permits. Its weight is
so small that it scarcely adds to the load of the boat, and the little room it
occupies, when removed from its working position, cannot be of any conse-
quence to the crew, or hinder the manning of the boat. On each side of this
boat I place six ropes of three or more yards in length, provided with cork at
certain distances, in order that they may conveniently float, so that if any per-
son should fall into the sea he may more easily get into the safety boat, or if
that one is already full he may be safely pulled up till further assistance be
given to him.
APPARATUS FOR SETTING AFLOAT ANY VESSEL WHATEVER WHEN IT IS
SUBMERGED.
Figure 1, Drawing IV., represents a cylinder or float made of zinc, copper,
&c., &c. Figure 2, Drawing IV., a large hook. Figure 3, Drawing IV.,
a double rope, with rings and hooks. Figure 4 is a section of the hook and
ring. Figure 6 represents a system of the cylinder A attached round the
vessel. Figure 7 represents the keel of a vessel. Figure 8 represents iron
boards or rings serving to support inside the cylinder. They are placed at
No. 1, 2, 3, on the cylinder A, Figure 1.
top terminating the float or cylinder A.
entirely submerged I employ the floats or
Figure 9 represents the conical
For the purpose of raising vessels
cylinders A, Figure 1, Drawing IV.

page_text: They are made of the herein-before mentioned substances, and have any form
or shape capable of containing from four to five cubic yards of air. I have
found, however, by experience, that the form represented by A, Figure 1, is
the most preferable. These cylinders A are strengthened by iron hoops or
bands C, C, C. It will be easy, with the assistance of the diving bell, to place
on the keel of a vessel A', Figure 7, at E, E, E, a necessary quantity of hooks J,
Figure 2, of sufficient strength, and capable of supporting two or three tons
weight. These hooks are made like screws at one of their extremities,
ending, however, with a sharp point, to facilitate their entrance into the
timber work. The hook or head of the screw on its opposite vertical
arm will afford sufficient facility to turn it conveniently into the wood
work of the vessel. The hook J being fixed, the cylinder A, Figure 1,
will be forced down by means of a weight superior to that it can
sustain, and being furnished with the double rope E, Figure 2, having at
each end a ring G and a hook H, Figures 3, 4, and 5, it will be directed
towards the hook J. Before the cylinder A has been forced down, the diver,
by means of the rope E, Figure 3, attached to the cylinder, will then fix it by
the ring G of the same Figure to the hook J, Figure 2. By the same
operation all the bottom and sides of the vessel can be provided with similar
cylinder A, as they are shown in Figure 7, where the letters C¹, C², C, H", G",
represent these cylinders set at their places, with the hook S, at E, E, E, and
the rope by which they are fixed to the body of the vessel. The Figure 6
shews two complete systems of the said cylinders A, provided with their
ropes E and hook G to set them; that Figure shows also the order they occupy
when properly placed. Each of the cylinders is provided beside with a chain
or rope at its right and with a hook at its left side, in order to be able to
attach them to each other, and to form one continuous band, so that the
current may not displace them in their proper position. Supposing that a
vessel is sunk, in order to raise her I attach the apparatus A, herein-before
mentioned, by the means I have stated, taking care that the lowest row of
cylinders in the starboard has ropes passing under the keel, which will be
attached to the first row of hooks on the larboard side, and reciprocally the
lowest row of cylinders on the larboard has ropes passing under the keels,
which ropes are attached to the first row of hooks on the starboard, like
D¹, D, D, D, Figure 7. Such disposition will not impede the position of
the other rows of cylinders, as it will be easy to perceive by the same Figure.
If a sufficient number of cylinders A is therefore set upon a vessel, whatever
may be her tonnage, cargo, and the weight of the surrounding clement, she
will soon raise above water. If three hundred of such cylinders, of the

page_text: hook J, which I introduce under her side, and I raise her afterwards as above
stated.
SAFETY NET TO PREVENT PERSONS BEING THROWN OVERBOARD.
Figure 1, Drawing V., represents the plan of the aft part of a ship with the
place of her masts, cabins, &c., &c. The letters G, G, represent the meshes of
a net set all over the vessel. These meshes are made sufficiently large that a
man can pass through them. This net in bad weather is set along the larboard
and starboard decks, and is fixed to the netting B, B, of the vessel. It is
spread all over the decks by means of two ropes which are fastened to the most.
convenient parts to receive them, either fore and aft, or by the middle of their
two extremities D. The masts of the vessels, which are not represented in the
plan, will naturally necessitate that the net be made of two parts; but these
are united by the hooks F, F, F. Such net will not prevent the crew from
manning the vessel, but will be the best means for them to remain firm and
steady on deck during a storm, without running the danger of being thrown
overboard. This net can be made of any suitable material, and be strong
enough to resist the shaking of the winds. In fair weather it may be easily
stored in any convenient place without taking up much room.
And having now fully described the nature of the Invention communicated
to me, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself rigidly to the details of the several
apparatus herein-before described, or to the several component parts of the said
apparatus; nor do I claim as the Invention the several unconnected parts with
which the said apparatus can be constructed, except as far as they may be
used in the manner I have employed them in carrying out the said Invention;
but what I claim as the Invention is,-
Firstly, to fill up all the vacancies which may exist in a ship with air-
tight boxes, whatever may be their shape and size and the substances
with which they are made, so as to displace by their buoyancy a very large
weight.
Secondly, to render all kinds of boats life and safety boats, by adapting to
them a certain mechanism or apparatus, conjointly with the operation of filling
conveniently all the vacancies which they may contain, as before described.
Thirdly, to raise up all kinds of vessels by means of certain air-tight
apparatus, placed externally, as before described.