IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHIPS BERTHS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles James Fox at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th October 1883.
CHARLES JAMES Fox, of Birkenhead, in the County of Chester, Master
Marinor "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SHIPS BERTHS."
My Invention relates to certain improvements hereinafter more particularly
mentioned in ships berths, and provides for the construction and erection of a
framework, which contains the berths, of iron, or steel wire rope, or hemp rope,
iron, or steel wire, or bar iron, or steel in tension, that is to say the framework is
all "set up." I thus obtain a framework of very light construction and of easy
erection and easy of removal and stowage, when the berth space is required for
cargo, or other purposes. My Invention also provides for the bottom, sides and
ends of the berths being also of light construction, and consists of forming the
berths of woven wire, or of canvas, or of woven wire and canvas in combination,
or of canvas and twine netting, the material of which the berths, bunks, or cots are
composed being continuous, or ench berth, bunk, or cot being made separately. In
either case the berths, bunks, or cots are suspended in the "set up" framework
formed by the wire rope, or equivalent material. My Invention thus provides for
the easy stowage of the berths when not in use, so that their space may be used
as cargo space, or as space for mess, or other purposes.
That my Invention and the method of carrying the same out may be understood,
I will describe its application to a group of berths for emigrants use on board ship.
Assuming the group to consist of twenty berths arranged in two tiers of ten berths
in each tier, the berths being situated in lengths end to end, so that the foot of one
berth butts up to the foot of the next berth. The framework is composed of
vertical wire ropes, or their equivalent "set up" in tension, which extend between
the decks and are placed one at each corner of each bunk. These vertical wire
ropes are hung from cot hooks, or equivalent devices from the under side of the
upper deck and are hooked to eyes, or equivalent devices on the under deck, each
wire rope being provided with a tightening screw, or equivalent means of setting
up in tension the wire rope from deck to deck. The ends of the bunks, or berths
are formed by horizontal wire ropes, or their equivalent, which extend across and
join onto the vertical wires before spoken of. The sides of the bunks, or berths
are formed by lengths of wire rope of their equivalent which extend horizontally

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between the vertical wire ropes, so that the end wire ropes and the side wire ropes
divide the space contained by the vertical wire ropes into the bunks, or berths;
for example into spaces of about six feet long by two feet wide by ten inches in
depth. To provide for the secure fastening and "setting up" in tension of the
horizontal wire ropes where they cross, or join onto the vertical wire ropes, I use
rings, links, or forgings in the form of a cross, or toggles, for example at each
junction of the wire ropes I use a ring on which are four wire splicing "shoes."
These "shoes" respectively connect the ring to two ends of the vertical wire rope
and to two ends of the horizontal end wire rope. The ends of the horizontal side
wire rope are spliced to toggles, which toggles take into the rings aforesaid, thus
the whole wire rope framework is "set up" in teusion, there being a ring, or
equivalent connecting device at each corner of each bunk. Having so provided
for the framework, I either suspend in each division a cot, or hammock of canvas,
or woven wire, or I arrange a continuous canvas, or woven wire bottom. In the
latter case I use the side wire ropes of the framework at the bottom of each berth
only and I provide on the continuous canvas, or woven wire bottom side and end
pieces which hook up and form the sides and ends, leaving a pocket between each
berth and forming the berth with a rounded bottom, which separates the occupants
of the adjacent berths, and which can be used for stowage of personal effects, or I
provide the continuous bottom with the top and bottom side wire ropes run into
the bottom and sides instead of being fixed to the vertical wires, so that in this
case the continuous bottom and the side wires are "set up" at the same time.
Separate groups of berths may be divided from each other by canvas screens s0 as
to take the place of wood in forming rooms.
It will be seen that by my Invention of "setting up" the framework in tension
to carry the berths I am enabled to erect groups of berths in such a manner that
they can be easily "set up," and taken down with economy of labour and time.
I also provide a berth of great durability capable of casy stowage, when the space
is required for cargo, or other purposes.-My Invention also provides an arrange-
ment of berths having free ventilation and light, and giving great facility for
cleansing purposes, the wire giving freedom from infection, harbouring of vermin,
and other disadvantages to which ordinary wood berths are liable