IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLASTING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE EXTINGUISHING FIRES ON BOARD SHIPS
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Michael Swan at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th January
1859.
I, MICHAEL SWAN, of Henstridge Villa's, St. John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLASTING SHIPS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE EXTINGUISHING
FIRES ON BOARD SHIPS," to be as follows:
This Invention, so far as it relates to the ballasting of ships, consists in
constructing the ship with double sides and bottom, that is to say, with an
entire inner shell, leaving an air-tight space for water and air at the bottom
and sides thereof, forming the ballast chamber or chambers.
A semicircular or other shaped compartment is or may be made longitudinally
over the keel along the bottom of the inner shell, such compartment (which
may be subdivided into a series) being open on its under side, so as to recieve
water from below, and thus forms another ballast chamber or set of chambers
whilst it adds strength to the ship. This compartment is in direct com→
munication with a valve which admits water through the ship's bottom up to
any desired height in the sides according to the amount of ballast required,
and is also in connection by means of pipes passing up the inner sides of the
ship with the ship's pump. Stop valves or hydrants are fitted to these pipes,
and ballast chambers for receiving hose pipes in case of fire, whereby a
plentiful supply of water can be readily obtained at all parts of the ship.
The pumps are to be furnished with air vessels and hose junctions or

page_text: hydrants valves, and as the water will naturally flow to the level of the
surrounding fluid, it will evidently be within the least possible distance in the
suction pipes from the pump, and will consequently be always at hand when
required. In order to raise the water level in the compartments, as in the
case of heavy ballast being requisite, a valve is fitted to the upper portion of
each compartment, which, when open, will allow the air to escape and the
water to rise therein. In order to displace the water ballast, air is forced into
the upper portion of the chambers by a suitable air pump or pumps.
The arrangement above described answers the double purpose of readily
ballasting a ship and obtaining a convenient supply of water in case of fire,
but the ship requires to be regularly constructed or built for the purpose.
In order to obtain a supply of water in case of fire in any portion of an
ordinarily built wooden or iron ship, I propose simply to insert valves into the
bottom or sides or both of the ship, the side valves being placed below the
light load water line. These valves open into pipes running up the inner
sides of the ship, or branching in any convenient direction. Hose junctions
are connected to these pipes, so that water can be directed by its natural 'flow
to any part of the ship below the water line, whilst other pipes will lead
upwards to powerful force pumps furnished with hose junctions and pipes.
The supply of water in the suction pipes being thus brought to the smallest
possible distance from the pumps, the supply will at all times be readily
obtained.