IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING STRUCTURES TO SERVE AS HOSPITALS, HOTELS OR THE LIKE AND
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN BENJAMIN STONER, of Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FLOATING STRUCTURES TO SERVE AS HOSPITALS, HOTELS OR THE LIKE AND
"to be as follows:-
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
My invention relates to floating hospitals, hotels or similar structures and to
apparatus to be used in connection therewith.
My said invention is chiefly designed to construct a floating hospital or hotel or
similar structure in such a manner that rotary and lateral motions of the same are
prevented and the mooring chains or ropes are always kept taut and so that the
said structuro will not be materially affected by the motion of the water.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide a central buoy or
cylindrical vessel closed at its lower end. This vessel is fixed to the underside of a
floor, platform, or frame and may be divided into any suitable number of storeys
and compartiments. A number of smaller buoys are arranged radially around the
central buoy and are secured to the platform or frame, and are braced to the same
and to each other.
The said cylindrical buoy or vessel has at its centre a tube which is connected
by smaller tubes to the circumference of the said vessel. These smaller tubes are
enlarged in depth as they approach the circumference for the purpose hereinafter
explained. Around and above this central tube, at equal distances apart, are
arranged four or any other suitable number of pulleys made as follows, that is to
sayThe centre of the pulley is inade considerably smaller than the two ends
thereof, which are grooved to receive a chain or rope. To the central part of each
pulley is secured a rope or chain which passes in one direction over a guide-pulley
fixed within the central tube and extends thence in the opposite direction to any
suitable distance where it is secured by means of an anchor, or is otherwise moored.
The extremities of another chain or rope are attached to the larger parts of the
pulley and pass around the same, the light of the said chain or rope being passed
through an eye fixed to a weight which is free to move up and down within the
central tube. This weight is intended to keep all the chains or ropes laut and
is so arranged in combination therewith and with the pulleys that when the
Devine GLI

page_text: cylindrical buoy or vessel is acted upon by a lateral force in one direction, this
action will tend to cause the weight to act solely upon the chain or cord by which
the strain is borne. The apparatus cannot therefore be moved laterally unless the
force applied is sufficient to lift the weight in the central tube. I prefer to make
the ends of the pulleys of a diameter twice as great as that of the central part
thereof so that the force exerted by the weight will be multiplied, for example if a
weight of fifty tons is employed, the force acting upon the chain or rope, when
bearing a strain as above described, will be equal to one hundred tons.
The said ropes or chains pass through the tubes connecting the central tube with
the circumference of the cylindrical buoy or vessel and through slotted bars fixed
to the edge of the platform and braced to the buoys. By reason of the elongated
tapering shape of these tubes the said ropes or chains always have a straight lead
to the guiding pulleys whether the tide be high or low. The said weight rises in
the central tube while the tide is rising and descends when the tide is falling so
that it always keeps the ropes or chains taut.
I prefer to make the platform circular and to arrange a guard or fender of wood
or other suitable material around the outer circle of buoys, to prevent damage to
the same by objects floating in the water. The said platform is provided with
stairs to enable persons to get upon the same from a boat.
Upon the said platform I construct the rooms and passages of the hospital or
hotel. I prefer to make four radial passages connected by one or more circular
passages, on each side of which are rooms. The central portion of the platform
above the cylindrical vessel I prefer to leave vacant. The said cylindrical vessel is
used for cellars, kitchens or store-rooms, or in any other suitable manner.
The circular rows of buoys fixed to the underside of the platform are firmly
braced to each other, and to the platform and cylindrical vessel or central buoy.
These buoys serve to support the whole structure, which is usually of such
-dimensions that it is very slightly affected by any motion of the water.
By keeping the said chains or ropes taut, I-avoid-the strains which might
otherwise be placed thercon through the floating structure gaining momentum by
being moved laterally by the wind or by any movement of the water in which the
said structure floats.
Dated this sixteenth day of January 1884.

page_text: same, the bight of the said chain or rope being passed through an eye l¹ attached
to a weight which is free to move up and down within the central tube d.
This weight is intended to keep the mooring chains or ropes taut and is so
arranged in combination therewith and with the pulleys that, when the floating
structure is acted upon by any force in a lateral direction, for example the force of
a current, this force will tend to lift the weight by means of only one of the
pulleys and chains or ropes g. The apparatus cannot, therefore, be moved laterally
unless the force applied is sufficient to lift the said weight.
I prefer to make the diameter of the outer portions f³ of the pulleys f twice as
great as that of their central portions so that the force exerted by the weight
will be multiplied by two, for instance, if a weight of fifty tons is employed, the
force exerted thereby upon one or other of the chains or ropes h, when the structure
is acted upon by a current or other lateral force as above described, will be equal
to one hundred tons. But the said portions of the pulley may bear any other
desired proportion to each other.
The ropes or chains h, after they pass through the tubes e, extend through
slotted bars m firmly attached to the floor or platform b near the edge thereof and
secured to the buoys c by pieces of T-iron, angle-iron or the like. These slotted
bars serve as guides for the mooring ropes or chains and tend to prevent any
rotary motion of the structure. By making the tubes e taper as above described
I allow the said ropes or chains to always extend straight from the anchors or
mooring posts to the guide pulleys i, whether the tide be high or low. The weight
ascends in the central tube when the tide is rising, and descends when the tide is
falling, it, therefore, always keeps the ropes or chains taut. In Figuro 4 it is shewn
in full lines in the position corresponding to high water, and in dotted lines in that
corresponding to low water.
By thus keeping the said chains or ropes always taut, I avoid the strains which
they might otherwise require-to bear by reason of any momentum acquired by the
floating structure when moved laterally by the wind or by any movement of the
water in, or upon, which the said structure floats.
1 prefer to make the platform 6 circular and to arrange a guard or fender of
wood or other suitable material around the outer circle of buoys, to prevent damage
to the same by objects floating in the water. The said platform or floor is sometimes
provided with stairs as at 62 to permit access to or from a boat.
Upon the said platform or floor I construct the rooms and passages of the hospital,
hotel or the like. I prefer to make four radial passages connected by one or more
circular passages, and to provide rooms on each side of these passages. The said
rooms or passages are not shewn in the drawings. The central portion of the
platform or floor, above the vessel a, I prefer to leave vacant. The said vessel is
used for cellars, kitchens or store rooms, or in any other suitable manner.
The buoys c and the central buoy a serve to support the whole structure, which
is usually of such dimensions that it is very slightly affected by any motion of the
water.
I sometimes employ, in combination with my improved floatings tructure above
described levers 22 pivotted to any suitable part of the structure, and to the ends of
these levers I attach buoys o in such a manner that the said buoys and lovers will
be moved up and down by the action of the waves. The said buoys or levers can
be connected with suitable pumps for pumping water or compressing air, or with
any suitable mechanism for other purposes. These levers are passed through
slotted guide bars p similar to the bars m.
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 combination of parts comprising the weight, the chains or ropes, and
the peculiarly constructed pulleys, whereby the force exerted by the said weight

page_text: upon the mooring chains or ropes is multiplied or increased, substantially as, and
for the purpose, set forth.
Second. The improved floating structure consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings
to serve as a hospital, hotel or the like.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.