IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LIFEBOATS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES AND IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING AND VENTILATING THE SAME; AND IN STEAM BOILERS TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Carl Wolfgang Petersen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th December 1869.
I, CARL WOLFGANG PETERSEN, of the City Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LIFEBOATS AND OTHER
FLOATING BODIES AND IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING AND VENTILATING THE SAME;
AND IN STEAM BOILERS TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing lifeboats and other floating
bodies in the following manner:-
For example, I construct lifeboats to be self-righting by means of one,
two, or more water-tight chambers, the said chambers to be fitted with
doors or hatches so as to serve as a saloon cabin, stokeroom, or other
purpose, the said water-tight chambers to be fitted with glazed openings
for admitting light and one or more air shafts for admitting fresh air to
the said chambers.
I further construct lifeboats double or with two skins and use screws
or screw bolts and nuts instead of nails, bolts, rivets, or other fastenings
now in use, the aforesaid double planking or skin to be two, three, or
more inches apart, both skins to be water-tight so as to prevent vessels

page_text: from foundering when being stove on rocks or meeting with other
accidents. The aforesaid screws or screw bolts with nuts will allow
vessels which are built double to be very easily repaired after being stove
in. The planks or plates if of metal to be taken out and replaced
without disturbing the second skin.
I further construct lifeboats with a centre board case and a pivotted
iron centre board to assist boats in self-righting after being capsized, the
open side of the centre board case to be levil with the deck, and with
sufficient space on both sides of the centre board to relieve the boat from
the overflow of water and act in the place of the relieving tubes now in
use. The centre board being of iron will help the boat to right herself
when capsized, and when sails are carried on the boat the said centre
board will prevent the boat from drifting to leeward.
I also provide lifeboats with one or two water tanks under the deck
upon the bottom of the boat to prevent boats carrying a top heavy cargo
from capsizing, and also to right boats when being capsized. A pump
is fitted in these water tanks to pump the water out of them to lighten
the boat if necessary, and a screw valve to let water into the tanks.
When it is required to carry sails on boats or other floating bodies,
I further construct lifeboats and other floating bodies with decks built
diagonally instead of as now built. Decks laid diagonally will strenghten
vessels, and the planks can always be got out in one length, and will
never get leaky as is now the case with decks of the ordinary con-
struction. I construct the rudders of lifeboats or other floating bodies to
slide up and down the stern post by the following means. The rudder
may be also readily unshipped and applied at either end of the boat by
means of a hinge formed in the following manner :-The stem and stern
post are reduced so as to form a kind of circular head, on to which the
rudder is hung by means of a tube fixed thereto having a longitudinal
slit to enable the said tube to embrace the head which forms a pivot for
the rudder. I also pivot a wheel at the bottom of the rudder, so as to
enable the rudder to roll over any hard substance and rise the same
when striking on rocks or other places, by these means neither ropes nor
hawsers can remain foul of the rudder. The tiller I also pivot at the top
of the rudder, so that when the rudder is raised the end of the tiller is
always in the same position. In addition to the rudder I provide two
steering oars, one at each end of the boat, to supply the place of the
rudder should it be carried away or rendered unserviceable, each steering

page_text: oar being placed in a rowlock formed of a metal ring pivoted in any
convenient position. In order to prevent the loss of the steering oars
they are each provided with a cross head or collar to prevent their
slipping through the rowlocks.
I also construct the funnels and air shafts of steam lifeboats, tugs,
tenders, and other floating bodies with self-closing caps or valves worked
by chains, weighted levers, springs, or otherwise to prevent the extinction
of the fire and keep the water out of the boat should it capsize; the said
funnel and air shaft are also to be provided with a pivotted cowl to
prevent the inflow of water when seas break over the boat.
In employing steam and screws to propel lifeboats and other floating
bodies I construct the steam chest of the boiler separate from the body.
of the water in the boiler, and I lead the steam from the boiler into the
aforesaid steam chest by a pipe or pipes fitted with a cock, on which is
fixed a weighted lever, the weight being so placed as to keep the cock
open when the boat is in its right position, but when capsized the weight
will operate so as to shut the cock and thus prevent the water from
passing out of the boiler and choking the engines or scalding the
persons in the boat. I also place a safety valve at the bottom of the
boiler for the steam to escape when the boat is bottom up, so as to
prevent the explosion of the boiler. I propose to ventilate lifeboats when
necessary by means of a fan shaft, driven from the engine or by hand,
the fan being placed in the funnel on which the ventilating cowl is
placed. By these means perfect ventilation may be obtained and the
furnace fire supplied with air when the hatchways are closed.
Lastly. I propose to lash the boiler to the boat's bottom at opposite
sides thereof to prevent displacement of the boiler, when the boat
capsizes, the lashings being fixed to planks running from stem to stern
of the boat at the bilge, which planks serve also to strengthen the boat
at these parts.
I provide lifeboats with one or more screws at each end of the boat
for propelling the same, so as not to lose steam power in a high seaway
as is now the case with steam vessels fitted with a screw at one end
only for propelling them. The said screws are each fitted with two
rings for fastening ropes or chains to the ship, and for unshipping the
screws in case of their being fouled by ropes or otherwise. For working
the screws by hand I employ two vertical shafts connected at the bottom
to the main shaft that works the screws. The aforesaid vertical shafts

page_text: are placed one at each end of the inner boat, and on the top of each
of the said vertical shafts a light wheel is placed and grooved so as to
hold a light endless chain. One half of the crew of the boat are
placed at opposite sides of the boat, one half pulling aftward and the
other pulling foreward, and by these means the screws may be turned
round and the boat propelled by hand when required.
The above improvements may be applied to all floating bodies moving
through water. I also provide a grating placed above the fire-bars to
prevent the fuel becoming displaced when the boat capsizes.