IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STOPPING BREACHES IN SHIPS
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES SEWARD PEARCE, Coal Merchant of 31 Above Bar, and ROBERT
WILKINSON, Master Mariner of Chantry Road, both in the Town and County of
Southampton do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STOPPING BREACHES IN SHIPS," to be as follows:-
·
Our Invention relates to an improved apparatus for stopping breaches in ships
caused by collision or by stranding on rocks or other similar accident. The
apparatus is intended to be applied to a breach which is above the water line or
which is exposed at low tide, and it is so constructed as to be comparatively light
and easily applied and sufficiently flexible to adapt itself readily to the conforination
of the hull to which it is applied and yet sufficiently rigid to resist the pressure of
the water and constitute a temporary but sufficiently secure repair to enable the
vessel to be kept afloat or floated as the case may be, and enable her to be
navigated into port.
The apparatus is a structure composed principally of a plate of indiarubber or a
combination of indiarubber with canvas or other fabric, stiffened by transverse
steel springs on either or both surfaces and by a marginal frame of steel or iron,
the whole assembled and connected together in any suitable way and the springs
and frame on the side to be applied against the hull being embedded in the
thickness of the indiarubber plate so as not to prevent the latter lying snugly
against the ships' hull and making a water tight joint. This compound structure
is of a concavo-convex form owing to the curvature of the springs and is backed
by a bar crossing behind the springs and bearing against the same through which
any suitable number of long screw threaded bolts are passed whereby the
apparatus is drawn close against the ships' hull, the bolts being for this purpose
passed through the breach and tightened by nuts applied to their inner ends and
screwing up against a cross bar or bars which take a bearing against the ribs or
other part of the framework or hull of the vessel. By this means and by the
inherent flexibility and concave form of the plate the latter is tightly applied
against the surface of the hull over the breach and is caused to readily adapt itself
to the conformation of the hull with which the edges of the plate make a thoroughly
watertight joint.
A number of these plates of different shapes and sizes to suit breaches of various
dimensions would be provided for use in case of emergency, the several plates being
rebated at their edges or otherwise adapted to fit or jointed closely together to stop
breaches of large dimensions and in different positions.
1004

page_text: We, JAMES SEWARD PEARCE, Coal Merchant, of 31, Above Bar, and ROBERT
WILKINSON, Master Mariner, of Chantry Road, both in the town and county of
Southampton, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR STOPPING BREACHES IN SHIPS," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our Invention relates to an improved apparatus for stopping breaches in ships
caused by collision, by stranding on rocks or other similar accident. The apparatus
is intended to be applied to a breach which is either above or below the water line
or which is exposed at low tide or may be reached by diving The apparatus is
so constructed as to be comparatively light and easily applied and sufficiently
flexible to adapt itself readily to the configuration of the hull to which it is applied
and yet sufficiently rigid to resist the pressure of the water and constitute a
temporary but sufficiently secure repair to enable the vessel to be kept afloat or
floated as the case may be, and enable her to be navigated into port..
The apparatus is a structure composed principally of a flexible plate of india-
rubber or a combination of india rubber with canvas or other fabric stiffened by
transverse steel springs and if necessary by a marginal frame of steel or iron the
whole so assembled and connected together as to admit of the plate lying snugly
against the ships hull and making a water tight joint. Reference is to be had
to the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification wherein figure 1 is
an outer face view figure 2 is a cross section and figure 3 an inner face view of the
apparatus as applied to stop a breach. A is a flexible plate of india rubber of
dimensions suited to the size of the breach to be stopped and of from about three
quarters of an inch to one inch in thickness. B are the transverse steel springs by
which the plate A is backed arranged at suitable distances apart to afford adequate
support to the plate which is stiffened at the edges by metal strips a rivetted to or
embedded in the india rubber.. This compound structure is of concavo-convex
form in cross section (as represented in dotted lines in figure 2) owing to the
curvature of the springs and is backed by a central longitudinal bar C crossing
behind the springs and bearing against the same through which any suitable
number of long screw threaded bolts D, are passed whereby the apparatus is drawn
close against the ships hull, the bolts being for this purpose passed through the
breach and tightened by nuts E applied to their inner ends screwing up against a
slotted cross, bar F which takes a bearing against the inside of the hull of the
vessel. By this means and by the inherent flexibility and concave form of the
plate the latter is held tightly against the surface of the hull over the breach
and is caused to readily adapt itself to the configuration of the hull with which
the edges of the plate make a thoroughly watertight joint.
A number of these plates of different shapes and sizes to suit breaches of various
dimensions would be provided for use in case of emergency the several plates being
ebated at their edges or otherwise adapted to fit or joint closely together to stop
Lieaches of large dimensions and in different positions.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
An apparatus for stopping breaches in ships constructed of a flexible plate of
indiarubber or waterproof fabric, springs and pressure bar in combination with
appliances for securing the same over the breach substantially as described and
shown in the drawings.
J. SEWARD PEARCE.
R. WILKINSON.
By their Agents,
A. M. & Wm Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, W.C.