IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOATING DOCKS.
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Baillie, of the London Yard, Isle of Dogs,
in the County of Middlesex, Iron Ship Builder, for the Invention of
66 IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOATING DOCKS.
Sealed the 17th December 1863, and dated the 22nd October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Baillie at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
October 1863.
I, ROBERT BAILLIE, of the London Yard, Isle of Dogs, in the County of
Middlesex, Iron Ship Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOATING Docks," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its object the construction of floating docks with
pontoons for the sides, combined with transverse and longitudinal girders
forming the bottom of the structure, such sides and bottom being respectively
independent of each other, except as they are. connected by a number of
hydraulic cylinders and rams, or other mechanism for raising and lowering the
bottom of the dock as required. For this purpose the sides of the dock are
by preference composed of a series of pontoons braced together by longitudinal
girders, with a space between each pontoon of greater width than the main
transverse girders of the bottom, so as to admit of these girders passing up
between the pontoons when the bottom is raised, and thereby forming a level

page_text: surface on the under side of the dock. But the sides of the dock may be
composed of oblong pontoons extending the whole length thereof, in which
case the said main girders would rest against the under side. of the dock when
in their highest position. The ordinary wooden flooring of the dock is fixed
on the transverse girders of the bottom. Vertical racks are fixed to the main
girders of the bottom of the dock, which racks are retained as required by
palls fixed to the longitudinal girders of the sides, and there are antifriction
guide rollers fixed against the opposite side of the rack to the palls. Or
friction cams and plain vertical rods may be substituted for the racks and
palls. And there are vertical lattice guides fixed to the main girders to
strengthen the bottom of the dock against a tendency to lateral straining, such
guides being capable of passing upwards between antifriction rollers fixed to
the sides of the dock.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Baillie, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st. April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
BAILLIE, of the London Yard, Isle of Dogs, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,. give and grant
unto, me, the said Robert Baillie, Her special license that I, the said Robert
Baillie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Baillie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOATING DOCKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Baillie, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within

page_text: six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Baillie, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Floating Docks,"
has for its object the construction of floating docks with pontoons for the sides,
combined with transverse and longitudinal girders forming the bottom of the
structure, such sides and bottom being respectively independent of each other,
except as they are connected by a number of hydraulic cylinders and rams, or
other mechanism, for raising and lowering the bottom of the dock as required.
For this purpose the sides of the dock are by preference composed of a series
of pontoons braced together by longitudinal girders, with a space between each
pontoon of greater width than the main transverse girders of the bottom, so as
to admit of these girders passing up between the pontoons when the bottom is
raised, and thereby forming a level or nearly level surface on the under side
of the dock. But the sides of the dock may be composed of oblong pontoons
extending the whole length thereof, in which case the said main girders would
rest against the under side of the dock when in their highest position. The
ordinary wooden flooring of the dock is fixed on the transverse girders of the
bottom. Vertical racks are fixed to the main girders of the bottom of the
dock, which racks are retained as required by palls fixed to the longitudinal
girders of the sides and there are antifriction guide rollers fixed against the
side of the rack which is opposite to the palls; or friction cams and plain
vertical rods may be substituted for the racks and palls. And there are
vertical lattice guides fixed to the main girders to strengthen the bottom of
the dock against a tendency to lateral straining, such guides being capable of
passing upwards between antifriction rollers fixed to the sides of the dock.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed, by the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which is represented a floating dock
constructed in the mauner referred to.

page_text: apparatus or mechanism for working the dock. In these several Figures the
same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A, A, are a series of iron pontoons forming one side of the dock; B, B, a
series of similar pontoons forming the other side thereof. The pontoons A, A;
are braced together by longitudinal girders C, C, and the pontoons B, B, by
similar girders D, D, on the upper sides of each row of pontoons, thereby
forming two long rafts. The pontoons are all made water-tight. E, E, are
'the main transverse girders forming the principal part of the bottom of the
dock, the width of such girders being somewhat less than the distance between
the pontoons. These girders are braced together by the longitudinal girders
F, F, and to the under side of the latter are fixed intermediate transverso
guides G, G, to assist the main girders E, E, in supporting the wooden bottom
or flooring of the dock H, H, are the rams fixed near the ends of the main
transverse girders E, E, which rams are caused to rise as required, and pass
along the hydraulic cylinders I, I, fixed on the longitudinal girders C, C,
and D, D, which respectively connect the side pontoons A, A, and B, B. At
the extreme end of the girders E, E, are fixed wrought-iron plates stiffened
with angle iron, so as to carry cast-iron racks K, K, for the purpose of holding
the dock bottom at any required height, the retaining palls intended to fall
into the racks being situated near the tops of the pontoons, as shewn in Fig. 1,
and also in the detached view, Fig. 3. Rollers are applied behind the racks
opposite the palls in order to keep them in their required position. Instead
of racks, plain upright bars may be used in connection with friction cams
enclosed in cast-iron boxes, as shewn in Fig. 5. When the dock bottom is
being raised, the cams are relieved from pressure against the upright bars,
but directly the dock bottom descends, the upright bars are firmly gripped by
the cams. When the dock bottom with the ship or vessel is required to be
lowered, the cams must be kept out of contact with the upright bars, which
can be readily done. One such plain bar can be applied at each extreme end
of the girders E, E, or, if preferred, two at each end, viz., one on each side
close to the end.
In lowering a ship, the hydraulic pressure must be applied underneath the
rams, the racks or bars must then be released from the retaining palls or cams
respectively, and the pressure let off, when the dock bottom with the ship or
vessel will gradually descend in the water.
In order to prevent the straining of the rams by any lateral motion of the
dock bottom, twelve or more lattice guides are fixed at the bottom to a
corresponding number of main transverse girders E, E, and pass up through

page_text: spaces between the pontoons A, A, and B, B. These lattice guides are kept in
their required position by passing between guide rollers fixed at the upper and
lower parts of the pontoons, such rollers being shewn more clearly in Fig. 4.
These lattice guides serve also to shore the ship or vessel against whilst it is
being lifted.
The object in constructing the sides of the dock in pontoons with spaces
between them as herein-before described, is to admit of the main transverse girders
of the bottom of the dock passing up between them, thus forming a level or nearly
level surface on the under side, when the dock in that position, either with or
without a ship or vessel on it, can be floated to any situation fit to receive it.
But each side of the dock instead of being composed of separate pontoons as
described, may, if preferred, be made of one single oblong square pontoon, in
such case the main transverse girders of the bottom of the dock will be brought
against the under sides of the two oblong square pontoons (forming the sides
of the dock) when such girders are in their highest position, and large tubes
must be provided in the pontoons for the rams, racks, and guides to pass
readily upwards as required. The main transverse girders E, E, may, if
preferred, be made of latticework or, as shewn, close and water-tight, in
which case their buoyancy will assist in raising the ship or vessel. In lowering
them it will be necessary to apply the hydraulic pressure on the upper sides
of the ram pistons used for forcing the bottom of the dock down in the water.
The ram cylinders should all be connected together on each side, in order to
ensure the same pressure being maintained in all. In case it should be requi-
site to put more pressure on the rams at one end of the dock than at the other,
either of them can have the pressure stopped off at pleasure. The tops of the
pontoons will be available for workshops, engine, and boiler house, and house
for the pumps. The water pressure may be applied by the ordinary kind of
pumps used for bydraulic work, and they may be worked either by steam or
by manual power. After the ship or vessel is lifted, pontoons can be floated
in between the sides of the dock at each end, so as to form a ready communi-
cation between the two sides, or a bridge may be thrown across at one end,
and a pontoon used at the other.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not claim as
of my Invention any of the parts herein-before described when separately
considered; but what I do claim as of my Invention is, the construction of
floating docks with pontoons for the sides, combined with transverse and
longitudinal girders forming the bottom, such sides and bottom being connected

page_text: together by means of hydraulic cylinders and rams, or other mechanism for
raising and lowering the bottom of the dock as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Baillie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
ROBERT BAILLIE. (L.S.)