IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC VENTILATING APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of Harris
and Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC VENTILATING
APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Francis Lay Norton, of the
City, County, and State of New York, in the United States of America,
Merchant.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1880.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of
23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC VENTILATING APPARATUS." A communication
from abroad by Francis Lay Norton, of the City, County, and State of New York,
in the United States of America, Merchant.
The subject of this Invention is an apparatus especially designed for the
ventilation of sea going vessels. For this purpose vertical chambers, open at
bottom and closed at top, are fixed to the exterior of the vessel with their lower
ends below the water line; said chambers being constructed to conform to the
part of the vessel to which they are applied, and being connected at top through
suitable pipes with apartments to be cleared of foul air, and provided also with
discharge pipes; the said connecting and discharge pipes having check valves so
arranged that the rise and fall of water within the chambers due to the direct
action of the waves or to the motion of the vessel will cause air to be drawn from
the apartments and discharged, its place being supplied by fresh air from without.
The Invention further relates to improvements in the construction of chambers
and valves, and also to the combination and arrangement of chambers, pipes, and
valves for the purposes named.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th October 1880.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of
23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC VENTILATING APPARATUS." A communication
from abroad by Francis Lay Norton, of the City, County, and Stute of New York,
in the United States of America, Merchant.
The subject of this Invention is an apparatus especially designed for the
ventilation of sea going vessels. For this purpose vertical chambers, open at
bottom and closed at top, are fixed to the exterior of the vessel with their lower
ends below the water line; said chambers being constructed to conform to tho
part of the vessel to which they are applied, and being connected at top through
suitable pipes with apartments to be cleared of foul air, and provided also with
discharge pipes; the said connecting and discharge pipes having check valves
so arranged that the rise and fall of water within the chambers due to the
direct action of the waves or to the motion of the vessel will cause nir to be drawn
from the apartments and discharged, its place being supplied by fresh air introduced
from without.
-
The Invention further relates to improvements in the construction of chambers
and valves, and also to the combination and arrangement of chambers, pipes, and
valves for the purpose named.
In order that the said Invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying Drawings more fully to
Figure 2 is a rear view of the same.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the pumping chambers.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pumping chamber of another form, showing
the open lower end thereof.
Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the pumping chambers with paired valves
attached, and the cap of induction valve omitted.
Figure 6 is a vertical section through the inlet valve on the line 6, 6, Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a vertical section through the discharge valve on the line 7, 7,
Figure 5.
A, A', A2, A3, represent metallic bells or chambers open at their lower ends, and
fixed to the outside of the vessel near the bow or stern in such a position that tho
said open lower ends will be at all times immersed in water. The bells or
chambers are so shaped as to conform to the contour of the respective parts of
the vessel to which they are to be applied. The closed upper end of each chamber
communicates through a pipe B and branch pipes C, C', with the paired
valves D, D; D is the inlet valve, which is provided with a clapper opening
toward the chamber so as to permit foul air to pass from the pipes E, E, E, through
the said valve to the pumping chambers A, A1, A2, or A³, and prevent its return to
the said pipes E. Any desired number of the pipes E, E, E, are used, communicating
with the various apartments to be ventilated; D' is the outlet valve, which is so
constructed as to permit the passage of air from the pumping chamber to the
discharge pipe F, and prevent its return to the chamber. Arrows indicate the
direction of the passage of air through the valves. The valves are similar in
construction to those described in Letters Patent, No. 618, of the year 1879, granted

page_text: to me for a power ventilating apparatus. The valve case is of oblong form, and
placed in horizontal position. It contains a diagonal plate S constituting the valvo
seat, and pierced with an aperture of elliptic shape, presenting a vertical area
about equal to the several areas of the inlet and outlet pipes, connected to the
respective ends of the valve case. The clapper or valve proper is formed of a plate
of metal with a sheet of rubber fixed to its under surfaco by means of a sinaller
plate of metal underneath, which latter fits easily within the opening in the valve
scat while the tight joint is made by the contact of the rubber with the upper
surface of the inclined seat.
In operation when either of the chambers A, A1, A3, A3, is partially depleted of
water, either by the elevation of the part of the vessel to which it is attached, or
by the reflux of a wave, the space is immediately occupied by foul air driven by
atmospheric pressure from the apartments with which the pipes E, E, E, connect
through the said pipes and the valve D, and pipes C and B. On the return
movement the valve D closes and the foul air is forced through the pipes B, C³, and
valvo D', and discharged through the pipe F. All the apartments of a vessel may
be thus kept effectually and constantly ventilated, fresh air from without flowing
in by atmospheric pressure, and driving out the foul air to fill the partial vacuum
in the pumping chambers. By making the chambers to conform to the shapo of
the particular part of the vessel they are adapted to be applied to any ship at
moderate expense without any injurious effect or interference either with interior
room or with sailing qualities.
It is manifest that the greatest effect will be produced by locating the pumping
chambers near the stem and stern.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode in
which the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
First. An automatic ventilating apparatus for vessels, consisting of one or more
external pumping chambers or bells made to conform to the contour of the vessel
where they are applied, and communicating through suitable valves and pipes with
apartments to be cleared of foul air, substantially as herein set forth.
Second. One or more external pumping chambers A, A1, A2, A3, constructed to
conform to the shape of the vessel in combination with check valves, causing air to
be exhausted and discharged by the alternate rise and fall of water within the
chambers, as herein set forth.
Third. The combination of one or more external pumping chambers A, A', A², A³,
paired valves D, D', and pipes B, C, C¹, E, F, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.