Improvements in Diving Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1894
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Diving Apparatus.
I, CHARLES LOWETH of Tuxford near Newark in the County of Nottingham,
Estate Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to such improvements in a diving apparatus as will
especially aid the diver in deep sea explorations, by affording better protection
from the pressure of the water, a ready means of communication with persons on
the surface, and by enabling him, by means of electric lamps, to see more clearly,
and thus determine the nature of surrounding objects, and by the use of a mariner's
compass, to note their directions from himself; and also to accomplish his work
at depths heretofore unattainable by divers.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved diving apparatus while Fig. 2 is a
sectional view of the cap which closes the top of the same.
In the drawings similar letters refer to like parts throughout.
The sheet steel cylinder G is securely attached to the heavily weighted conical
bottom F and the truncated conical top E in which the cap D is screwed and fitted
with a water tight joint as shown in Fig. 2.
The whole apparatus is suspended from a ship or other support by a steel
cable or cables C. C. which is attached to the cylinder G by means of the
chains N N N.
Fresh air is admitted or pumped into the cylinder G through the supply pipe B
while the foul air escapes through the other pipe A. The supply pipe B should
extend to near the bottom of the cylinder G as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1
while the opening of the escape pipe A should be near the top of the cylinder G,
each pipe having a safety water cock on the top, but inside of the cylinder G,
which can be instantly closed should the pipes leak at any time.
Three electric lamps M M M are placed within the cylinder G and are provided
with reflectors so arranged as to reflect the light through a glass lens inserted in
the cylinder in front of each lamp.
Directly below these lamps M M &c. are placed the windows P P P through
which the diver may observe any objects illuminated by the electric lamps.
The electric current is supplied to the lamps M M &c. through the insulated
wire e while another insulated wire connects the receiver and transmitter of a
telephone S placed inside the cylinder G with similar instruments on the ship
or above the water.
Both of the air pipes A & B are to be especially made to resist the pressure of
the water and these, with the conducting wires e. f. may at intervals be connected
together and to the cables CC by suitable spring bands as may be found
desirable.
The tools I J are finely turned and fitted through a small cylinder or ordinary
stuffing box and gland and packed with water tight packing and fitted on the
cylinder G and extending within may be used in fixing, grappling hooks or other
implements let down from the ship or for such other purposes as may be found
practicable.
The lower cone F is provided with a screw socket into which the leg or
anchory is screwed. This leg may be forked or straight and of any desirable
ength, and will serve by penetrating the mud or silt on the bottom to anchor