IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, OF SHIPS OR VESSELS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Betteley, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, and of London, in the County of Middlesex, Naval
Architect, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION,
OF SHIPS OR VESSELS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH.”
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Betteley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th April 1872.
I, JOSEPH BETTELEY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and of
London, in the County of Middlesex, Naval Architect, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SHIPS OR VESSELS AND IN APPLIANCES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly, to iron vessels with wood sheathing,
which I propose to fasten by means of wood screwed bolts inserted from
the inside of the vessel and screwed into the sheathing plank. I also

page_text: propose to fasten such sheathing with wooden bolts with or without
nuts, which may be inserted from the inside of the ship or from the out-
side of the sheathing plank. The nuts may be of metal or of wood. By
this means I am enabled if necessary to sheath over the wood sheathing
with a metal sheathing without destroying the fastenings.
The Invention relates, secondly, to what are known as composite
ships. Those are ships with iron frames and planked with wood.
Heretofore these ships have been fastened with metal bolts, such as iron,
copper, or yellow metal, which have soon been destroyed by rust or have
Now by
produced more or less a galvanic action upon the iron frames.
this part of my Invention I propose to remedy these defects, and this I
effect by fastening the planks of such vessels by wooden bolts threaded
or not, which may be driven in or held by metal nuts. In some cases I
cover or partially cover the heads of wooden bolts with metal, such as
rings or cups, and these may be driven in from the inside of the ship
or through the planks from the outside. In this case, as in the previous
one, I use a screw nut of wood or metal. I also propose to fasten such
bolts or the nuts by means of wedges driven into the points or heads of
the bolts. By this means I am able to build composito vessels capable
of being sheathed with copper or yellow metal without any detrimental
or galvanic action being set up, or the production of other injurious
effects.
The third part of my Invention relates to constructing iron vessels.
I form the bottom or flooring of the ship with double keelsons extend-
ing fore and aft, these being placed direct on the plating of the vessel.
The iron vertical frames extend down and are rivetted to the kelsons, the
space between serving for holding water or ballast. The top or cover
plates are made removable. The double kelsons give more longitudinal
strength than is usual, and the keel usually put upon the outer side of
ship can be dispensed with. The space or trunk may be divided by
bulkheads or partition plates.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in constructing iron steam
vessels with two tapered ends, and at or about the centre of the length
at each side and near the bottom I form concaves so that the upper
parts of the vessel project or hang over.
In these concave spaces I
place screw propellers with two or more blades, the propeller shaft being
held or supported by brackets and rotated by machinery from the inside
of the ship: By this means I can propel the vessel in either direction

page_text: (ahead or astern). The vessel may have moving or sliding keels on each
side of bottom if desired.
The fifth part of my Invention relates to building vessels with flat
bottoms and with deep keels, one or more screw propellers being placed
at convenient distances between the two ends; these vessels are of light
draft, and made suitable for shallow water or for towage on canals. The
propeller, if only one is used, is actuated by machinery from the inside of
the vessel as in the previous case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Betteley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joseph
BETTELEY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and of London, in
the County of Middlesex, Naval Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Betteley, Her special licence,
that I, the said Joseph Betteley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Betteley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 CON-
STRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS AND IN APPLIANCES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Betteley,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
""

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Betteley, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
These improvements relate, firstly, to iron vessels with wood sheathing,
which I propose to fasten by means of wood screwed bolts inserted
from the inside of the vessel and screwed into the sheathing plank. I
also propose to fasten such sheathing with wooden bolts with or without
nuts, which bolts may be inserted from the inside of the ship or from
the outside of the sheathing plank. The nuts may be of metal or
of wood. By this means I am enabled if necessary to sheath over
the wood sheathing with a metal sheathing without destroying the
fastenings.
The Invention relates, secondly, to what are known as composite
.ships. Those are ships with iron frames and planked with wood.
Heretofore these ships have been fastened with metal bolts, such as
iron, copper, or yellow metal, which have soon been destroyed by rust,
or have produced more or less a galvanic action upon the iron frame.
Now by this part of my Invention I propose to remedy these defects, and
this I effect by fastening the planks of such vessels by wooden bolts
threaded or not, which may be driven in or held by metal nuts. In some
cases I cover or partially cover the heads of wooden bolts with metal,
such as rings, collars, or nuts, and theso bolts may be driven in from
the inside of the ship or through the planks from the outside. In this
case, as in the previous one, I use a nut of wood or metal. I also
propose to fasten such bolts or the nuts by means of wedges driven into
the points or the heads of the bolts. By this means I am able to
build composite vessels capable of being sheathed with copper or yellow
metal without any detrimental or galvanic action being set up or the
production of other injurious effects.
The third part of my Invention relates to constructing iron and iron-
framed vessels. I form the bottom or flooring of the ship with double
kelsons extending fore and aft, these being placed direct on the plating
of the vessel. The iron vertical frames extend down, and are rivetted
to the kelson, the space between serving for holding water or ballast.
The top or cover plates are made removable. The double kelsons give

page_text: more longitudinal strength than is usual, and the keel usually put upon
the outer side of ship can be dispensed with. The space or trunk may
be divided by bulkheads or partition plates.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in constructing iron steam
6 vessels with one or more tapered ends at or about the centre of the
length. At each side and near the bottom I form concaves so that the
upper parts of the vessel project or hang over. In these concave spaces
I place screw propellers with two or more blades, the propeller shafts
being held or supported by brackets and rotated by machinery from the
O inside of the ship. By this means I can propel the vessel in cither
direction (ahead or astern). The vessel may have moving or sliding
kecls on each side of bottom, if desired.
.
The fifth part of my Invention relates to building vessels with flat
bottoms and with deep keels, one or more screw or wheel propellers
5 being placed at convenient distances between the two ends.
These
vessels are of light draft, and made suitable for shallow water or for
towage on canals. The propeller, if only one is used, is actuated by
imachinery from the inside of the vessel, as in the previous case.
The manner of carrying my Invention into effect will be clearly under-
O stood by the following detailed description and by the accompanying
Drawings in reference thereto :-
Figures 1 to 4* represent what I term the first and second parts of my
Invention.
Figure 1 is a view of portion of a vessel with an iron or steel skin a
5 in which holes are formed at intervals for the reception of wooden screw
bolts b, the bolts being inserted from the inside of the vessel, as shown,
so that the wood plank sheathing O can be retained upon the skin a in a
secure manner, after which the copper or other sheathing d can be
-nailed on to the planking without fear of electrical or galvanic action
0 being set up between the metal sheathing and the metal skin as would
be the case were metal bolts employed. The wooden screw bolt is pro-
vided with a head, in this case of square shape, but other shaped heads
can be formed that would admit of the bolt being screwed home into
the planking, through which it nearly passes. The planking after being
5 properly caulked would thus present a flush surface for the reception of
the metal sheathing.

page_text: At g, Figure 1, I show a wooden screw bolt with a conical head h
inserted into and through the planking and the vessel skin from the
outside and retained in position by a nut i screwed over the threaded
projecting end of the bolt. The nut in this case may be of metal or of
wood, the nut being upon the inside and in contact with metal at that 5
part the same facilities of securing the metal sheathing da non-electrical
or non-galvanic order are obtained as in the first described method. It
will be understood that the holes in the planking and in the vessel's
skin are of the same diameter throughout with the exception of the
outer portions of the planking where the conical heads of the wooden 1
bolts fit in flush, consequently there is no undue strain put upon the
bolts by the nuts in fitting them in place, they being so made in rela-
tion to the holes that they can be tapped home by gentle taps of a
hammer, and can then be secured by the nut as explained.
I have shown the last described method with the nut bearing upon or 1
against the vessel's skin, but the bolts may be of such a length that they
pass through the vessel's framing as well as the skin A.
Figure 2 shows another method, but applied to a composite vessel.
In this case the wooden bolt is driven into and through the frame and
the planking, a conical inner faced ring or collar j being put over the 2
bolt before it is inserted into the frame hole. This conical inner faced
ring is shaped to fit the conical head of the wooden bolt, and its edge
forms an abutment to rest upon the vessel's frame. The outer end of
the planking hole is also conical shaped as before, and the free end of
the bolt is split for the reception of a wood or a metal wedge, the driving 2
in of which causes that end of the bolt to assume a conical shape corre-
sponding to the hole in the planking which it fills up. The exterior of
the planking thus presents a flush face for the reception of the metal
sheathing, as in the first instance. B, Figure 2, shows a modified
method in which the bolt is driven in from the outside of the planking 3
and the split end of the bolt through the vessel's frame for the reception
of the tapered or conical inner faced ring or collar, this being held
firmly thereon by the wedge driven into the split end. These two latter
methods, or, in fact, all of them, may be used in conjunction upon one
vessel, if desired.
I have shewn in Figures 3 and 4 detached views of the conical headed
wooden bolt and the conical inner faced metal ring or collar about full
size, but I do not restrict myself to that particular shape of the head
3

page_text: nor to the length, as will be understood by reference to Figure 4*,
which shows a tapered inner faced nut of square form.
The third part of my Invention is shown in Figure 5, which repre-
sents a midship section of a vessel with double kelsons K kept at a
distance apart by partitions or plates 2 forming the flooring. The double
kelsons may be carried below the skin and project fore and aft, forming
so to speak a wide keel. The double kelsons approach each other fore
and aft, those with the flat bottoms forming a cunative keel, as shown
in the plan view, Figure 5°. The vertical frame irons are carried down
to the kelsons, and are rivetted to them to obtain a rigid and stiff
structure in combination with the double kelsons, which are enclosed for
the reception of water or other body, liquid or solid, to serve as ballast.
The double kelsons in both cases are furnished with removeable plates
to facilitate the cleaning, painting, or repairs.
The fourth part of my Invention is shown in Figures 6 to 8.
Figure 6 represents a propeller vessel with concave or hollowed sides
which screws work to move her through the water. Both ends of
the vessel are preferably of the same shape, that is, tapered to a point, as
shewn in Figure 7 upon a smaller scale, so that she can move either
end on with the same degree of speed and power. The body of the
vessel at the lower part is within the concaves, but it opens out above
and gives great buoyancy, it then again contracts in a curvular manner
for supporting a deck suitable for passengers. The propellers, which
can be driven in any suitable manner, are wholly submerged at all times
by reason of the top portion of the concave hollow in which they work
being below the light load water draft. The bottom of the vessel's body
is flat and of great width. It may be fitted with one or more sliding or
fixed keels to prevent her heeling over in rough weather should she be
built as a seagoing vessel. I propose to arrange two or more screw
propellers with two or more blades on each side of the vessel near to
midship, one being on each of the outer ends of shafts which may be
rotated by bevil or other gearing at or about the centre.
my
Figure 8 is a view of the vessel looking upon the deck; Figure 7
is a view looking upon the under side, Figure 8* being a side elevation
thereof. The bracket or brackets in or by which
method of pro-
pulsion is maintained is of double conical shape, the ends being fitted
with glands or stuffing boxes through which the ends of the shaft work,
the tapered or conical form offering little or no resistance to the progress

page_text: of the vessel, and serving to contain the gearing by which the rotation
of the shaft or shafts is imparted. The brackets are of two half cases
or trunks with flanges which when brought together and rivetted form
a hollow casing (as in Figure 8) of great strength for the purpose.
They are bolted to the vessel's sides so that the water passes above and t
below.
The fifth and last part of my Invention, which relates to vessels with
flat bottoms and with deep kecls, is represented in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12,
the vessel being formed with a central paddle wheel driven by engines
from either side. The flat portion starts from the fore part to near the 1
stern, where it rises to permit of the water leaving without forming an
eddy. The deep keels also start from the fore part and gradually
increase to the midship portion to enable the paddle floats to act upon
the water within the keels which form the sides proper of the vessel.
The deep keels then continue to the stern, where they may have rudders !
connected to them for steering the vessel, the rudders being connected
so that both can move over in the same direction and at the same time.
In lieu of the paddle wheel one or more propellers can be fitted in the
space between the two keels. This form of vessel is specially intended
for tugging or towing purposes upon canals and narrow rivers.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. The improvements in the construction of ships or vessels, and
in appliances connected therewith, substantially as described and shown.
Secondly. The employment of wooden bolts with conical or other
shaped heads, the stems of which take into and support the planking
upon the exterior of iron and iron framed vessels in the manner shown
at b, Figure 1, of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The employment of wooden screws for supporting the exterior
planking upon iron and iron framed vessels, substantially as shown
at g, Figure 1.
Fourthly. I claim the employment of wooden bolts with conical
heads over or upon which nuts, rings, or collars are received in the
manner and for the purposes set forth and as particularly shown in
Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings.
Fifthly. The employment of conical wooden-headed bolts (threaded
or not) in which splits or saw cuts are formed for the reception of

page_text: wedges, substantially in the manner described and shown in Figure 2 of
the Drawings.
Sixthly. I claim constructing vessels of iron or with iron frames with
double kelsons and flat bottoms, the kelsons being set at a distance
apart amidship and approaching at the ends to form a cunative keel
or kelson, such kelsons being used in combination with the partitions or
plates, as shown, and between which water or other ballast can be
placed as described.
Seventhly. I claim constructing iron steam vessels with tapered
ends and with concave spaces or hollows at or about "midships,” in
which propellers can work in the manner described and shown at
Figures 6, 7, and 8 of the Drawings, and by which a vessel can be
moved either end on at the same speed and power.
Eighthly. I claim the propulsion of vessels by screws working in
pairs on the opposite ends of a shaft arranged and driven substantially
in the manner described and shown.
Ninthly. Supporting propeller shafts and rotating them from within a
bracket casing arranged in hollows or concaves in a vessel's side, as
described and shown.
Tenthly. I claim the construction of vessels with flat bottoms and
with deep keels in combination, the keels being arranged at and forming
the sides of the vessel to enable the propeller, paddle or screw, to work
between them, as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Betteley, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Eleventh day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two.