IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLASTING VESSELS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLASTING VESSELS."
-A communication from abroad by John Benjamin Stoner, Leopold
Mendelson, and Theodore Crommelin, all of New York City, United
States of America.
Sealed the 14th August 1868, and dated the 12th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th March 1868.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLASTING
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved appliances for temporarily ballasting
vessels when necessary by lowering weights into the water so as to
prevent the vessel from rolling or being capsized.

page_text: In order to apply this improvement to vessels a portion of the keel and
bottom of the latter should be cut away and the cavity lined with metal
plates firmly secured to the bottom and keel of the vessel by flanges.
This cavity is intended to receive a weight that should be of the same
shape as the bottom of the vessel to which it is attached. Extending
from the top plate of the cavity to the deck is a well or oblong tube
having other tubes attached to each of its narrow sides. The inner
side of each of these tubes as well as the narrow sides of the well
are slotted. To the upper side of the weight are securely attached
the lower ends of two rods, the upper ends of which are connected
together by a short cross bar that moves up or down in the slotted sides
of the tubes and well as the weight is being raised or lowered. The
upper ends of these rods are made cone-shaped to fit into conical-shaped
recesses at the bottom of the slotted tubes in which the rods move up or
down. To the central part of the cross bar is attached a rope or chain
which passes over a pulley fixed above the well, and is made fast by its
other extremity to a belaying pin or other suitable fastening on the
deck.
Another method of applying this Invention is as follows:-A cavity is
formed as in the previous arrangement; into this recess is pivotted an
arm that has its further end heavily weighted. Immediately above the
weight and attached to the top plate of the cavity is a tube or well.
Attached to the top of the weight is a rope or chain that passes up tho
centre of the tube and over a pulley, and is made fast to a belaying pin
or other attachment on the deck. By this means the weighted arm may
be raised or lowered as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-

page_text: first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton,. 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 BALLASTING VESSELS,'
," "being a com-
munication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and. figures marked thereon (that
is to say)-
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved mode of
temporarily ballasting a vessel when necessary by lowering weights into
the water so as to prevent the rolling or capsizing of the vessel.
The Invention consists in temporarily ballasting the vessel by a weight
or weights pivotted to or otherwise connected with the hull of the vessel
in such a manner that they may be quickly and conveniently lowered
into the water when required, and readily raised again when not
required.
Fig. 1 is a partial vertical longitudinal section of a vessel taken
through the line x, x, of Fig. 2, illustrating several modes for carrying
the Invention into practical use; Fig. 2 is a detail cross section of the
same taken through the line y, y, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional
view taken through the line z, z, Fig. 1.

page_text: A, represents the hull of a vessel; F is a weight made of a size and
weight varying with the size and form of the vessel to which it is to be
attached. The weight F may be lowered and raised vertically, and its
lower part is so formed that when raised into and secured in the recess G
formed for its reception its lower outside surface may conform to and
coincide with the form of the vessel's bottom so as (when raised) to offer
no obstruction to the vessel's movement through the water. The
recess G for the reception of the weight F is formed of metal or other
suitable material set and secured in an opening cut through the bottom
of the vessel. That part of the vessel which is weakened by cutting this
opening is strengthened by metallic flanges or plates H formed solidly
upon or firmly attached to the metallic recess, and securely bolted to
the vessel's bottom, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. From the top plate
of the recess G to the deck or some other convenient part of the vessel
extends a well or oblong tube S having pipes or tubes formed in its
narrower sides. These tubes are slotted upon their inner sides from their
upper ends nearly to their lower ends. To the upper side of the
weight F are securely attached the lower ends of two rods I, the upper
ends of which are connected by a short cross bar J which moves up
and down as the weight F is being raised or lowered through the
slotted sides of the tubes in the well S. The upper ends of the rods I
just below the cross bar J are enlarged or made cone-shaped to fit into
the contracted or conical-shaped lower parts of the tubes in the well S,
through which the rods I move up and down. To the central part of
the cross bar J is attached a rope or chain K which passes over a pulley
attached to some suitable support above the upper end of the well or
tube S, and its free end is secured to a windlass or a belaying cleat or
pin, or to some convenient support. L is a weight formed upon or rigidly
attached to the end of an arm M which fits into and is pivotted in a
recess formed in the bottom of the vessel in a manner somewhat similar
to a pivotted centre board. The part of the vessel weakened by cutting
out the opening for the recess to receive the weight L and arm M is
strengthened by flanges N formed upon or firmly attached to the recess,
and securely bolted to the bottom timbers of the vessels; O is a rope or
chain, the end of which is attached to the weight L, and which passes
up through the tube P, passes over a pulley R. attached to some suitable
support above the upper end of the tube P, and its free end is secured to
a windlass or to a belaying cleat or pin, or in some other convenient
_manner. When arranged in any of these ways the weight may be

page_text: instantly lowered when necessary and easily raised again when no longer
required.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to
me from abroad, and having explained the manner of carrying out the
same, I would observe that I do not wish to confine or limit myself to
any of the ways herein shown and described for suspending and
arranging the ballasting weights; but what I claim as new and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is, temporarily ballasting a boat, ship, or
other vessel by means of a weight or weights pivotted to or otherwise
connected with the hull of the vessel, so that it or they may be quickly
and conveniently lowered into the water when required, and readily
raised again when not required, as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Second day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.s.)