Improvements in or relating to Ships' Port Shutters, more especially applicable to Bulwarks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1591-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Ships' Port Shutters, more especially
applicable to Bulwarks.
We, JOHN HENRY BELL, Iron and Rivet Manufacturer and CHARLES
SAUTER, Ship Captain, both of North Cliff, Roker, Sunderland in the County
of Durham do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention refers to improvements in or relating to ships' port shutters more
especially applicable to bulwarks and has for its object the provision of a simple
mechanical device which shall allow the port shutters or doors to open automatically
when a quantity of water has been shipped and to close again and to remain closed
when unaffected thereby.
To effect this purpose the door or shutter may be hung on a bar or on lateral
gudgeons secured in brackets and nicely balanced. To the frame of the door or to
a part thereof or to the bulwark or in any suitable position lugs or brackets may be
secured in or on which certain levers are arranged to vibrate as hereinafter
mentioned. To one end of these levers is attached a buoyant medium such as a
wooden counterbalance or an air-tight box while the opposite ends are arranged to
press or lean against the port shutter or door.
Thus when water is shipped the tendency of the buoyant medium aforesaid is to
float which has the effect of causing the ends of the levers contiguous to the door
to push the latter open and thus give a free opening for the water to run off. As
soon as the water has escaped the counterbalancing effect of the weighted levers
and port returns the parts to the shut position.
For steadiness and regularity of action guide bars or an equivalent device may
be attached to the ports in or against which friction rollers on the lever ends
may work.
The box when such is used may if required be furnished with openings to allow
water to be let in or out to regulate the balance..
Dated this 10th day of March 1891.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Patent Agent for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Ships' Port Shutters, more especially
applicable to Bulwarks.
We, JOHN HENRY BELL, Iron and Rivet Manufacturer, and CHARLES
SAUTER, Ship Captain, both of North Cliff, Roker, Sunderland, in the County
of Durham 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 :-
Our invention refers to improvements in or relating to ships' port shutters more
especially applicable to bulwarks and has for its object the provision of a simple
mechanical device which shall allow the port shutters or doors to open automatically
when a quantity of water has been shipped and to close again and to remain closed
when unaffected thereby.
"
To effect this purpose the door or shutter may be hung on a bar or on lateral
gudgeons secured in brackets and nicely balanced. To the frame of the door or to
a part thereof or to the bulwark or in any suitable position lugs or brackets may

page_text: be secured in or on which certain levers are arranged to vibrate as hereinafter
mentioned.
To one end of these levers is attached a buoyant medium such as a wooden counter-
balance or an air-tight box while the opposite ends are arranged to press or lean
against the port shutter or door.
As
Thus when water is shipped the tendency of the buoyant medium aforesaid is to
float which has the effect of causing the ends of the levers contiguous to the door.
to push the latter open and thus give a free opening for the water to run off.
soon as the water has escaped the counterbalancing effect of the weighted levers
and port returns the parts to the shut position.
For steadiness and regularity of action guide bars or an equivalent device may
be attached to the ports in or against which friction rollers on the lever ends
may work.
The box when such is used may if required be furnished with openings to allow
water to be let in or out to regulate the balance.
We will now fully describe our invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
Figure 1 shows an inside elevational view of a port shutter fitted in a bulwark in
a closed position,
Figure 2 being a similar view but showing the outside.
Figures 3 and 4 show respectively vertical sections of the port shutter in a shut
and in an open position.
Referring to the drawings, a is the port shutter hung on a bar a¹ working in
brackets a secured to the bulwark b. Lugs or brackets a³ may be further attached
to the bulwark in which certain levers a are designed to vibrate as hereinafter
described. To the lower end of these levers is attached a buoyant medium such as
a wooden counterbalance or an air-tight box a while the upper ends may be fitted
with small friction rollers a designed to work in guide bars a attached to the
port shutter.
'
Thus when water is shipped the tendency of the buoyant medium aforesaid is to
float which has the effect of causing the ends of the levers contiguous to the door
to push the latter open (as shown in Fig. 4) and thus give a free opening for the
water to run off. As soon as the water has escaped the counterbalancing effect of
the weighted levers and port returns the parts to the shut position.
To regulate the balance of the air-tight box a' a small hole with a screw plug
(not shown) may be provided therein so as to let water into or out of the same and
so adjust its weight.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A ship's port shutter so hung or balanced that when a certain quantity of
water is shipped, the water shall cause or tend to cause a buoyant medium attached
to certain levers mounted in brackets below the port to rise upwards or float and
so cause the said levers to vibrate and push open the door or shutter and thus give
exit to the water the release of which permits the parts to return to the shut
position substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 7th day of December 1891.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.