RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John P. Jourda, of New York, in the County and
State of New York, U. S. A., for the Invention of "RAISING SUNKEN
VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John P. Jourda at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the 20th
March 1857.
I, JOHN P. JOURDA, of New York, in the County and State of New York,
U. S. A., do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "RAISING
SUNKEN VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a certain combination and arrangement of parts,
whereby I am enabled to attach buoys or floats to a sunken vessel, and inflate
them after they are attached, and yet be able to disengage the whole apparatus
with the utmost facility and celerity.
Supposing the vessel desired to be raised is resting on the bed of a river
several feet below the surface of the water, a strong cable composed of chain
and wire is laid around the vessel. This cable is formed into a noose, and
being drawn tight round the vessel is secured by a chain stopper of peculiar
construction. After this noose is secured, the floats or water-proof bags for

page_text: buoying up the vessel are let down to their place between pairs of short chains
connected with the main cable, the bags being guided in their descent by small
chain stoppers connected to the bags by ropes or chains. These stoppers slide
down on and are guided by ropes attached to the ends of the short chains, before
mentioned. The water-proof bags are let down empty, and their weight
is sufficient to carry them down to their place. When they have arrived at
their proper position, they are inflated by pumping air into them through
long flexible tubes with which they are provided. As soon as they are inflated
their tendency is to rise to the surface, but the chain stoppers which fasten
them to the chains are so made, that though they will freely slide down yet an
upward pull will cause them to take a firm hold of the chain, so that they
cannot rise without either breaking the chain or raising the vessel. The chain
stopper consists of a box, one side of which is slotted to the form of a cross to
allow the chain to pass through freely and yet prevent it from turning or
twisting. As the chain passes through the box the foremost link is caught and
held by a pair of jaws, that are pressed forward by springs and prevent its
slipping back, but as the chain is drawn forward the springs will yield to allow
it to pass. Should a storm arise before the work of raising the vessel can be
completed, and circumstances render it necessary to abandon the work, the
whole apparatus may be unshipped and cast loose; by first allowing the greater
part of the air to escape from the floats or bags, and then pulling a check line
connected with the jaws, which will draw them apart and release the chain
from their grip.
To keep the guide ropes separate and in proper position while the main
chains are being let down around the vessel stay plates are used, through eyes
in which the guide ropes pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John P. Jourda in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th September 1857.
*
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN P.
JOURDA, of the City, County, and State of New York, in the United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, Anno Domini One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said John P. Jourda; Her special. license. that. I, the said. John P. Jourda,.my
executors,. administrators, and assigns,,or. such others as. I; the. said. John P.
Jourda, 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 "RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said John P. Jourda, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John P..Jourda, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the. same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:
It consists in the combination. and arrangement of parts,..herein-after
described, by which I am enabled to attach buoys or floats to a sunken vessel,
and inflate them after they are attached, and yet, be able to disengage the
whole with the utmost facility and celerity..
In the Drawings accompanying this Specification, Figure 1 is a side eleva-
tion, representing parts of the apparatus as they appear while..being lowered
around the vessel to be raised; Figure 2.shows the apparatus with the main
chains attached to the vessel, and some of the floats. lowered and attached in
their proper place, also some of the floats in process of being lowered, into
place. Figure 3. is a sectional view of the main chain stopper, showing its.in
ternal construction. Figure 4 is an end view of the..same chain stopper;
Figure 5: is a..side view of it. Figure 6 is a detail view of the device .for
keeping the lines clear.which run down to the, side chains to which the buoys
are attached. Figure 7 is a longitudinal detail elevation of one of the floats,
showing its mode of attachment to the chains; Figure 8 is an end elevation
of the same parts:
A is a vessel to be raised, supposed to be resting on the bottom several feet
below the surface of the water; B and C are sections of cable, chain, or wire
rope, which form the main, cable that embraces the vessel.. This cable is first
formed into a noose, as shown in Figure 1, and the side chains E and the lines
G which are attached to them properly secured from tangling by means of the

page_text: stay bars J, as shown in the same Figure, and the main cable is carefully
lowered into position, and the noose carefully drawn up around the sunken
vessel, in such a manner as to bring the wire cable along the sides of it, as
shown in Figure 2, the main chain stopper securing the noose and preventing
it from opening, as herein-after described.
The chain which passes through the stopper D is kept from twisting by the
peculiar form of the opening c, which is shown in Figure 4. The chain in
passing through the stopper passes between two jaws d, which are kept up to
it by springs e, so as to effectually prevent its return. By pulling the check
chains K the pauls are released and the chain is allowed to be withdrawn.
The stay bars J are made of light wood, or some other buoyant substance, and
are secured to the side chains E or lines G by chain stoppers L, precisely
similar in every respect except size to the main chain stopper D. As soon as
the main chain has been secured in position around the vessel, the check lines
which open
these chain stoppers L are drawn, and the stay bars allowed to rise
to the surface of the water, to be drawn upon the deck of the vessel from which
the work is done, and removed from the lines.
The india-rubber bags or floats H are then let down by sliding them upon
the lines G to their position upon the chains E. For this purpose these bags
have small chain stoppers F attached to them by the ropes or chains a. These
bags or floats H are let down empty, and their weight is then sufficient to carry
them down to position. Each of these bags has a very small flexible tube or
pipe I attached to it, which connects it to an air pump on the vessel from
which the apparatus is worked. When it is estimated that a sufficient number
of these bags are attached to the sunken vessel to raise it, the air pump is set
in motion and the floats filled with air by pumping it into them through the
pipes I; and when the bags are sufficiently inflated to give the necessary
buoyancy, the sunken vessel will be raised to the surface, and may be towed
Should a storm arise before the
away or pumped out and the leak stopped.
work of raising the vessel can be completed, or other circumstances render a
suspension or abandonment of the work necessary, the whole apparatus may be
removed at once by allowing the air in the floats to escape, then drawing the
check line or chain K to release the main chain, and afterwards pumping
sufficient air into the floats to raise the whole apparatus to the surface, when
it may be taken aboard to be carried away, the whole operation of removing it
from the vessel and securing it only requiring a very few moments.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by the above in part recited Letters Patent, the combination

page_text: of the detachable chain stopper, with floats so arranged as to be capable
of being inflated and emptied from the deck of the operating vessel, by which
I am enabled to detach the apparatus at any moment, as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John P. Jourda, bave hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, Anno Domin One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN P. JOURDA. (L.5.)