IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS, MANSIONS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ERECTIONS OR BUILDINGS, WHEREBY THEY ARE RENDERED FIRE-PROOF, AND WHEREBY & FIRE OCCURRING IN ANY COMPARTMENT OR ROOM IS QUICKLY DETECTED AND CONFINED WITHIN THE SAID COMPARTMENT OR ROOM, ALSO APPLICABLE TO IRON SAFES AND STRONG ROOMS FOR SPECIE
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Kirwan Joyce Percival at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th May 1875.
I, KIRWAN JOYCE PERCIVAL, of 21, Annerley Street, Battersea
Park, in the County of Surrey, Telegraph Engineer and Constructor, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS, MANSIONS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ERECTIONS
OR BUILDINGS, WHEREBY THEY ARE RENDERED FIRE-PROOF, AND WHEREBY & FIRE
OCCURRING IN ANY COMPARTMENT OR ROOM IS QUICKLY DETECTED AND CONFINED
WITHIN THE SAID COMPARTMENT OR ROOM, ALSO APPLICABLE TO IRON SAFES AND
STRONG ROOMS FOR SPECIE," to be as follows:-
In order distinctly to explain the objects to which this Invention
relates I premise that thereby on board a ship or on shore fires can be
made harmless except in the compartments where they take place, and in
addition my fire detector will enable the man at the wheel, the look out,
the captain in his cabin, the policeman on his beat, or the night
watchman in his box, to discover fires a few minutes after they occur,
and to confine and extinguish them or allow them to burn out without
extending further than the compartment in which they occurred. The

page_text: double decks as between the double bulkheads for the same specific
purpose, so that the fire would be completely encased in an air-tight box
with its sides, bottom, ends, and lid of iron surrounded by water, whereby
the dangerous element would be deprived of the atmospheric gases
necessary to support combustion, or extinguished by the water.
I propose to construct the upper deck of my fire-proof ship of wood
and iron, wood above and iron below, the upper part or wood to be
provided with fire plugs so as to fill the space between the double sides
of the deck with water in case of fire, which operation could be effected
either by water cocks, donkey engine, steam pump, or by buckets.
When the fire is extinguished the water between the double bulkheads
can be allowed to escape by means of water cocks if the fire is above the
level of the sea, but if below the level of the sea the water can be
pumped out either by hand or machinery.
i
i
There are several vessels divided into cargo compartments by means
of simple bulkheads, but as these divisions do not extend from bottom
to deck, and from deck to main deck, they are quite useless in case of
danger, except that they strengthen the hull of the vessel and prevent
the cargo from shifting. There are many iron built vessels in perfect
water-tight compartments except that their man-hole or cargo'.doors
between each compartment which doors in case of fire or water allow
the free access of either element to all parts of the vessel.
To make such vessels water-tight and fireproof I propose that the
bulkheads should be doubled, and the cargo or man-hole doors be made
so as to shut and fasten on the same principle as the manholes in boilers,.
which would cost but little when compared with the loss of life at sea
year by year.
If the fire is below the level of the sea I propose that the compartment
in which the fire occurs as well as the space between the double sides of
the bulkheads should be provided with water cocks and self-acting
valves, so arranged that the cocks could be turned on or off from the
deck by means of keys, the cocks to be kept locked, and the keys in,
charge of the officer of the watch.
-
:
'77
As no precaution can be too great against fire at sea I propose that:
two pipes with enlarged ends should be provided beneath the water line?
at the bows of the vessel. These pipes are led aft at a slight downward

page_text: "
inclination to facilitate the flow of the water. The pipes are led onc
along each side of the ship, and are provided with taps or valves, so that
thereby the water forced or carried aft can be admitted in case of fire.
This arrangement is provided in case of the failure of the pumping
arrangement from any cause. It is self-acting and available at any
moment. The enlarged ends of the pipes at the bows can if desirable be
provided with stop valves.
In such countries as America where iron and mechanical labour cost
so much, I propose to make wooden ships fireproof; and that I do by
lining the vessel with strong tin or sheet iron, and building it in water-
tight compartments, and with double decks, in the same manner as
herein-before described.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the construction of warohouses,
mansions, and similar buildings, all of which can be made fireproof
whether they are built of iron, stone, brick, or even wood.
I line the floors, walls, and ceilings of both. warehouses and mansions
with a thin facing of sheet iron or tin on the same principle as the
double bulkheads and double decks already described. The window
shutters must also be double and hollow, and the upper parts of the
room and floors must be provided from the outside with a firo plug of
such size as to allow to fill with water the vacant space between the two
faces of the shutters as well as the space betweon the walls and ceilings,
and the sheet iron or tin with which they are covered.
.
When the fire is extinguished the water used for the purpose could bo
allowed to escape both from the floors, walls, and ceilings, by means of a
taps inserted in the walls from outside for the purpose.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in a means of detecting fire in ships
afloat. I propose that one or two iron pipes of about four or six inches in
diameter should extend from the poop along the sides of the vessel.
These pipes would be made in pieces and scrowed together the same as
water or gas pipes. Within the said iron pipes I propose to put the
same number of smaller pipes. The detectors I propose to use, and
which pass within the smaller pipes are quick matches or fuzes, such as
are used in the army for exploding mines. Within each compartment
from the iron pipes will extend other small iron pipes, through which
the fuzes required for the compartment will pass and extend within

page_text: elastic tubes in different parts of the compartment among the cargo. As
the fire detector will start from a glass air-tight case from above, and
containing as many small lamps as there are fire detectors, and lettered
and numbered to correspond, and the position of each being known in
the ship, the moment the fire reaches any of the fuzes the lamp is lit on
the poop and will indicate that compartment and part of the ship where
the fire exists, and by placing a thermometer within the glass case where
the lamps are, the hot air which will rush through the pipes will have
also indicated that there is fire on board, but as this part of my Invention
does not indicate the compartment except on the poop I will describe
another cheap and simple arrangement which will indicate that part of
the compartment where the fire is near enough for the purpose as to be
used on board of every sea going vessel.
This fourth and last part of my Invention is as follows:-I place two
thermometers within an air-tight box upon deck, divided into two
compartments, which must be also air-tight. The box may be made of
wood or iron, and one side to be glass. The number of boxes required
or used will depend upon the size of the ship, and the number of
compartments into which she is divided.
A strong iron pipe extending from one of the compartments, into
which the box is divided into the ship's hold through the deck, with its
lower end perforated with holes, will at once indicate the existence of fire
below. The proof will be plain and visible, the difference between the
two thermometers, one of which is only affected by the temperature on
deck, whereas the other is affected by the same temperature, and the
extra temperature communicated by the hollow pipe from below. The
glass face of the box should be protected with wire; and I will also
make safes (as they are built at present) fireproof, and also strong rooms
for specie.