OR IMPROVED MEANS OF AND CONTRIVANCES FOR RENDERING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS UNSINKABLE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Morris at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd April 1883.
WILLIAM MORRIS of Westminster Chambers, Westminster in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer "NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF AND CONTRIVANCES
FOR RENDERING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS UNSINKABLE
"
My Invention has for its object to render ships and other vessels unsinkable
when injured by collision stress of weather or other causes.
It consists in lining the inside of steam ships and vessels of all kinds, also barges,
boats and pontoons with strong hose canvas such as is used in connection with
fire engines and which is capable of resisting a great pressure of water-or I may
use leather, India rubber or any other material of a similar nature-I may also use
if desirable in combination with the above named materials sheet iron or other
metal corrugated or otherwise and besides lining the inside of vessels I may also
line the floor, bulk heads and decks with either of these materials alone or in
combination and in such manner as circumstances and build may require-For
instance in the case of iron vessels, I may form the lining at the sides of the
vessel in.sections of about two feet wide (more or less) and secure the same by
bolts and washers in combination or not with iron plates or other suitable means
to the ribs or stringers of the vessel whereby each section would be perfectly
watertight and independent of each other so that in the case of two vessels coming
in collision and the iron skin of either vessel being ripped open the inner skin of
canvas or other material would be sufficiently strong to resist the outside pressure
of water-When repairs are required to outside plates of a ship the unscrewing of
a few bolts would enable any particular section of canvas or other material to be
temporarily removed.
In a similar manner I may also apply the canvas or other material to the floor,
decks and bulkheads in sections so that in the case of a vessel running on to rocks
and ripping open the plates in the bottom the water would only penetrate to the
various sections of the canvas or other material thereat and which being of
sufficient strength to resist the upward pressure of the water the latter is thereby
excluded from the general body of the vessel and the vessel rendered practically
unsinkable

page_text: As regards the lining of vessels built of wood the canvas or other material might
be arranged in a similar manner to that described for iron vessels and secured to
the timber frames by bolts and washers screws or otherwise in combination or
not with iron plates as found most suitable
In forming the side sections I may slightly overlap the canvas or other material
so that in a section say two feet wide the canvas or other material if fully stretched
out would be about two feet six inches or two feet nine inches wide this being for
the purpose of giving it a certain amount of freedom or yielding so that in the
event of a portion of the outside plating or timber (as the case may be) being forced
inwards owing to collision the canvas or other material would be thereby prevented
from being toru.
By the proper lining of a vessel according to this invention it would be almost
impossible for it to founder as the vessel would be divided throughout into water-
tight sections through which if the outside plates were ripped open no water could
gain access to the vessel thereby adding very considerably to the safety of the
latter beyond that already obtained by bulkheads and so rendering it practically
unsinkable
Should the space between any two bulkheads become filled with water as is
often the case the whole of the cargo when of a perishable nature would under
present circumstances be totally destroyed whereas by my invention it would
remain undamaged
If desired by means of suitable valves or other fittings the various sections of
canvas or other material may be used for holding water ballast
In applying my invention to open fishing and other boats of similar construction
Besides lining the inside of the vessel with canvas or other material I may form a
light movable temporary deck for a certain length on each side of the midship
section which deck can be put together in a few minutes-Over this deck I place
when required the canvas or other material unrolled from the side canvas and
which may be connected together watertight by lacing or otherwise at the centre
of the deck or elsewhere-Further I may arrange temporary bulkheads frames or
'supports for the canvas or other material fore and aft to which is connected the
canvas or other material at the sides, bottom, and temporary deck the whole when
properly connected forming a watertight section in the middle or if desired at each
end or for the entire length of, the vessel for giving sufficient buoyancy to keep
the vessel afloat and render it practically unsinkable