IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE RAPTS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FREDERICK PARRATT, of Piccadilly, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Frederick Parratt, my exors, adîñiors, and assigns, Her
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
George Frederick Parratt, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Frederick Parratt, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE RAPTS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said George Frederick
Parratt, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Frederick Parratt, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of making a life raft capable of being expanded and
contracted, which raft when out of use assumes a boat-like form, the con-
struction being such that, my reason of its having wings or projecting hollow
parts (composed of air and water tight materials), it will when afloat possess
large floating powers, and will offer a very extensive area for persons to be
carried thereon.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a plan of the raft in its contracted, and Figure 2 a plan in
its expanded, form; and Figure 3 shows a plan and edge view of the transverse
bar, which retain the parts in the expanded form. a, a, is the central portion
of the raft, which is in fact a boat which may be varied in its construction,
but I prefer to make it as buoyant as may be by having as much thereof as
conveniently can be hatched or covered in, as is shown at b, b, which are
hollow water-tight chambers, which should be divided into several compart-
ments, in order that, in case one becomes injured, the others may remain
effective. And such boat or central portion of the raft may be fitted up to
receive a mast or masts, in order that sails may be used, and there may be a
rudder, or the same may be steered by means of an oar. c is a bar, which is
arranged to move on an axis at c', and it lies and is fixed fore and aft in
the centre part of the raft when not in use, as is shown by the Drawing.
At each end of the bar c there are two pulleys, through which ropes d, d, pass,
and which are fixed to the hollow expanding wings or projections, and by
which the wings are retained in their places when expanded, as is shown by
the Drawing. e, e, are the wings or projections, which are to be boyant, and
I prefer them to be of strong waterproof material covered with strong netting,
or otherwise strengthened or protected, and the material I have used is what
is called vulcanized india-rubber; and each of the wings or projections may
consist of one hollow chamber or of several compartments, and by suitable
valves and pipes or ways, they may be inflated by the same or by different air
pumps, as will readily be understood by persons acquainted with making

page_text: air-tight flexible apparatus for other purposes. When the raft is out of use
the projections or wings are empty, or nearly so, and are lashed to the sides of
the boat or centre portion of the apparatus, as is shewn. f, f, are nettings,
which add to the extent of area offered by the other parts of the raft for
receiving persons. When about to be used the lashings are to be removed,
or, if required in haste, may be cut away. The most convenient mode of
using the raft will be to lower it into the water before expanding the wings
or projections, and to bring the raft under the stearn of the ship or vessel;
then to move and fix the bar c across the boat or centre part of the apparatus,
and by means of the ropes to expand the wings and the nettings, then by the
air pump or pumps to fill the boyant vessels. The raft will then be in a con-
dition for receiving passengers and the crew, and will offer a very extensive
boyant area for that purpose.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details herein shewn and described, as the same may be varied without
departing from my Invention; but what I claim is, the mode herein described
of combining parts into a raft.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Frederick Parratt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
GEORGE FREDERICK (L.s.) PARRATT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid George Frederick Parratt came
5 before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.