IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO WATER-TIGHT DOORS OF STOPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS, AND TO THE CLOSING AND OPENING OF SUCH WATER-TIGHT DOORS, ALSO APPLICABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN PART TO VARIOUS OTHER LIKE PUR- POSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Atherton, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPERTAINING TO WATER-TIGHT DOORS OF STOPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE
VESSELS, AND TO THE CLOSING AND OPENING OF SUCH WATER-TIGHT DOORS,
ALSO APPLICABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN PART TO VARIOUS OTHER LIKE PUR-
POSES"
Senled the 13th December 1878, and dated the 2nd July 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jaines Atherton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd July 1878.
JAMES ATHERTON, of 15, Water Strect, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO WATER-TIGHT DOORS OF
SHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS, AND TO THE CLOSING AND OPENING OF
SUCH WATER-TIGHT DOORS, ALSO APPLICABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN PART TO
VARIOUS OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
My Invention has for its object a better and more reliable method of closing the
doors of water-tight bulkheads and compartments in ships and other navigable
vessels, and rendering the said doors automatic and instantaneous in their action,
and not liable to be jammed or rendered inefficient through distortion or straining
of the bulkheads by collision or otherwise.
My Invention consists of a door which is constructed of a curtain of vulcanised
or other india-rubber, or layers of india-rubber and canvas or other like material,
and of suitable thickness and of size exceeding the doorway or aperture. The door
being the curtain, is hung on the side exposed to the pressure, and has on such side
a series of bars of iron, or other metal of a half round or other section, and on the
other side a corresponding series of flat or other bars secured to the former by
through bolts or rivets. These bars are placed by preference in a horizontal
position, and at suitable distances apart. On the side of the door which is exposed

page_text: to pressure, the bars extend the whole width of the curtain or door, and project
with the curtain or door a suitable distance on either side of the aperture of the
doorway. The bars on the reverse side of the curtain are shorter, and made to pass
freely through the aperture of the doorway.
As before stated, the door or curtain projects for a suitable distance over the
aperture on all sides, and has its edges by preference bevelled or thinned, whereby
it is made more sensitive to low pressure, while in the case of higher pressure, it is
supported by the bars. By the flexible nature of its construction the curtain or door
readily adapts itself to any inequalities of the bulkhead which may be occasioned by
collision or other causes, the pressure of water serving to tighten the joint as it
increases.
In order to render the door both automatic and instantaneous in its action, I
provide a simple arrangement of levers, which are operated by means of a float
which is acted upon by a leak or rise of water in the compartiment. The door or
curtain, when not in use, or rather when open, is hung or rolled up over the door-
way, its upper edge being secured to the bulkhead. When acted upon by the float
and levers, it is instantly released, and automatically falls by its own weight and
covers the doorway.
The operating levers or their equivalent are so arranged that any blow or shock
that would render them incapable of action would also have the effect of releasing
the door instantaneously. The door is also arranged that the releasing levers may
be operated at will by hand, and dropped at any moment without the aid of any
tools or appliances. When the aperture is not required as a passage, the door may
be always allowed to hang down.
In practice, a door and appliances of similar construction to that just described
is placed on each side of the bulkhead, but only the door in the compartment where
the leak occurs would by preference be lowered, although both doors might be
lowered if required.
A modification of my Invention consists in making the flexible door as before
described, to slide or fall in grooves or channels formed in or upon the bulkhead,
and so arranged that the door is capable of resisting the pressure from whichever
side it comes, the door at the same time having an automatic action by means of
the float and lever mechanism as before described.
It will be evident that although I have described my flexible water-tight auto-
matic closing door as applied to ships' bulkheads, that my Invention is applicable
to various other like purposes, as for example, where it is necessary to resist a
sudden rush of water or gas under pressure, as for example in mines, or chemical
works.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by tho said James Atherton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
December 1878.
JAMES ATHERTON, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO WATER-TIGHT DOORS OF
SHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS, AND TO THE CLOSING AND OPENING OF
SUCH WATER-TIGHT DOORS, ALSO APPLICABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN PART TO
VARIOUS OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
My Invention has for its object a better and more reliable method of closing the
doors of water-tight bulkheads and compartiments in ships and other navigable
vessels, and rendering the said doors automatic and instantaneous in their action,
and not liable to be jammed or rendered inefficient through distortion or straining
of the bulkheads by collision or otherwise.
My Invention consists of a door, which is constructed of a curtain of canvas or
of vulcanized india-rubber, or layers of india-rubber and canvas or other like
material, and of suitable thickness and size exceeding the doorway or aperture.
The door being the curtain, is hung on the side exposed to the pressure, and has on
such side a series of bars of iron or other material of a half round or other section,
and on the other sido a corresponding serics of flat or other bars secured to the
former by through bolts or rivets. These bars are placed by preference in a
horizontal position and at a suitable distance apart. On the side of the door which
is exposed to pressure, the bars extend the whole width of the curtain or door, and
project with the curtain or door a suitable distance on either side of the aperture of
the doorway. The bars on the reverse side of the curtain are shorter, and made to
pass freely through the aperture of the doorway.
As before stated, the door or curtain projects for a suitable distance over the
aperture on all sides, and has its edges by preference bevelled or thinned, whereby
it is made more sensitive to low pressure, while in the case of higher pressure it is
Bupported by the bars. By the flexible nature of its construction the curtain or
door readily adapts itself to any inequalities of the bulkhead which may be
occasioned by collision or other causes, the pressure of water serving to tighten the
joint as it increases.
In order to render the door both automatic and instantaneous in its action, I
provide a simple arrangement of levers, which are operated by means of a float
which is acted upon by a leak or rise of water in the compartment. The door or
curtain when not in use, or rather when open, is hung or rolled up over the door-
way, its upper edge being secured to the bulkhead. When acted upon by the float
and levers, it is instantly released, and automatically falls by its own weight and
covers the doorway.
The operating levers or their equivalent are so arranged that any blow or shock
that would render them incapable of action would also have the effect of releasing
the door instantaneously. The door is also so arranged that the releasing levers
may be operated at will by hand, and dropped at any moment without the aid of
any tools or appliances. When the aperture is not required as a passage, the door
may be always allowed to hang down.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed to
more particularly set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, and for that purpose I
have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of my Invention, marked
with letters and figures of reference corresponding with those in the following ex-
planation.

page_text: Upon reference to the Drawings, it will be seen that my Invention consists of n
curtain which is constructed of canvas or of vulcanized india-rubber, or layers of
india-rubber or canvas, or other like material, provided with a series of bars 6 of
iron or other material on one side, and a corresponding series of bars c on the
other side of iron, or other material secured to the bars b by through bolts or
rivets.
In the case of doors, as shown at Figures 1 and 2, the bars b are made of greater
width than the aperture to be covered, and the bars c are shorter, so as to pass into
the aperture to be covered.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the door coiled up and ready for lowering as
described, and Figure 2 shows a front elevation of the door when closed, and
Figure 3 a side elevation of the same.
A, Figure 1, is a pawl which supports the curtain a, and B is a trigger holding
the pawl in position; whenever the trigger is released the pawl falls, and the
curtain uncoils downwards by its own weight, and closes the doorway or
aperture.
The trigger may be released by the float F which rises when acted upon by the
rising of the water, and acting through the levers E and rod D, and lever C releases
the trigger B, and allows the door to close automatically. The pawl A may also
be discharged by means of a pull from the deck above, as shown at G, or by other
obvious means. In some cases the door is stretched horizontally overhead against
the under side of the deck.
In practice, a door and appliances of similar construction to that just described is
placed on each side of the bulkhead, but only the door in the compartment where
the leak occurs would by preference be lowered, although both doors may be
lowered if required.
A modification of my Invention consists in making the flexible door to slide or
fall in grooves or channels formed in or upon the bulkhead, and so arranged that
the door is capable of resisting the pressure froin whichever side it comes.
These doors in a modified form are very applicable to stopping shot holes; for
this purpose, the door or mat is kept in readiness on deck in a rolled-up form, and
the upper part being secured to the bulwarks, the mat is allowed to unroll, and in
doing so it covers and closes the holo formed by the shot, or by other accidental
injury.
Figure 4 shows such a mat rolled up and attached to the bulwarks, and Figure 5
shows the same allowed to unroll, so as to cover the hole in the side of a vessel.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of the same, showing in dotted lines the ribs of steel
or other metal rivetted on, or inserted between layers of canvas or india-rubber.
Figure 7 is a vertical section of the same.
In the steel laths which are inside the canvas, I sometimes place a hole inter-
mediate between every two rivets, and I tap a screw thread in this hole, so that at
any time when the curtain is covering an aperture, a pointed screwed bolt may be
thrust through the canvas and screwed into the hole, so as to form an attachment by
which the curtain may be lashed in its place; these intermediate holes are shown at
H, H, in Figure 6; in Figure 7, an oye bolt is shown screwed through the
curtain.
It will be evident that although I have described my flexible water-tight automatic
closing door as applied to ships' bulkheads, that my Invention is applicable to
various other like purposes, as for example, where it is necessary to resist a
sudden rush of water or gas under pressure, as for example in mines or chemical
works.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the improvements in and apper-
taining to water-tight doors of ships and other navigable vessels, and to the closing

page_text: and opening of such water-tight doors, also applicable as a whole or in part to
various other like purposes as herein-before described, sot forth, and as illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings, or any modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jaunes Atherton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
T3C
JABLE
(L.S.)
RTON.
ALLERV.