IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF WAR VESSELS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO MERCHANT, PASSENGER, CATTLE, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THEIR PROPULSION; APPLICABLE ALSO. IN PART TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, HOTELS, MODEL LODGING HOUSES, TO RIVER NAVI- GATION, IRRIGATION, AND DRAINAGE
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edmund Thompson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1877.
EDMUND THOMPSON, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Ship
Broker, also of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF WAR VESSELS, APPLICABLE ALSO TO MERCHANT, PASSENGER,
CATTLE, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THEIR PROPULSION; APPLICABLE ALSO. IN
PART TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, HOTELS, MODEL LODGING HOUSES, TO RIVER NAVI-
GATION, IRRIGATION, AND DRAINAGE."
What I claim is that I have designed improvements in the construction and mode
of propulsion of all sorts of iron or other vessels, including vessels of war and
steamers of all sorts, whereby the use of sails or steam (save as an agent to lift the
water into the receiver, or receivers, through iron or other pipes of sufficient
diameter, to the top of the tower, or towers, or in such other position as may be
found more desirable) is entirely obviated.
:
1. I place or affix to the outer sides of the vessel vertical frames of iron or steel
or other substance, of such dimensions either in regard to width or depth, all round
the vessel by means of rivets, bolts, or other suitable appliances, such as may be
hereafter found more desirable, from the gunwale downwards, of such size or
dimensions, and in such space as to give or afford any amount of stability required';
and I claim that I thus get over all but the more imperceptible motions of rolling
or pitching and practically obtain a steady platform, in a sea way. These tubes to
be each and all water and air tight, and capable of being filled with water in case
it is required to submerge the vessel, with proper appliances such as may suggest
themselves, for the discharge of such water when required.
2. I erect on the said vessel in such place or places, or part as may be found
desirable, a tower or towers, of such altitude and dimensions as the size and shape
of the vessel and the speed desired to be obtained may in practice be found
necessary or desirable.

page_text: For war purposes the tower can be armour plated to any thickness or required
height, so as to be absolutely shot and shell proof, and all access to it from outside
may be made water tight, so that in case of need the vessel could, by filling the
hold or air tubes, or some of them, be submerged almost to the top of the towers,
and still maintain her speed through the water and flotation.
3. I erect a gasometer on board the vessel in such place or part as may be found
most suitable, which with other appliances for the purpose, shall generate or
manufacture gas out of coal or cannel, which, with the other component parts of
these minerals, viz. coke, tar (when mixed with small coal or cannel and made into
fuel on board), and petroleum or natural oil, in boilers suited to each of them
respectively, shall raise sufficient steam to elevate the water, through iron or other
pipes to such an altitude as is required, into the receiver at the top or other part of
the tower, thence by returning pipes of similar substance and size, the water shall
be conducted to the hydraulic engines or rams, such as I may design or use for the
purpose of driving such number of screws, or other propelling form or apparatus as
may be thought desirable, placed in tunnels of any shape that may be thought
desirable, or in open part outside the vessel.
4. I claim as part of my Invention this new application of coal or cannel made
into gas and other produce thereof, and applied to boilers for marine or other
purposes, in the manner herein-before described.
In the tower I place a funnel or tube of such dimensions as may be found
necessary, primarily to act as a chimney to take off the smoke from the gasometer
and the boilers, but further it would serve as a conduit for the up-and-down water
pipes, also for up-and-down ventilating pipes; the former to take off all impure
exhalations from the body of the vessel which would be objectionable in the tower
itself.
The placing all these pipes in the vicinity and in contiguity with the only
heat of an artificial nature in the ship will enable me alike to warm every part as
I would conduct subsidiary water pipes over the ship, so as to keep her at a
temperature of 70°, as I could easily pass a jet of steam into the receiver to keep
the water to this or a higher temperature, if required, and the fresh air I introduce
would be equally tempered.
I fix the water pipes, in case of fire, with stand pipes and hose at convenient
distances all over the getatable parts of the vessel, and in the holds where this is
not practicable I arrange a series of sea plugs that in case of fire, such as combus
tion of cargo, of coal, or other commodity, the presence of which by a series of
thermometers in connexion with each hold would be immediately detected, and the
water, as soon as the fire was out, could as immediately be pumped out by the
action of the screw in connection with the hydraulic engine.
I further place round this funnel, or tube, an hydraulic lift, for the purpose of
passengers, stores, guns, &c. being conveyed up and down without any trouble or
cost of haulage, or other lifting arrangement.
I should place galleries on each floor for promenade or landing on from the lift.
At the top of the tower I place the tank or receiver; round it and in the centre
I place a lime light, or other artificial burner, which not only emits light during the
night, as does a lighthouse tower, of the most brilliant force possible (which on
similar erections on land would entirely obviate the necessity of gas lamps), but
constantly it throws either directly or by subsidiary wires in connection with jets
(this is also applicable to houses as above, as a substitute for gas, as I understand
is now done at Antwerp docks), a beautiful clear day-light light all over the vessel
without the attendant heat and other objections to gas, let alone the saving of
expense.
In case of a passenger steamer I would place a conservatory at the top of the
tower, 50 feet high, with kitchens, dining saloons, drawing rooms, smoking and
billiard rooms, and finally bedrooms for first class passengers; a very large number
5

page_text: could thus be accommodated in the tower in a more luxurious manner than in an
hotel ashore, as none of the bedrooms should be less than 12 feet squre and 12 feet high.
The general application of this hydraulic system would, on land, supersede
railways, and cause them all to be formed into rivers or canels, whereby another
great problem of the day, viz., the at times overflow of our too-confined rivers
during certain seasons, and of severe drought at others, would be obviated.