and bottoms or ships when АHost.
Year: 1886

page_text: and bottoms or ships when АHost.
I, CHARLES GEORGE CROSS, of 10 Clitheroe Street, Longsight, Manchester,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This Invention relates to that type of apparatus which are used for cleaning
the bottoms of ships while they are afloat, the apparatus being worked by the
passage of the ship through the water, or by the action of a tideway, or stream
past the ship, the apparatus acting so that the marine vegetation and shell fish and
other growths which accumulate and adhere on the sides and bottoms of ships may
be scrubbed off without the necessity of taking the ship into a dry dock or on a
slip way, gridiron, or the like. The type of apparatus will be understood by
reference to former Letters Patent granted to me No 4982 dated 22 April 1885.
The following is a full, clear and exact description of my present improvements
reference being had to the accompanying sheets of Drawings and to the letters and
figures of reference marked thereon, in which
Figure 1 is a plan of an apparatus of the type above set forth with the improve-
ments according to my present Invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus with my improvements applied
thereto.
Figure 5 is a detail of the apparatus.
I will describe the construction of an apparatus generally, in the form in which
I prefer it.
The apparatus consists of a frame A in the centre of which there is placed a
lateral cross bar B and a longitudinal bar B¹. At the junction of these bars B
and B¹ there is a standard C which supports an upper cross bar D which carries the
diagonal pressure board E in front of which there is provided the clevis F which is
attached both to the diagonal pressure board E and to the forward bar of the
frame A at their junction. The cross bar B and the cross bar D carry the parallel
motion propelling guide bars H which have motion on the top of the frame A on
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D

page_text: .
either side of the diagonal pressure board E. P are the scrubbing brushes which
are attached underneath the frame A. to the side bars thereof. These brushes are
formed of any suitable material as common to apparatus of this type. K are
flexible scrapers which are placed on the sides of the frame A outside of the
brushes P. These several parts constitute an apparatus constructed substantially
as described in the Specification of my former Letters Patent No. 4982 A.D. 1885.
The apparatus is placed in the water against the ships side being towed by a line
from the clevis F as usual with this type of apparatus and kept up to the ships
side by the pressure of the water against the diagonal board E and is directed down
and up the ships side and bottom by regulating the position of the guide blades H
which is done by connecting lines H' from the ships deck. If the ship is going
fast through the water, the pressure of the apparatus against the ships side or
bottom is very considerable and the scrub is necessarily a severe one, tending to
remove the paint as well as the adhering vegetable, or other substance. The object
of my present Invention is to remedy this objection and provide a means for
adjusting the pressure of the scrub and also to facilitate the passage of the apparatus
over the seams, or landings of the plates in iron ships. To these ends I provide the
frame A with wheels S preferably adjustable. When made adjustable the journals a
of the wheels being arranged to be adjustable so that the tread of the wheels can
be adjusted in relation to the surface of the brushes P and scrapers K. A con-
venient form of adjusting device is shown in Figure 5 of the Drawings. The
journals a form part of the screwed side rods b which are connected to the frame A
by the brackets e and adjusted thereon by means of the nuts h. By adjusting the
position of the tread of the wheels in relation to the surface of the brushes, I am
enabled to regulate the pressure of the brushes and scrapers on the ships side so
that a very light scrub can be given no matter at what speed the ship is going and
if the scrub is not sufficient, by raising the wheels, the pressure and strength of the
scrub can be increased, or the after wheels can be unshipped to increase the scrub.
The use of the wheels also serves to enable the apparatus to go easily over the
landings, or edges of the plates of iron ships.
Although I prefer that the wheels should be provided with mechanical means of
adjustment, it will be obvious that this is not essential as the wheels may be fixed
in position and different diameters of wheels may be used for different strengths of
scrub, or the wheels can be turned down to a smaller diameter as the brushes and
scrapers are worn.
By the use of the wheels S, I am enabled to work the apparatus without any
superfluous pressure on the ships side.
Although I have more particularly described my present Improvements as applied
to apparatus constructed according to my former Invention before mentioned,
I would have it understood that my present Improvements can be applied to any
type of apparatus, such as herein set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
.
The combination with apparatus of the type herein described of wheels arranged
substantially as described for the purposes set forth.
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