IMPROVEMENTS IN RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS AND OTHER BODIES
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
AUSTIN, of Warwick Place, Bedford Row, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting..
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty, King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of May, in the seventh year
of His reign, did, for Himself, Ilis heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Austin, His especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Edward Austin, my exors, ádññors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Austin, my executors, 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 RAISING
SUNKEN VESSELS AND OTHER BODIES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said Edward Austin, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in His said 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
Edward Austin, do hereby declare 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention relates, first, to the application of flexible air-tight bags
or apparatus to the purpose of raising sunken vessels or bodies.
And, secondly, to apparatus in combination with air-tight bags or vessels for
the raising of sunken vessels or other bodies.
And in order to give the fullest information, and enable a workman readily
to carry out my Invention, I will, in the first place, describe the best means I
am acquainted with for making suitable flexible bags or vessels to be applied
to the purposes of my Invention. I take a quantity of water and air-proof
fabric, made by combining two surfaces of strong canvas (or other suitable
fabric) with a layer of india-rubber (caoutchouc) according to the Patent
process of Mr. Macintosh, such materials being in every way suitable for my
purpose, and I believe such material to be the best for the purpose, but I do
not confine myself thereto; and I combine such water and air-proof fabric
into bags or vessels, which I prefer to be of a cylindrical form with hemi-
spherical ends; this is done with facility by means of india-rubber cement
(dissolved india-rubber, a material now well known, and may be readily
purchased), and in order to give strength to such bags or vessels (particularly
to those parts where the chains or other apparatus are to be applied), I affix
bands of canvas or webbing placed around the vessels or bags by sewing or
by india-rubber cement. To such air-tight flexible bags or vessels I apply
flexible air and water-tight tubes made of like materials, of such length as will
be required to allow of air being forced into the bags when down below the
water in order to inflate them.
I would here remark that although I prefer the cylindrical form with ends,
as above described, I do not confine myself to that figure, as variations may be
made.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
consists of an arrangement of apparatus suitable for applying air-tight bags or
vessels, in order to raise bodies from below the surface of the water,
without the necessity of sending down divers or persons in diving bells, in
order to attach the apparatus by which the vessel or other body is to be
floated.
The Drawing hereunto annexed-represents-the-hull of a-sunken vessel, the

page_text: chain A having been drawn round her by the operation of creeping; B, B, arè
a series of buoys which are in connection with the chain A, and are the buoys
used in creeping for the sunken vessel, in order to get the chain A around the
hull; C is the purchase chain, the end of which is drawn up to the barge or
other vessel employed in the operation of slinging the sunken vessel. This
purchase chain C is drawn through the large link or shackle D, and by means
of the stopper E (the nature of which is hereafter described), the purchase
chain C is securely held around the vessel; F, F, are auxiliary purchase
chains affixed to the chain A, C, previously to the chain C being lowered; and
I would remark that any number of these auxiliary purchase chains may
be attached; I generally recommend two such for each flexible bag or vessel,
to be affixed to, each purchase chain by means of such auxiliary purchase
chains, and there may for security (particularly for large ships and when they
are much buried in the sands) be other chains passing under the ship's
bottom, as is shewn in the Drawing; G, G, are flexible air and water-tight
bags, such as I have described in the first part of my Invention. Athwart the
bow of the vessel it will be seen that they have a chain H attached to them,
and stoppers E, as is shewn in the Drawing. These stoppers consist of strong
and heavy castings of iron or other metal, having a hole through them
sufficiently large for the free passage of the chains over which they are
to slide. Figure 2 represents a section of one of the stoppers E; it consists of
a hollow casting (or it may be of wrought iron, as above stated), having
within it two or more catches or stops J, J, which will allow of the stopper E
sliding down a chain, but the stops or catches J prevent the stoppers from
rising up again; hence, supposing that one of the bags G to be in the
compressed state, and connected as shewn to a chain, and that chain having a
stopper at each end, and the same are placed on, and by their weight
permitted to slide down two chains which have hold of the sunken vessel,
the stoppers E will carry down the uninflated bag G, and when down,
and inflation commences, the bag will be prevented rising again except when
bringing up the sunken vessel; and it will be evident that in like manner any
number of bags may be lowered till sufficient are below for raising the sunken
vessel or other body.
I would remark that in order to prevent the chains as much as possible
from bending, and to keep them distended, I apply a number of canes tied
along the cable, which will on the one hand allow of some flexibility to
the chains, but at the same time it, will on the other hand prevent the chain
doubling up.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark

page_text: that I lay no claim to the mode of constructing bags of india-rubber or other
water-proof bags; nor do I claim the apparatus above described for creeping
to get a chain around or under the. sunken vessel or other body, there being
no novelty therein; but what I do claim is,
First, the application of flexible air-tight bags of india-rubber cloth or
other suitable fabric to the purpose of raising sunken vessels or other
bodies.
And, secondly, I claim the combining the stoppers E with suitable chains
and air-tight flexible bags or vessels to the purpose of raising sunken ships or
other bodies, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Austin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.