IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FROM FOUNDERING, AND ALSO FOR RAISING VESSELS WHEN SUNK
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY HUTCHINS, of Whitechapel Road, Gentleman, and JOSEPH BAKEWELL,
of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
5 Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at.
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of November, in the fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Henry Hutchins and Joseph Bakewell, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Willam Henry Hutchins
and Joseph Bakewell, our exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said William Henry Hutchins and Joseph Bakewell, our exors, adiñors,
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, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING SHIPS
AND OTHER VESSELS FROM FOUNDERING, AND ALSO FOR RAISING VESSELS WHEN
SUNK;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said
William Henry Hutchins and Joseph Bakewell, or one of us, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her 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, referénce
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Henry Hutchins and Joseph Bakewell, do hereby declare that our said
Invention, which we denominate "Bakewell's Patent Marine Preserver," as
respects the prevention of foundering, consists in the application, as herein-after
described, of waterproof bags filled with air, to ships or other navigable vessels,
secured in various recesses and parts of the vessels as will interfere as little as
possible with the stowage of cargo, each bag being provided with an induction
valve, through which the bag is to be inflated and the return of air prevented,
and with a safety valve through which any redundancy of air produced either
by super-inflation or by expansion may escape, and thus prevent its elastic
force becoming too great for the strength of the bag. And as respects the
raising of sunken vessels, our Invention consists in the application of similar
bags in a collapsed state to such parts of a sunken vessel as are sufficiently acces-
sible by means of diving bells or diving hoods, such bags, like those herein-
before mentioned, being each provided with an induction valve and a safety
valve, and having secured to the induction valve, by means of the well-known
coupling joint, a waterproof tube leading up to an air-inflating apparatus
placed in a boat or upon the shore, when situated near, through which tube air
is forced in to inflate the bag after it is secured to the vessel. In carrying the
Invention into effect for preventing the foundering of a ship or other navigable
vessel, the waterproof bags are made of the fabric usually called mackintosh
cloth, or any other flexible waterproof material of sufficient strength to resist
the pressure of air from within or of water from without. These bags are
formed of such a figure as when duly distended with air they shall lie in and
fill up such recesses or places within the vessel as may be conveniently appro-
priated to them without interfering too much with a stowage of cargo, and a
considerable number of comparatively small bags are employed in preference
to a few large ones, in order that any accidental leakiness in one or even in
several bags shall not injuriously reduce the buoyant effect required. It is
impracticable to lay down an exact rule for the number, figure, and placing of
the bags that would be applicable to all vessels, for in determining these points
the form of the vessel, the nature of the cargo for which it is designed, and
various other circumstances, must be taken into consideration; but in most
cases a number of bags are employed made of the ordinary, width of the
cloth, for example, three quarters of a yard or a yard wide, the bags being
from three to six or more inches thick, and of such a length as to lie in
recesses formed in the sides of the vessel, extending from the under side of one
deck to the upper side of the deck next below it, and in the hold from the
under side of the deck to within a short distance of the keelson, the recesse

page_text: or compartments being.formed for each bag by means of slight ribs nailed up
and down against the sides of the vessel, far enough apart to allow of a bag
being placed between every two of such ribs, where it is protected by a lining
of boards of sufficient thickness to resist the pressure of the cargo and the
shocks incident to the operation of stowage. Long flat bags are also placed
between the beams under each deck, and supported by shelves of boards nailed
under them from beam to beam, whereby considerable buoyancy will be
afforded, without taking up any useful space in the vessel; and triangular and
other shaped bags may be made to fit in various spaces about the knees and
other timbers, without occupying any space useful for stowage. In row boats,
in addition to a lining of bags lying against the whole of the inside of the
boats, and protected by a lining of boards nailed upon ribs secured between.the
bags to the sides of the boat, other bags may be usefully applied across the
boat under the thwarts or seats, and be protected by shelves of boards; also
triangular and other shaped bags may be made to fit and be secured under the
cuddy at the head of the boat, and to fill up spaces which afford no useful
stowage room, and thus an ordinary boat may be converted into a life boat.
The bags may be formed of canvass or other convenient fabric, made water-
proof by being varnished or overlaid with a solution of caoutchouc or other
waterproof elastic varnish or cement, either by employing two thicknesses of
the fabric cemented together by a layer of the varnish according to Mackintosh's
well-known process, or by using only one thickness of the fabric covered over
with a cont of the varnish in the manner of table covers, or like the article
known by the name of oil-cloth. In carrying the Invention into effect for
raising a sunken vessel, a diver, protected by a diving hood, is sent down with
several bags in a collapsed state, each bag having a hose coupled to its inlet pipe,
and reaching up to an air-forcing apparatus, which collapsed bags he lashes or
otherwise firmly affixes to such parts within and without the vessel as shall possess
sufficient adhesion to the vessel to resist the buoyancy of the bags when inflated.
The bags for this purpose are made of various figures and dimensions;
according to the situations in which they are to be placed, but in general
they will be globular or cylindrical; for instance, globular bags are to be
introduced into the cabins, into the hold, and into other large cavities; and
cylindrical bags of great length, with hemispherical ends, are to be secured
on each side upon the deck, and along the ousides of the sunken vessel, where
they are to be made fast to the chains of the standing rigging, and to other
strong attachments belonging to the vessel; and in vessels having portholes or
windows, the bags may be lashed to spars or handspikes placed across the
insides of the portholes or windows; and in case of an insufficiency of fastenings,.

page_text: i
any number of strong screw eyes may be screwed into the sides of the vessel
to afford the requisite attachments, the shanks of the screw eyes being made
gimblet pointed, to make their own holes in the planking, and thus to
supersede the necessity of previous boring. These eyes may be forced in by
means of a temporary handle put through the eye, and a diver may put in
several eyes during one descent, and thus attachments and additional bags
may be continually added, until a sufficient number are attached and inflated
to afford the requisite amount of buoyancy for raising the vessel.
The Sheet of Drawings hereunto, and marked with figures and letters of
reference, shew some examples of the manner according to which the
Invention is carried into effect.
Figure 1 represents the transverse section of the half part of the hull of a
vessel, shewing two distended bags suspended against the inside of the vessel,
and protected by a lining of boards or planks.
Figure 2, elevation of the inside of the vessel, representing two tiers of
suspended bags partly covered with the lining.
Figure 3, transverse section, from A to B of Figure .4, of. a portion of a
vessel of war, shewing the manner of placing the bags against the sides and
between the deck beams. Figure 4, elevation of the inside of the same vessel,
representing part of the lining and some of the bags suspended against the
sides, with sections of other bags placed between the deck beams. The same
letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures. a, the outer part of the
hull; b, the decks; c, the deck beams; d, bags shewn as distended with air;
e, the lining; .f, ribs between the bags to which the boards of the lining are
nailed; 9, bags shewn in section as placed between the beams of the decks,
and supported by boards nailed up to and under the beams; h, a bag shewn
in section as suspended against the side of the vessel of war (see Figure 3);
k, short pipes, furnished with inlet valves, secured into the upper parts of the
bags for allowing air to be forced into the bags, and preventing its return
through the same pipes; 1, 'short pipes near the bottoms of the bags, furnished
with outlet valves, kept close by springs, of such a force as shall be determined
on as necessary to let out the surplus air, and thus prevent injurious tension
of the bags.
Figure 5, plan of a life boat, having inflated bags placed around the inner
sides of the boat and under the thwarts, some of the thwarts having been
removed to render the bags visible. Figure 6, transverse midship section of
the same. The letters of reference signify the same parts in both Figures.
ท, the sides of the boat; n, the flooring of the boat; p, the thwarts; q, the
bags.

page_text: Figure 7, transverse section of part of a vessel supposed to be sunken in
the ground, shewing an inflated bag attached to the outside, to aid in raising
the vessel. Figure 8, outside elevation of the same, shewing several bags and
their attachments. These bags are made with a strong surrounding border, in
which several strong loops or eyclet holes are formed, whereby the bags may
be lashed to the hull.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in Figures 7 and 8.
r, the hull; s, eyes or rings screwed into the hull to form attachments for the
bags; t, ropes tied to the bags and to the screw eyes; u, the bags furnished
with inlet and with safety valves, and tied to the rings.
Figure 9, a specimen of a screw eye of about half the size, for being screwed
into the hull of a sunken vessel, the point being made in the manner of a
gimblet, so as make its own hole.
Figure 10, section in about half size of an inlet pipe, and valve attached to
and opening into the bag. This pipe is shewn as covered with a cap to keep
out dirt when not in use. v, the pipe; w, the valve; x, the cap; ³, a part
of the bag.
:
Figure 11, part of a hose, as if leading from an air pump, with a
coupling joint, to be screwed on upon the inlet pipe when its cap is removed.
Figure 12, the safety or outlet pipe and valve. y, the pipe; z, the valve;
z, a part of the bag.
And we do hereby further declare, that we do not claim any invention
of waterproof cloth, nor any mode of making waterproof bags, nor of
applying the valves to them, nor of coupling the valve pipes with tubes
leading from or to the air inflating apparatus, nor of any peculiar construction
of such apparatus. But we claim the permanent application of inflated water-
proof bags, combined with inlet valves and safety valves, in the manner herein-
before described, in such various recesses and parts of ships or other navigable
vessels as will interfere as little as possible with stowage of cargo, consistent
with affording a sufficient degree of buoyancy to keep the vessel afloat in case
of its being filled with water. And we claim the temporary application to a
sunken vessel of similar bags in a collapsed state, each bag combined with an
inlet and an-outlet or safety valve, and with a hose communicating with an
air-inflating apparatus, such bags being made fast to the various parts of the
vessel, or to eyes screwed into the hull, for the purpose of forming attachments
to which the bags may be lashed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bakewell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOSEPH (L.s.) BAKEWELL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Joseph Bakewell came 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.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.