IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING. TO THE REMOVAL OF SAND AND OTHER BANKS AND DEEPENING AND ALTERING THE BEDS OF RIVERS AND TIDAL WATERS to be ass
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWARD FOULGER of 43 Russian Drive, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Tea Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING. TO THE REMOVAL OF SAND AND OTHER BANKS AND DEEPENING
AND ALTERING THE BEDS OF RIVERS AND TIDAL WATERS to be as follows:-
دو
My Invention has for its object certain improvements in and relating to the
removal of sand and other banks and deepening and altering the beds of rivers and
tidal waters.
It is known that the formation of banks and the inequalities of depth in rivers
and tidal waters is mostly caused by slack water and eddies.in the current, or
course of the river, or tidal water, caused by the bends, or concaves of the side
banks, or margin walls of such rivers, or tidal waters, or by obstructions therein
and that where a current sweeps into a concave bend of the side bank, or wall the
water is at that place the deepest and a deposit is formed at a point approximately
opposite to such bend, or concave, caused by the slack water or eddy of such stream,
or tidal water at such opposite side, the section of the river bed rising from where
the current is the strongest up to that point where the eddy, or the slack water
exists.
Now my Invention consists in so directing a portion of the current from that
point where the water is the deepest to that point where the river bed rises and
the eddy, or slack water takes place, and the means I employ to so direct the
current consists in partially filling up the river, or tidal water at its deepest part
where the current is the strongest by building, or forming a sunken weir, which
may be done by constructing a sunken causeway, or breakwater of stone, sunken
pontoons, or other water resisting material, or object which sunken causeway
extends from the deepest part of the river and where the current is the strongest
across to the point where the bank, or obstruction has been formed by the deposit
consequent upon the eddy or slack water. This sunken weir, or obstruction thus
extends from the bank of the river where the scour of the current is the greatest
in a direction to the point where the bank is formed and on the principle that a
certain amount of water has to flow down the river and that by a portion of the
bed being filled in; the water that would otherwise flow in the filled in part must
Dminali
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page_text: flow over some other part and it causes a scour over the bank to be removed, the
heavy body of the current being kept in the centre of the river, or tidal water, the
effect of the sunken weir is to equalize the depth of water across the river by
scouring the river bottom at that point opposite to where the strongest current
takes place.
That the carrying out of my Invention may be understood I will explain its
application as applied to a particular bank existing in the river Mersey at Liverpool,
and known as the Pluckington bank. The stream, of the river Mersey takes à
concave bend on the Cheshire side at Birkenhead and at this point the stream runs
stronger than on the Liverpool side opposite. There is consequently a deposit of
sand and mud on the Liverpool side caused by the slack water, or eddy, which
accumulation of deposit forms the Pluckington bank. Now in applying my Invention
to this part of the river Mersey for the removal of the said Pluckington bank, I would
build a submerged weir from the margin of the river at the Birkenhead side out.
into the river allowing about thirty feet of water over the weir at the lowest tide
and increasing as the weir stretched across the river so as to have forty, or fifty
feet of water over the weir at lowest tide to allow for free navigation. The
obstruction to the flow of water caused by the weir would necessitate a corre-
sponding compensation in some other place and thus the water would be directed
onto the bank, or shoal on the Liverpool side, which would be gradually scoured
away by the stream. If the stream should show a tendency to come with increased
force upon the Birkenhead side, I would build up a projecting stone slip at Monk's
Ferry, Birkenhead to the level of high water and I so turn, the stream at the side
at an angle against the main body of the stream. This would greatly assist to
throw the water against the Liverpool side.
The essential feature of my invention may be thus defined. I direct the course
of the stream of the river from the bed of the river by placing obstructions on the
bed of the river to direct the stream as required.
Dated this twenty ninth day of February 1884.

page_text: I EDWARD FOULGER of 43 Russian Drive, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Tea Dealer do hereby declare the nature of my. Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND RELATING TO THE REMOVAL OF SAND AND OTHER BANKS AND DEEPENING
AND ALTERING THE BEDS OF RIVERS AND TIDAL WATERS and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in ana
by the following statement:-
My Invention has for its object certain improvements in and relating to the
removal of sand and.other banks and deepening and altering the beds of rivers and.
tidal waters.
It is known that the formation of banks and the inequalities of depth in rivers
and tidal waters is mostly caused by slack water and eddies in the current, or
course of the river, or tidal water, caused by the bends, or concaves of the side
banks, or margin walls of such rivers, or tidal waters, or by obstructions therein
and that where a current 'sweeps into a concave bend of the side bank, or wall, the
water is at that place the deepest and a deposit is formed at a point approximately
opposite to such bend, or concave caused by the slack water or eddy of such stream,
or tidal water at such opposite side, the section of the river bed rising from where
the current is the strongest up to that point where the 'eddy or the slack water
exists.
Now my Invention consists in so directing a portion of the current from that
point where the water is the deepest to that point where the river bed rises and
the eddy, or slack water takes place, and the means I employ to so direct the
current consists in partially filling up the river, or tidal water at its deepest part
where the current is the strongest, by building, or forming a sunken weir, which
may be done by constructing a sunken causeway, or breakwater of stone, sunken.
pontoons, or other water resisting material or object, which sunken causeway
extends from the deepest part of the river and where the current is the strongest->
across the point where the bank, or obstruction has been formed by the deposit
consequent upon the eddy, or slack water. This sunken weir, or obstruction thus
extends from the bank of the river where the scour of the current is the greatest
in a direction to the point where the bank is formed and on the principle that
a certain amount of water has to flow down the river, and that by a portion of
the bed being filled in, the water that would otherwise flow in the filled in part,
must flow over some other part, and it causes a scour, over the bank to be removed,
the heavy body of the current being kept in the centre of the river, or tidal water,
the effect of the sunken weir is to equalise the depth of water across the river by
scouring the river bottom at that point opposite to where the strongest current
takes place.
That the carrying out of my Invention may be understood, I will explain its
application as applied to a particular bank existing in the river Mersey, at Liverpool,
and known as the Pluckington Bank. The stream of the river Mersey takes a
concave bend on the Cheshire side at Birkenhead and at this point the stream runs
stronger than on the Liverpool side opposite. There is consequently a deposit of.
sand and mud on the Liverpool side, caused by the slack water, or eddy which
accumulation of deposit forms the Pluckington Bank.-Now in applying my
Invention to this part of the river Mersey for the removal of the said Pluckington
bank, I would build a submerged weir from the margin of the river at the Birken-
head side out into the river allowing about thirty feet of water over the weir at
the lowest tide and increasing as the woir stretched across the river so as to have."

page_text: forty, or fifty feet of water over the weir at lowest tide to allow for free navigation.
The obstruction to the flow of water caused by the weir would necessitate a
corresponding compensation in some other place and thus the water would be
directed onto the bank or shoal, on the Liverpool side, which would be gradually
scoured away by the stream. If the stream should show a tendency to come with
increased force upon the Birkenhead side, I would build up a projecting stone slip
at Monk's Ferry, Birkenhead, to the level of high water, and I so turn the stream
at the side at an angle against the, main body of the stream. This would greatly
assist to throw the water against the Liverpool side.
The essential feature of my Invention may be thus defined.-I direct the course
of the stream of the river from the bed of the river by placing obstructions on the
bed of the river to direct the stream as required.
The annexed sheet of Drawings shows my Invention applied to a river and
illustrates how I would position the submerged weir from the margin of the river
at one side, so as to direct the current of water to scour away a bank, or shoal on
the margin of the other side of the river.
In the Drawings
Figure 1 is a cross section of the river, and
1. Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 drawn to a smaller scale.
A is the river and B represents the bank, or shoal to be removed. W is the weir
which is positioned so as to direct the flow of the current of the water across the
river and onto the bank B, which by this means will be gradually scoured away.
The obstruction to the flow of water caused by the weir W naturally necessitates a
corresponding compensation in some other place and thus the current is directed
onto the bank, or shoal B.
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 method substantially as herein described of removing sand and other banks
and deepening and altering the beds of rivers and tidal waters, which method
consists in directing the flow of the water onto the bank, or shoal to be removed
by means of an artificially constructed sunken weir, or weirs formed, or placed at
a point in front of the bank, or shoal to be removed, as herein set forth and
illustrated.