Improvements in Life and other Boats.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1893--Accepted, 27th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Life and other Boats.
I, AUGUST SCHÖNEMANN, of Lindenberg Strasse, Hasserode, Hanover, in the
Empire of Germany, Bailiff, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying drawing and to the figures and letters marked thereon :-
The present invention relates to life-boats for the purpose of picking up or
rescuing shipwrecked persons but is also applicable to other boats to be used
generally for sea service.
In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates my improved life-boat,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 is a plan view of the same partly
in section.
The frame of the boat consists of two pairs of steel hoops or stringers A A
and B B connected to the steel frames or ribs u so as to form a fish-shaped skeleton
frame which, at the bow, ends in a point a to enable it to cut easily through the
water. The skeleton frame is covered with india-rubber or leather to render
it completely watertight. The entrance to the boat is effected through opening
the hatchway, the cover of which consists of an inflated india-rubber bag or
chamber secured in an iron frame m. The hatchway may be opened and closed
by means of two ropes connected to the cover and running over guide rollers, and
in the drawing this cover is shown firmly secured in its closed position by means of
link plates and fixed screws and fly nuts. The ribs u u² are made to carry at
their upper part the cranked shafts Z, which can be turned by hand. The outer
extremities of these shafts Z are adapted to carry the paddle wheels Z. One of
the shafts Z is provided in the inside of the boat with an eccentric y, which latter
is connected, by means of a rod i and bell crank lever h, with the bellows b, see
Figure 1. The bellows are provided with suitable suction and discharge valves
through which they are alternately filled and emptied as is well understood. The
tube e fitted with a suction valve serves as suction tube to the bellows.
impure air is forced out through the outlet
The tubes e and fare at their upper part bent
water from entering the interior of the boat.
front of the frames u¹ u³, is inserted a sheet of
into the boat.
The
valve connected with the tube f.
downwards in order to prevent the
In the upper part of the boat, in
glass, so as to allow sufficient light
A rudder is provided to enable the boat to be steered and it is connected to a
bar pivotted at r.
The rudder bar is fitted with two arms ¹² which reach into
the interior of the boat and are actuated by the feet.
In order to give the boat the greatest possible stability, a certain part at the
bottom of it is constructed to receive the provisions and ballast.
A reflector is fixed in proximity to the square of glass at such an angle as to
reflect the dial of the compass to anyone lying at the bottom of the boat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A life or other boat having a frame built of steel hoops or stringers A A
and B B and steel rings covered with india-rubber or leather and propelled by
means of paddle wheels Z' rotated by hand from the inside of the boat by means of
cranked shafts, one of which is fitted with an eccentric y giving motion to the
bellows b so as to introduce fresh air into the interior of the boat and expel the foul
air therefrom, substantially as herein shown and described.

page_text: 2. In life and other boats the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 4th day of April 1893.
AUGUST SCHONEMANN,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
AUGUST SCHONEMANN,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.