IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GIVING BUOYANCY TO OR RAISING SINKING OR SUBMERGED SHIPS AND OTHER SINKING OR SUNKEN BODIES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Enoch Watkin James, of Brynllys, in the County of
Cardigan, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR GIVING BUOYANCY TO OR RAISING SINKING OR SUBMERGED SHIPS AND OTHER
SINKING OR SUNKEN BODIES."
Sealed the 22nd July 1864, and dated the 28th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Enoch Watkin James
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th January 1864.
I, ENOCH WATKIN JAMES, of Brynllys, in the County of Cardigan, Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR GIVING BUOYANCY TO OR RAISING SINKING OR SUBMERGED SHIPS
AND OTHER SINKING OR SUNKEN BODIES," to be as follows:-
In order to carry out the above improvements I make use of a number of
tubes or cases, one end of each of which has an opening through which the
water may enter when it is required to sink the same to the submerged vessel
or body to be raised out of the water, the other end or near the other end
thereof having a flexible or other tube attached, which flexible or other tube
can be led out of the water (or to any given station) where pneumatic appa-
ratus can be placed or air supply obtained, so that air may be forced into the
cylinders or tubes first mentioned, the air coming into one end thereof behind
a piston or circular plate, at the front of which is the water that has entered
at the end of the cylinder, at or near which is the water opening. Stays or
perforated annular plates or wheel-like frames can be connected by chains,
cords, or otherwise to the said piston and move with it, so that upon the air

page_text: entering and pressing forward the piston (thus expelling the water and filling
the cylinder or tube with air) collapse will be prevented, and by the filling of
the said cylinder with air it will be rendered buoyant, and will, if sufficient
buoyant power be applied, raise with it any submerged vessel or body to
which it may attached by chains or other means. The piston before men-
tioned should be packed with india-rubber or other packing. Instead of rigid
cylinders flexible air cases might be used; and in order to raise the submerged
vessel or body, the first motion might be given by exploding gunpowder
beneath the same.
To render my apparatus more useful in acting on sinking vessels or bodies
whenever such an emergency may occur, the cylinders and appendages afore-
said may be fitted to vessels or bodies, and upon sinking commencing the
same may be inflated, as herein-before referred to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Enoch Watkin James in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ENOCH
WATKIN JAMES, of Brynllys, in the County of Cardigan, Farmer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Enoch Watkin James, Her special licence that
I, the said Enoch Watkin James, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Enoch Watkin James, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GIVING BUOYANCY
TO OR RAISING SINKING OR SUBMERGED SHIPS AND OTHER SINKING OR SUNKEN
BODIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Enoch Watkin
James, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Enoch Watkin James, 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 :-
The object and purpose of my said Invention being to provide apparatus
that may without loss of power be applied in close proximity to sinking or
sunken ships or bodies, and so that the same may have pneumatic power readily
and effectually brought into action, and thus give buoyancy to or raise such
sinking or sunken ships or bodies. Now, therefore, the nature of my said Inven-
tion consists in the adoption and use of the herein-after described apparatus,
viz., I have a number of tubes or cases, each of which has an opening through
which water may enter when it is required to sink the same to the submerged
vessel or body to be raised out of the water, having at the one end or near the
one end thereof a flexible or other tube, which flexible or other tube can be
led out of the water or to any given station or position where pneumatic
apparatus can be conveniently placed or air supply or buoyant gas or vapour
obtained, and so that the same may be forced or let into the cylinders or tubes
first mentioned, the air coming in behind or on one side of a piston or circular
plate, at the front or other side of which the water has entered by the water
opening therein provided. Stays or perforated annular plates or wheel-like
frames can be connected (by chains, cords, or such like appliances) to the said
piston so as to move with it, whereby upon the air entering and pressing
forward the piston, thus expelling the water and filling the first-mentioned
cylinder or tube with air, buoyant gas, or vapour, collapse will be prevented,
and by the filling of the said cylinder with air, buoyant gas, or vapour the
same will be rendered buoyant, and will, if sufficient buoyant power be applied,
raise with it any submerged vessel or body to which it may be attached by
chains or other means. The piston before mentioned should be packed with
india-rubber or other packing. Instead of rigid cylinders flexible air cases
might be used; and in order that a submerged vessel or body may be raised
with greater facility, the first motion might be given by exploding gunpowder
(or other explosive substance) beneath the same.
To render my said apparatus more useful in acting on sinking vessels
whenever such an emergency may occur, the cylinders, tubes, or similar air
holders and appendages may be fitted to vessels or bodies, and upon sinking
commencing the same may be inflated, as herein-before mentioned.

page_text: A, A, a, a, is a cylinder in longitudmal section of wrought or cast iron or
other material (of considerable size), which I prefer to make truly circular in
section, and as light as possible consistently with sufficient strength to stand
the pressure, such cylinder to have one or both ends removeable, that is,
bolted to it, so as to admit the piston and rings (shown in the Drawing to a
-scale of one inch to the foot, nineteen feet long by five feet diameter). In
this cylinder one or more solid pistons B, B, work, truly fitting the cylinder,
and packed with india-rubber or other packing, so as to make it thoroughly
water-tight. This piston is impelled by air pressure introduced through a
strong flexible tube or tubes C, C, of sufficient size, the piston expelling the
water before it through a hole or holes D, D, in the side or end of such
cylinder A. These holes may be fitted with valves, if necessary, opening
outwards. The aperture of the air tubes C, C, opening into the cylinder A, A,
may also, if thought desirable, be fitted with valves opening inwards, as shown
in dotted lines. Behind the piston or pistons are two or three or more ring
frames E, E, of metal fitting loosely in the cylinder to act as stays or stiffeners
to resist the outward pressure on the cylinder and prevent collapse. These
rings or frames are attached by long chains to rings, eye-bolts, or staples fixed
to the ends of the cylinder and piston, so that when the pressure of the air
acts on the piston the piston pulls them forward so far as the chains will allow,
as shown by the dotted lines in the Drawings, Figs. 1 and 2. The tubes or
cylinders employed are further stiffened by rings of angle iron internally and
bands acting as stays externally, from which chains or fastenings may be
attached to the body, vessel, or thing desired to be raised or buoyed up.
F, F, F, F, are stops, the object of which is to retain the piston in its place
after it has passed them, should the pressure of the air be discontinued
behind. They allow the piston to pass by forcing them into a water and air-
tight chamber G fixed on the cylinder, and communicating therewith by turning
on a pin or axis H, and then they drop or are forced down by a spring into
their normal position, preventing the return of the piston. After this, when
necessary to raise them, the same may be done by a pin J attached thereto,
working through a hole in the chamber G. Figs. 5 and 6 are side and end
views of this catch arrangement drawn half size. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal

page_text: section of such a cylinder, showing one air tube and piston with hole to expel
the water at the end (a cross section of same is shown at Fig. 3); Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal section of cylinder with two air tubes and pistons; Fig. 4, cross
section of the same, and with holes to expel the water at the sides, drawn to
a scale of one inch to the foot. In Fig. 2 there is an internal band or plate K
to prevent the piston travelling too far or past the holes D, D.
I will now proceed to describe the action of such Invention and improved
apparatus. The tubes or cylinders in sufficient numbers are lowered (by
filling or partially filling them with water) down to the submerged vessel or
body required to be raised, and are thereto strongly attached by chains (by the
aid of divers or otherwise), or they are attached to the sinking or other vessel
required to be buoyed up; air is then forced into them from a vessel or other
suitable station above (by means of suitable pumps or other forcing apparatus)
through the flexible tubes C, C. This tends to force the pistons B, B,
outwards, forcing before it the body of water contained in such cylinder, and
expelling it through the holes D, D; when the water is expelled the tube or
cylinder is filled with air, and will have buoyancy sufficient to raise the vessel
or body to which they are attached.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare
that I claim the improvements in apparatus for giving buoyancy to or raising
sinking or submerged ships and other sinking or sunken bodies, consisting in
the use and adoption of hollow cylinders, tubes, or cases provided with
arrangements,―
(1), for admitting when necessary the water to sink the same to the position
of desired proximity to the submerged sunken or sinking ship or body.
(2), for permitting the introduction of air (or buoyant vapours or gases if
thought preferable), yet at the same time providing against collapse by the
arrangements for internal support, herein-before mentioned and referred to.
In witness whereof, I, the said Enoch Watkin James, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
RICHARD JAMES.
ENOCH WATKIN JAMES. (L.S.)