AN IMPROVED PONTOON BRIDGE, ALSO APPLICABLE AS A LIFE RAFT AND LIGHTER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cochrane, of the Grange, Stourbridge, in the
County of Worcester, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PONTOON BRIDGE,
ALSO APPLICABLE AS A LIFE RAFT AND LIGHTER."-A communication from
abroad by John Wright, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America.
Sealed the 10th December 1867, and dated the 12th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cochrane at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
June 1867.
I, JOHN COCHRANE, of the Grange, Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PONTOON
BRIDGE, ALSO APPLICABLE AS A LIFE RAFT AND LIGHTER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of pontoon
bridges or rafts for saving life at sea, wherein the several parts are so arranged
that they can be put together in a very short space of time and with great
facility, so as to produce a very strong and buoyant structure, while the parts,
when separate, are arranged so as to be capable of occupying only a very small
space as compared with the size of the pontoon bridge or raft when put
together, the cost of such bridge or raft being at the same time considerably
less than that of any structures of the kind heretofore employed, and which
do not offer the same advantages of construction.

page_text: The Invention consists in arranging a series of two or more pontoons or
long buoyant bodies, by preference hollow metal vessels of comparatively small
transverse dimensions, connected together by a trellis framework arranged
similar in principle to a "lazy-tongs," namely, so as to turn upon the connecting
pins and to open out or fold together in such manner that the pontoons then
lie closely side by side. Upon this framework is placed a deck or flooring,
the separate boards of which are all binged together, so as when not in
use to fold together backwards and forwards, thus occupying a space only
equivalent to the width and length of one board with a height equal to
the joint thicknesses of all the boards; this deck or flooring is fixed to the
pontoon framework by the pins forming the joints of the latter being made
to pass through corresponding holes in the deck, which is secured upon
such pins either by means simply of washers and keys, or, by preference,
small uprights or stanchions are made to fit over the said pins and are secured
thereto either by keys, by spring catches, or other suitable known means.
These uprights are formed with eyes or loops at their upper ends, through
which a rope or wire may be passed so as to form a rail on either side of the
bridge or raft, or a network bulwark may be attached to the said uprights.
When the apparatus is employed as a life raft, a water-tight tank or case
is secured upon the deck by being made to fit in between some of the uprights
and secured in-that position by bolts or spring catches made to enter the eyes
of the uprights. In this case also provision is made for one or more masts
to be erected upon the deck by fixing suitable sockets thereon for that purpose;
this-contrivance may also be applied as a portable lighter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Cochrane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COCHRANE, of the Grange, Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Cochrane, Her special licence that I, the said John Cochrane, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Cochrane,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at 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 "AN IMPROVED PONTOON BRIDGE,
ALSO APPLICABLE AS A LIPE RAFT AND LIGHTER," a communication to me from
abroad by John Wright, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Cochrane,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 John Cochrane, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to. be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of pontoon
bridges or rafts for saving life at sea, wherein the several parts are so arranged
that they can be put together in a very short space of time and with great
facility, so as to produce a very strong and buoyant structure, while the parts
when separate are arranged so as to be capable of occupying only a very small
space as compared with the size of the pontoon bridge or raft when put
together, the cost of such bridge or raft being at the same time considerably
less than that of any structures of the kind heretofore employed, and which
do not offer the same advantages of construction.
The Invention consists in arranging a series of two or more pontoons or
long buoyant bodies, by preference hollow metal vessels of comparatively small
transverse dimensions, connected together by a trellis framework arranged
similar in principle to a "lazy-tongs," namely, so as to turn upon the connecting
pins, and to open out or fold together in such manner that the parts of the
framing then lie closely side by side. Upon this framework is placed a deck.
or flooring, the separate boards of which are all binged together, so as when
not in use to fold together backwards and forwards, thus occupying a space
only equivalent to the width and length of one board with a height equal to
the joint, thicknesses of all the boards; this deck or flooring is fixed to the
pontoon framework by the pins forming the joints of the latter being made to

page_text: pass through corresponding holes in the deck, which is secured upon such pins
either by means simply of washers and keys, or, by preference, small uprights
or stanchions are made to fit over the said pins and are secured thereto either
by keys, by spring catches, or other suitable known means. These uprights
are formed with eyes or loops at their upper ends, through which a rope or
wire may be passed so as to form a rail on either side of the bridge or raft, or
a network bulwark may be attached to the said uprights.
When the apparatus is employed as a life raft, a water-tight tank or case is
secured upon the deck by being made to fit in between some of the uprights
and secured in that position by bolts or spring catches made to enter the eyes
of the uprights. In this case also provision is made for one or more masts
to be erected upon the deck by fixing suitable sockets thereon for that purpose;
this contrivance may also be applied as a portable lighter.
Figures 1 to 5 show one arrangement of the improved pontoon bridge, life
raft, or lighter. Figure 1 shows a side elevation thereof; Figure 2 shows a
plan of the under side; Figure 3 shows a part plan of the upper side; Figure 4
shows a plan of the framing with pontoons folded together, and Figure 5 shows
a transverse section of the deck folded together. Similar letters of reference
indicate similar parts in each of the Figures.
A, A, are pontoons, which may be either hollow vessels of metal or wood, or of
india-rubber or strong waterproof fabric and inflated with air so as to be
collapsible, or they may be solid and of a suitable buoyant material; these
pontoons are fixed to or form part of the trellis framework B, arranged so as
to turn on the connecting pins C, like a "lazy-tongs," and thus to be capable
of folding together as shown at Figure 4, the parts of the framing and the
pontoons then lying closely side by side. Upon this framing, when distended,
is placed the deck D, composed of a number of separate planks, all connected
together by hinges d, fixed alternately on the upper and under side of the
planks so as to enable these, when removed from the framing, to be folded
together backwards and forwards, so as to occupy only a very small space as
shown in the transverse section at Figure 5. The deck D is fixed to the
pontoon framing A, B, by being provided with holes which fit over the pro-
jecting pins C, upon which the uprights E are then fitted and secured either
by cotters or pins F or by any other suitable contrivance. The uprights E
are provided with eyes or loops at their upper ends, through which a rope or
wire G is passed so as to constitute a hand rail. When the apparatus is used
as a life raft a water-tight provision tank H, shown in Figure 3, may be fixed
between the uprights by being provided with spring or other bolts h which
pass into the eyes of the uprights. The raft may also be provided with a

page_text: rudder I as shown in Figure 1, and also with a mast J held in a socket K as
shown in dotted lines.
In addition to the security afforded by the hand rail a bulwark may be
provided as shown in part plan at Figure 6, and in transverse section at Figure 7,
where the planks D¹ forming the bulwark are hinged to the deck planks D, so
ns to fold over on the top thereof, as shown in the perspective view at Figure 8,
while the parts D are hinged to D¹ so as to fold back upon them as indicated.
The planks D1, D2, are provided with loops or rings L, also folding down flush by
means of hinges, through which loops the uprights E are passed, thus holding
the bulwarks in the required upright position. In this arrangement it will be
seen that it is requisite that the planks forming the deck should fold together
from the middle of its width, or in other words that there should be an even
number of the planks instead of having a central plank as in the previous
arrangement, in order that the two planks D¹ may both tura up in the same
direction.
Figure 9 shows a plan of an arrangement in which the pontoons A and
framing B are so arranged that the former lie in the direction of the length
of the raft, instead of diagonally as in the former arrangements, whereby its
capability for sailing will be improved. In this case, when the framing is
opened out separate pieces B', B', are fitted upon the pieces of the framing,
in order both to afford a support to the deck D at those points and to keep
the framing distended.
Figure 10 shows a plan without the deck, of an arrangement with two
pontoons A, A, only, in which the framing B is formed with slots in which the
connecting pins C slide, so as to allow the pontoons and framing to fold
together as shown in dotted lines. In this case the deck planking may be laid
either in a transverse or in a longitudinal direction, in which latter case
however separate stretching pieces must be fixed over the pins C at each
end, as shown in dotted lines at B' in order to keep the framing distended.
Figures 11 to 13 show another arrangement of the raft or pontoon bridge.
Figure 11 shows a plan of the under side with part of one of the pontoons
removed; Figure 12 shows a part plan of the upper side; Figure 13 shows
a transverse section. In this arrangement the framing B and deck D are
constructed in the same manner as in the first described arrangement, but the
pontoons A, A, are in this case not permanently connected to the framing B,
it being requisite on account of their longitudinal position to detach them
when the framing requires to be folded together. The pontoons are for this
purpose provided with hoops A' baving loops a, by which they are connected
either by means of rings c, or by lashing to the eyes of the rods C, formed by

page_text: They may also be pro-
continuing the connecting pins of the framing downwards; the hoops A¹ have
also other loops a¹, by which the pontoons are lashed together by means of
ropes or chains G. The connecting pins or rods C are also continued above
the deck so as to take the place of the uprights E in the former arrangements,
and the deck D fits over them and is secured by means of washers M and
keys F passing through the rods C above the washers. The pontoons in this
case as also in all cases where they lie in a longitudinal direction are by
preference made with pointed ends, as shown, in order to offer as little
resistance as possible in passing through the water.
vided with rollers on their under sides to facilitate their conveyance on land.
I is as before a rudder, and J is a mast. In cases where the apparatus is
liable to be exposed to severe strains, as in life rafts, I prefer to make the
framing B of sheet iron or steel, and if required I connect every plank of the
folding deck to the framing by means of pins fixed on the one part fitting
through corresponding holes formed in the other, and secured by means of
split cotters and washers, as indicated at x, x, Figure 2; and where the
coustruction with two longitudinal side pontoons is employed as at Figures 11
to 13, I form the outer joints of the metal framing as eyelet holes, as indicated
at the section at Figure 14, where the tubular pin y with countersunk head
passes through the two parts of the framing B, B, and is secured below by
the screw nut Z. Through the eyelet hole bolt y the pin C fixed on the
pontoon A is made to pass, and is then secured above the deck D as described
with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As before stated river boats and lighters
may also be constructed upon the before described improved principle for
navigating very shallow water.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise arrangements for carrying the Invention into
effect, as shown on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, as these may be
variously modified without departing from the nature of the Invention; but
what I claim is,-
First, constructing pontoon bridges, life rafts, and lighters with a folding
or "lazy-tongs" framework for receiving the deck, arranged substantially as
berein-before described.
Second, so attaching the pontoons to the folding framing as not to require
disconnecting therefrom when the apparatus bas to be folded together
substantially as described.
Third, the folding deck D provided with binges d and connected to the
framing substantially as described.

page_text: Fourth, the provision tank H fixed on deck substantially as described.
Fifth, the general arrangement of pontoon bridges, life rafts, and lighters
with folding framework, connected to the pontoons and deck substantially
as herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cochrane, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN COCHRANE. (L.S.)