Improved Means for Transporting Live Fish.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Transporting Live Fish.
I, AUGUST STAMER LUDT, of No. 31, Istedgade, Copenhagen, Denmark, Inventor,
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 present invention consists of improved means for transporting live fish
and the system may be applied either to railway carriages, to ships holds, to
vehicles, sledges or may be fitted up in fishmongers shops.
In order to render the present specification more easily intelligible reference
is had to the accompanying drawing in which similar letters of reference denote
similar parts throughout the several views:-
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a railway car showing the
device arranged therein, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the car, Fig. 3
a transverse section, the left hand half being through the machine room and the
right hand half through the tank room, Fig. 4 is a transverse section through
the filtering and aerating room and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation drawn to a
larger scale of the aerating device.
The object of the present invention is to provide a tank for the live fish being
transported which shall be supplied, during the whole journey with properly
filtered, aerated water of the required temperature and which shall also have
a sufficient supply of fresh air to keep the fish in a healthy condition during the
whole time. These conditions must be fulfilled if fish-and particularly salt
water fish are to be transported over a long journey.
The fish tank a is mounted in the tank room which is separated by partition
walls from the other apparatus appertaining to the system. The tank should be
comparatively flat, to enable a proper aeration. A pipe system V₁ leads from
both sides of the tank at several points to a single pipe which enters the filter B
arranged in the neighbouring compartment. From the filter B a pipe leads to
the water pump P which raises the water through a pipe V3 and passes it along
to the aerating apparatus C. R is an air pump by means of which fresh air may
be passed to the aerating apparatus C and also, if desired along a branch
pipe L with stop cock to the fish tank above the surface of the water therein.
The pipe L2 extends through the fish tank and is provided with a number of
vertically downwardly extending short pipes m m which reach to just below the
surface of the water in the tank. The pipe L' leads from the air pump to the
aerating apparatus C. From the aerating apparatus the water passes along a
suitable pipe to either of the rooms J or I, in which coiled pipes are provided
which in summer may be provided with a cooling and in winter with a warming
medium of any suitable description. From these chambers the water may pass
along a pipe V which branches off into a series of spray pipes arranged in a
double bottom c c¹ of the fish tank, the upper one of which is provided with
perforations as at d, here the water returns to the tank in a purified and aerated
condition, the circulation being advantageously kept up continuously, or being
Di Q71

page_text: set at work as soon as the water needs purifying. As indicated at Fig. 1 the
pumps may be worked from the axle of the car or as at Figure 2 a crank handle
may be provided and the pumps worked periodically by hand.
The roof of the tank room is double and provided with ventilating holes or
orifices QQ whilst receptacles K K may be provided therein for ice in summer
or other purposes. The room F may serve as a motor room if a motor is required
to drive the pumps, whilst the space G (Fig. 4) between the filter and the aerat-
ing apparatus may serve as a coal bunker or for tools or the like.
The aerating device is shown at Figure 5 and consists of a receptacle divided
by horizontal partition walls into three chambers into the upper one a of which
air is conducted through the pipe L. From the underside of this horizontal
partition wall extend downwardly a series of small tubes ss which end just
above openings tin. the lower horizontal partition wall, said lower openings
being slightly larger than the pipes. Water is conducted into the apparatus in
the central room or space through the pipe V³ and flows out of the space y
through the openings t where it meets the air flowing through the pipes s and is
thoroughly and properly aerated. The pipe n leads to the open air and may be
closed by a cock as indicated.
Ventilators D D may be provided in the roof of the car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1: Improved means for transporting live fish comprising a comparatively flat
fish tank arranged in a tank room, a series of pipe connections leading from said tank
to a filtering device, from this to an aerating apparatus arranged in another room,
into which latter apparatus the water is raised by a water pump, a ventilator to
supply air to the aerating apparatus and to the interior of the fish tank and means
for driving said pumps either from the axle of the car or by hand or by
special motor power and for returning the water thus purified and aerated to the
fish tank after it has been warmed or cooled by passing the corresponding pipe
coils, substantially as described.
2: In the fish transporting means as covered by Claim 1 the combination of
an aerating apparatus consisting of a chamber divided by two horizontal parti-
tions into three compartments, a series of depending small air tubes hanging
from the upper partition and a series of slightly larger water openings under
each air tube in the lower partition, into which said air tubes extend, and means
for conducting air to the upper chamber above the air pipe partition and water
to the central chamber above the lower partition substantially as described.
8: In the apparatus covered by Claim 1 the combination of a pipe for supply-
ing air to the fish tank from the ventilator, said pipe extending approximately
along the length of the tank and having a series of depending arms, along its
length, the lower ends of which dip into the water of the tank substantially as
described.
4: In the apparatus covered by Claim 1 the combination of a fish tank having
a comparatively great length but being flat or shallow, in order to render the
proper ventilation of the water more easily attainable.
5: The means for transporting live fish substantially as herein before set
forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and for the purpose specified.
Datad this 30th day of January 1899
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent, 56, Ludgate Hill, London, E.C.