AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FOR CARRYING LIQUID CARGOES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to. William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention'
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FOR
CARRYING LIQUID CARGOES."-A communication from abroad by William
Charlton Hibbard, of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States
of America, Mechanical Engineer.
Sealed the 7th May 1869, and dated the 26th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th February 1869.
1
. . .
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said, Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER
VESSELS FOR CARRYING LIQUID CARGOES," a communication, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of ships or vessels for the
purpose of carrying a liquid cargo in bulk in suitable receptacles, so as
to maintain a proper trim of 'the' vessel 'under the 'various" condition

page_text: of sailing, and also meet the several conditions under which such cargo
is received, carried, and discharged:
The said Invention consists, first, in making these receptacles or tanks
closed on all sides and separate from the sides of the vessel but placed
centrally therein, so that when they are filled the centre of gravity
of the liquid cargo will bear the relation to the vessel needed to properly
trim it.
The said Invention consists, secondly, in such an arrangement and
construction of the tanks that they will support each other, and also
contribute to the strength and rigidity of the vessel, the tanks being
formed of a series of tight partitions placed transversely between two
longitudinal bulkheads and a floor and ceiling, all made continuous and
extending the length of the cargo space, forming in fact a large hollow
girder divided into compartments, the said girder being attached
throughout its length to the floor and deck of the vessel, giving the
whole structure strength and rigidity.
The said Invention consists, thirdly, in combining with each tank
a rising chamber so called, which communicating with the tank extends
above it and will receive from the tank any expansion of its contents
and will give back to the tank the contents of the rising chamber when
the contents of the tank shrink or contract. The tank will thus be
kept filled, and the motion of the vessel will change only the surface
of the liquid within the rising chamber, which being of comparatively
small area will not sensibly affect the trim 'of the vessel. These chambers
afford openings for the reception and discharge of the cargo, and allow
free escape of any gases produced by fermentation.
The said Invention consists, fourthly, in placing a step for a mast
within a tank and providing a stuffing box and packing or other suitable
means around the mast to prevent escape of the liquid from the tank
consequent upon the presence and working of the said mast.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert" Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th August 1869.
11
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE, PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton

page_text: Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,..by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in, the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred, and sixty-nine, in-the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes,
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FOR CARRYING
LIQUID CARGOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the 'said
William Robert Lake, 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 Invetition,
and in what manner the same 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in aud
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings forming a part of this Specification
This Invention relates to the construction of ships or vessels for the
purpose
of carrying molasses or other liquid cargo, so that the same
may be carried in bulk in suitable receptacles and maintain a proper
trim to the ship under the various conditions of sailing, and also meet
the several conditions under which such cargo is carried. In the
carriage of molasses in casks ou board of vessels in the usual way.
several serious difficulties are met with, each of which is a source of
loss or expense in the business, and to avoid which is the main purpose
of this Invention. Soine of these difficulties are as follows:-1st, thë
cost of the casks and coopérage of a cargo of molasses 'at the place
of shipment is generally more than one-half of the cost of the molasses

page_text: itself; 2nd, the loss of cargo from leakage and the stowing of the cask
is nearly on the average 10 per cent. of the whole amount; 3rd, the
loss of cargo from the running over of the contents of the casks in
froth due to the generation of gas by fermentation is often considerable
in amount; 4th, the method of receiving and stowing such cargo in
casks on board ship in the usual way occupies much more time than
is required with this Invention, whereby several days delay in port are
saved in making the voyage with a corresponding reduction of the
expences; 5th, the cargo being liquid if placed in an open reservoir
in the ship would by the movements of the same be continually changing
its position, so that it would be impossible to preserve the proper trim
of the ship for sailing. These several conditions which more or less
apply to any liquid cargo are met by the vessel herein described.
This Invention more particularly relates, in the first place, to the con-
struction of the tank or tanks which contain the cargo in connection
with the ship, and consist in making the tanks closed on all sides and
separate from the sides of the ship but placed centrally therein, and
of such size and shape that when entirely filled with the liquid cargo
the centre of gravity of the same will bear such a relation to the centre
of gravity of the ship and centre of displacement that the cargo will
properly trim the ship.
The said Invention relates, in the second place, to the manner of con-
structing the tanks for containing the cargo and securing them to the
ship, so that the tanks will be a material support to each other, and
will also contribute greatly to the strength and rigidity of the ship; and
consists in forming the tanks by means of a series of tight, partitions,
placed transversely between two longitudinally bulkheads and a floor
and a ceiling or top, all made continuous and extending the length of
the cargoe's space, and forming in effect a large hollow girder divided into
compartments, which being attached to the floor plates or timbers and
the deck of the ship throughout its length gives to the whole structure
great strength and rigidity.
The said Invention relates, in the third place, to the method of con-
structing the several tanks or compartments, so that they shall be
kept at all times completely full, and at the same time permit the
expansion and contraction of the contents and the free escape of the
gas of fermentation; and consists in combining with each tank a rising
chamber so called, which extends above the tank and in which the

page_text: surface of the liquid is maintained, so that any expansion or contraction
of the contents of the tank will be received into or supplied from
this chamber, and the motions of the ship will change the surface of
the liquid within this alone, which will be practically unimportant in
the trim of the ship, and this chamber also affords a free communi-
cation between the cargo and the external air for the escape of the
gases of fermentation, and an opening through which the cargo is
received and discharged if desired, with other uses to be herein-after
mentioned.
The said Invention relates, in the fourth place, to the manner of
arranging the parts with reference to the tanks, and consists in placing
the mast step within one of the tanks and providing a stuffing box
and packing or other suitable means around the mast at the top of
the tank to prevent escape of the liquid from within.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the vessel and its cargo
-tanks; Figure 2-is a plan of the deck showing the tanks in dotted
lines beneath; Figure 3 is a transverse section through the hull and
tank drawn to a larger scale; and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of
a portion of the said vessel shewing the details of the tanks.
A represents the hull of a vessel built of iron in the usual manner,
and B, B, a series of tanks built into the vessel, and formed of the
longitudinal bulkheads C, the bottom D which is secured to the upper
edges of the floor plates A', and the top E, all extending continuously
throughout the entire length of the series of tanks. These are con-
nected at intervals by the partitions F, which with them form a series
of cells or compartments. The longitudinal bulkheads C are supported
by the angle-iron stancheons C', which are secured to the beams and
floor plates and also the sides of the ship by the stays B¹. The
partitions F are made perfectly tight, and are stayed by the longitudinal
rods F¹, so that each compartment may be filled or emptied indepen-
dently of the others. This mode of constructing the tanks and con-
necting them with the vessel gives to the whole structure great strength
and rigidity. These compartments communicate with each other by
means of the valves G, which are each operated by means of a rocking
shaft H, which passes out through a stuffing box on the side of the
tank, and is operated by a lever upon the outside, but any other ordinary

page_text: kind of valves for such purpose may be used instead of this if preferred.
Upon the top of each tauk is placed a rising chamber I, the lower end
of which is open into the tank and through which opening free access
can be had to the interior when the cover J of the chamber is removed
for the purpose of stowing solid cargo therein, or cleaning them, or for
any other purpose. At the bottom of the chamber a plate K may be
placed which serves as a floor to the chamber, through which there is
free communication with the tank to permit the gases and fluid to
pass by the same. When the chamber is to be used as a. hatch the
plate K is removed, or it may be omitted entirely if desired. The top
of the chamber is closed by the cover J bolted on so as to be readily
removed, and provided with a man-hole J', and a small vent -hole for
the escape of the gas. Each rising chamber is made of sufficient
capacity to provide for the expansion of the contents of its tank by
fermentation or the contraction by cooling or leakage, so that the
tank shall be kept under all conditions entirely filled. The proportion
of the capacity of the rising chamber to that of the tank shewn is
about one-tenth, which is regarded as sufficient for the most variable
cargo, such, for instance, as molasses, but for other less variable
liquids a smaller chamber may be used, and the chambers may also
be differently located in relation to the tanks and still attain the same
result. As the tanks occupy all the middle part of the vessel some
provision in connection with them is necessary for receiving the masts,
and for this purpose where the mast comes the bottom of the tank is
strengthened, and a mast step is secured to the same within the tank,
and to prevent the escape of the liquid where the mast passes through
the top of the tank a stuffing box is provided, as is shewn, at the main
mast in Figure 1, by which a tight joint is made, or instead of this a
tight metal casing may be secured to the mast step and to the top of
the tank within which the mast is placed, as shewn at the fore mast
of the same Figure. L is a steam pump connected with the after tank,
by means of which pump the contents of the tanks are discharged
through the pipe M on deck into any receptacle or conductor provided
to receive them; the contents of the other tanks are led to the pump
through the valves G; but the tanks may be each provided with a
separate pipe leading to the pump, if preferred, by which each- tank
may be emptied independently of the others. The pump- is to be
operated by a portable steam boiler placed in any convenient position
either, in the hold or on deck. .N, N, are hatches let in flush with the

page_text: deck, through which access is obtained from the deck to the spaces
between the sides of the vessel and the tanks. By this construction and
arrangement of the tanks it will be seen that free access to all parts of
the same both inside and outside is secured, so that they may be easily:
painted and kept tight and in good order; and this arrangement of the
tanks at some distance from the sides of the vessel also prevents any
injury to the tanks from the impact or collision of the vessel with any
hard body which would indent its sides and would otherwise cause the
tanks to leak. The said arrangement also affords many other advantages
which it is not necessary to describe.
ار
The manner of using this Invention is as follows:-To prepare the
vessel for sea if the outward trip is to be made in ballast several, of
the tanks are to be filled with water so selected as to give the vessel
the proper trim, or the tanks may be filled with any other suitable cargo,,
which would be introduced through the rising chambers after removing
their covers. To prepare
the vessel to receive a cargo of molasses, for
instance, the man-holes J in the covers are opened and a long wooden
rough is laid upon the tops of the chambers with holes through its;
bottom corresponding with the man-holes of the tanks. On each side
of this trough is placed a long skid, whereon the casks in which the
molasses are usually brought to the vessel are placed close together, with
their bungs downward, so that a long row of them are being emptied
at once, and the tanks are filled in a very short time, when the vessel
is ready for sea. If the molasses is in a state of fermentation when"
loaded the rising chambers are to be nearly filled, but for other cargo
they might be filled to a greater or less height as would best trim the
vessel. The horizontal area of the chambers is so small in, proportion
to the contents of the tanks that the change of the surface of the liquid
in the chambers from the motion of the vessel does not appreciably
affect its trim or make any washing of the cargo that is injurious;
while at the same time the chamber permits such a free escape of the
gas generated by the fermentation that the foam will not accumulate
So as to run over. When the vessel has arrived in port the cargo is
pumped out by the steam pump and by a hose or other conductor led
to a tank or other receptacle on shore, the contents of the other tanks.
being allowed to flow into the after tank through the valves G. After
the tanks are emptied they are cleansed by closing them and admitting
steam into them from the boiler by suitable pipes, and after they are

page_text: cleaned they are washed with lime water and painted if necessary, and
to dry the paint hard it is proposed to put stoves into them and heat
them to a high temperature. By this means the tanks can be kept
from corrosion and from getting sour. It is obvious the tanks can
be arranged in a similar manner in a wooden vessel, although it can
be more readily done in an iron one; but as regards the other properties
of the arrangement they are as applicable to tanks arranged in a
wooden vessel as to the one shewn and described.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may be.
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
First. A series of tanks or enclosed cargo space for carrying liquid
cargo in combination with the hull of a vessel constructed and arranged
substantially as described.
Second. Forming the series of tanks of a continuous structure in
combination with the hull, so that the tanks shall contribute to the
strength and rigidity of the vessel, substantially as described.
Third. The rising chamber in combination with the tank constructed
and operating substantially as described.
Fourth. Combining with the tank the means for receiving the mast,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)