An Improved Deck Locker, applicable for use in Saving Life.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Deck Locker, applicable for use in Saving Life.
I, FRANCIS WENTWORTH BREWSTER, of Regent Street, in the County of
London, Manufacturer of Life-saving Appliances, do hereby declare the nature of
the said invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been designed to minimise the difficulty in finding sufficient
and suitable space on shipboard for the stowage of life-belts, life-buoys and analogous
buoyant appliances, which has arisen in consequence of recent legislation relating
to merchant shipping life saving appliances requiring that all ships should carry a
sufficient number of such appliances to allow of at least one thereof for each person
on board ship.
Both
The invention relates to a deck-locker which is so formed as regards its internal
conformation when in use as a locker as to be especially suitable for containing to the
full limit of its capacity and in an immediately get-at-able manner life-belts, life-
buoys and analogous floats or buoyant appliances, and as regards its external
formation as to be especially serviceable as a deck seat, and as regards its construc-
tion as to constitute in itself a buoyant appliance of which the parts will open out
or can be opened out when required to be used as a buoyant appliance, and may
either remain connected together, or any or all of such parts may be detachable
when not in use as a locker or seat so that such connected parts or cach of such
disconnected parts may serve as an independent float suitable for being taken
hold of and held onto by such a number of persons as it is intended to keep afloat.
The improved deck-locker is constructed of a rectangular formation and the top,
bottom, sides and ends thereof are made of a double walled cellular formation as
hereinafter described, or are otherwise rendered buoyant, so that each such part
will be in itself of utility as a buoyant appliance of a capacity at the least sufficient
to float the unit of flotation under existing regulations, and may be of a floating
capacity equal to any multiple of such unit. The said top, bottom, sides and ends
are also so formed as that they will fit together to form the required locker.
of the sides and both of the ends may be hinged or otherwise suitably permanently
connected to the bottom so that all of such parts may (opon the removal of the top
which is adapted to secure the sides and ends in position as a locker) open out into
a flat raft-like device and may be provided with means for securing the parts in
such opened out condition. Or the ends and also the sides may be detachable
from the bottom and so arranged as that they will automatically detach themselves
or may be easily detached from the bottom on the removal of the top and on the
device opening out or being opened out as aforesaid. Or the sides and ends may
cach be separate and secured in position, when the appliance is in use as a locker.
by fitting into a suitably recessed bottom and into a suitably recessed top, the top
and bottom being lashed together or secured by hooked or stay bars or in any other
suitable manner.
Or the sides, ends and bottom may fit into a suitable external
crate or frame which will hold the parts together while desired for continued use as
a locker, upon the top being removed, and will permit of the said parts floating or
being readily removed therefrom when required for use as a buoyant device. The
outer edges of each of the said parts, when regarded as in use as a float, are
adapted with suitably disposed life-lines by which persons afloat may catch and
retain hold thereof.
Each of the said parts is rendered buoyant, preferably by making the same of a
double-walled cellular formnation. The interior dimensions of the locker are
determined by its required capacity for the stowage of the said life-buoys, life-belts
and analogous buoyant appliances, and the spacing apart of the walls of the locker is

page_text: determined by the required buoyancy of the locker or of the said parts thereof, and
such data determine its exterior dimensions.
The outer or exposed parts of each of such parts of the locker are preferably
constructed of wood, as are also the parts thereof constituting the inner wall, but
both such outer and inner parts may be made of metal, and such inner and outer
walls may be closed air tight, and air may be used as the buoyant medium. Or the
double walled enclosure may be packed with cork, roasted cork or with any other
suitable solid buoyant material, in which event the said inner wall may consist of a
rot-proof fabric serving to secure the buoyant material and suitably secured to the
outer wall. The cellular partitioning of the double walled enclosure may be
effected by suitably placed bulk-heads formed of wood or metal.
The adjacent edges of the double walled or buoyant enclosure of all parts which
become juxtaposed when the device is closed and in use as a locker, are preferably
made. with a relatively conformable inclination, and are or may be fitted with
distance pieces to ensure their proper spacing apart to permit of the life-lines
connected to the bottom, sides and ends lying snugly between the juxtaposed parts,
and which distance pieces are also of utility in ensuring the rigidity of the device
when in use as a locker.
The said removable top is fitted with exterior battens to render it suitable for
use as a seat.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Deck Locker, applicable for use in Saving Life.
I, FRANCIS WENTWORTH BREWSTER, of Regent Street, in the County of
London, Manufacturer of Life-saving Appliances, 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 and by the following statement:-
This invention has been designed to minimise the difficulty in finding sufficient
and suitable space on shipboard for the stowage of life-belts, life buoys and analogous
buoyant appliances, which has arisen in consequence of recent legislation relating to
merchant-shipping life-saving appliances, requiring that all ships should carry
a sufficient number of such appliances to allow of at least one thereof for each
person on board ship.
The invention relates to a separable or extending deck-locker which, as regards its
internal formation, is so formed as that when in use as a locker it will be suitable
and adapted for containing to the full limit of its capacity, in an immediately get-at-
able manner, life-belts, life-buoys and analogous floats or buoyant appliances, and as
regards its external formation, is so formed as to be serviceable for and adapted as a
deck-seat, and as regards its construction, is so formed as to constitute in itself a
buoyant appliance of which the parts will open out or can be opened out when
required to be used as a buoyant appliance and may either remain connected
together or any or all thereof may be automatically detachable when being opened
out for such use, so that such connected parts or each of such disconnected parts
may serve as an independent float suitable for being taken hold of and held onto
by such a number of persons as it is intended to keep afloat.
On the accompanying drawings :
Fig. 1. represents, in elevation, a deck-locker constructed in accordance with the
present improvements.
Fig. 2, represents a sectional perspective view thereof looking at the back side.
Fig. 3, represents a like view looking at the front side of the locker.
Fig. 4 represents an end view.
Fig. 5 represents a transverse section representing the meeting faces on the front
and top and other meeting parts of the locker.

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top or lid being removed.
Fig. 7. represents a plan view of connected parts of the locker distended in use
as a float.
Fig. 8. represents an end view thereof, partly in elevation and partly in section.
Fig. 9. represents a perspective view of a detached end in use as a float.
Fig. 10. represents an end view of a double locker adapted as a seat on each side
of a back support.
Fig. 11, represents a sectional perspective view of a modification.
Fig. 12, represents the same distended in use as a float.
Fig. 13, represents convenient means of detachably securing the locker to the
deck of a vessel.
The various figures of the accompanying drawings are on the following respective
scales Figs. 1, 10, and 12, half an inch to the foot; Figs. 7 and 8 one inch to the
foot. Figs. 2, 3, 9 and 11 one inch and a half to the foot. Figs. 4 and 6 two inches
to the foot. Figs. 5 and 13, three inches to the foot.
The improved deck locker is constructed of a rectangular formation of interior
dimensions determined by its required capacity for the stowage of the life-buoys,
life-belts, or analogous buoyant appliances it is intended to be adapted to contain.
Its top A, bottom B, back C, front D, and ends E, are rendered independently
buoyant by being made of a double walled cellular formation; being made with an
outer enclosing part 14, and with an inner enclosing part 15, enclosing a space F,
which is subdivided by bulkheads 16, and is enclosed with ends 17, and sides 18.
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All such parts are preferably made of wood, but they may be made of metal or of
other suitable material. The ends 17, and sides 18, are made with correspondingly
inclined meeting faces fitted with distance pieces 19, which permit of the juxtaposed
parts closing together to form the rectangular locker and ensure a watertight joint.
The enclosed space F, in each of the parts A, to E, is preferably packed with the
preparation of cork known as "cork concrete or with baked cork, solid cork or other
suitable solid buoyant medium, but air may be used as the buoyant medium. If the
parts 14, to 18, are made of wood, they are (after being secured together) coated with
marine glue, and overlaid with strong canvas which is hot-ironed and subsequently
painted to render the whole air tight, after which the distance pieces are secured in
position and screw-eyes 20, carrying life-lines 21, are applied around each outer edge of
each independent float part A, to E, so as to lie or fold within the spaces H, formed
between the inclined sides and ends of such parts and the distance pieces applied
thereto when the device is closed and in use as a locker, vide Fig. 5.
The meeting faces of the float parts, A, to D, may, however, be made of a
rectangular formation, vide Figs. 11, and 12, in which event it is preferable that the
buoyant parts of the back C, and front D, should fit between and support the like
parts of the top A, and bottom B, and that all such buoyant parts should be
continued to the ends of the parts A, to D, and that the ends E, should consist of
plain detachable boards.
The top part A, is fitted with longitudinal battens 22, to render it suitable for
use as a seat.
Each of such parts A, to E, as is rendered buoyant, is intended to be, in itself,
of utility as a buoyant appliance of a capacity at the least sufficient to float the
unit of flotation under any existing regulations, (such unit now being 32 lbs. of
iron) and is intended to support as many persons as it will support multiples of such
unit.
The buoyant parts of the ends E, may be so formed (ride Figs. 6 and 9) as to
fit between the like parts of the parts, A, to D, when closed together to form the
locker, and will then act as blocks in rendering the locker sufficiently rigid.
The parts A, to E, inay be separately detachable, as in the modification repre-
sented in Fig. 10, so as to form four or six independent floats accordingly as the
ends E, may be rendered buoyant or not; the ends E, are in all cases preferably
detachable. Or the parts A, to D, may be connected together in various

page_text: applicable for the purposes and uses aforesaid in the improved manner hereinbefore
described.
2. Constructing the parts (the top, bottom, back, front and ends) of separable or
extending deck-lockers of a double walled cellular formation in the improved
manner hereinbefore described.
3. Constructing and fitting together the aforesaid parts of separable or extending
deck-lockers in the improved manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this 18th day of December 1890.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.