IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING THE BOTTOMS OF DOCKS, RIVERS, AND OTHER WATERS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
KNILL, of Elden Place, Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Thirtieth day of August, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry
Knill, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I;
the said Henry Knill, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said Henry Knill, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agred
with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed; my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING THE BOTTOMS OF DOCKS, RIVERS, AND
OTHER WATERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso; that I;
the said Henry Knill, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what the manner the same' is to be' performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the. said
Henry Knill, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the manner

page_text: in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:-
My Invention relates to a mode of cleansing the bottoms of docks, rivers,
and other waters, by means of a steam boat or vessel having a rake or such
like proper instrument for drawing or raking the mud into a tideway or
stream, in order to the same being carried away. And in order to give the
best information in my power for carrying out my Invention, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a steam boat or vessel looking obliquely across the
stern, there being a rake from the stern; Figure 2 is a side view of the steam-
boat, with the rake raised; and Figure 3, another side view, with the rake
lowered in a working position. In each of these Figures the same letters
indicate similar parts; a, a, being a strong rake, which is made of wrought
iron, with teeth, as is shewn in the Drawing; b, b, are strong rods of iron,
affixed to the rake a; those rods are attached by chains c, c, to the sides of the
steam boat or vessel, by which means sufficient play is allowed, and the rake
will be kept upright and well to its work when the steam boat or vessel is
moving; d is a chain, which is attached to the rake a, and passing over the
stern, is worked by a windlass. By this arrangement the rake can readily be
raised when it is desired to be put out of action.
In cleansing the bottoms of waters according to my Invention, supposing it
to be a dock or other water opening into a tideway or stream, the steamboat
is caused to rake up the bottom, and thereby to disturb the mud, and to draw
it out towards and into the tideway or stream. The consequence of such
raking or disturbing of the mud will be that it will mix with the current, and
will flow as well as be raked into the stream or tideway, by which the mud
will be carried away. And in cleansing the bottom of rivers, particularly in
quiet places in some degree out of the tideway or stream, where deposits of
mud accumulate quickly, the steamboat, by the rake or such like apparatus,
disturbs and rakes the mud, and it flows, as well as is drawn, into the tideway
or stream, and thus by my Invention may the bottoms of docks, rivers, and
other waters be cleansed with facility. And I would remark that it is not
necessary that the steamboat should be construed particularly for this purpose,
as any of the constructions now used may be employed for the purpose of my
Invention, and it will be evident that if the steamboat is not constantly at

page_text: work for the cleansing of the bottoms of docks, rivers, or other waters, it may
be used as a steam tug, or tow boat, or other useful purposes, having first
removed the rake and apparatus which is applied for the purposes of my
Invention. And I would have it understood that although I have shewn a
particular construction of rake and apparatus for connecting it to the stern of
a steam boat or vessel, I do not confine myself thereto, as the construction of
the rake as well as the apparatus may be varied; and it will be evident that
although I have only shewn one rake as applied to the stern, yet more may be
used, and from different parts of the steam boat or vessel.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not claim any of the apparatus separately, nor the steam boat
shewn and mentioned when separately considered; but what I claim as my
Invention is, the mode of cleansing the bottoms of docks, rivers, and other
waters by means of a steamboat and suitable apparatus combined therewith,
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Knill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal. this Thirteenth day of February One thousand eight hundred.