AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING VESSELS, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED FOR SOUNDING AN ALARM
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of
Harris and Mills, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING VESSELS, WHICH MAY ALSO BE
USED FOR SOUNDING AN ALARM."-A communication from abroad by
William Fitz James Thiers, of the City, County, and State of New
York, United States of America, Doctor of Medicine.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph
Barnard Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 19th July 1871.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and
Mills, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING VESSELS, WHICH MAY
ALSO BE USED FOR SOUNDING AN ALARM," a communication to me from abroad
by William Fitz James Thiers, of the City, County, and State of New
York, United States of America, Doctor of Medicine, to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to an improved method and device for employing
the weight, inertia, or momentum of water to impart motion to air, which

page_text: by means of a suitable arrangement of pipes and valves may cause a con-
tinuous current, so as to exhaust foul or vitiated air from below the deck
of a steam or sailing vessel of any kind or dimensions, or may displace
foul air by forcing fresh air in from the exterior. For this purpose there
are employed any suitable arrangement of pipes, chambers, or cylinders
communicating at their lower ends with the water in which the vessel
floats, and at their upper ends with any suitable system of ventilating
pipes controlled by automatic valves, so that a rocking or pitching
motion of the vessel by causing the first-named pipes, chambers, or
cylinders to alternately descend to a greater depth in the water, and
again to rise therein, will alternately eject a portion of the air contained
in such pipes or chambers, and by again partially exhausting them cause
an influx of air from another source. When the vessel is at rest it is
found that a moderate swell by causing the water to alternately rise and
fall in the pipes, chambers, or cylinders above mentioned will also cause
an efficient ventilating action.
The Invention further consists in combining with a water chamber,
applied substantially as herein set forth, a chamber arranged to receive
air from the said water chamber and prevent its return, or to imprison
a body of compressed air, and by the aid of an ordinary fog horn or
other well-known appliance to sound a continuous alarm when required.
In carrying out the Invention it is preferred that the exhaustion of
such pipes or chambers by the descent of the water within them shall
cause them to be filled with vitiated air from the ship's hold or other
part below the deck, and the reflux of water into such pipes or chambers
shall eject the air on the outside of the vessel. The heaviest or foul air
may thus be removed from any part of the ship's hold, and its place will
naturally be supplied by fresh air forced in by atmospheric pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 35, South-
ampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
grecting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, Her
special licence that I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, 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 AND APPARATUS
FOR VENTILATING VESSELS, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED FOR SOUNDING AN ALARM,”
a communication to me from abroad by William Fitz James Thiers, of
the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
Doctor of Medicine, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, 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 Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills,
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 thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention relates to an improved method and device for employing
the weight, inertia, or momentum of water to impart motion to air, which
by means of a suitable arrangement of pipes and valves may cause a con-
tinuous current, so as to exhaust foul or vitiated air from below the deck
of a steam or sailing vessel of any kind or dimensions, or may displace
foul air by forcing fresh air in from the exterior. For this purpose there
are employed any suitable arrangement of pipes, chambers, or cylinders
communicating at their lower ends with the water in which the vessel
floats, and at their upper ends with any suitable system of ventilating

page_text: pipes controlled by automatic valves, so that a rocking or pitching
motion of the vessel by causing the first-named pipes, chambers, or
cylinders to alternately descend to a greater depth in the water, and
again to rise therein, will alternately eject a portion of the air contained
in such pipes or chambers, and by again partially exhausting them
cause an influx of air from another source. When the vessel is at rest
it is found that a moderate swell, by causing the water to alternately
rise and fall in the pipes, chambers, or cylinders above mentioned, will
also cause an efficient ventilating action.
The Invention further consists in combining with a water chamber,
applied substantially as herein set forth, a chamber arranged to receive
air from the said water chamber, and prevent its return, or to imprison a
body of compressed air, and by the aid of an ordinary fog horn or other
well-known appliance to sound a continuous alarm when required.
In carrying out the Invention it is preferred that the exhaustion of
such pipes or chambers by the descent of the water within them shall
cause them to be filled with vitiated air from the ship's hold or other
part below the deck, and the reflux of water into such pipes or chambers
shall eject the air on the outside of the vessel. The heaviest or foul air
may thus be removed from any part of the ship's hold, and its place will
naturally be supplied by fresh air forced in by atmospheric pressure.
And in order that the Invention may be clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a vessel illustrating
the application of the Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of same; Figure 3
is a vertical section of portions of one of the chambers and connected
pipes on a larger scale; Figure 4 is a transverse section of a vessel
illustrating modifications of the Invention.
A may represent the hull of the vessel; B, B, are vertical chambers
or pipes of large capacity, which may be applied as illustrated in
Figure 1, or in any other convenient manner. When the Invention is
to be applied to vessels in course of construction the said chambers may
be located between the planking of the vessel, or within the hold, as a
་

page_text: illustrated in Figure 4. The lower ends of the pipes or chambers B
communicate with the water in which the vessel floats, and preferably.
at a sufficient distance below the surface to prevent their said lower ends
rising above the water by any motion of the ship, though this is not
essential or important, except inasmuch as it it desirable to effect by
the motion of the ship as great a motion of the lower openings of the
pipes through the water as may be practicable, in order to secure the
most effective action of the apparatus. C, C, represent air pipes com-
municating from the upper parts of the chambers B, B, to any part of
the vessel which it is desired to ventilate.
In the preferred form of Invention these pipes are provided with
check valves D, which permit the air to flow freely from said pipes C
into the chambers B, B, but prevent the reflux of air from the said
chambers into or through the pipes C. E, E, represent pipes, also com-
municating with the upper parts of the chambers B, B, and discharging
in any place external to the vessel. The pipes E, E, are provided with
check valves E', which prevent the reflux of air through them into the
chambers B, B. Fog horns F are applied to one or more of the dis-
charge pipes E, and controlled by cocks f, so that the said horns may
be sounded when desired. The chambers B may be divided by
diaphragms b, having valves g, so as to provide air reservoirs G above.
The parts being constructed and arranged in any manner substantially
as above described, it will be evident that the rise of water in any one
of the chambers B, B, whether caused by a pitching or rolling motion
of the vessel, or by motion of the water relatively to the vessel, will
cause a portion of the contained air to be ejected from such chamber
through the discharge pipe E, while any one of the said chambers
which rises in the water will by the fall of water within it be partially
exhausted, causing air to be forced into it through the pipe C by atmo-
spheric pressure, and as the pipe C communicates with any part of the
vessel which is to be ventilated vitiated air will be taken therefrom, and
its place supplied by fresh air from without. By this means any pitching
or rolling motion of the vessel will, as long as it is continued, produce a
constant and active ventilation of the hold or other interior part of the
ship, the weight, inertia, or momentum of water received from outside
into the chambers B, B, and again discharged therefrom, constituting
the motive power.

page_text: As a modification of the Invention the valves may be reversed, so
that E will act as the induction pipes, taking fresh air from without,
and the pipes C will deliver it into the interior part of the vessel, thus
displacing and discharging the vitiated air therein contained.
If now
This modification of the Invention is considered inferior to that first
described, because as it frequently happens that the vitiated air is
heavier than the atmosphere, there is danger that the worst air may not
be removed, whereas by employing the "suction" pipes C to remove the
vitiated air said pipes by communicating with the lowest stratum may
be made to effectually carry off that which it is important to discharge
or change. For some purposes it is preferred to provide the chambers B
with the diaphragms b, through which the air pipes C pass, and in
which diaphragms check valves are applied. By this means a
chamber G is provided above said diaphragms to receive air which
is ejected from the water chamber B, and prevents its return.
any excessive pressure be produced in the air chamber G by reason of
air being forced out of the chamber B into the chamber G faster than
it can escape from the latter, the air may continue to escape from said
chamber during the return motion of the vessel, and leave the water
chamber B free to receive a new charge of air through the pipe C, and
when a fog horn F is employed in connection with the air chamber G
the apparatus may be made to sound a continuous alarm by a body of
air being at each motion imprisoned and slightly compressed in the
chamber G. For ventilating purposes it is preferred to provide for a
perfectly free discharge of air, and for the purposes of an alarm or
signal the diaphragms may in most cases be dispensed with, as an inter-
imittent sounding of the fog horn is as efficacious as continuous sounding.
By the use of suitable connecting pipes the fog horns may be located in
the rigging, or in any remote position where the sound may cause less
annoyance to those on board.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode
in which the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,―
.
Firstly. The method and apparatus herein described for ventilating
vessels by means of chambers B, B, communicating at their lower parts
with the water in which the vessel floats, and at the upper parts with air
pipes controlled by valves, substantially as explained..

page_text: Secondly. The air chamber G in the described combination with the
water chamber B employed in connection with the valve g to prevent
the reflux of air into the said water chamber, or for use in connection
with a horn F to sound a continuous alarm.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills,
have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twelfth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.