IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS, AND FOR VARIOUS OTHER PURPOSES IN WHICH ROLLED IRON IS EMPLOYED
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Jones at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd April
1863.
I, WILLIAM JONES, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Boiler Maker
and Iron Ship Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS, AND FOR VARIOUS
OTHER PURPOSES IN WHICH ROLLED IRON IS EMPLOYED," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the construction of ships or vessels
relates, first, to rolling bar or angle iron with shoulders or recesses, against or
in which corresponding parts of a contiguous bar will fit and add greatly to
the strength, rigidity, and stiffness of the structure. For many parts of iron
ships the iron is to be rolled with a recessed shoulder, against which the edge
of the contiguous plate will butt, and thereby offer a considerably greater
resistance to end pressure than when a joint simply depends on the rivets. It
will be obvious that iron rolled upon this principle may be advantageously
employed for various other purposes besides shipbuilding; for instance, it
may be used in constructing houses, bridges, and other buildings, or for
forming the framework of machines.
For the keels of ships I propose to roll the bars in pairs, one part of which
will have a projecting rib, while the other part will have a recessed groove
rolled in it to receive the projecting rib of the other part. When the pairs of
bars are firmly bolted or rivetted together with break joints, a keel of very

page_text: great strength will be produced. Moreover, these keel bars are rolled of such
a section, that when brought together and properly secured in the form of a
keel, as already mentioned, a channel or way for the free passage of water
along the keel will be obtained.
The second part of the Invention relates to the construction or building of
ships or vessels, moro especially vessels of war, whether employed for ocean
navigation or simply to act as a floating battery of great strength. For vessels
requiring a keel, this part of the ship is constructed of pairs of keel bars
formed, rolled, combined and arranged in the manner already referred to.
These bars, when rivetted together with break joints, form one continuous
keel, with an open channel or water way running down the middle from end
to end. On the top of the side flanges of this keel are bolted or rivetted the
garboard streak plates, which are made of thick plate iron, of sufficient
strength to receive tho angle iron flooring bars, which may, if desired, be made
with butt and shoulder joints, so as to assist in resisting the endway strain.
For iron clad or armour plated ships or floating batteries, I construct the
vessels with inner and outer skins, which are connected together with bars of
angle iron, constructed on the butt and shoulder principle already described.
These angle iron bars are arranged diagonally alternately in opposite directions,
the ends of the diagonals being made to butt against the shoulders of the end
pieces, which are rivetted to the inner and outer skins. The spaces between
the diagonal bars and the outer and inner skins of the vessel are filled in with
bard wood blocks or other suitable material. The armour plating may be
placed either all externally or partly inside and partly outside the vessel, as
may be preferred, but the lower part or bottom of the vessel should be sheathed
with wood, in order to be coppered.
In constructing iron clad floating batteries, the upper part is mado convex,
and a well or vertical hole is made down through the vessel for the con-
venience of working an anchor or a propeller. Openings may be made to
communicate from the interior of the vessel to this open well, for the purpose
of ventilation. A narrow gallery is constructed round the vessel, so as to
enable the occupants to get into or out of boats, or for other purposes.