CERTAIN ARANGEMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTING HARBOURS, PIERS, AND BUILDINGS IN WATER, FOR CLEANSING HARBOURS, AND FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BREMNER, residing at Poultney Town, in the County of Caithness, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHERAS I did by petition represent into Her most Excellent Majesty
Queen Victoria that I had after much study and expence invented "CERTAIN
ARANGEMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTING HARBOURS, PIERS, AND BUILDINGS IN WATER,
FOR CLEANSING HARBOURS, AND FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS," and Her said
Majesty, being willing to encourage all usefull inventions, did issue Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britian, bearing date at West-
minister, the 22d day of May, in the year One thousand eight hundred and
forty-four, in the 7 year of the reign, whereby Her Majesty did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Bremner,
my executers, administrators, and assigns, Her special permission, licence,
and full power, sole privilage and authority, that I, the said James Bremner,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
James Bremner, my executers, administrators, and assigns, shouldatany time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term of years therin expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend the said Invention within that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britan and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Majesties Colonies and
Plantations abroad; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a provisio,

page_text: oblidging me, the said James Bremner, within the space of six calender months
from the date of the said grant, by a writing under my hand and seal, enroled
in Her Majesties High Court of Chancery, particularly to describe and
asertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what mode it is to be
performed, otherwise the said Letters Patent should become void, as by the
said Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Bremner, do hereby declare the nature of my said arrangements for
constructing harbours, piers, and buildings in water, for cleansing harbours,
and for raising sunken vessels, and in what manner the same are to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings therin referred to and
hereunto annexed.
One part of my Invention consists in certain arangements whereby a wall
or other structure may be built near a quarry or other convienent spot, and
floated to a distance and placed in the site in which it is to remain per-
manently. For this purpose I build a floating structure or vessel in
compartments of two distinct kinds, whereof one set is intended to contain the
wall, and the other set to afford the buoyancy requsite for sustaining and
floating the wall or other structure, so as to admit of its being transfered from
the place at which it is built to the place in which it is to be deposited. The
set of compartments forgiving buoyancy or floatation to the vessel I generally
arrange around the interior of the vessel, so as to surround the compartments
for containing the wall; they may be of any convenient number and size;
each is to be furnished with the means of letting in the water when required,
and at other times to be perfectly water-tight. The total aggregate contents
of the compartments of floatation must be varied, according to the weight of
the wall or other structure which is to be transported, the principles upon
which the requisite sustaining power is to be obtained being well understood
by engineers. The compartment of the vessel containing the wall or other
structure has a moveable bottom, which during the building of the wall, and
the floating of it out to the proposed site, is sustained and kept close to the
vessel by chains passed round the vessel, and screwed bolts, and caulked or
rendered water-tight by any ofthe various methods well known to shipwrights.
Upon this bottom, which I call a slip bottom, the wall or other structure is
built. The construction of the slip bottom may vary, according to the nature
of the structure, and of the site upon which it is to be placed. This structure
being complete, the vessel is floated out, or may be built and launched with

page_text: any convenient portion of wall in it to the spot at which the wall "is to be
deposited. The surface of the ground upon which the structure is to rest
having been carefully levelled and prepared in the usual manner, so as to
corespond with the slip bottom upon which the structure has been built, the
float is brought over the site and sunk, by admitting the water into the
compartments of floatation, or into such of the compartments employed for
giving buoyancy to and sustaining the float, as may be necessary. The float
having been sunk into the required position, so as to place the bottom
sustaining the wall or other structure upon the prepared site, the chains or
other means by which the slip bottom was retained in its place during the
building of the wall or other structure being released, the wall is left deposited
on its permanent foundation, and the float rises immediatly to the surface.
The vessel or float first described may be constructed with rounded ends,
and finished, both as regards the exterior and interior of the compartments of
floatation, according to the most improved method of ship building. The
nature of this part of my Invention being as above described, the annexed
Drawings will shew some of the various arangements which may be employed
for carraying out this part of my Invention.
Fig. I shews part of the deck or surface of a vessel for carrying out a wall
to be founded in water, or on sand where water dries; Fig. II. is an elevation
of the same, with the perpendicular side timbers and diagonal braces between
them; also planking and perpendiculars for carrying out railways, and for
inserting the hearting where walls are deposited.
Fig. III. shews a transverse section of the vessel or float with a set of wall
built in it; also the plan of attaching the chains to the transverse beams and
screw bolts for the slip bottom beam ends, which are to be unscrewed and all
the chains to be detached as soon as the vessel is scuttled and the wall set on
foundation. The vessel then being relieved is ready to be employed again for
a similar purpose.
Fig. IV. shews the plan of the slip bottom, the floors and planking, and
dotted lines of vessel's timbers going in between them.
Fig. V. shews a transverse section of both walls, and finished with beams,
chains, and hearting inserted. A higher parapet may be built at pleasure.
Fig. VI. shews the plan of securing any large harbour works which cannot
be finished in one season, against the winter storms, so as the works can be
completely secured untill the spring, when more lengths can be brought toit,
and regularly bounded.
Fig. VII. shews the plan of inserting longitudinal beams of timber into the
walls, and also cross beams at the various parts of the work as the work

page_text: proceeds, all to be bolted down, and thus forming one solid throughout the
whole.
Fig: VIII. shews one of the vessels hauled stern on to the end of a portion
of the wall fermerly built, and is moored with seven chains and anchors, and
in the act of depositing another length of wall.
Fig. IX. shews a foundation supposed to be sloping, and also chasms in it,
which are made up by rubble; the light colour shews when it has been made
up and properly leveled, and dredged all over before the building was let
down.
Fig. X. shews two walls carried out in one vessel with three buoyances, and
as soon as the vessel is at the foundation the screw bolts are unscrewed and
lowerd by scutling untill it rests on the foundation; all the chains which are
attached for hanging up the walls are immediately detached, when the vessel
will be relieved and the walls left in their places, and the vessel hauled ashore
to be employed in another similiar operation.
Fig. XI. is a transverse section of a vessel having three compartments for
buoying out both walls, as represented, and leaving cross beams of two feet at
bottom, by which means two feet of masonry is allowed to rest on foundation,
and then a beam, which runs several feet to each side, into which screw bolts
are screwed into the outside vessels to keep them together, as well as the
chains to the top beams, untill the vessel is scutled, and the vessel has made
the foundation, when all is scutled and detached, and the outsides relieved and
hauled off the longitudanal beams and cross beams, and all bolted and chained
together, which makes it to a certain extent as one solid rock, and calculated
to resist the most exposed situations.
Fig. XII. is a transverse section of the above, finished off and hearted in,
with the extra batter above low water, when the action of the sea is more
powerful than below; the parapet may be made any necessary height, and
more batter to the sea wall if required.
Another part of my Invention consists in the application of a vessel con-
structed in compartments, as already described, to cleansing harbours. It is
evident that a large quantity of water may be transferred to the place at
which its scouring effects are required and confined untill low water, and the
slip bottom ends being let go, the water may be suddenly discharged, so as to
produce an excellent scourer for cleansing the harbour.
Another part of my Invention consists in certain arangements for driving
the piles occasionally required in constructing buildings in water.
Fig. XIII. is a pile engine, which drives 3 piles at once, the outside ones
forming guides; four small chains also and anchors are shewn, which may be

page_text: laid out on any sand bank at high water, or even in deep water for quys, any
sands may be thus piled for the accomedation of such sands, or erecting light-
houses or piers on them.
Fig. XIV. shews the quys at the top of 50-feet piles, as also stages for
8 men and four winches, and the pile driven in the centre.
Fig. XV. shews Figure Fourteen driven down to the top of the centre pice,
when another 20-feet pice will be introduced and driven down in the same
manner.
Fig. XVI. shews the second centre pice driven down to the surface of sandor
water, and the spars, which were at first used as sheer poles, are now lashed-to
with small chains, and then another length is screwed to at the scarf, and
operations set on as at first, and these piles will be driven to any debth untill
sufficient hold of the solid is obtained, and a sufficient number driven, when
the foundations of any buildings can be raised on or any body of sand accu-
melated untill it come above high-water mark, so as to answer for harbours
of refuge.
Another part of my Invention consists in the application of the float or
vessel, above discrihed, to raising sunken ships or barges. The float is
brought imedeatly over the ship or barge to be raised, so that the masts may
come up through the centre compartment of the float, the slip bottom being
altogether removed. Chains are placed about the sunken ship and made fast
to the float.
Fig. XVII. & XVIII. shew the method of using the vessel or float for the
purpose of raising a ship or barge.
Fig. XVIII. shews the plan of putting the chains round the vessel to be
raised.
Having now described the nature of my sd Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
as of my Inventune, or the exclusive use of any of the several parts or
arrangements herin-before described and referd to, except when the same are
employed for the purpose of my said Invention, which I hereby declare
to consist in the application of the arrangements, herin-before discribed for the
purpose of constructing of buildings in water, or in sands, cleansing harbours,
and raising sunken vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bremner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 8 day of Nov, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
JAMES BREMNER. (L.B.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the 8th day of November, in the
eighth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said James
Bremner came before a Justice of the Peace of our said Lady the Queen, at
Wick, in the County of Caithness, and acknowledged the instrumentaforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King
George the Third
Inrolled the Twentieth day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-four.