Improvements in Apparatus for Laying and Picking Up Submarine Cables.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 25th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 18th Oct., 1890
Improvements in Apparatus for Laying and Picking Up Submarine
Cables.
We, GEORGE DRAPER, Secretary of the Eastern Telegraph Company Limited of
Winchester House Old Broad Street in the City of London, and PERCY LEWIS
ISAAC M.I.N.A. of 15 Dennington Park, West Hampstead, in the County of
Middlesex Marine Engineer & Naval Architect do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Cable ships usually have two or more sheaves placed side by side and projecting
over the water at the bow for supporting the cable in the process of laying or picking
up. Such sheaves have heretofore been carried by horizontal girders bolted in board
to the deck or beams of the ship, there being a girder on each side of each sheave, so
that there is one more girder than there are sheaves. Such an arrangement occupies
a considerable width so much so that it is often necessary to widen out the bow so as
to give space for the girders thus formning a sort of spoon bill destroying the graceful
form of the stem and adding top weight.
This spreading out of the bow has also frequently been the means whereby the seas
have started butts of the bow shell plating and also carried away the carved name
boards.
This invention relates to a new way of supporting the sheaves.
In place of bolting to the deck a number of girders with spaces between we employ
a single steel casting which may taper from the bow to aft and to the front of this
casting we bolt a number of plates or steel castings technically known as "whiskers"
projecting over the water and separating and supporting the sheaves in a similar
manner to the girders. As these whiskers are fixed to the ship by means of the steel
casting they may have a much less breadth than is essential to give the necessary
strength to the girders thus making the arrangement much more compact, greatly
lessening the top weight and avoiding the necessity of a spread out bow. At
each side of the apparatus we place a horizontal grating supported by the two outside
whiskers. These gratings give standing room for the men superintending the work
and we also make parts of them removable so as to form holes above which can be
placed seats to serve as closets for the seamen for harbour use in hot climates.
.
In some cases and especially when the ship has a projecting stem instead of fixing
the casting upon the upper surface of the deck we place it underneath fixing it to the
under side of the deck beams. In such cases we usually have a transverse bulkhead
between the front of the casting and the after ends of the whiskers connecting the
two together by bolts passing through the bulkhead which makes a very strong
structure and prevents the entrance of water.
"
Dated this 22nd day of November 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Laying and Picking Up Submarine
Cables.
We, GEORGE DRAPER, Secretary of the Eastern Telegraph Company Limited of
Winchester House, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, and PERCY LEWIS
ISAAC, M.I.N.A., of 15 Dennington Park, West Hampstead, in the County of
5 Middlesex, Marine Engineer and Naval Architect, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Cable ships usually have two or more sheaves placed side by side and projecting

page_text: over the water at the bow for supporting the cable in the process of laying or picking
up. Such sheaves have heretofore been carried by horizontal girders bolted in board
to the deck or beams of the ship, there being a girder on each side of each sheave, so
that there is one more girder than there are sheaves. Such an arrangement occupies
a considerable width so much so that it is often necessary to widen out the bow so as
to give space for the girders thus forming a sort of spoon bill destroying the graceful
form of the stem and adding top weight
This spreading out of the bow has also frequently been the means whereby the seas
have started butts of the bow shell plating and also carried away the carved name
boards.
This invention relates to a new way of supporting the sheaves.
"
In place of bolting to the deck a number of girders with spaces between we employ
a single steel casting which may taper from the bow to aft and to the front of this
casting we bolt a number of plates or steel castings technically known as "guards
and "whiskers" projecting over the water and separating and supporting the sheaves
in a similar manner to the girders. As these whiskers are fixed to the ship by means
of the steel casting they may have a much less breadth than is essential to give the
necessary strength to the girders thus making the arrangement much more compact,
greatly lessening the top weight and avoiding the necessity of a spread out bow. The
sheaves which are bushed at their centres run loose in a fixed steel shaft-suitable
means being taken for lubrication. At each side of the apparatus we place a
horizontal grating supported by the two outside whiskers. These gratings give
standing room for the men superintending the work and we also make parts of them
removable so as to form holes above which can be placed seats to serve as closets for
the seamen for harbour use in hot climates.
In some cases and especially when the ship has a projecting stem instead of fixing
the casting upon the upper surface of the deck we place it underneath fixing it to the
underside of the deck beams. In such cases we usually have a transverse bulkhead
-between the front of the casting and the after ends of the whiskers connecting-the-
two together by bolts passing through the bulkhead which makes a very strong
structure and prevents the entrance of water.
In order that our said invention may be more fully understood and readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: leg—and bolted direct on to suitable ironwork built within the stem. The two inter-
mediate guards may be made of rolled steel plates thereby not only further lessening
the total width but also the cost of steel castings.
In this case the casting is made much smaller and is fixed to the underside of the
deck beams in place of above or it may even be entirely omitted. The whiskers care
secured by means of bolts e e passing through the bulkhead h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The steel plates or whiskers for supporting the sheaves substantially as
described.
2. The combination of a deck casting, whiskers secured to the casting-and sheaves
between the whiskers substantially as described in reference to Figures 1 to 3.
3. The combination of a transverse bulkhead, whiskers secured to the bulkhead
and sheaves between the whiskers substantially as described in reference to Figures 8
and 9.
4. In combination with apparatus such as is referred to in claims 1, 2 and 3, the
gratings and seats 9 substantially as described.
5. Apparatus substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
f
1000
GEORGE DRAPER.
PERCY LEWIS ISAAC.