IMPROVE- MENTS IN INDICATING THE DEPTH OF WATER IN AND THE NATURE OR CHARACTER OF THE GROUND FOR PREPARING SECTIONS OR DIAGRAMS OF WATER-COURSES, RIVERS, HARBOURS, AND THE LIKE, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dillon, of the City and County of Dublin, Ireland,
Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN INDICATING THE DEPTH OF WATER IN AND THE NATURE OR
CHARACTER OF THE GROUND FOR PREPARING SECTIONS OR DIAGRAMS OF
WATER-COURSES, RIVERS, HARBOURS, AND THE LIKE, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dillon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1881.
JAMES DILLON, of the City and County of Dublin, Ireland, Member of the
Institute of Civil Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS. IN INDICATING THE DEPTH OF
WATER IN AND THE NATURE OR CHARACTER OF THE GROUND FOR PREPARING
SECTIONS OR DIAGRAMS OF WATER-COURSES, RIVERS, HARBOURS, AND THE LIKE,
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
:
This Invention is designed to enable soundings, and sections, or diagrams to be
prepared of water courses, rivers, harbours, and the like; also to determine the
depths or levels of existing or proposed subaqueous excavations or dredging
operations, and the character of the ground.
It consists in fitting across the stern of a boat, barge, or other floating vessel or
body, an axle moveable in bearings projecting on each side, and called the "central
axle." Through a hole in this axle is passed a bar (called the "sounding bar") of
any desired length, and secured in its place (according to the maximum depth
required) by screw or otherwise. Parallel with the keel or centre line, and on the
side of the boat is fixed a graduated dial or semi-circle, through the centre of which
the "central axle" works.
Attached to the back of the dial or elsewhere are vertical cylinders, on which are
rolled horizontally sheets of section paper, and worked by clockwork actuated by
float boards, or by a screw immersed in the water or other suitable mechanism.

page_text: Two pointers are rigidly fixed to the "central axle," one pointing to the dial
face and the other carrying a pen or pencil-(marking on the section paper) having
its surface parallel to the keel, the "contour line" so drawn representing the undu-
lating or other surface of the ground or excavation. When it is desired to survey,
say, one hundred miles of river conservancy at ten feet depth, the bar is adjusted
to ten feet, swinging parallel to the keel, the other or short end pointing towards
the dial.
The boat being set in motion, obstructions or elevations on the bottom trip the
'sounding bar," causing its more or less inclined position to be indicated on the
dial, and the depth thereby shewn; at the same time the pencil or pen traces a
"contour line" on the paper on the drum.
The character of the ground, whether composed of boulders, gravel, silt, or other
matter may be observed by noticing the variations in the vibrations of the
"sounding bar" and the marking on the paper, or by listening to the vibrations of
the bar rubbing on the ground.

page_text: recording each revolution of the sounding wheel, the distance through which the
"sounding rod" and vessel passes is recorded.
"
The section paper is moved through, say, one inch for each two hundred feet the
vessel passes through (or other proportionate scale) by the same wire in "sounding
rod" H, communicating, its motion to a branch wire passing through the "central
axle" A, giving motion to a button Z (Sheet 2) working in a slot through "central
axle so as to move a wheel working a rack and pinion under the box containing
the section paper, or in other convenient manner. Instead of this arrangement I
may use an electric current to transmit motion instead of by the mechanical
details; or the motion can be transmitted through the tubes by using either air or 1
water as the conducting medium. Instead of the wire I may use the arrangement
shewn in Figs. 6, 7, 10, 11, in which a bevel wheel R drives a bevel pinion P¹ on a
rod X, driving the index dial M' by bevel gearing. To the central axle there is
tightly screwed a hand or pointer pointing to the figures on the. inner face of
the semicircular dial D. The paper can also be moved by a screw K in the water
with clock work arrangement. There is also a pencil pointer working on the section
paper, and as the motion of the sounding rod His communicated to the latter
by means of a leather belt or cord F (as shewn in Fig. 3) both record the motions
of the sounding rod H, the pencil pointer drawing a line on the section paper
representing the surface of the ground under water.
To admit of the machine being used on boats of different sizes there is
advantageously a block of wood, four or more inches square, placed across the boat
and made to fit tightly between the sides of the boat immediately under the
"central axle" inside of the boat, and as the "central axle" works in and out
through the socket B, the clamps which catch the side of the boat at C, E¹, and L,
which are attached to the bars C and L, can be tightly screwed up by the
screw S, shewn in Fig. 2, thus tightly pressing the sides of the boat against the
said wood block.
When required to prepare soundings or sections for any work, say, fifty or one
hundred miles of river conservancy or harbour, canal, or other works to a depth of
ten or more feet below the surface of the water, then ten or more feet of the
"sounding rod "H are passed through the central axle into the water, tightening
it up with thumb screw or pin in "central axle " A, thus leaving exactly ten feet
of "sounding rod" H swinging parallel to keel of boat or vessel, while the short
end of the "sounding rod" H points to ten feet on the semicircular dial D. On
the boat or vessel being set in motion the "sounding rod" H will remain in the
vertical position until it meets with some obstruction or rise in the ground, when
the "sounding rod" (working on the "central axle ") will be pushed from the
vertical to a slanting position, and according as its end under the water resting on
the ground is raised from ten feet to lesser depths below the surface of water, say,
nine, eight, seven, or six feet, the other and shorter end of the "sounding rod" to
which the recording dial M is screwed will point to nine, eight, seven, or six feet
in the dial D, until the end of the "sounding rod" in the water is raised by some
obstruction to the surface of the water, when its other end will point to zero on
the dial D (for illustration, see diagram, Fig. 4), while at the same time the pencil
pointer is marking on the surface of the section paper, set in motion by the motion
of the boat or vessel, a contour line representing the surface of the ground under
water,
The length of each section or cross section, or the distances between each
variation in height, can be read from the recording dial M and noted by the
observer in his note book; secondly, the distances can be ascertained by noting
and recording in the note book with the aid of a prismatic compass the angle
formed between the boat and certain fixed objects on the sea or lake shore or river
bank, such as buoys, buildings, bridges, or pegs, etc., the distance between which
can be checked on or from the surveys of the country. In attaching the machine
to a sailing or steam vessel nearly the whole of the different parts should be kept
inside the vessel, except the end of the central axle, which working through a

page_text: water-tight stuffing box in the side of the vessel would support the "sounding rod,"
or the "sounding rod" might be worked like a ladder in a dredging machine in
the middle instead of the side of the vessel, and by being made on the telescopic
principle could be increased in length to 40 or 50 feet.
The character of the ground under water, whether composed of boulders, coarse
or fine gravel, silt, etc., is also made known to the observer by the variations in the
length of the vibrations of the "sounding rod" communicated to the pencil pointer,
and thus to the section paper, or to the observer by the variations in the sound
caused by the variations in the vibrations of the "sounding rod" rubbing along the
ground. By removing the sounding wheel N from the "sounding rod," as well as
the box, etc., containing the section paper, a very useful machine remains, consisting
solely of the semicircular dial, central axle, and "sounding rod." By this simple
arrangement the observer reads the rise and fall of the ground from the figures on
the dial D, and the distance by buoys, buildings, pegs, or other fixed objects on the
shore or river bank.
Having now described my Invention and the best mode known to me of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that what I believe to be novel
and original and desire to claim under the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
Firstly. The method of indicating the depth of water in and the nature or
character of the ground in surveying rivers, canals, harbours, and the like, by
fitting a vertically swinging bar or lever to a boat or other vessel, and causing the
fluctuations of the same on the ground to be indicated or read off on a dial or the
like, as described.
Secondly. In combination with the swinging bar or lever H a clockwork or
other arrangement driven by the progressive motion of the boat or vessel, and
serving to move a travelling section paper or sheet on which the swinging bar or
lever shall cause a pen or pencil to trace a corresponding diagram of the bottom of
the river or other bed over which it travels, as described.
Thirdly. The general arrangement of apparatus, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dillon, have hereunto set my hand and
seal. this First day of February, in the year of our Lord 1882.
; Witness,
W. HENRY PARRY,
National Patent Office,
4, Nassau St.,
Dublin.
JAMES DILLON. (L.S.)