IMPROVE- MENTS IN LIFE BOATS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Chapman, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in
the City of London, Master Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LIFE BOATS."
Sealed the 21st March 1865, and dated the 7th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Chapman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th October 1864.
I, CHARLES CHAPMAN, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the improved construction of life boats, whereby
greater buoyancy and immunity from being capsized is attained, thereby
offering greater security for the lives of the crews, and rendering them more
seaworthy than those of the ordinary construction.
My Invention consists in constructing life boats in three parts or portions, a
stem and stern portion as in an ordinary boat, fitted as usual with seats, row-
locks, masts, and sails; and, secondly, a middle part or portion consisting of a
longitudinal, cylindrical, or barrel-shaped chamber running lengthwise along
the boat in a line with the keel, and forming part of the hull. This cylin-
drical or barrel-shaped chamber is open at each end so as to form a tunnel or
passage, and is constructed of tubes placed either longitudinally or diagonally
as may be found most suitable, or may be constructed of two skins of plate
metal or other material united in such manner as to form water-tight cells or
compartments of the said cylindrical or barrel-shaped chamber.

page_text: My Invention consists further in constructing my improved life boats in
some cases in such manner that the herein-before mentioned cylindrical or
barrel-shaped chamber may be free to rotate when struck by a sea, thereby
taking off the shock from the boat. This I effect in the following manner :-
I provide the cylindrical or barrel-shaped chamber with a shaft.running longi-
tudinally through the centre, so as to form an axis for the said cylindrical or
barrel-shaped chamber. This shaft is mounted on bearings in two frames or
horizontal or vertical supports, one in stem and one in stern portion of boat.
When I employ this rotating chamber it forms for its length, as in the case
of the fixed chamber, the outside of the boat, the keel being continued the
whole length of the boat, and the ribs, planking, or plating or a part or
portion only thereof being continued through the interior of the said chamber,.
and a rib or ribs of iron or other metal or material may be carried along from
stem to stern outside the boat at either side, thereby uniting the whole into
one rigid structure capable of withstanding any shocks to which it may be
exposed by the sea striking the boat. It will be obvious that at such times
the shocks will be borne by the rotating, cylindrical, or barrel-shaped chamber,
and their effects thereby lessened if not altogether destroyed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Létters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Chapman in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
CHAPMAN, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Master
Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the
said Charles Chapman, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Chapman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Charles
Chapman, 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 maké, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man; an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Chapman, my executors:

page_text: or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Charles Chapman, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
My Invention relates to the improved construction of life boats, whereby
greater buoyancy and immunity from being capsized is attained, thereby
rendering them more seaworthy and offering greater security for the lives of
their crews.. I effect this by my novel and improved construction, and by the
arrangement and disposition of the parts of such boats, and of their air
chambers and weights, whereby boats when constructed according to my
Invention cannot remain in any position but keel downwards; and if by any
shock of the waves they are momentarily diverted from such position they
again and instantly resume it.:
In order that the nature of my Invention and the means by which I
propose to effect the same may be more particularly described and ascertained,
I to this Specification append two Sheets of Drawings numbered I. and II.,
and having figures and letters of reference marked thereupon, the like letters.
being used to denote similar parts in each Figure.
. My Invention consists in constructing life boats in three parts or portions,
a stem and a stern, portion (opened or uncovered, and fitted as usual with
seats, row-locks, and, if necessary, with masts and sails), and a middle part or
portion consisting of a longitudinal, cylindrical, or barrel-shaped chamber
running lengthwise along the boat in a line with the keel, and forming part
of the hull. In Sheet No. I. of the Drawings a boat of this kind is repre-
sented; Figure 1 being a longitudinal elevation; Figure 2, a transverse
section at midships; and Figure 3, a plan partly in section of a boat built
according to this part of my Invention. In this boat the cylindrical or barrel-
shaped chamber is formed by building a double roof over the centre or
midship portion of the boat, and extending it fore and aft, as shown; the
space between the inner and outer roof being so constructed as to form water-
tight cells or air compartments indicated in Figure 2 in the Drawings by the
letters a, a, a, a. The boat is also provided with other water-tight cells or
air compartments a, a, a, a, the spaces occupied by such compartments

page_text: being indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. In a boat constructed
according to this part of my Invention the cylindrical or covered portion may
only be at the midship part of boat, say for about one-third of the boat's entire
length, and the boat may be worked from the open parts at stem or stern, or
the roof may be extended as shown in Figure 1 in the Drawing, and seats
placed in the interior of the cylindrical or barrel-shaped chamber for the
rowers, and the oars worked from about their usual positions, as shown in the
same Figure. This boat is provided with tubes or water passages and valves
at b, b, b, b, for the purpose of immediately discharging any water that may
be shipped. The cylindrical or barrel-shaped chamber may be built of
tubes placed either longitudinally or-diagonally, but the-plan-of-construction
shown in the Drawing will probably be found most convenient in. practice and
suitable to the requirements of the case. At c, c, are glazed. lights which I
_propose to use if necessary for lighting. the interior of the chamber..
My improvements consist further in constructing my improved life boats in
some cases in such manner that the herein-before mentioned. cylindrical or
barrel-shaped chamber may be free to rotate when struck by a sea, thereby
taking off the shock from the boat. By reference to Sheet No. II. of the
Drawings it will be readily understood how this is effected: In. these Drawings
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation; Figure 5, a plan partly in
section;. Figure 6, a transverse section of boat at end of rotating chamber;
Figure 7, a transverse section of stem portion of boat; Figure 8, a transverso
section of barrel, showing its construction; and Figure 9, an enlarged view.
showing the construction of keel. In these Figures d is the cylindrical or
barrel-shaped chamber, a shaft e runs longitudinally through its centre, so as
to form an axis for the said cylindrical or barrel-shaped chamber, which is
supported on arms as shown. The shaft e is mounted on bearings as shown
at f,f,f,f. When I employ this, rotating chamber it forms for its length, as
in the case of the fixed chamber, the outside of the boat, the keel being.
continued the whole length of the boat, as shown. in the Drawing Figure 5.
It will be seen by reference to the Drawing that the ends of the cylindrical
chamber are open at 9, 9, 9, 9, and the stern and stem portion of boat
are at the places so marked plated across, therefore any water shipped by the
chamber will almost immediately escape at 9, 9, 9, 9, or from port holes
placed in the sides of the boat for that purpose. The interior of the chamber
may be fitted with seats hanging from the shaft e, which seats will in any
position of the boat retain their upright position. In the Drawings it will
also be seen that the keel forms one strong continuous girder running
throughout the length of the boat, and together with the shafte retaining all

page_text: the parts of the boat securely in position. Should it be found necessary,
however, to give the boat additional strength, the ribs, planking or plating, or
a part or portion only thereof may be continued along the outside of the said
chamber, and a rib or ribs of iron or other metal or material may be carried
along from stem to stern throughout the boat at either side, thereby uniting
the whole into one rigid structure capable of withstanding any shock to which
it may be exposed by the action of the sea. It will be observed also that the
shocks will mainly be borne by the rotating, cylindrical, or barrel-shaped
chamber, and under circumstances in which an ordinary boat could not
remain on her.keel; the main body of this boat will revolve on its axis while
the people inside will remain in an upright or nearly upright position. The
water-tight cells or air compartments in the cylindrical or barrel-shaped
chamber are indicated in the Drawings by the letters a, a, a, and the water-
tight cells or air compartments in the other part of the boat are marked
a', a¹, a¹. Additional air compartments may be carried round on both sides
above the deck in stem and stern portions of boat. I do not limit myself 'to
size in constructing these boats, but propose to make them of any size that
may be found convenient for the purposes for which they are required, and I
propose to make them of wood, iron, or of any other metal or material that
may be found suitable for the purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the means by which I effect the same, what I claim as of my
Invention is, the construction of roofed or partially enclosed boats, that part
forming the enclosure being either fixed or free to make revolutions or part
revolutions by the action of the waves upon such part, the covered portion
forming as it were another bottom for the boats should they at any time be
thrown keel up, from which position they must immediately recover themselves
as described herein.
I also claim the particular arrangements and disposition of parts as described
in this Specification, or illustrated by the Sheets numbered I. and II. of the
appended Drawings.
In witness, whereof, I, the said Charles Chapman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
CHARLES CHAPMAN. (LS.)