IMPROVED APPLIANCES FOR ENABLING PERSONS TO REMAIN UNDER WATER OR IN VITIATED AIR, APPLICABLE TO THE HELMETS AND DRESSES WORN BY DIVERS AND OTHERS, AND TO DIVING BELLS, SUBMARINE BOATS, AND SUCH LIKE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Albert Fleuss, of 12, Dale Road, Haverstock Hill,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPLIANCES
FOR ENABLING PERSONS TO REMAIN UNDER WATER OR IN VITIATED AIR,
APPLICABLE TO THE HELMETS AND DRESSES WORN BY DIVERS AND OTHERS, AND
TO DIVING BELLS, SUBMARINE BOATS, AND SUCH LIKE."
Sealed the 27th January 1880, and dated the 13th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Albert Fleuss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th October 1879.
HENRY ALBERT FLEUSS, of 12, Dale Road, Haverstock Hill, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVED APPLIANCES FOR ENABLING PERSONS TO REMAIN UNDER
WATER OR IN VITIATED AIR, APPLICABLE TO THE HELMETS AND DRESSES WORN
BY DIVERS AND OTHERS, AND TO DIVING BELLS, SUBMARINE BOATS, AND SUCH
LIKE."
This Invention bas for its object improved means for enabling persons to remain
under water or in vitiated air, applicable to the helmets and dresses worn by divers
and others, and to diving bells, submarine boats, and such like.
Heretofore persons working under water have ordinarily been supplied with fresh
air through pipes, into which fresh air is forced continuously by means of pumps,
the pipes conducting the air to the helmet or dress worn by the person or to a
diving bell in which the person or persons may be working. Attempts have also
been made to enable persons to remain under water without its being necessary to
continuously pump fresh air to them, and to effect this means have been proposed
for continuously absorbing carbonic acid from the air exhaled by the person, and
render such air fit to be again inhaled, the requisite quantity of oxygen being from
time to time restored to the air from a small reservoir containing oxygen under
pressure.
My improvements relate to this latter method of enabling persons to remain
under water or in vitiated air.
In the case of persons wearing helmets or dresses capable of sustaining a certain
amount of external pressure the helmets or dresses may be of ordinary construction,

page_text: but in place of provision being made for admitting a continuous supply of fresh air
to the helmet or dress a mouth piece, somewhat similar to an ordinary respirator, is
placed over the mouth and nose of the person wearing the helmet or dress; the
mouth piece is provided with an inlet valve for admitting air to the mouth, and
with an outlet valve for permitting of the passing away of vitiated air exhaled
from the lungs. This vitiated air is conducted from the outlet of the mouth piece
by a short flexible pipe to a casing or chamber, or to a pipe leading to a casing or
chamber, containing numerous small pellets or lumps, preferably of earthenware or
similar porous material saturated or coated with a strong solution of caustic potash.
The pellets or lumps are placed between perforated divisions which pass across the
casing or chamber at a distance from its upper and lower ends. The air is intro-
duced into the vacant space at the lower end of the case, passes through the bottom
grating, through the spaces between the pellets or lumps, and through the top
grating to the upper vacant space, from which it is conducted back to the interior
of the helmet.
The vitiated air passing freely through the interstices between the pellets or
lumps has the carbonic acid absorbed from it by the caustic potash solution, and
the air after psssing through the mass of pellets or lumps passes back in a purified
state to the interior of the helmet ready to be again breathed. As the air gets
gradually deprived of oxygen the deficiency of oxygen can be remedied by admit-
ting oxygen from a small vessel affixed to the helmet and containing oxygen under
high pressure, the amount of oxygen admitted being controlled by a small valve.
Solutions of other substances with which carbonic acid will readily unite may
be used instead of caustic potash.
By using numerous pellets or lumps saturated or coated with caustic potash solution,
as above described, for absobing carbonic acid from the vitiated air, the vitiated
air is able to pass freely through the numerous interstices between the lumps or
pellets so that no difficulty is experienced in breathing, and the air may be brought
into contact with a very extended potash surface without much space being
occupied. The air after being passed through one such casing may, if desired, be
passed through a second similar casing before it is allowed to enter the interior of
the helmet to be again breathed.
The chamber or chambers may be contained in a prolongation of the helmet
fitting over the chest of the wearer, or may be placed in other suitable position.
The helmet may be formed with a similar prolongation at the back; these prolon-
gations not only serve to contain the purifying chambers but also protect the lungs
and chest of the wearer from pressure when working under water.
The vitiated air exhaled by persons in submarine boats and diving bells and
such like constructions may, in the same way, be purified by causing it to pass
through a chamber or chambers containing porous or other pellets, or lumps
moistened with a strong solution of caustic potash or other like solution.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Albert Flouss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
April 1880.
HENRY ALBERT FLEUSS, of 12, Dalo Road, Haverstock Hill, in the County of
Middlesox. "IMPROVED APPLIANCES FOR ENABLING PERSONS TO REMAIN UNDER
WATER OR IN VITIATED AIR, APPLICABLE TO THE HELMETS AND DRESSES WORN
BY DIVERS AND OTHERS, AND TO DIVING BELLS, SUBMARINE BOATS, AND SUCH
LIKE"
This Invention has for its object improved appliances for enabling persous to
remain under water or in vitiated air, applicable to the helmets and dresses worn
by divers and others, and to diving bells, submarine boats, and such like.
Heretofore persons working under water have ordinarily been supplied with
fresh air through pipes, into which fresh air is forced continuously by means of
pumps, the pipes conducting the air to the helmet or dress worn by the person, or
to a diving bell in which the person or persons may be working. Attempts have
also been made to enable persons to remain under water without its being necessary
to continuously pump fresh air to them, and to effect this means have been proposed
for continuously absorbing carbonic acid from the air exhaled by the person, and
render such air fit to be again inhaled, the requisite quantity of oxygen being from
time to time restored to the air from a small reservoir containing oxygen under
pressure.
My improvements relate to this latter method of enabling persons to remain
under water or in vitiated air.
In the case of persons wearing helmets or dresses capable of sustaining a certain
amount of external pressure the helmets or dresses may be of ordinary construction,
but in place of provision being made for admitting a continuous supply of fresh air
to the helimet or dress a mouthpiece, somewhat similar to an ordinary respirator, is
placed over the mouth and nose of the person wearing the helmet or dress; the
mouthpiece is provided with an inlet valve for admitting air to the mouth, and
with an outlet valve for permitting of the passing away of vitiated air exhaled from
the lungs. This vitiated air is conducted from the outlet of the mouthpiece by a
short flexible pipe to a casing or chamber, or to a pipe leading to a casing or
chamber, containing numerous small pellets or lumps of earthenware, or preferably
of india rubber, sponge, or other similar porous material saturated or coated with a
strong solution of caustic potash.
The pellets or lumps are placed between perforated divisions which pass across
the casing or chamber at a distance from its upper and lower ends.
The air may be introduced into the vacant space at the lower end of the case
and allowed to pass through the bottom grating through the spaces between the
pellets or lumps, and through the top grating to the upper vacant space, from which
it is conducted back to the interior of the helmet; but preferably the air is caused
to pass first downwards and then upwards through the spaces between the pellets
or lumps in the case, as herein after described.
The vitiated air passing freely through the interstices between the pellets or
lumps has the carbonic acid absorbed from it by the caustic potash solution, and
the air after passing through the mass of pellets or lumps passes back in a purified
state to the interior of the helmet ready to be again breathed. As the air gets
gradually deprived of oxygen, the deficiency of oxygen can be remedied by admitting
oxygen from a small vessel affixed to or forming part of the helmet and containing
oxygen under high pressure, the amount of oxygen admitted being controlled by
a sinall valve.
Solutions of other substances with which carbonic acid will readily unite may be
used instead of caustic potash.

page_text: By using numerous pellets or lumps saturated or coated with caustic potash
solution, as above described, for absorbing carbonic acid from the vitiated air, the
vitiated air is able to pass freely through the numerous interstices between the
lumps or pellets, so that no difficulty is experienced in breathing, and the air may
be brought into contact with a very extended potash surface without much space
being occupied. The air, after being passed through one such casing, may if desired
be passed through a second similar casing before it is allowed to enter the interior
of the helmet to be again breathed.
The chamber or chambers may be contained in a prolongation of the helmet
fitting over the chest of the wearer or may be placed in other suitable position.
The helmet may be formed with a similar prolongation at the back; these prolong-
ations not only serve to contain the purifying chambers, but also protect the lungs
and chest of the wearer from pressure when working under water.
The vitiated air exhaled by persons in submarine boats and diving bells, and
such like constructions, may in the same way be purified by causing it to pass
through a chamber or chambers containing porous or other pellets or lumps
moistened with a strong solution of caustic potash or other like solution.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew several views of a diver's dress fitted up
in the manner above described. Figure 1 is a plan view, and Figure 2 an elevation
of the helmet; Figure 3 is a plan view; Figure 4 a front elevation; Figure 5 a side
elevation, and Figure 6 a horizontal section of the jacket, which forms a downward
prolongation from the helmet; Figure 7 shews a stout canvas belt to be buckled on
outside the jacket; Figures 8 and 9 shew on a smaller scale plan views and
elevations of the cases which are to contain the substances coated with caustic
potash solution; Figure 10 shews full size a side elevation of the mouthpiece and
tube leading from it.
The helmet is formed with an inner casing a and outer casing b, the space c
between the two forming a chamber or reservoir, in which highly compressed
oxygen may be stored; d is a valve by which the oxygen gas may be supplied to
the chamber c; this valve is shewn full size at Figure 11. It is formed of a block
of metal e, which passes through the chamber c, and extends beyond the inner and
outer casings a and b. On the end which extends from the inner casing a a screw
thread is cut to allow of a pipe by which the gas is to be supplied being coupled up
to it; a small passage leads from this end of the block into the inner end of a cavity
formed in the opposite end of the block; another small passage also leads from the
inner end of this cavity into the space c, in which the gas under pressure is to be
stored. The end of this latter sinall passage is closed by a cone valve f, formed at
the end of a screw g, which screws into the cavity, as shown. The stem of the
screw passes out through a stuffing box h, and has a handle formed upon it, by
which it can be turned; i is a pin passed through the stem of the screw to prevent
the screw from being entirely screwed out from the cavity. To fill the space c with
gas the screw is screwed back to move the cone valve away from the ends of the small
passages, and gas under pressure then enters the space c from the gas supply pipe.
When the chamber c is first filled with gas a small forifice at the top of helinet
is left open to allow the air in the space c to escape. When the chamber has been
filled with oxygen this orifice is closed by a screw plug h, as shewn, and when the
gas in the space c has attained the pressure required ordinarily, I bring it to a
pressure of about 240 pounds to the square inch, the cone valve f is again caused to
close the small passages and retain the gas in the chamber c when the gas supply
pipe is uncoupled from the end of the block e. The helmet is then charged and
ready for use at any time. When the helmet is being worn this valve also serves
to allow gas to pass whenever required from the chamber c into the interior of the
helmet. 1, 1, 1, are tubes passing through the chamber c and casings a and b, and
carrying the side and front glasses, such as ordinarily fitted to divers' helmets;
m is an eye to which a line coupled to the signal cord may be attached. The lower
end of the helmet is circular, and has a screw thread formed around it; the threads
of the screw are cut away in segments, as shewn, The upper end of the jacket is

page_text: formed with corresponding screw segments, so that the helmet when placed on to the
top of the jacket may be securely locked to it by giving a partial turn to the helmet,
a watertight joint being obtained by a washer. The upper plate n of the jacket is
formed to rest on the shoulders, and to extend from the back and chest of the
wearer curved metal plates o are carried downwards at the front and back; at the
bottom of these is a horizontal ledge or shelf p, which serves to support the cases
containing the substances coated with caustic solution, and also to keep the curved
plates in shape. At the sides openings are left for the arms to pass through, and
below these openings are plates 9 to connect the back and front plates; one of
these plates is made so that it can be slidden upwards, and removed to allow the
jacket to be passed over the shoulders, the plate can then be slipped into the upper
part of the opening below the arm of the wearer, and slipped down into the
position shewn. The belt, shewn at Figure 7, is then to be placed around the
jacket and buckled up tight, so as to close the side openings in the jacket and
prevent pressure coming on the sides of the wearer when he descends below water.
,, are cases containing substances coated with caustic potash or soda solution; by
preference I use small lumps of india rubber sponge; this material possesses the
advantages that it can readily be washed and used over and over again. Each of
them is formed with a removable lid & which carries an inlet tube t, and also an
outlet tube u. At the lower part of each case is a perforated false bottom v, from
which a division plate rises to the top of the case.
Above the top of the case is placed
a plate of vulcanized india rubber, the lid closes down onto the india rubber, and
so a tight joint is formed between the lid and the top of the division plate as well
as between the lid and the outer sides of the case. Openings are formed through
the india rubber opposite to the ends of the tubes t and u.
8
In front of the mouth of the wearer of the dress is placed the respirator or
hollow case w; the respirator is held in place by bands x, x, which fasten together
at the back of the hend of the wearer. From the respirator passes a flexible
tube y; this tube at its end is connected to the inlet tube t of the case r, which is
carried at the front of the jacket. The air exhaled by the wearer is thus conducted
to the case r, and decends through the spaces, between the material contained in
one side of this case, passes down through the false bottom, rises up again through
this bottom, and through the spaces between the material in the other side of the
case, and passes away by the outlet tuble u, from which it is conducted by a
flexible pipe, not shewn in the Drawing, to the inlet tube t of the case, which is
carried at the back of the jacket. After similarly passing downwards and upwards
in this case it is allowed to escape into the interior of the dress through a small metal
outlet valve in the outlet u of this case. Preferably this valve is made to move to
and fro in an inclined direction as it opens and closes, so as to void pulsations,
which otherwise are liable to be set up in the circulating stream of air; z, z, aro
inlet valves at each side of the respirator to admit air from the interior of the
helmet to the interior of the respirator for the wearer to inhale.
After putting on a helmet and jacket formed as above described, the diver puts
on the ordinary air tight dress, and a tight joint is formed in the ordinary manner
by straps or clip plates and nuts screwed on to the studs A*.
The respirator is formed by preference of a hollow cup of leather, having an
internal lining of thin sheet vulcanized india rubber, which projects somewhat from
the orifice of the cup, and is free to lie closely against the face of the person
wearing the respirator, and form a close joint. To the exterior of the leather cup
are rivetted two or more strips of sheet copper, which can be bent to any shape
required, so as to mould the cup and bring the edge of its orifice or opening to fit
against the face of the person who is to wear it.
With diving dresses fitted up as herein before described, it is not essential that
the caustic potash or other material used for absorbing carbonic acid from the
vitiated air should be applied as a solution to an extended surface of pottery, india
rubber, or other material if the vitiated air before being passed into contact with
the caustic potash or analogous material is first deprived of moisture by bringing it

page_text: into contact with substances capable of absorbing moisture from it, as for example,
by bringing into contact with calcium chloride. In this case the closed case through
which the vitiated air is first caused to pass may be filled with calcium chloride,
whilst the second case is filled with caustic potash or analogous material.
In the case of diving bells, submarine boats, and such like, the bell or boat would
take the place of the diver's dress, and might be fitted with a reservoir or reservoirs
to contain oxygen gas under pressure whilst the person or persons in the boat or
diving bell would only require to wear a respirator, and the cases through which
the vitiated air exhaled by them is to be passed to be purified from carbonic
acid.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I am aware that it has before been
proposed to employ caustic potash to absorb carbonic acid from vitiated air exhaled
by persons inclosed in an air tight dress, and render the air fit to be again breathed,
and also to supply oxygen to the air from a reservoir of oxygen gas under pressure,
I do not therefore generally claim such means of enabling persons to remain under
water or in vitiated air, but I claim,-
First. The combination of appliances, substantially as herein before described, for
enabling persons to remain under water or in vitiated air without having fresh air
continuously supplied to them.
Second. The construction of what I have called the jacket of the diving dress
with a back and front shield with ledges or shelves on the inside to carry the air
purifying cases, substantially as described.
Third. The combination of the mouth piece or respirator with an inlet valve or
valves, and an outlet tube leading to a case or cases containing material with which
carbonic acid will readily unite, and also fitted with an outlet valve through
which the air after traversing through the case or cases passes out to be again
breathed.
Fourth. The combination of the mouthpiece or respirator with an inlet valve
or valves, and an outlet tube leading to a case or cases containing numerous pellets
or pieces of india rubber, sponge, or other porous material or extended surface
saturated or coated with a strong solution of caustic potash or other sub-
stance, with which carbonic acid will readily unite, such case or cases being also
fitted with an outlet valve, through which the air after it has traversed through
the case or cases passes out to be again breathed.
Fifth. The arrangement of the air purifying cases, substantially as described,
with the materials for absorbing carbonic acid from the air carried on perforated
false bottoms, substantially as described, leaving space at the bottom of the cases
for any liquid flowing from the materials to collect in without obstructing the
passage of air through the cases.
Sixth. The construction of helmets to be worn by divers or persons requiring to
work in vitiated air with a reservoir to contain oxygen gas under pressure,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Albert Fleuss, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.