IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING SOUNDINGS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hamilton, of 86, Great Tower Street, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING SOUNDINGS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hamilton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th October 1854.
I, GEORGE HAMILTON, of 86, Great Tower Street, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING SOUNDINGS" to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in attaching by a hinge joint to the fore part of a ship
or vessel a metal or other bar, so arranged as to trail on the bottom when the
depth of water is small. To this metal bar is attached an indicator, by means
of which the depth of water is indicated as soon as the ship gets into shallow
water. The trailing bar may be arranged so that it can be raised out of the
water, that it may not impede the progress of the vessel when there is no
chance of its being required.
5
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hamilton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HAMILTON, of 86, Great Tower Street, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Hamilton, Her special licence that I, the said George Hamilton,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Hamilton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, 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 OBTAINING SOUNDINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Hamilton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 George Hamilton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in attaching by a hinge joint to the fore part of a
ship or vessel a metal or other bar, so arranged as to trail on the bottom when
the depth of water is small. To this metal bar is attached an indicator, by
means of which the depth of water is indicated as soon as the ship gets into
shallow water. The trailing bar may be arranged so that it can be raised out
of the water, that it may not impede the progress of the vessel when there is
no chance of its being required.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side view of the apparatus complete, except the trailing
bar; Figure 2 shows another side view of the fixing parts, with the other or
upper parts in a position at right angles to that in which they are shown.in
Figure 1; Figure 3 is part plan of some of the parts; and Figure 4 shows
the upper part of the trailing bar. a, a, is a clamping frame, by which the
apparatus is fixed to the taffrail or other part of a ship or vessel by means of
the screws and moving plate c. On the upper part of the frame a is fixed

page_text: the axis d, which carries the other parts of the apparatus, and allows of their
moving thereon, so as to come correctly in position for nse. e is a forked arm,
which at one end turns freely on the fixed axis d, and at the other end the
forked arm carries the axis f in suitable bearings g, g. On this axis there
is a saddle-piece f¹, on which the forked end of the trailing bar is placed, as
shown at Figure 4. On the axis f is the arm h, which acts as a counter-
balance to the pointer i, fixed on the axis f, as shown. j is an axis, fixed to
the socket or boss of the forked arm; k is a graduated arc, which moves
freely on the axis j, and is kept counterbalanced by the weighted arm 7, fixed
thereto. This are may be graduated on both sides, so as to employ two
different lengths of trailing bars therewith, but ordinarily one trailing bar will
be sufficient, in which case only one graduation will be necessary. Supposing
this apparatus to be fixed to the fore part of a ship, or, in fact, in any con-
venient part of a ship, and the trailing bar is in position, the depth of water
will be indicated by the pointer and. graduated scale, and which will assume
positions according to the angle of the trailing bar for the time being.
I would remark that I do not claim any of the mechanical parts separately,
nor do I confine myself to the details shewn, as they may be greatly varied
without departing from my Invention, which consists of combining the use of
a trailing bar with a suitable index, to indicate the depth of water a ship or
vessel is for the time being floating in.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hamilton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
10
Witness,
GEO. PITT,
4, Old Square.
GEORGE HAMILTON. (L.S.)