IMPROVEMENTS” IN BUILDING WATER CRAFT.
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS” IN
BUILDING WATER CRAFT.-A communication from abroad by E. S. Ren-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th August 1860.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BUILDING WATER CRAFT," to be as follows:-
Previous to this Invention it has been customary to construct water craft
mainly of a shell of ribs, and of a deck or decks, the ribs projecting but a
short distance from the inner face of the shell. The rigidity of the vessel, thus
constructed in direction crosswise to its length, depends upon the stiffness of
the ribs, and of the knees by which the deck beams are stayed, and as the ribs
have but a slight projection from the shell when compared with the length of
the vessel, a multitude of ribs and deck knees are required to impart the
requisite transverse rigidity.

page_text: The object of this Invention is to diminish the quantity of material required
in-building water craft, and nevertheless obtain increased strength and safety;
and to this end the Invention consists in constructing water craft in such
manner that they consist of a combination of shell deck or decks and transverse
bulk heads, that extend from one side of the vessel to the other, and from the
floor to the deck or decks, so that the vessel is rendered rigid in directions
crosswise with the keel, and is at the same time divided in a number of water-
tight compartments, which may be rendered entirely independent of each
other. This mode of construction dispenses with the necessity of employing
ribs and knees at the ends of the deck timbers, for the purpose of transverse
rigidity, and as the bulkheads are of the whole breadth and depth of the vessel
the material is disposed in a form which imparts the greatest transverse strength,
and a much less quantity of material is required to prevent the vessel from
changing her shape transversely than is necessary when the material is
disposed in rids according to the old system: Moreover, the ribs in the old
system were of such breadth in the direction of the length of the véssel, and
were necessarily so close together that they prevented cargo-from being stowed
up to the shell, while by this new system the bulkheads being of great size
transversely to the strain imposed upon them may be made of but- little
thickness, and may be set so far apart that the space in the vessel up to the
shell can be made available for cargo or other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great. Seal Patent
Office on the 27th February 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton,' in the County of
Surrey, send greeting:
1 { .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by: Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto
the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators," and assigns;
or such others as I, 'the said 'George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no. others;
me,

page_text: from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 BUILDING: WATER CRAFT," a
communication to me from abroad by E. S. Renwick, of 335, Broadway, New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that. I;
the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors 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 George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and.in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the, accompanying Drawing
which represents a vertical longitudinal section of a spindle-formed vessel con
structed according to the principle. of this Invention.
:
Previous to this Inyention it. has been customary to construct metallic water
craft mainly of a shell of ribs and ȧ. deck or decks,. the ribs: projecting but a
short distance from the inner face of the shell, and such vessels have some:"
times had a few cross bulkheads. The rigidity of the vessel thus constructed
in direction crosswise to its length depends mainly. upon the stiffness of the
ribs, and of the knees by which the deck beams are stayed, and as the ribs
Have but a slight projection from the shell when compared with the breadth of
the vessel a multitude of ribs and 'deck knees are required to impart the
requisite transverse rigidity.
-The object of this Invention is to diminish the quantity of material required
in building metallic water craft, and nevertheless obtain increased strength;
safety, and carrying capacity by an improved distribution of the material; and
to this end the Invention consists in constructing water craft in such manner.
that they consist of a combination of shells, one or more decks, and transverse
diaphragms or bulkheads extending from one side of the vessel to the other;
and from the bottom of the vessel upwards, so that the vessel is rendered rigid
in directions crosswise to its length, and at the same is divided into a
number of water-tight compartments, which may be made without any com-
munication between them, or. rendered entirely independent of each other:
This mode of construction dispenses not only with ribs, but also with knees at

page_text: the ends of the deck timbers, and as the bulkheads, which are of the whole
breadth of the vessel are so numerous as to perform the duty of ribs, the
material thereof is disposed. in a form which imparts the greatest transverse
strength, and a much less quantity of material is required to prevent the
vessel from changing its shape transversely than is necessary when the
material is disposed wholly in ribs, or mainly in ribs, with a few bulkheads
according to the old system. Moreover, the ribs in the old system were
necessarily so close together that they prevented cargo from being stowed up
to the shell, while by this new system of construction, the bulkheads being of
great size transversely to the vessel, which is the direction in which the strain
is imposed upon them, may be made of but little thickness, and may be set so
far apart that the space in the vessel up to the shell can be made available for
cargo or other purposes.
In the accompanying representation of a spindle-formed vessel built ac-
cording to the principle of this Invention, the hull is composed of a shell of
iron A formed of sheets, which are connected rigidly with each other by rivets.
The opposite sides of this shell are connected by a deck B, and by vertical
transverse bulkheads C, C, C, also of iron. The bulkheads and deck thus
form a rigid frame, which prevents the shell from changing its shape, and in
order to secure the whole together the shell bulkheads are united whenever
they come in contact by rivets, which, in this instance, pass through flanges
formed on the edges of the sheets of which the deck and bulkheads.are
composed. The joints are caulked, so that the hull is made up of a series of
independent water-tight compartments. Suitable openings must be made in
the shell and deck of the vessel to permit access to these compartments, which
openings should be fitted with removeable water-tight hatches. Doorways
may also be made in the bulkheads and fitted with water-tight doors to close
the communication between adjacent compartments, and render them inde-
pendent of each other, but it is preferred to have no doorways in the bulkheads
below the water line of the vessel. The adjoining butts of the plates which
compose the hull may be securely connected between the bulkheads by strips
of iron overlying the joint, and firmly secured by rivets to the margins of the
adjacent plates as at e, e, e. And as such connections occupy but little space
they leave the whole breadth of the interior of the vessel up to the shell
practically available for carrying purposes.
This Invention is not confined to spindle-formed vessels, but may be applied
with advantage to the construction of vessels of the ordinary form in general
use.

page_text: What I claim as the Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,
the combination substantially as described of a shell, bulkheads, and deck of
sheet metal in such manner that the members of the combination mutually
brace and support each other, and form a metallic vessel or water craft.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)