IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND MOORING LIGHT VESSELS, BUOYS, AND OTHER SIMILAR FLOATING BODIES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Herbert, of Summer Hill, Dartford,
in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING AND MOORING LIGHT VESSELS, BUOYS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
FLOATING BODIES."
Sealed. the 31st May 1853, and dated the 8th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Herbert at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th April 1853.
I, GEORGE HERBERT, of Summer Hill, Dartford, in the County
of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND MOORING LIGHT VESSELS, BUOYS,
AND OTHER SIMILAR FLOATING BODIES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of making the outer surface of the bottoms
of light vessels concave or conical, combined with means of taking in
and letting out cable in such manner that the cable shall be held
by & the vessel moored at the upper part of the conical or concave

page_text: bottom; and in constructing buoys and such like floating bodies, they
also are made with concave bottoms, the mooring chains or cables
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
.
filed by the said George Herbert, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 8th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE HERBERT, of Summerhill, Dartford, in the County of Kent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Herbert, Her special licence
that I, the said George Herbert, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Herbert, 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 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 CONSTRUCTING AND MOORING LIGHT VESSELS, BUOYS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
FLOATING BODIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Herbert, 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 Herbert, 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 (that is to say):

page_text: This Invention consists of making the outer surface of the bottoms
of light vessels concave or conical, combined with means of taking in
and letting out cable in such manner that the cable shall be held, and
the vessel moored, at the upper part of the conical or concave bottom;
and in constructing buoys and such like floating bodies, they also are
made with concave bottoms, the mooring chains or cables being fixed
to the upper parts of the concave or conical bottoms.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
My Invention has for its object so to construct light vessels, and also
buoys and such like floating bodies, that they may be moored at or
as near as may be to their lines of floatation, and, if convenient,
at or as near as may be to their centres of gravity; for which purpose
the bottoms of such floating bodies are, according to my Invention,
made hollow or concave, so that the point or points at which such a
floating body is moored may be so much above the lowest part of
the floating body as to bring it or them to or as near as may be to
the line of floatation, or to the centre of gravity.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 2, and 3,
Figure 1, is a section of a light ship or vessel.
are two horizontal sections, and Figure 4, is a plan of the deck.
This vessel is circular and cylindrical at the upper part, above the
water line. The bottom of this vessel, where the mooring takes
place, consists of a hollow cavity or cone a, a, a, which rises to or
above the line of floatation of the vessel, and it is this which consti-
tutes the peculiarity of my Invention. There is at the upper part of
the concave or conical recess in the bottom of the vessel, as shown,
an opening and a tube for the passage of the chain cable, which is let
out or taken in by means of a windlass or otherwise. The drawing
shows a particular arrangement of decks and divisions into rooms,
which may, however, be varied as circumstances may dictate, the
arrangement of the interior of the vessel constituting no part of my
Invention. In the arrangement shown, a, a, is the deck; b, b, the
tabernacle into which the mast is stepped; c, c, the iron circle from

page_text: which beams of deck radiate to the sides of the vessel; d, d, four pillars
to support the tabernacle, and beams of deck radiating to c, c; e, e, the
windlass deck; f, f, eight pillars supporting iron circle c, c, and windlass
deck; j,g, the flooring; h, h, eight pillars supporting flooring; k, k, iron
circle to which angle iron of the cone is fixed; 1, 1, iron circle to which
angle iron of the cone and angle iron of the sides of the vessel are
fixed; m, hawse pipe; n, n, ties of hawse pipe; 0, 0, store rooms.
Figure 5, shows so much of a vertical section of a buoy or such like
floating body as will enable me to describe my improvements as applied
thereto. This buoy or vessel is in its exterior form to be constructed
as heretofore, and according to the purpose to which it is to be applied;
but, in place of constructing the lower part so as to be moored from
its lowest part, it is made with a hollow or concave bottom. The
drawing shows the bottom to be of the form of a hollow cone, which
I consider to be the best construction; but it is not absolutely necessary
that the hollow part of the bottom should be conical, so long as the
point at which it is moored is raised internally by the bottom being
concave or hollow, as herein explained.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim
is the construction of light vessels, buoys, and such like floating bodies,
with concave bottoms, and suitable arrangements for mooring from the
upper parts of such concave bottoms.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Herbert, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, B. GOBEY,.
GEORGE HERBERT. (L.S.)
Clerk to Messrs. Carpmael,
4,. Old Square, Lincoln's Inn.